Fram Fan Wanted For Abuse

[Bror Jace]

I cannot justify buying a Fram filter under any condition. They are one of the crappiest filters made ... but they aren't the least expensive. Often you can get a Penske, Motorcraft, Super Tech, etc ... for the same price or less.

Yes, as many of you know, you can get away with using Fram filters if you change your oil frequently but that is not a sufficient reason to pay extra for a shoddily produced product.

Fram spends a fortune on advertising/marketing/sponsorships but this has nothing to do with product quality and when all is said and done, that's the only thing which matters. Their cost-of-promotions is why they are $1 more than many superior filters.

I'll buy the better $5-6 filters and know that I've just bought some seriously cost-effective insurance for my car ... for an additional $6-10 per YEAR.

 

[bottgers]

Someone mentioned in one of these topics, that even the Fram air filters weren't any good. Was this also the findings of lab testing, or is this just personal opinion?

 

[satterfi]

I hope the fram air filters are half decent. I've got one in my wife's truck. There may be one in my CRX. I've used them before as they are easy to get.

I know they are a bit delicate. You can't beat them on the sidwalk to knock the bugs and dirt out of them like a guy at Autozone tried to do with one of mine. The glue doesn't like that.

 

[Patman]

I know that it's hard to get accurate dyno results repeatedly, but in the early days of LS1.com
a few guys dyno tested their cars with the stock air filter, vs the K&N and vs the Fram air
filter. In most cases, the Fram made an extra 2hp over stock, and 1hp more than the K&N.

That was enough to sell me, I used nothing but Fram air filters on my 98 LS1 Firebird.

I currently have a Fram air filter on my wife's 2000 Civic, so when I get her oil analyzed later
this year we'll see how it performs as far as trapping dirt.

 

[UncleS2]

I used several Fram air filters on my Neon before getting a K&N at ~84 K miles. That business of more power from a paper filter would tend to scare me away, not attract me. Why? If a dry paper filter flows more air, it seems to me that it must also flow more dirt. No test figures here, just a little logic & rational thought. The K&N/other oiled cotton filters may flow more air, but just may trap the same/more dirt. Why? Put dust on oiled cotton, same amt dust on dry paper, then pour off. I'm not trying to sell K&N's here, just looking for truth & applying a little logic to physical reality.

Us math majors are bad about that.

 

[Patman]

Good point Stuart! If the Fram air filter shows too much silicon on my wife's oil analysis I will definitely put in something else.

 

[bottgers]

One could also assume that since the K&N allows more air flow (there's no way any paper element will outflow a K&N), it will also allow more dirt into your engine. That's why I don't think applying simple logic in this case will answer our questions. We need lab test results!

 

[Patman]

It is possible to flow more air AND trap more dirt. The way it has been explained to me in the past is that a K&N has a series of twists and turns, so that the air can still flow through it fast, but then the dirt can't make those twists and turns and gets stuck in the oil in the filter. Sort of like having your cake and eating it too.

In theory this sounds like it may work, but I have always noticed with cars I put a K&N on, that the throttle body would get dirty faster.

I don't even have a clue what kind of air filter is on my Formula right now, however my oil analysis results show an excellent level of silicon, very low, so that filter is definitely working very well! I'll have to take it out of the airbox and see what kind it is. (I bought the car used last October so it could be any kind of filter for all I know)

 

[Roger]

For 30 years I used Fram oil filters thinking they were the best money could buy. Then I read somewhere that they might cause valve train noise at a cold start up, and wondered it that might have anything to do with my noisy Ford in the morning. Switched to an oem filter, and presto! the noise went away.

This year I got a new Ford and almost fell off my chair when I read the following in the owners manual, "If a replacement oil filter is used that does not meet Ford material or design specifications, startup engine noise or knock may be experienced."

I've bought a lot of cars in my time, but I've never seen anything that explicit in an owners manual before.

From now on it'll be Bill, or George. Anything but Sue....I mean Fram!

 

[bottgers]

I know this is a liitle off topic, but what year is your Formula? Is yours an A-4 or M-6? I was looking to buy a new Formula a couple of years ago, but things didn't pan out for me financially as I hoped. My Dad was a GM employee right up until he passed away, and my Mom still gets the GM emolyee benefits. She was going to give me the certificate to purchase a new vehicle. This would've gotten me a great deal on a new Formula!

