First and foremost, I hope that this is the appropriate place to post this; I thought that it is and therefore starting a new thread was't necessary. It details my experience with RP 20-500 filters. After all of the reading that I have done on this particular thread (thanks to all that have contributed!) I decided to purchase a couple of these filters thinking that they are one of the best out there.
A little background: I have been monitoring the vehicle parameters via the EVIC since I took delivery of the truck new. The first several oil/filter changes were performed by the dealer so PUP 0W-40 and Mopar filters were used. Then I started doing my own changes and used Amsoil SS 0W-40 and Mopar filter. Oil pressure and temperature were consistent with each combination of oil/filter for many thousands of miles. Only once did I exceed 5,000 miles OCI. I realize that the EVIC isn't accurate but I think it is CONSISTENTLY inaccurate!
This last spring I changed my oil/filter and used one of the RP filters for the first time (same Amsoil SS oil). Prior to installing it, while oiling the gasket, I noticed a fairly heavy and very obvious layer of metal "dust" particles covering the mounting plate. Like a fine sawdust but obviously metallic. I ran a finger over the plate and could easily see and feel the metal particles. It was easy enough to clean them off before installation but I couldn't help but wonder what was on the inside of the filter that I couldn't see or clean off. I checked my second filter and it too had the same particles covering the base. I chocked it up to a lapse in quality control but was not initially impressed.
For the first couple of thousand of miles all readings were normal. But then, on an extended several day road trip, I noticed that the oil pressure had dropped by 8-12 psi across the RPM range, regardless of oil temperature or any other variables. I didn't have much choice but to keep driving until I returned home but I didn't like what I was seeing. By then I had just under 3,500 miles on the oil/filter. All along I suspected the filter, as it was the only variable.
Once home I changed the oil and instead of using my second RP 20-500, I got a Fram XG-2 to use instead of the RP filter. Oil pressure has returned to normal.
I realize that this is not necessarily conclusive (this is my first time using the XG-2) but I still highly suspect the RP filter. Relief valve failure??? I really don't know but the oil pressure drop along with the metal dust on the plate doesn't leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling towards RP filters.
I just wanted to put this out there for everyone. I don't intend to knock RP products but just want you all to be aware. YMMV.
Thanks all for all of the great information found here!
Pete
Thanks for posting the experience, the 20-500 has a very small experience base, so much of what "we" think about it is theory. Telling the truth is never bashing a product, so we want to hear everything good or bad about every product, even amsoil ea/royal purple clone filters. Here is the bad news, there are no filters that do not have bad info attached, even the RP. Fram Ultra has never made up it's mind if it is a blended filter or synthetic, same as Mopar srt filter. Wix XP is a rock catcher, and puro synthetic made my truck tick and clearly has no flattering filtration. In a nutshell, there is no perfect filter. The good news, it is a small number of filters you should chose from because paper filters simply do not cut the mustard. So once you drop paper as an option, which in my opinion would also include blends, then it gets real simple, chose the best filter for you knowing you are picking the best of two evils.
It seams like the two best of the worst evils is the xg2 and the rp 20-820 imo, thanks to the people like you that have added new experiences on the 20-500, we have a lot of new info on it, and imo I prefer the xg2 as a second choice to the 20-820. This was a question since the outage of the 20-820, and I do admit I got that one wrong. However, information is constantly changing and the reason I didnt have the xg2 as my second option, was because in my wife's truck I had them stored next to a RP, my wife's car is a cartridge filter, so there was no can, and the media had stiffened in the xg2 and not the RP. So just as heat cycles in oil cause paper filters to stiffen, heat cycles in my wife's truck stiffened fram ultra cartridge filter. So supposedly the new ultra is 100% synthetic, something they also said about the last one, this waver on the commitment to synthetic media is the only real knock I see on xg2, but it isnt a small thing imo.