There is a huge difference in Oil filters and some are far better then others. Fram is ranked in all tests as the worst!!! Emgo actually ranks considerably higher and is actually cheaper in most applications. I personally prefer to use Amsoil filters whenever possible or Hastings are very good also though I have yet to see if they offer them for the Polaris quads. Your oil is only as good as the filter! If the filter is not cleaning the oil it is going to turn to sandpaper. Amsoil offers a engine replacement promise if their oil causes a melt down with their filter. On top of that they promote 25,000 mile oil change intervals with some of their oils. They know what they are talking about if they have that much faith in their filters and oil then there must be something to the oil filter argument. Try doing 10000 miles with a Fram filter and some Dino oil. Jay

 

PB, I like Amsoil products, but I think the warranty might be a little b.s.. Try to prove it was the oil or filter that caused a break down versus extreme use improper maintenance etc. They have plenty of wiggle room for not replacing a motor. In general you do get what you pay for. Spend the extra money on equipment you depend on regardless of what it is.

 

On my Recon, I had to pay attention to the oil after only 3 days. The threads were stripped on the drain hole. So the first oil change consisted of the dealership tapping out the drain hole. I remember that first oil change well. In the end, Honda took care of everything and replaced that part of the motor. There were little sparkles in the oil.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]


I don't think that there were any sparkles in my Foreman oil. Not that I remember.

 

TreeDoc, I see you did not list the dealers oil filter. I was talking to a person who works there during the summer and he told me the Yamaha filters come from Fram, just with there logo on them. What about K&N? I went online and found a couple different manufactures who make the filter for my quad but I was under the impression they were all the same just one hypes up theirs more then the others. One problem I was noticing was not alot listings for 2003 or even 2004 Kodiak 450's I would have to look again and see if the same filter fits the 400 Kodiak.

Back to my other question. Should I put in synthetic now or wait till the motor breaks in more? AlaskaBoy.

 

AB, with almost 20 hours on your machine I would think your ready for synthetic. I forget, is this your first change? Being that I'm running synthetic from day one (Polaris puts it in), I'll be spinning on filters till I hit 20-25 hours than I'll change again, both oil & filter along with ALL the fluids in tranny, diff, etc. It will ALL be Amsoil from that point on.

K&N makes a good filter, too. I'd snag one of those before I'd go with a factory filter.

 

Alaska boy, check this site out

 

Treedoc, this is my first oil change on this quad.

Big Bad, thanks for that crossreference page, looks like I have lots of options and they also point out to stay away from FRAM. It is funny how the superTech which Wallyworld carries for 2.37 is better then the Fram 5.86 one. Well time to get this done. AlaskaBoy.

 

I personaly use a Napa Gold filter (made by WIX) which I feel WIX is one of the top filters

 

In the end it comes down to what gives you that warm fuzzy feeling when you pour it in. I used Castrol oil and Fram filters for years on cars and trucks I've owned, with ZERO problems that were oil related. I also change oil regularly. I know people that cringe at Castrol oil, and at Fram filters. Having said that, I still use Castrol oil, though I'm using OEM filters on the Saturn since it's still under warranty.

As far as the quad goes, it gets OEM filters (Honda), since I never really considered an aftermarket filter for it. If it costs me a few bucks more, it's not going to break me. Oil is another question entirely. I know synthetic is the better choice for any engine, hands down. The problem is, although it has relatively few hours on it, I suspect it's always had conventional oil (I got it used), and I don't like to change to synthetic now. If it were a new engine, I'd break it in using conventional oil to seat the rings and establish wear patterns, then switch to synthetic. With the number of performance car makers that ship new cars with synthetic from day one, I don't think there is any problem with breaking an engine in with synthetic, it's just my feeling on things. Up to this point , I've used Honda GN4 in mine, and I will probably switch to Castrol Grand Prix 10w40 the next time around. Then again, as long as I'm there getting the filter anyway, another dose of GN4 won't do any harm either. Besides, you get to pick on the sales staff and drool over the new models anyway..[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

my first change, I used the polaris filter and the dealer charged me $12! it said made in the Phillipines on the filter, so is the filter made in the Phillipines any better than the Fram made in the USA? maybe going with the other brands might be the answer? the Fram was $6.