Walmart's Oil Filter Recommendation Surprised This Mechanic - Here's What He Noticed
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Walmart is well known as a retailer with a wide selection of items for sale at affordable prices. The company even carries its own brand of automotive maintenance supplies, including oil and oil filters, under the Super Tech banner. The shelves of the Auto Care department inside Walmart are also lined with well-known automotive brands like Fram, Pennzoil, Mobile1, and K&N, sitting next to the Super Tech items.
Super Tech motor oil is good enough to meet American Petroleum Institute (API) specifications deemed suitable for most automobile engines. However, with its low price point, expect some differences when compared to premium brands. There are also differences between other brands and Super Tech when comparing oil filters, as Adirondackny points out in a video posted to TikTok.
In the video (you must sign in to TikTok to view it), we can see a Super Tech oil filter compared to filters from Motorcraft and NAPA. Walmart recommended the Super Tech filter, and NAPA provided the Pro Select version, as replacements for the stock Motorcraft oil filter. Note: Walmart also carries Motorcraft brand oil filters. They all look like they fit the same vehicle, and AdirondackNY verifies they will, but the Super Tech is noticeably shorter than the stock Motorcraft, while the NAPA filter is the longest of the three oil filters.
Are Walmart's Super Tech oil filters safe to use?
Oil filters are among the car parts that you should never go cheap on. However, if the high price of a name-brand oil filter is the only thing preventing you from ever changing your oil, buy the Super Tech oil filter and change it, and the oil, regularly. The shorter Super Tech oil filter may not be the best, but it's better than using a filter that's past its serviceable life.
More expensive oil filters use different filter media, often with increased filtration to catch smaller particles. In addition, the external cases of high-end spin-on filters are often stronger than those used on cheaper filters, such as the Super Tech.
Carsntoys posted a YouTube video showing the differences between Super Tech, Fram, Purolator, and Mobil 1 oil filters. While the Super Tech oil filter used in this example is also shorter than the rest, a feature that translates to less filtering media, its internal construction is similar to the others. Walmart says its Super Tech oil filters are "engineered with a variety of natural and synthetic fibers for optimum efficiency." For comparison, Mobil1 advertises its "advanced performance oil filters use synthetic blend media."