Both of my vehicles are Fords. I only use Motorcraft filters. Don't know who actually makes them, but Ford set the specs. They know what's best.
But having worked in fleets most of my life, any good name brand filter will be fine. Just stick to the better quality version of whatever the parts house sells. Wix and NAPA Gold are both very good. You never go wrong with OEM.
I do agree with the comments about Fram. I won't use those. I've crushed a bunch of those trying to get them off. If the can is that cheap, what are they using for a filter medium?
The same can be said for oil. Buy the better quality version of any good brand and you'll be just fine. At work we used bulk oil. No specific brand, just whatever the distributor had at the time. Never a problem.
Personally, I've used Valvoline in my vehicles for many years. No particular reason. It works fine and the price is reasonable.
BTW: every fleet I've ever worked in changed oil every 4000 miles instead of the recommended 3000. These were work vehicles that ran a lot of miles every day and often idled for hours. No problems and they lasted a very long time.
As for myself, I don't put a whole lot of miles on my vehicles. Usually less than 5000 miles a year. Pretty much everything I need or place I go is within 10 miles of my home. So I don't worry about mileage. I change my oil twice a year. April and October. Just because the weather is usually nice in both of those months.
