[SkyDog]

I actually wrote to Mobil 1 to ask which oil filter I should use for a 2022-23 BRZ since it wasn’t explicitly listed on their site at the time, and here’s what they said:

2023 Subaru BRZ (2.4 L). The 2022 & 2023 BRZ = This will be M1-108A for both years.

2022 & 2023 Toyota GR86 = M1-104A

Thank you,

Mann+Hummel Product Information
Product Information (800) 526-4250)
Mon-Fri, 8:00am-7:30pm,
& Sat, 9:00am-5:30pm (Eastern)

It was interesting, in a “they’re not paying attention” kind of way, that they’d specify two different filters for the same car/engine.

…so I bought an OEM 15208AA170 filter instead — the black one made by Tokyo Roki. It’s also a very small filter, but it’s what came on my car from the factory. And I know it meets Subaru specs, including their uniquely high bypass valve pressure. And it’s cheap — you can find them from Subaru dealers for as low as about seven bucks each.

Whenever I buy oil for the BRZ, if there’s a combo deal for oil and filter, I’ll just pick up a filter for one of the other household vehicles.

 

[SkyDog]

As I understand it, the relief valve only comes into play when the filter element is clogged. Does anyone that would be reading this forum, actually run the oil so long as to clog the element?

The relief valve comes into play when the pressure across the filter media exceeds the valve’s pressure rating — in a nutshell, when the filter is the bottleneck to oil flow. It’s true that the media being clogged up could cause that, but are there other scenarios, too?

I don’t know for certain, but here’s what crossed my mind when choosing to stay with OEM filters: It gets cold where I live and my commute involves accelerating onto the highway after very little driving. Our oil pumps increase flow with engine RPMs. If I’m driving when the oil is still cold and at its most viscous, and I accelerate into traffic at over 4k RPMs, would I trigger the bypass valve on an aftermarket oil filter with a low rating? Subaru specs a 23 PSI valve. Some aftermarket filters are rated as low as 7 PSI and I don’t know what the margin of error is.

It would make sense that (temporarily) unfiltered oil is better than no oil, so a bypass valve seems like a good thing. But unfiltered oil wouldn’t be better than reduced-but-still-enough oil, and maybe Subaru specs a high-pressure valve for this kind of scenario

All speculation on my part, but I’m just erring on the side of (possibly excessive) caution.