Tech Corner with Joel G. I had heard that inside the filter case is where you find the significant changes from your standard filter. My understanding is that the oil flows from the little spigot on which the filter sits (you know, when you do a filter change, you see the ring where the filter-gasket mates and the spigot in the middle onto which the filter threads) into a specially designed area. Instead of just filling the filter and going through the check-valve at the end, the WRC filter has a one-way flow design that swirls the oil. The oil is swirled in such a way (probably by internally extending that threaded spigot and angling it) that as it fills the filter, it continues to swirl. They can change the filter element to allow the swirling oil to filter through without having to go through so many pleats. The oil can then return through the little holes at the base of the filter into the engine while still maintaining its velocity. The end effect, I had heard, is that you get a significantly reduced drop in pressure due to the filter and the oil can maintain a much higher speed. That, in turn, gives the returns that people are seeing. |
That guy who dropped off those parts recently called and offered me a sample the latest underground craze in the Japanese crowd: STi oil filters. That's right!
As he explained, they were originally developed by Prodrive for the WRC car. They are a very
trick design, and they did not want other teams copying it. But Juha insisted on using one on
his road car. As such things happen, word spread to his friends. Soon enough, anyone closely
connected with the motorsport division could get them. Eventually Ford and Mitsu noticed. Still,
you won't find official mention of them anywhere.
What's the big deal? Dude, I tried it and I immediately felt the car running cleaner. And my butt dyno registered significant gains. Since filters are easy to change, I did two runs with the STi and two runs with the SOA filter. The difference was night and day.
That's proof! I don't know how it works, but it does have the STi logo.
I have zero interest in selling these things. But if there's interest I can point people in the right direction and get some kinda group buy going. At best, you'd pay about $35 per filter. For $5 you can get the carbon fibre crush washer to go with it.
Now, I do need to mention this is an ultra-high performance filter and it needs to be changed more regularly than a stock filter. Figure maybe 1500-2000 miles, according to the instructions I was given. Something about the swirl action chewing up the filter element under spirited driving conditions. You gotta pay if you want to play.
And please, no posts about how it's stupid to pay $35 for an oil filter. If you post something like that, you obviously don't get it. This is STi!
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