I've noticed something while purchasing oil filters on the internet, namely ebay. Some OEM filters are made in Japan while others are made in the USA. Is there a major or significant difference between the two? I currently use the ones made in the USA.

 

Nope as long as they are OEM there is no difference.

Todd

 

In fact, there are major differences between the two: The Japanese filter is larger, has more filter media of a different and more substantial-appearing type and differs in internal construction. The USA filter appears to be a Toyota-branded Fram, altho I'm not certain of this.

Go here: http://www.mkiv.com/techarticles/parts/toyota_filter/
for an exhaustive comparison with many pictures.

I was convinced enough of the superiority of the Japanese-made version to order a half-dozen from Jay Marks Toyota of Houston. Apparently someone there agrees with my conclusion, because one of the filters they sent me was a USA-made filter that had been slipped into the box for a Japanese-made version!

 

I was told the same thing about the Japanese-made filters being better. I was running the Japanese ones until I switched to the Amsoil filters and oil. I can't remember if the part numbers are slightly different or what but there is a way to tell the difference between a US and Japan-made filter. I will see if I can track down the info.

 

Other then being made by different companies to different specifications...

 

Believe what you want guys there is no difference. I have seen both and used both, the only difference is the price and the size. If you want to increase filtering simply go up to an 6 or 8 cylinder filter to provide you with more. Although the two shown on the link posted above do show differences in shape and size the particles measured in oil drained after using both shows the same amount of particles in each. Don't believe everything you see and here, most shops will offer the Jap version for a higher price but is just a marketing technique. I sell both for the same price and we wouldn't do that if there was a "major" difference.
As long as you change your oil at the designated intervals it doesn't really matter what you use.

Todd

 

There is a difference, I have cut both open after I used them. The larger Japan model is a different filter media all together it is not a paper based filter, it has a cotton material that is in the shape of a star, while the US version is a standard paper filter like you would get in a fram or regular filter, but as far as filtering particulates out of the oil I am unsure of what size both are capable of filtering. One would assume that looking at the filter media that the oil is pushed through, the cotton would most likely filter better because of the thickness and the design vs a paper element.