Simple question: Cheapest source for ROTAX 912 oil filters?

[FastEddieB]

Thread title says it all!

[Sling 2 Pilot]

Eddie, CPS, Lockwood and Edge, all seem to be holding the price at $19.95. Couldn’t find anyone discounting them. Tempest is slightly less expensive, but I’m not looking to tempt fate and will stick with ROTAX.

[JJay]

Definitely stay with the Rotax filter - whatever the price. Before I started maintaining my own engine an A&P put some other brand on my 912 and I ended up with a hydro-locked cylinder. Not cool.

[Warmi]

Definitely stay with the Rotax filter - whatever the price. Before I started maintaining my own engine an A&P put some other brand on my 912 and I ended up with a hydro-locked cylinder. Not cool.

On a unrelated note ... how is you Sting Sport treating you ? Do you still source your parts from SportAir ?

[FastEddieB]

Thanks all.

I have two enroute from Lockwood. With tax and shipping the $19.95 worked out to $24.90 each.

As an aside, I can't believe how quickly annuals roll around, even the 13 month kind! It seems like I just did one and already I'm due the end of next month!

[Type47]

This guy uses the Fram XG3614 on his experimental.
Also an interesting read about oils.
https://pointsforpilots.blogspot.com/20 ... years.html

[Warmi]

This guy uses the Fram XG3614 on his experimental.
Also an interesting read about oils.
https://pointsforpilots.blogspot.com/20 ... years.html

Let's see, what we have here are recommendations from the original manufacturer with access to thousands of hours of engine runtime data vs what is essentially a random dude who happened to manage 2000 hours on his Rotax engine ... and that's to save $19 twice a year on a $80 000 + luxury item.

Doesn't really compute for me ... but , it is a free country ...

[drseti]

I have a free EAA webinar coming up this Wednesday night (9 September 2020) titled "Keeping your Rotax Alive" in which I discuss oil filters, and oh so much more! You can register online at:

http://pages.eaa.org/WBN2020-09-09Keepi ... ation.html

[Type47]

This guy uses the Fram XG3614 on his experimental.
Also an interesting read about oils.
https://pointsforpilots.blogspot.com/20 ... years.html

Roger Lee also has done quite a bit of analyses on this filter and the Fram has advanced (better) filtration.
The reason for me to use another filter would be that it is an improvement,
That is, of course, the reason for experimental aircraft.
Also remember that the filter in question is used on $80,000 Lexus Automobiles.
We cut apart our filters every time we change oil.
The quality of materials and construction should be obvious.

[drseti]

The Fram filter may indeed have improved filtration. But, does it have the same back-pressure, and the same bypass valve pressure, as the Rotax filter? Without seeing the engineering details, none of us knows - but quality of construction itself doesn't necessarily translate to acceptable technical specifications in a particular aplication. I'd rather use the filter that was specifically designed for my engine than use one that was specifically designed for a Lexus! And I certainly wouldn't make such an engineering and possible safety decision on the basis of cost.

[JJay]

On a unrelated note ... how is you Sting Sport treating you ? Do you still source your parts from SportAir ?

Warmi - The Sting is still great. I get Rotax parts from Lockwood, and so far, airframe parts from SportAir. Haven't run into a parts problem yet. Do you have a different parts source?

[drseti]

I erred in listing the date of my Rotax webinar. It is this Wednesday, 9 September (now corrected in my post). Thanks to Eddie for catching my typo.

[drseti]

I just checked the prices on the two aftermarket oil filters I know to be available for the Rotax 900 series. One comes from Tempest, and the other (mentioned above in this thread) is from Fram. Both are about $2 cheaper than the Rotax filter. Let's say you change your oil and filter every 50 hours. Does it really make any sense to put an aftermarket oil filter in your $20,000 engine, just to save 4 cents per flight hour?

[Warmi]

On a unrelated note ... how is you Sting Sport treating you ? Do you still source your parts from SportAir ?

Warmi - The Sting is still great. I get Rotax parts from Lockwood, and so far, airframe parts from SportAir. Haven't run into a parts problem yet. Do you have a different parts source?

Actually I don't ... I mean, like you said, Rotax stuff is easily covered but I have not had need for a TL part in about a year. so I was just wondering if SportAir was still supplying them from EU.