There's no doubt. The idea behind the FilterMag Industrial Magnetic Oil Filtration System is simple. But, don't let its simplicity fool you. It is extremely effective. It works. And, I whole heatedly recommend it.

SIMPLY POWERFUL: The basic idea is simple, but the FilterMag is utterly powerful when extracting the metallic particles of engine wear from the flow of your gas or diesel motor's lubrication system. The FilterMag removes metallic particles as small as two microns.

BEHIND THE POWER: The inside of the FilterMag consists of powerful and patented precision-ground and arced Neodymium magnets. These magnets are aligned in a series that generates incredible force of up to 1000 pounds.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING: Removing metallic particles as small as two microns is absolutely amazing, considering table salt is 100 microns, human hair is 75 microns, your average dust particle is 50 microns and a measly red blood cell is six microns. The FilterMag is impressive. Keep in mind, that as the particles become increasingly smaller, the magnetism required to attract it must be increasingly stronger. For example, the best a magnetic drain plug in your oil pan can do is 100 microns, the size of table salt. With the FilterMag, we're talking a two micron red blood cell.

I'm not the only one, though. After looking at the semicircular device that is mounted on the massive Ford Power Stroke Diesel's oil filter, the gear heads at the truck's local pit stop, The Terrible Herbst quick lube here in Vegas, had a few choice words of their own to say.

The Best Bad Guys in the West

"Wow, this thing means serious business," said the chief mouthpiece of the crew as we ripped into the remaining contents of old filter, which still had the "incredible" FilterMag attached to it. "Look at how much sludge it kept from returning to your oil system. Amazing! Imagine the wear and tear this thing prevented. You're going along way with the FilterMag. Where do we get one of these things?"

The rest of the "Best Bad Guys in the West" nodded their heads in agreement.

The Dusty Backroads of California

The scene was the open range of the Eastern Mojave. It was sage brush and sand wash unto the horizon, where the long day's sun was settling in for the eve. There we were, the massive Power Stroke standing tall before two Jeepers and their dusty Jeeps. The conversation just happened to segue into an analysis of motor oil.

"I run nothing but straight 50 weight Valvoline,"entered the longtime CJ owner. "I've run it for years in all my vehicles."

"Couldn't say anything but Valvoline for any of my Jeeps neither," I responded."But there's more to the story than just the oil and some X-brand filter. Look beneath the driver's side wheel well at the filter beneath the truck."

Needless to say, it was the FilterMag that they had stooped down to see. Literally, scratching their heads, trying not to be one upped with their years of knowledge and experience, they responded: "Is that some sort of magnet on there? Wow! Why hadn't I thought of that before, I couldn't tell you, but it's a damn good idea."

By that time, I had grabbed them each a brochure from the back seat of the Crew Cab and began explaining the obvious to these weathered off-road engineers.

INSTALLATION EASE: Installing the FilterMag is easy. It actually takes longer to remove it from the shipping box than it is to place the FilterMag on your oil filter. Take note, you'll want to ensure it is installed with the "inlet" arrow toward the oil inlet, which is where the filter screws into. Also, if your filter is not mounted vertical, as is the Power Stroke, you'll want to mount the FilterMag on the inside slope as suggested in the instructions.

SNUG FIT: There are a number of FilterMag models that are designed and sized to serve your filter needs, ranging from ATVs, to SUVs, to cars, to trucks and all the way up to commercial vehicles such as heavy equipment. Our 2002 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel makes use of the HD420 Model. Regardless of the model, every FilterMag uses a "multi-layered flux band of low carbon corrosion resistant galvaneal steel," which allows the FilterMag to fit snugly -- and I mean SNUGLY -- to your oil filter. This snug fit translates into incredible power. Trust me. It ain't coming loose from the filter without a heavy hand. Navigating through the 100-mile-long wash board roads and into the ditches and pot holes of Baja, the FilterMag didn't budge.

To the Endurance of the Legendary Baja 1000

When it comes to endurance and the ultimate test of a vehicle's performance, the granddaddy of all off-road races comes to mind. Jeff Quinn, owner of McKenzie's Performance Products in Anaheim, California, knows the Baja 1000 all too well.

SAY NO TO HEAVY METAL: For those of you into 80s hair bands, don't be offended. What we're talking about here is putting an end to the cause of 70 percent of engine wear by removing metal particles from your lubrication system.

The race serves as the test bed for his company's product lineup and is the reason why McKenzie's is so successful. For decades, it has provided reliable, cutting edge products to off-roaders the world over.

Quinn ran the FilterMag on his open-wheeled Class 1 unlimited car at a recent Baja 1000, finishing fourth overall. “I was not prepared to see the amount of particles that FilterMag trapped in my oil filter,” he said. “I used a top-of-the-line race filter, and to see the amount of stuff that made it through (the oil filter) that I did...blows my mind.”

Of all the racers running the FilterMag, veterans such as Jeff Lothringer and Steve Roberts, all finished the epic race, which is quite difficult to do, considering the attrition rates can run up over 50 percent non-finishers.

“I can’t believe my car even finished,” says Roberts. “The larger particles, if left to circulate into his engine, would have eventually caused engine failure. No way I would have finished without the FilterMag.”

THE SIGNATURE OF OLD GLORY: When in Vegas, you can look across the skyline from any of the mountain peaks surrounding, and you can easily identify a Terrible Herbst service station. For their patriotism, for their superb service and good name in off-road racing, all the Power Strokes in ORC's stable are serviced by Terrible Herbst.
	TEAM TERRIBLE: After marveling at the FilterMag, the Terrible crew are quick to please the Power Stroke's maintenance needs, but it took some coercion to get them to pose for this shot. They were in a hot hurry to get a smog done and take care of a line of customers on the other side of the service bay. After sipping my way through complimentary fresh coffee and Crispy Cream doughnuts in the lobby, we captured a glimpse of the Power Stroke's lifeblood -- the SAE 40 Chevron Delo® 400 Multigrade Heavy Duty Motor Oil.
	FROM DIRTY OIL TO A TOTALLY CLEAN TRUCK: With every oil change, the mighty Power Stroke earns a free "All Cloth Spot Free" wash, which is just one of many reasons we pilot our fleet to Terrible's for our maintenance needs.