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[T-Roy]

Has anyone used this oil filter. I am looking for some expert opinions on them.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/19141/i/pc-racing-flo-spin-on-oil-filter-with-housing

[mark]

No expert opinion here, but a quick calculation shows this:

FLO Filter cost:  $116.00

Traditional HD filter cost:  $15.00 (approx)

If you change oil every 5,000 you wouldn't start saving any money by using the FLO filter until after you used it for about 40,000 miles, or eight oil changes. 

[T-Roy]

Have not used it, but a quick calculation shows this:

FLO Filter cost $116.00

Traditional HD filter cost:  $15.00 (approx)

If you change oil every 5k you wouldn't start saving any money by using the FLO filter until after you used it for about 40,000 miles, or eight oil changes.

I agree. I really wasn't concerned about any cost savings on the price of the filter. A couple of guys at the Harley shop, that I don't know personally, yesterday said they had them and that their oil pressure is more stable and comes up quicker on cold starts. They think the OEM filter is by-passing on cold starts for a few seconds. But I wonder if this re-usable filter filters as well overall with the micron rating so much higher??

[FLH91]

I know some folks around here that use them and love them.  However, they are almost all only local riders and can change their oil in their garages.
 I will not get one for the fact that I do alot of long distance rides and a dealer will not touch one of these when you take it in for service while on the road.  And as for what the MoCo will say regarding warranty I can't say for sure but I doubt it would be good.  And I sure don't want to change the oil and clean this filter in the hotel parking lot while on a road trip...
My .02cents

[mark]

I agree. I really wasn't concerned about any cost savings on the price of the filter. A couple of guys at the Harley shop, that I don't know personally, yesterday said they had them and that their oil pressure is more stable and comes up quicker on cold starts. They think the OEM filter is by-passing on cold starts for a few seconds. But I wonder if this re-usable filter filters as well overall with the micron rating so much higher??

Here's my thinking on what the the guys at the Harley shop said...1) they have no evidence to support their position, it is just a "belief" & 2) can any of them cite a case in which engine damage was attributed to using a traditional oil filter?...the answer is going to be "no."  So, even if there are a few seconds of bypass, less stable oil pressure with a traditional filter,  and a higher micron rating on the FLO, it's not going to make a difference. 

[ultrarider123]

Has anyone used this oil filter. I am looking for some expert opinions on them.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/19141/i/pc-racing-flo-spin-on-oil-filter-with-housing

Roy, I'm neither a pert nor an ex-pert on these.  However, I did visit the website, read all the information and reviews and have to agree with some of the others here.  It will be quite a while before you get any return on your initial investment of $116.  I like the engineering of the FLO and in theory, it should be a great product.  I do find it interesting that of all the reviews posted on their site, there is only one bad one (and that was for the wrong threads?).  Sometimes I use that as a bad omen..."sucker" and "every minute" comes to mind when I see/read things just a bit too good to be true.  If they were truly that great, why isn't everyone using them and why aren't these or something like them OEM on all vehicles?
I do use K&N air filters in my cars for some of the same reasons I believe the FLO to be a good idea.  You see your money savings much sooner, however, with the K&N products.  They will pay for themselves IF you service them as described. 
I went back to the stock high flow HD filter in my SESG, however.
If you (or someone else on the site) does jump in dem waters, a review will be expected....

[T-Roy]

I agree with all of the comments above. I was not really wanting one but I wanted to make sure that I was not missing some benefit that I was not thinking about.

[grc]

It's the same snake oil offered by at least two other companies I'm aware of, and what they claim as advantages are just the opposite in my humble opinion.

The stainless mesh filter material doesn't have more surface area that the conventional filters like the K&N or H-D Premium.  The 35 micron pores in the mesh are more consistent in size due to the way the mesh is manufactured, but the regular filters are capable of filtering down to 10 microns.  Yes, the filter will flow more.  That's what happens when you do less actual filtering.  And if you don't have a shop set up in your garage with a Safety Clean type of parts cleaning system, cleaning the filter AND THE HOUSING is a lot more involved than they imply.

