Ready To Put A K&N Oil Filter In Your Honda?

So you’re ready to replace that flimsy factory stock oil filter with a premium K&N Honda oil filter- or are you... when are you supposed replace your old oil filter anyway? The tried and true answer (and the one you’ll most likely get on that oil change sticker if you go to a professional oil change outlet) is every 3,000 miles or three months, whichever comes along first. That interval isn’t arbitrary- it’s the amount of time that petroleum based engine oil takes to break down and degrade, coating your nice clean engine parts with what mechanics like to call “sludge.”

Engine oil does a lot for your engine. It lubricates moving components, protects them against wear and corrosion, whisks away contaminants, improves seals, and cools the moving parts of your engine- all those areas your radiator fluid doesn’t get to. Using a good quality oil filter, like the K&N Honda oil filter, keeps your oil running clean for as long as possible, but eventually the heat, friction, oxidation, and contaminant build up causes sludge to form. Once it begins, sludge develops exponentially, sucking up the remaining good oil and coating your engine components with a hardened layer that must be scraped and chiseled away. Wait too long to change you oil and filter, and you could be dealing with premature engine failure. Of course, many of today’s Honda owners use synthetic engine oil.

Synthetic vs. Traditional

Most synthetic engine oils promise to last far longer than the traditional motor oils’ three thousand mile/three month limit, some even claiming to go as long as 15,000 miles. Due to the Federal Emissions mandates, today’s engines run hotter, and the motor oil manufacturers have stepped up to the challenge by creating synthetic motor oils that run cleaner and longer. But while they may be lab tested for a ridiculous longevity, most mechanics don’t recommend running them to their limit in your engine. Change your oil and filter every 3-5 thousand miles for petroleum based engine oil, and every 5-7 thousand for synthetic based engine oils. You can find a wide array of oil and filter choices, as well as care tips, at Auto Parts Network.