Whilst on the face of it many of us have to admit that simple products such as an oil filter don’t set our pulses racing but it is at this point where we need to step back and realise the true importance of this relatively simple component.

Your engine cannot survive without its lifeblood, the oil. The oil as we know lubricates, protects and coats all of the precious engine components ensuring they operate smoothly and at the correct temperature. With a poor quality oil, low oil level, or worse, no oil at all, the internal components of the engine would reach a temperature where they would no longer operate as intended and ultimately fail (sometimes in a catastrophic manor). Other circumstances of failure relating to engine oil can be found when small particles of debris or swarf are allowed to flow freely through your engine. These particles of dirt, debris or swarf can prematurely wear out and damage numerous engine components which in turn will ultimately lead to engine failure. Contamination of the oil can come from general engine wear and tear, as well as an excess build-up of carbon deposits.

Keeping the above in mind we can move onto the oil filter, the single component solely responsible for ensuring that the engine oil is kept in a clean and useable condition. Although such a basic component its job is vital when maintaining reliability for mechanical components. Should the filter not do its job efficiently then ultimately your engine is at risk.

Over the years there has been various manufacturers producing oil filters suitable for the Subaru Impreza, some have been very successful whilst others very poor but here at RCM we decided to take every ounce of knowledge we have gained over the last thirty years and design a filter solely for use with high performance Subaru engines.

Our first job was to ascertain exactly what we needed from our new filter in order to cover the needs of today’s modern performance engines. Filtration was obviously on the top of the list, a sustainable high quality filter element would be needed capable of trapping dirt and debris but whilst not restricting oil flow any more than necessary. Our next consideration was oil pressure; if we could obtain slightly higher oil pressure this would almost certainly be a good advantage given Subaru’s “boxer” engine design and the need to circulate oil efficiently. Next was build quality, we needed a filter that would perform over and above our expectations with no compromising on the quality of materials.

With our goal set in our sights it was time to speak with our friends in Japan. Long standing experts in oil filter manufacture and with a long history of producing high quality automotive components, it didn’t take long before testing and design was underway.

Some months later the “RCM Race oil filter” a component designed to overachieve in all areas of performance and quality was born. Containing the largest area of filter element when compared to its competitors our oil filter will not only cleanse your oil of dirt, debris and contamination but it will also offer you the distinct advantage of higher oil pressure. Each RCM Race filter is supplied with a sump washer.

Perhaps the next time you decide to service your vehicle you can now reflect fully on the importance of that component you are fitting and realise its relevance to the long term reliability of your engine?