Brake in oil

[Chris_Hamilton]

So what are the best filters to use now in 2020?

[rebelrouser]

On my race engines I use a System one type oil filter, with an aluminum housing and a stainless steel mesh filter media. First you never need to buy a filter again, so it will pay for itself, second the housing is strong enough it will not burst, third, when doing an oil change it is easy to see what is in the filter media, to make judgements on engine wear and condition. At the race track several times I have taken my filter apart looked at it and simply reinstalled when the oil pressure wiggled or did something funny. But I had the piece of mind that no damage had been done.
I had a customer that had a Ford 460 in a pulling truck, the engine would blow up after ten hooks with regularity, and it is kind of hard to figure out the root cause of a failure when you have rods hanging outside the block. So when he asked me about it, I told him to use a system one filter, and open it up after every hook, when you see any metal in the media, we will pull it apart. Main bearings were delaminating, changed main bearings to a different brand and type, engine is still running with a different owner, 5 years later.

https://www.goodvibesracing.com/system_1_oil_filter.htm

[RDY4WAR]

The System One filters are good for a track car. The filtration is little more than a rock catcher though so I don't like them for something that sees more street than strip or is expected to live for 100k+ miles. Occasional street use, such as drag week, isn't a concern. Wix Racing filters are still quality units, as are K&N. They suck for filtration, but flow well and don't come apart.

The main contaminants that cause issues in an engine are external debris like dirt and sand. These particles are typically <5 um in size which is well below the absolute efficiency of even the best oil filter with the exception of Amsoil's bypass filters. Because of this, I tend to say that the best oil filter is a good air filter (IE: NOT a K&N filter). This is especially true with a PCV system where air is drawn into the crankcase from the intake tract. The K&N "lifetime" air filters have notoriously poor filtration, and it's not uncommon to see silicon (dirt) content of the oil increase exponentially when using one. Iron, lead, and copper wear metals tend to increase with it. Again, as above, less of a concern with a track only car that gets rebuilt after so many seasons or passes. Not as much of a concern if you live in a clean environment, don't drive on dirt roads, etc...

[dfarr67]

No1 is to have a good maintenance routine- the best filter could be reserved for those 10k oil changes;) Just in hand I like Mobil1, but probably will use Baldwin or Donaldson after the box of ACD is used up.

[Walter R. Malik]

No1 is to have a good maintenance routine- the best filter could be reserved for those 10k oil changes;) Just in hand I like Mobil1, but probably will use Baldwin or Donaldson after the box of ACD is used up.

A good maintenance routine is paramount.
Personally, I use "Jomar" filters when I can which are made by Baldwin to specific Jomar specs.