If you have a new bike that's still in warranty, or has the ESP, I'd highly recommend you stay away from this and similar filters.

Jerry

[prodrag1320]

I use one on both my personal bikes,nice piece

[digga25]

I use one on my bike.I change my own oil.I like it because I dont have to cut the filter apart to see what is in it.The cost doesnt make much difference to me especially when I think about how much I wasted on other things.

[WVHoop]

I've got a K&P filter on my "12" CVOSG & I think it's OK. 35 microns is just a little bigger than 1/1000 of an inch & a white blood cell is about 25 microns so I seriously doubt that all of these supposed 10 micron filters are doing anything more than bypassing. More importantly I wouldn't believe anything that the MOCO says pertaining to anything & I can guarantee you that their filter isn't being used in any blood filtering processes. 10 microns? What a load of BS!!

[CVODON]

HD and K&N paper filters are superior products. NO one has experienced a problem due to an oil filter. The A/M unit is to much trouble to clean and like GRC says, why argue over a warranty item for NO reason. We do enough stuff that is questionable, this one just does not make sense. Snakeoil is the best description for it I have heard.

[ozrider]

If ya bike's out of warranty ya don't have to worry about dealer excuses.

I run these units on two bikes, one has an oil cooler and the other doesn't.

After seeing the difference in oil temp on the non oil cooler bike I decided to run on on the other as well, I did notice a drop in oil temp.
 (BTW, our max temps here this week range from 42 C to 46 C)

I'm happy with the particle size rating and more than happy that the units have magnets in them, you do get to see if there is anything trapped in the filters when you clean them.

I'm running 15 W 50 full synthetic oil and change it around the 4000 to 5000 kilometer mark, so, it's still pretty clean when done. Probably bad economy changing long life oil at short intervals, but that's what I like to do to keep things clean and insure there's nothing going on in the engine that shouldn't be.

It doesn't take a lot of effort to clean the filter, less in fact than going down to pick up a new OEM job. Although I USED to by them in six packs and always have at least two on the shelf.

And, I like the fact that they don't have bypass valves, who wants to dump unfiltered oil back through the engine when the oil is too cold,,,, or when the filter is too clogged to let oil through it ?   

That's what oil pressure gauges are there to tell you.

Hopefully, if all is kept in good clean order and there are no gremlins attacking the engine the bypass thing should never happen.

I think that in the long run, it's all up to, and about how clean and safe the owner wants to be with his machine.

This type of filter is well suited to those that do their own maintenance and spanner work.

Cheers.

[bakon]

Still under warranty but I would try one. Only downside I see is the cleaning and I do my own work. Just what a mess to clean without proper solution bath. Could take it to a buddy's shop and rinse, but flip him a $5 for use and I am only a few bucks from a fresh HD one with no mess. Plus the o ring has to wear, like having a new thick one on the filter.
That being said- if it does perform better, worth it to me some day.

[GMR-PERFORMANCE]

It's the same snake oil offered by at least two other companies I'm aware of, and what they claim as advantages are just the opposite in my humble opinion.

The stainless mesh filter material doesn't have more surface area that the conventional filters like the K&N or H-D Premium.  The 35 micron pores in the mesh are more consistent in size due to the way the mesh is manufactured, but the regular filters are capable of filtering down to 10 microns.  Yes, the filter will flow more.  That's what happens when you do less actual filtering.  And if you don't have a shop set up in your garage with a Safety Clean type of parts cleaning system, cleaning the filter AND THE HOUSING is a lot more involved than they imply.

If you have a new bike that's still in warranty, or has the ESP, I'd highly recommend you stay away from this and similar filters.

Jerry

JERRY  you crack me up, darn near spit my coffee out reading your post just now.

I agree they flow better, well if the orifice is larger cold oil will flow through it better , I have had a few has issues with drain back , and cold start rattle..  To me its so easy to just replace the oil filter.. The idea of checking the filter is the large selling point.. OK so buy a 20 dollar filter cutter and you can check all your vehicles..