In order to further develop Totachi Automotive Filters, the product development team recently sent filter samples to the Central Automobile and Engine Institute (NAMI), to implement comparative filter testing in an independent research facility.

The technological development of Totachi Automotive Filters is reliant on working with various scientific bodies around the world who lead their field in research and development, such as the NAMI Institute of the Russian Federation. Outlined below is an overview of the findings from the NAMI study on Totachi Automotive Filters.

The level of contamination in a used engine oil has several key contributors: quality of fuel, quality of oil, engine design, and engine application. There are also many factors that contribute to contamination of engine oil, such as oxidation, incomplete combustion, foreign particles, engine residuals. Contaminants can be categorized into two major groups: organic, and inorganic.

The majority of organic contaminants consist of byproducts of incomplete combustion, thermal decomposition, oxidation, as well as polymerization of oil, fuel, water and sulfur compounds. Modern engine lubricants contain detergent and dispersant additives that aim to prevent contaminants adhering to each other, resulting in particles no larger than two microns.  Organic contaminants have no significant effect on the friction couples or abrasive wear of the engine.

Inorganic contaminants include dust particles, worn out ash additive particles, engine wear particles and process contaminants. These contaminants lead to abrasive wear, and can have significantly detrimental effects of the longevity of the engine.

Automotive filters are assigned the role of removing contaminants (both organic and inorganic) from the engine oil.

Test no. 1: Comparative test of a spin-on oil filter

 – Toyota OEM filter, and the cross-referenced alternative for MANN-HUMMEL and TOTACHI:

• TC-1030 (TOTACHI Industrial Co Ltd, Japan);
• W68/3 (MANN-HUMMEL GmbH, Germany); 
• 90915-YZZJ1 (original Toyota Motor Corp).

The official test transcript is available here:

Totachi_Filter_Test-Spinon_Nami

The results of the comparative testing demonstrate that the TOTACHI TC-1030 filter sample has a filtration capacity of 28 microns, a value of 62% in regards to completeness of filtration, with 0.018 MPa maintenance of hydraulic resistance – these results are similar to that of the Toyota and MANN-HUMMEL filters. Given the test data, the NAMI Institute has given testimonial that the service life of the TC-1030 exceeds 15 000km, exceeding the requirements for replacement intervals of leading OEMs (including Toyota).

Test no. 2: The following analog samples of ECO series filters were compared:

• TO-1190 (TOTACHI Industrial Co Ltd, Japan);
• HU 6006z (MANN-HUMMEL GmbH, Germany);
• 04152-37010 (original Toyota Motor Corp).

The official test transcript is available here:

Totachi_Filter_Test-element_Nami

The results of the comparative testing demonstrate that the TOTACHI TO-1190 filter sample has a filtration capacity of 30 microns, a value of 59% in regards to completeness of filtration, with 0.012 MPa maintenance of hydraulic resistance – these results are similar to that of the Toyota and MANN-HUMMEL filters. However, the results of the dust capacity testing indicate that the TO-1190 has a similar relative density and filter screen surface area of the OEM sample, resulting in a apples-for-apples service life, which exceeds the parameters of the second competitor’s sample by 65%.

The significance of a quality air filter:

There is a common misconception among mechanics and consumers alike that the quality of an oil filter is significantly more important than the quality of an air filter. Unfiltered air, even in the slightest doses, increases the abrasion speed in the cylinder-piston group by almost 10 times. Therefore, selection of a proper air filter is of significant importance to the longevity of the engine, and cost saving with a low quality air filter is not advised.

Air composition and quality widely vary across the world, and depend on environmental conditions – soil, dust, road conditions, traffic, construction – the list goes on. The abrasive properties of dust depend on the mineralogical composition, as well as the percentage of quartz and corundum in dust. These elements are extremely hard, and are capable of significant damage / wear to engine parts. Quartz is prevalent across the world, and is considerable harder than most metals that are used in the manufacturing of automotive engines, therefore the air filter plays a crucial role in filtering quartz particles from the air intake. The air filter needs to effectively protect the engine against direct intake of abrasive particles and road dust.

The quality of an air filter is defined by its dust pass coefficient. From a technical standpoint, the average dust pass coefficient of an air filter in an automotive vehicle should not exceed 1%. However, the global standard sees many manufacturers of air filters base their standards on 3%, which for Totachi, is an unacceptable rating.

As mentioned earlier, the NAMI institute implemented comparative testing of several samples from 3 different OEMs manufacturers, with the results presented below.

Test no. 3: Comparative test of an air filter – Toyota OEM filter, and the cross-referenced alternative for MANN-HUMMEL and TOTACHI:

• TA-1343 (TOTACHI Industrial Co Ltd, Japan);
• C 24 005 (MANN-HUMMEL GmbH, Germany);
• 17801-00060 (original Toyota Motor Corp).

The official test transcript is available here:

Totachi_Filter_Test-air_Nami

The results have demonstrated that Totachi’s TA-1343 air filter sample has a dust pass coefficient within the 1% range.

Based on the test results, the Totachi air filter meet the standards for OEM parts, with performance characteristics that exceed durability standards and and replacement intervals.