Oil Filter for Ford 460

[MCoop]

So I have owned my 2000 Superformance MK III for a year and I have had nothing but an absolute blast owning it. I have put 3,000 miles on it and I am ready to change the oil before the upcoming driving season. I have a Ford SVO C460 motor manufactured by AER Mfg. The paperwork from AER I obtained when I purchased the Cobra calls for 20W 50 racing oil. The current installed oil filter is a standard Purolator L300001. Would I gain more protection from using a high(er) performance filter or is a standard (Purolator, Fram, Motorcraft, etc.) filter good enough? I have no plans on racing the car or even pushing it close to it's limit.

I have read the thread on motor oil and I think I am going to stick to 20W 50 since that is what the manufacturer recommended.

[Mark IV]

Motorcraft FL1HP or the Ford racing version. Best filter for the money.

[blykins]

Motorcraft is good, Wix 51515 is good......absolutely no Frams.

[Ron61]

I agree with Brent completely. I blew a motor once because of a Fram filter and it was so obviously the Filter that caused it that Fram paid for most of the new motor I had built. I used both the Motorcraft and Wix filters when racing and never had any problem with either.

Ron

[Tom Wells]

MCoop,

Another endorsement for the FL1-HP.

I use 20W50 in both my 385s.

Tom

[Dwight]

I agree with the recommendations for FL1-HP filters


but I have a question about the Relief Valve Opening pressure.
Most filters open at 8 to 14 PSI. The FL1-HP filter is listed as 22 PSI. I noticed Summit list the K&N Performance Gold Oil Filters HP-3002 as no bypass.
Question the those that know, which is better? No bypass or a filter with a high PSI bypass?


Dwight


Brand:Motorcraft
Manufacturer's Part Number:E7TZ6731A
Part Type:Oil Filters
Product Line:Motorcraft Oil Filters
Summit Racing Part Number:MOF-FL1HP

UPC: 031508214927
Oil Filter Style: Canister
Height (in): 5.750 in.
Outside Diameter (in): 3.719 in.
Filter Bypass Relief Valve: Yes
Relief Valve Open (psi): 22 psi
Anti-Drainback Valve: Yes
Thread Size: 3/4-16 in.
Gasket Outside Diameter (in): 2.813 in.
Gasket Inside Diameter (in): 2.422 in.
Gasket Thickness (in): 0.328 in.
Quantity: Sold individually.

[Mark IV]

We use these by the case: FORD RACING HIGH PERFORMANCE OIL FILTER | Part Details for CM-6731-FL1A | Ford Performance Racing Parts

When you pick one up you know it is different....weighs three times what a normal filter does! The end plate is thicker with many more engagement threads to secure the filter and you can't crush the case against your forehead like some filters.

[MCoop]

Thanks for the recommendations, gentlemen. I will go with the Motorcraft.

[lippy]

Some of the racing oil filters flow very well but don't have adequate filtration. You may want to check this for the FL1A Racing. I Googled this filter and found it has 250 in^2 media area (you should probably confirm this). If that's true, then the filtration must be coarse to achieve a high enough flow rate for a racing filter. This is the case with the Wix 51515R (61 micron nominal filtration, which in my view is not acceptable for a street car). Wix recommends their racing filters not be used on the street.

Quality-wise, I understand the best filters on the market are Wix and Baldwin. For your application, the filters would be the Wix 51515 (not the R) and the Baldwin B-253. Both are good. I looked into these (and others) awhile ago and found the following specs:

Wix 51515

- 349 in^2 media area
- 8-11 psi bypass valve
- anti-drainback valve
- 21 micron nominal filtration
- 7-9 GPM max flow
- Burst is 290 PSI

Baldwin B253

- 490 in^2 media area
- 20 psi bypass valve
- anti-drainback valve, standpipe
- 18 micron nominal filtration (50% eff), 40 micron absolute (98.7% efficiency)
- Burst 600 psi
- Flow 12 GPM at 5 PSI. 8 GPM 4.1 PSI. 18 GPM at 14.8 PSI

Spec-wise, the Baldwin is superior. The Baldwin has more filter media than the Wix, so it both flows better and filters better. The Baldwin is about $15 vs $6 for the Wix, but I think it's worth it. You can order them at Grainger and they'll have it in a day or two. BTW, they spec that filter for Ferarris, FWIW.

[bobcowan]

You're not racing, and not putting extended miles on your filter. The Purolater Pro- (not the standard Purolater), or the Motorcraft filter will be perfectly fine. Both are inexpensive and easy to come by. No need to over think this.

I would never use a filter that does not have a bypass valve. The valve is a safety feature that allows oil to flow should the filter become clogged. If there's no valve, if the filter should become clogged the oil will almost stop flowing.