Oil Filters for 2012 Ninja 250

[wardie]

I have been able to buy Fram PH 6012 filters at Advance Auto but in reading some posts about Fram they haven't been too complimentary. I ordered on-line and received a new K& N Filter to compare to the Fram I have. One thing for sure the large and small "O" rings are big and I wouldn't use them. I also noticed stamped on the top of the K&N filter is "made in China"? The Fram says Indonesia..Really I thought K&N by virtue of cost and the fact they're supposed to be better , I did not think I'd see them made in China.

The K&N filtration fibers or elements looked better and are a reddish color but who knows I'm no Chemist or Mechanical Engineer so I have to go by what I see. I've done three oil changes in 991 miles on the 250. I'll put the K&N in and see if 2,000 miles later the oil "
looks" any cleaner. I suppose the optimal way would be to send oil to shop for testing.

Have anyone had similar observations or has anyone used other brands with success? Thanks

[Flying]

I've had two or three KN-401 kits that had O-Rings that were the wrong size out of six ordered. I'm on the fence.

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by Flying

I've had two or three KN-401 kits that had O-Rings that were the wrong size out of six ordered. I'm on the fence.

First one I used had this issue. Prior was Wix without issues.

[wardie]

I think I'm going to stick with the Fram filters . I've checked with two Ninja previous owners who were meticulous about maintenance and they had no problems with Frams.

[Olie]

Wix and Amsoil.

[InvisiBill]

The cartridge looks better than most Fram canister filters.

Originally Posted by http://www.minimopar.net/oilfilters/opinions.html

Years ago Fram was a quality filter manufacturer. Now their standard filter (the radioactive-orange cans) is one of the worst out there. It features cardboard end caps for the filter element that are glued in place. The rubber anti-drainback valve seals against the cardboard and frequently leaks, causing dirty oil to drain back into the pan. The bypass valves are plastic and are sometimes not molded correctly, which allows them to leak all the time. The stamped-metal threaded end is weakly constructed and it has smaller and fewer oil inlet holes, which may restrict flow. I had one of these filters fail in my previous car. The filter element collapsed and bits of filter and glue were circulating through my system. The oil passage to the head became blocked and the head got so hot from oil starvation that it actually melted the vacuum lines connected to it as well as the wires near it.

Personally I'd still be a bit wary of any Fram filter though, just because of how cheap and crappy their orange cans are.

The K&N motorcycle canister filters I've seen are actually made by HiFlo. You're paying a few bucks extra just for that nut welded on the end, and the HiFlo isn't that great a value to begin with (the filter isn't bad, it's just more expensive than other filters of the same quality). It looks to me like they have HF make their cartridge filters too (though they don't seem to be marked up as much as their other models). http://www.hiflofiltro.com/catalogue/filter/HF401

Luckily, the EX500 uses a very common size spin-on, so I have a huge choice of filters, some with extended length for more filtering surface. http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/FilterXRef.html It doesn't look like there are a whole lot of cross-reference options for the CH6012. I personally like Purolator PureOne and Wix for performance/price.

If you buy your filters at Advance Auto, there's almost always a coupon code available to save you some money. http://www.retailmenot.com/view/advanceautoparts.com I managed to get a handful of the PureOnes for $3 each (regularly $6.09) last time.

[ninjamunky85]

I've always used Fram filters for my pre-gen, and never had any problems. For the 300 I've been using OEM Kawi oil filters. They are pretty cheap and easy for me to get so I will stick with those in the future.

[quarterliter]

Go for a Wix. Made in Poland and it looks like a good quality piece. Plus they might be cheaper than K & N

[wardie]

Originally Posted by quarterliter

Go for a Wix. Made in Poland and it looks like a good quality piece. Plus they might be cheaper than K & N

Ordered 10 Wix filters from Discount Fleet Supplu. 50 bucks for 10 and that includes shipping.

Many have said Wix are good filters..

[poo_chucker]

Originally Posted by Flying

I've had two or three KN-401 kits that had O-Rings that were the wrong size out of six ordered. I'm on the fence.

Had this same issue this weekend. Stocked up on a few K&N oil filters this weekend to find all the o-rings were the incorrect size. The larger o-ring was a hair big, so a drop of glue to keep the o-ring in place worked. The smaller o-ring was way too big and couldn't be used.