Oil filter Fram or K&N

If opting for third-party filters, choose high-quality brands like WIX, Purolator, or K&N, which offer reliable alternatives that match Subaru’s specifications.

At first I stuck with OEM, but mahle OEM filters got pricey and hard to find. Now I'm rocking Fram tough guard synthetic filters with 5w20 high mileage mobile 1 full synthetic oil.

My car seems to like this combo, time will tell.

i use k&n wrench off filters because they use solid oem designs, but add a useful hex head i can use for when i was an idiot before and cranked it on there calling it hand tight XD

I do my own. I can get a good STP or Fram filter and 5qt of high mileage oil for $32 at my local autozone, then maybe 20 minutes to do the actual oil change.

Use some seafoam in the oil before the oil change to clean deposits up. I use Rotella T6 5w40 with a high quality fram filter, XG16 if I remember correctly (avoid the orange). High zinc content in the oil is good for the lifters in these engines and the 40 is good for a high mileage engine with a wearing oil pump.

Changing the oil today, I found that the Fram PH6017A seems to be an almost exact match to the one that came on the Sambar during import. The threads were a few mm difference on the new one.

Fram Air filters: Their OEM filters are the absolutely best while the exact same filters with a "Fram" label are manufacturing rejects. Kinked pleats, misaligned bracing screen, holes in the gasket, missing glue, etc.

Fram Oil filters: Nope. Few pleats and not very strong. You can find lots of test and teardown videos. I've had past problems with the gasket swelling so badly that the filter has to be torched off.

FRAM filters are pretty dookie. They are known for coming apart and clogging oil systems. My RAM had FRAM filters for its 180k miles and its got little pieces of shit in the oil every time i check or change it.

I wouldnt bother with them.

I had weird oil pressure issues with them, the chevy LT engines have a weird oil system so you have to use the GM filters. customer lost a engine to the mis match filters.

I saw a yt video where they cut open several oil filters, fram was one of the cheapest. literally had rust inside of it.