Green Oil Filtering Technology Extends Oil Change Intervals

We can thank advertising for our belief that crankcase oil loses its efficacy after only 3,000 miles. Sure, if you driving style is purely short trips (so the engine never warms) in harsh climates (extreme heat/cold plus dust), and you rev the wee out of your motor from the moment you key the ignition, you may need to change your oil every 3,000 miles.

However, if you drive as many Americans, oil can last longer than 3,000 miles between changes, especially if you use some of the hyper-filtering devices available today.

Before we get into the details, understand that big-rig fleet operations watch dollars and pennies closer than your Scottish/Jewish spinster grandmother from Oklahoma who grew up during The Great Depression, so they know about extending maintenance intervals without adversely affecting engine longevity. Companies like these (and semi-tractor owner/operators) have been using bypass oil filter technology for decades.

These expensive filtering packages operate by diverting a portion of the truck's engine oil supply to be cleaned by dedicated auxiliary filters designed to remove dirt particles down to 3-5 microns. The oil not diverted to the bypass filter continues through the high-flow main filter (intended to trap dirt sized larger than 25 microns). Over time, all of the engine's oil receives the ultra-filtration treatment. The result is that some big rigs can run upwards of 60,000 miles between oil changes, saving considerable maintenance dollars (oil stock plus downtime) in the process.

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