Air Filters For Your Trucks

K&N have their advantages for racing vehicles but not for use on paved highways. With my diesel pickup I bought a Fram replacement filter but it was much lower quality and a poorer fit than the stock GM air filter.

What 99% of people do not know is that a filter is least effective when it is brand new and before any "loading" of the media has taken place (same is true for fuel filters). The only way to improve air flow is to reduce the filtering of particles in the air, as with the K&N filters. Not a problem with a race engine that only has to finish the race but not a good choice if you want to put as many miles as possible on an engine.

Cummins12V98 wrote:
FleetGuard oil filters are not made in USA any longer so that is another reason I switched.

Totally get there are only so many battery manufacturers. They do make batteries to the spec people want so batteries can be different.

The MOPAR FleetGuard air filter has changed numbers and is improved to meet the 19 and newer specs.

To give you a comparison of filters my friend had someone change his 13 RAM Fuel filters. When I went to remove the engine mounted filter I no way could pull it out by hand. I had to pry it out. The filters were NAPA and a side by side comparison can tell you the FleetGuard/MOPAR filter has more filter media.

Things may be made by the same company but the quality can be different!

No comparison between the filters. NAPA/WIX and MOPAR/FleetGuard

There are two variants of that filter. The synthetic media version(FS53000) and the standard media version(FS43255). Both made and still offered by Fleetgaurd and is sold to various other filter manufacturers. Just like how FLeetgaurd offers a good and best version, so do many other filter suppliers like the standard Napa version versus the Napa Gold version. So what you are comparing in that picture is the synthetic version versus the standard version so it is not apples to apples when comparing each brands re-labeled product.

Fleetgaurd oil filters are still made in the USA and I can try to get my Fleetgaurd rep from Cummins cooperate on this thread to prove it. I just had a meeting with him on next years pricing. They have had some supply chain issues forcing them to get filters from other factories for a short period of time or move product to different factories to meet demand, but they typically sell product in the same region they are produced. The N/A product comes from the N/A factories, the South American product comes from the South American factories, the Asian product comes from the Asian factories, and so on.

FleetGuard oil filters are not made in USA any longer so that is another reason I switched.

Totally get there are only so many battery manufacturers. They do make batteries to the spec people want so batteries can be different.

The MOPAR FleetGuard air filter has changed numbers and is improved to meet the 19 and newer specs.

To give you a comparison of filters my friend had someone change his 13 RAM Fuel filters. When I went to remove the engine mounted filter I no way could pull it out by hand. I had to pry it out. The filters were NAPA and a side by side comparison can tell you the FleetGuard/MOPAR filter has more filter media.

Things may be made by the same company but the quality can be different!

No comparison between the filters. NAPA/WIX and MOPAR/FleetGuard

Cummins12V98 wrote:


Nope just wanting the best product available. Example I used to run the FleetGuard Stratopore oil filters but since the AMZ/OIL-Donaldson are a better filter i have switched.

Don't think you will get a better stock air filter than the FleetGuard/MOPAR.

But what if the Fleetgaurd/Mopar is the exact same as the Wix coming out of the same factory? I bet if you did a little research, you will likely find that they are procured from the same company. Contrary to popular belief, filter manufacturers do not make every filter they sell. Many times they will buy from a competitor and relabel it if it is cheaper to do so or if the competitor still has a patent on the filter. Since Mopar does not make their own filters and Fleetguard doesn't make this filter, they are both likely getting this filter from the same company that Wix is also getting it from.

It is like vehicle batteries. There are only three major battery manufacturers in the US. Clarios(used to be Johnson Controls), East Penn, and Exide. These three make all those battery brands people fight over claiming one is better than the other. The last time I visited Clarios(who makes our branded battery for my company), I saw interstate batteries come of the same line as Motorcraft batteries. The only difference is between each brands good/better/best batteries which may have a different virgin lead content. is bonded, and/or has some other accessory like a handle. However, all "good" batteries from every brand comes off the same base battery line, just like all of the "better" comes of the second tier assembly lines as well as the "best' coming off the tier 1 assembly line.

In regards to Fleetgaurd's Stratopore, they actually sold this synthetic media to many other competitors when it first came out because these competitors did have the means to make it. This synthetic media was made specifically to Cummins' spec so even if Donaldson or Amzoil has a better filter media(which I don't think they do based on my data), it will not do anything to extend the life of your engine so it is basically pointless especially if it costs more. If you can show me where the Donaldson/Amzoil filter will extend the life of my engine X amount of miles more than the Fleetgaurd, then I might be intrigued.

Grit dog wrote:

SweetLou wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

SweetLou wrote:
No one here even mentions Wix. Why?

Simply NOT the same quality as MOPAR or FleetGuard. I posted the one I run and I think by now you know I am a pick MoFo just order it and be happy!!!

Yup. Going for it but was just curious that Wix wasn't in the mix

Wix is a fine option. Some folks let brand loyalty cloud their recommendations….

Nope just wanting the best product available. Example I used to run the FleetGuard Stratopore oil filters but since the AMZ/OIL-Donaldson are a better filter i have switched.

Don't think you will get a better stock air filter than the FleetGuard/MOPAR.

Wix and napa are same filters. Napa has on more digit, last four are the same as wix four.
I've run them too. Easy to find.
Also have run Baldwin.
Then the one manufacture makes ALL one size is not that uncommon. The GM 6.5TD fuel filter were one manufacture, just different boxes for a given brand.
Marty

SweetLou wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

SweetLou wrote:
No one here even mentions Wix. Why?

Simply NOT the same quality as MOPAR or FleetGuard. I posted the one I run and I think by now you know I am a pick MoFo just order it and be happy!!!

Yup. Going for it but was just curious that Wix wasn't in the mix

Wix is a fine option. Some folks let brand loyalty cloud their recommendations….

SweetLou wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

SweetLou wrote:
No one here even mentions Wix. Why?

Simply NOT the same quality as MOPAR or FleetGuard. I posted the one I run and I think by now you know I am a pick MoFo just order it and be happy!!!

Yup. Going for it but was just curious that Wix wasn't in the mix

A local well respected auto repair shop uses Wix filters in their oil change bay. I’ve had oil changes done there once in a while on 2 of my pickups and I think they put in a Wix air filter I needed …

So that means I would have run Wix filters! Now Wix is on the list.

Some of the cut open and examine filter videos are interesting.

If you want ultra filtration a bypass filter kit in addition to the oil filter on the engine is an option.

Cummins12V98 wrote:

SweetLou wrote:
No one here even mentions Wix. Why?

Simply NOT the same quality as MOPAR or FleetGuard. I posted the one I run and I think by now you know I am a pick MoFo just order it and be happy!!!

Yup. Going for it but was just curious that Wix wasn't in the mix

IdaD wrote:
To date I've only used Fleetguard filters except for the fuel filters, they've been Mopar.

That said I use Fram filters in my wife's 10+ year old Pilot and that car has been stupid reliable since we bought it new.

Your engine mount filter is made my FleetGuard and under bed is RACOR even tho labeled MOPAR.