One of the most important pieces of technology for car maintenance is the engine oil filter. In the early stages of car evolution, engine oil filters weren’t even a thing. More frequent oil changes were necessary to keep the engines from yesteryear running. Then in 1923, Purolator came to the scene with engine oil filters to help lengthen the time between oil changes. Early models partially cleaned the oil while most of the oil circulated through the engine, which can be a big difference. Then in 1939 Wix pattened the spin on oil filters which revolutionized the automotive industry forever.
Fast-forward to today both companies are known for their well-built engine oil filters. Both the Wix Xp and the Purolator Boss oil filters are great and will get the job done no matter which one you get. However, let’s compare the two and point out the differences that matter.
One of the most important reasons that makes an engine oil filter perform well is build quality. Premium oil filters such as the Wix & Purolator encase the best materials for the parts of the oil filter that matter. Parts such as the filter media. The media itself is made out of a synthetic material that is woven to keep a more steady oil flow to the engine and also trap engine contaminants from circulating inside the engine oil. The Wix Xp engine oil filter uses a wire frame on the backend of the filtering media to keep the media sturdy under different oil pressures and temperatures. The Purolator Boss has a similar design with their smart fusion technology essentially accomplishing the same thing. Both use a silicone drain back valve which is optimal for oil pressures at hot and cold temperatures.
Design
One major design that an engine oil filter can have is a release valve. Both Purolator Boss and Wix Xp use release valves that open when the filter media is too clogged or the oil is too thick at cold temperatures. This function is to always keep your engine supplied with oil even if it’s unfiltered oil. The logic is unfiltered oil is better than no oil in these scenarios.
Although Both seem to have a similar design the characteristic that is most important in engine oil filters is the filtering performance. The Purolator Boss design is capable of filtering your oil for 20,000 miles. That’s impressive considering general oil changes for synthetic oil filters are between 5,000 – 7,000 miles. Although the Wix Xp hasn’t published any numbers, if you stick by that rule of 5k-7k mile oil intervals you should be just fine.
Here is a comparison table to show you where both filters get it right and where they differ:
City driving, extremestop-and-go, frequenttowing/hauling
Heavy loads, city driving
Oil change interval
20,000 miles
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Conclusion
Both companies have come a long way contributing to the evolution of combustion engines. When it comes to filtering oil both companies know a thing or two about quality engine oil filters. And in the case of the Purolator Boss, a few extra bucks go a long way, 20,000 miles worth. However, the Wix Xp isn’t to be underestimated, it still outperforms other premium filters in its price range. Before buying these filters be sure the see what your vehicle owner manual recommends, that is always the safest way to stick to manufacturer specs.
Hello! My name is Javaughn Barrow, a young car enthusiast who writes all the articles for Karcandy.com.
I’ve written over 50 articles about automobiles. With each article, I deepen my understanding and expertise in writing and the automotive world. Ever since childhood, I’ve always had a strong passion for cars. All types shapes and sizes were interesting to me. I’d spend most of my time after school researching cars and the more I found out about them the more exciting it was. In my teens, I created a fan page about corvettes posting content at least ten times a day! Yes, I was crazy about it. The page ended up garnering over 40k followers! After a while, I wanted more than a fan page. I wanted to express my passion differently. I wanted to create more helpful content, higher-quality content. My first car was a 2013 VW CC Sport. Learned very quickly car ownership wasn’t as expected. I spent a lot of time replacing control arms, cam position sensors, brake rotors, brake pads, etc. Walking away with more information than I knew before. As I was growing in my automotive journey I was learning about writing. Starting by writing a detailed outline about 300 words long then I would pay a professional to write a full 1000-word article and learn from them getting familiar with the process of writing. The moment I realized I could use my writing skills to express my passion for cars and help people simultaneously, I started Karcandy.com. I realized with my unique perspective coupled with my hard work discipline and work ethic I can create a space online to help bridge the gap between the complicated and simple in the automotive world. I’m motivated by the challenges and work it will take to create such a space. My work ethic is something I choose to refine and make better each day. I think it’s important to push myself and stay committed to my evolution as a human and this website is only one of the results of that.
