So could I pick up an OEM oil filter from my local Mazda dealership?

Yup! Payed $6.xx for mine!

Yeah I actually have been looking at the tection 15W40 myself, but have not heard of anyone else using it in a 13B. Let us know the results of the switch over

Shit, I just changed my oil filter with a FRAM.

There is no need to be a smartass. I use that oil because it is cheap for one. I can't afford to add expensive oil all the time. This is a quote taken from Amsoil's website:
"This leads to the next topic: many people also ask us if the 0W-30 is too thin a viscosity oil for high ambient temperature operation. The answer is absolutely not! Thicker viscosity oils are not always necessarily better since in addition to its' various engine lubrication functions, an oil must also effectively transfer heat. Only about 60% of an engines cooling is performed by the engine coolant, and only on the upper half of the engine. The remaining 40% of an engines cooling is performed mainly by the engine oil."

I didn't say I used the "right" oil, but why is what I am using wrong? If I am doing something that is more harmful to my engine then I will change, but I do oil changes every 2500-3000 miles and I make sure my oil is always full.

0w-30 =/= 30wt


Pure one has a silicone rubber draineback valve and bypass valve, and i'd bet iy has as much filter area as the mazda filter, and the media is synthetic.

No one mentined K&N oil filters. They all have anti-flowback valves and have twice the filtering surface area of a Fram.

If the old saying that "You get what you pay for." is true then at 13 dollars, the K&N better be sufficient. Not to mention they have a nut on the end to making changing easier, which also has two holes for a safety wire, so the filter won't spin off if used.

0W30 and 30W are two entirely different weights, and should not be confused together. The difference is when cold, the 0W30 flows like a 0 weight, while when warm it thins enough to flow like regular 30W (which is okay if you are not operating temps above 80-85F)

Straight 30W oil is way too thick for starting in anything but 80+ weather. Because of pumping issues you are probably experiencing increased wear and reduced engine life... toss in that if you drive the car in temps above 85F then the oil is probably too thin when the engine is warm and you are experiencing engine wear from insufficient film depth.

Said another way: Oil with too high a viscosity may not pump to the proper parts at low temperatures and the film may tear at high rpm.

want to bet money on that???

http://www.teammiata.com/libs/oil-filters.htm

Since the Mazda OEM filters have three times the area of the Fram... that means the Mazda filter has 1/3rd again/additional area of the K&N. Right???

and that the K&N is twice the cost of the OEM Mazda filter...and the only advantage is that you don't have to use a filter socket...

Yeah, getting what you paid for:rolleyes:

I use Castrol GTX 10w40 in winter, 20w50 in summer and ALWAYS use OEM Mazda filters (dealership 5 mins from my house).

Yeah Icemark, good point. But not everyone lives near a Mazda dealer. Also, everyone with an RX and half a brain changes the oil every 2-3k, so if the K&N performs LIKE the OEM filter and is more easily accessable ( all 3800 Autozones sell them, plus you can get them strait from K&N ) for most people, why not use it? I don't know about the rest of the country, but there are only like 3 Mazda dealers in NH and the closest one to me is 1.5 hrs away.

Sorry, but I can't justify spending 15 bucks on gas to get a filter that is only 1/3rd better for half of the price of a K&N that I can get a mile down the road.

Even though anthony asked about the "best" Classicauto had a good point. "Best" is a relative term. Istantly everyone starts shouting MAZDA and gives the kid no options. Anything that is not a piece of garbage like Frams is a good filter to me. Also, becasue the K&N has the anti-flowback feature like the OEM, I would say that one feature puts K&N in a very close second and a good option for someone with an RX.

Correct me if I am wrong, but these forums aren't for preaching about anything, but providing information to help people make thier own desicion based on said information.

I went with a K&N filter the last time for a similar reason, I dont much like the local Mazda dealer and the K&N was about the best filter they had a Schucks. I dont think it was worth the price, but now I have a filter I don't have to worry about.

As for oil I went with the standard Castrol GTX 10W-30

Hmm, I pay $6 for a Mazda OEM filter... not sure where the $15 is coming from. Maybe the $15 is what you are paying for the K&N???

And the Mazda filters are available at a half dozen places online, so not having a Mazda dealer near is no excuse.

I think its intresting that several Honda boards have been suggesting the use of the Mazda filter over even Honda's OEM. I'll have to find links.

But yep...its your choice. You can use anything you want... its only your motor.

And changin your oil every 2K miles is a waste of money as well unless you flooded it. 3000 miles on a Turbo, 5000 miles on a Non turbo is perfectly fine (as long as the engine has not been flooded) unless you like throwing away money.

But don't belive me... go send your oil out for testing every 1K miles and see for your self.

Makes no sense... changing the oil twice as often and using a less than the best oil filter. but then throwing away money never made sense to me.

Icemark, can you give me the links/websites that sells Mazda oil filter (yes, the one that comes in mazda logo box)?
All I found online was some NPN, bosch, Denso ones....thank you for your help :)

Icemark: I think I wrote what I am using wrong. I am using 0-w30. Thanks for explaining your point though.

I do not agree with "drago86"'s statement regarding the weights of oils. A straight 30wt is just a single-weight rating with no viscosity improvers. Very stable and predictable at temperature and over a long period of time. They are just not used very much now that manufacturers are spec'ing a multiweight oil.

30wt DOES = Xw30 in the sense that the VI @100C numbers should fall within a certain range. For most people that live in climates above certain temperatures (50 deg F, for instance), there is no measurable difference between running a 0w-30 and a 10w-30 if their Viscosity Index for the given oil falls within a "30" range. Some oils are a very "thin" 30 (like Mobil 1 10w-30.....actually the 5w-30 is a "thicker" oil as its VI numbers are slightly higher), and some oils are a very "thick" 30 (like Castrol Syntec 0w-30, which behaves nearly like a Xw-40).

The only time consumers should be pouring over multiweight numbers is during wintertime, when the first number of the weight ("Xw-30") is needed to behave as a thin oil for cold temp pumpability depending on the weather. Usually the manufacturers list both "hot" viscosity ("VI @ 100 C") and "cold" viscosity ("VI @ 0 C") to give you a better idea of their actual thickness.

As not all Xw-X are alike, to really understand the thick or thin of things is to go to the manufacturer's web site and look for viscosity, flash point, and content on their Data sheets or MSDS sheets (available to the public).

Hope that helps.

-JW

i used mazda oem filter which is $8 and castrol gtx 20w 50 :icon_tup:

Thats a pretty old school link if none of the filters except the mazda had check valves.

and the regular purolators are not the same as pure ones in filter area or filter media.

hmmm 30wt =/= 0w30 except at 100 C :-D

Right now I'm using Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil and Mr. Coffee Filters.....but most of the time the recommended GTX 10w30 or 20w50 and Mazda filters. Seems to work for me just fine.

do you mind giving me the part # for mazda oem oil filter??
thanks

don't really know the part number, i just went to the mazda dealer parts area and said i needed a filter for a 91 rx-7, and they gave it to me.

Amsoil and OEM filter for us.

i use 10w 30 Idemitsu 100% syn. and a OEM filter. That crap works wonders. iono how it just does.