We can thank advertising for our belief that crankcase oil loses its efficacy after only 3,000 miles. Sure, if you driving style is purely short trips (so the engine never warms) in harsh climates (extreme heat/cold plus dust), and you rev the wee out of your motor from the moment you key the ignition, you may need to change your oil every 3,000 miles.
However, if you drive as many Americans, oil can last longer than 3,000 miles between changes, especially if you use some of the hyper-filtering devices available today.
Before we get into the details, understand that big-rig fleet operations watch dollars and pennies closer than your Scottish/Jewish spinster grandmother from Oklahoma who grew up during The Great Depression, so they know about extending maintenance intervals without adversely affecting engine longevity. Companies like these (and semi-tractor owner/operators) have been using bypass oil filter technology for decades.
These expensive filtering packages operate by diverting a portion of the truck's engine oil supply to be cleaned by dedicated auxiliary filters designed to remove dirt particles down to 3-5 microns. The oil not diverted to the bypass filter continues through the high-flow main filter (intended to trap dirt sized larger than 25 microns). Over time, all of the engine's oil receives the ultra-filtration treatment. The result is that some big rigs can run upwards of 60,000 miles between oil changes, saving considerable maintenance dollars (oil stock plus downtime) in the process.
microGreen Extended Performance Oil Filters
SOMS Technologies LLC now brings this bypass oil filter technology to the motoring masses with their affordable microGreen Extended Performance Oil Filters (www.microgreenfilter.com). These spin-on canister type filters (sorry cartridge users) include a 2-in1 filtering technology that combines a standard paper element (equivalent to a normal oil filter) as well as a bypass micro-filter. At any one time, about 3-5 percent of the oil flowing in to the filter is diverted to the micro-filter while the balance continues through the standard element. After 100 hours of engine operation, all of the engine's oil will have been cleaned by the bypass filter.
According to Steve Kirchner, SOMS Technologies' COO, "If you keep your engine's oil clean, it will last much longer than 3,000 miles. The detergent and anti-oxidation packages that are added to the base oil easily remain effective for more than 25,000 miles when the oil is kept clean." Kirchner explains that the microGreen filter was first marketed to automotive fleets as a way to help them reduce maintenance costs. With the product's acceptance in the fleet market providing quantitative support for the filter's performance, SOMS is now offering the product to the public.