I was comparing the Formula with the Mustang. There were some aspects of the Mustang I liked better, but the Formula's looks, and it's LS-1 sold me. I love all that torque, and the 'Stang just ain't got it!

Also, I haven't quite figured out why Formulas are so rare. TA's seem to be a dime a dozen, but the only dealership where I've ever seen a Formula on the lot was in Columbus OH. I would've had to order mine, as none of the dealerships near me ever get any Formulas. Why are they so rare? Of course after this year, they'll be collectables.

 

[Patman]

The Formula I have now is a 95 model, but a couple of years ago I did have a 98 Formula. I stupidly traded that 98 for a 97 Grand Prix GTP, but I missed the f-bodies too much and traded that car for the one I have now. My 98 Formula was a rare Blue Green Chameleon (one of 124) 6 speed car, while this one I have now is a medium red metallic A4 (with 3.23 gears)

That LS1 Formula really kicked butt though, with a few simple mods it ran 12.68 at 110.6 mph! My current one is not as quick, but not too bad at 13.89 at 98.2 (still bone stock except for good racing tires)

I too do not understand why Formulas aren't more popular. They usually only sell about 2000 of them each year, while the ram air TAs sell about 4 or 5 times more than this. So much for those ram air cars being rare.

You can see pics of both of my Formulas (Formulae?) on my website. I suggest if there is any way possible you can get one, grab a 2002, the last of them are going to be worth something to have someday (even if just for nostalgia) I really wish I could afford one, I'd have a Sunset Orange Metallic Formula Firehawk A4 if I had the cash!

 

[bottgers]

I'm with you on the lack of popularity of the Formulas, can't quite figure that one out. I much prefer it's looks over the TA's. The Formula has much cleaner lines than the TA. Your '98 Formula was darn quick! What mods did you have done? Around here, F-body fans are the minority. Mustang lovers crawl out of the woodwork. One thing they agree on is how many mods they have to make to their 'Stangs just to be able to keep up with a stock F-body, even the Cobra owners. One guy told me it was pretty sickening to watch a guy in a bone stock, non-ram air LS-1 walk away from his $30K Cobra. That 4.6 is just whimpy compared to the LS-1. It's too bad GM has decided to pull the plug on F-body production. Hopefully, GM will get smart and bring these cars back, and make them
even badder than they are now! Why did you get rid of your '98?

[ July 05, 2002, 09:35 PM: Message edited by: bottgers ]

 

[Patman]

There were a few reasons I got rid of the 98, I started wanting an A4, plus my wife took over the Honda (which was my daily driver) so I was faced with driving the Formula in winter, which I didn't want to do since I rarely drove it in rain! So I got a GTP, and had a bit of fun with that (ran 13.78 at 100.2 with just a smaller pulley for the blower and a cone air filter)

My 98 had the following mods:

4.10 gears
ported stock MAF
drag radials
exhaust cutout
MTI airbox
SLP cold air induction
Hypertech programmer
Eibach springs

I miss that car so much, and my friends keep spotting it driving around their area!

 

[widman]

Be careful thinking that weight means a good filter. From the ones I cut open, with only one exception, the heavy cans covered up the least filter material inside.
On air filters, I've thought about the K&N, then saw some of the analysis posted here and I have better results with paper filters with all my driving on dirt roads than I see posted. So I've tabled that idea.

 

[KevGuy]

Originally Posted By: csandste

OK-- Every so often someone will mention that they use Fram oil filters and everyone else will pile on them quoting the MiniMopar survey showing they are [censored].

I do this too. We all need hobbies.

I have read, however, that Consumer Reports ranked Fram as one of the best filters--never saw the actual report, however.

Fact is, that Fram sells more filters than anyone--cardboard ends or not. Since engines aren't falling apart all over the place, maybe these filters aren't as bad as we all think.

In fact maybe that engineer who wrote the expose on the MiniMopar site was fired for [censored] in the coffee or some other nefarious deed.

So, is there anyone out there who actually uses Fram filters and is happy with them? Come on 'fess up. Maybe you know something we don't.


I use FRAM orange cans 90% of the time. I have asked on here a few times for people to 'fess up to using them. I suspect there is lots of "filter fibbing" going on as they are afraid of being bullied on here for admitting using FRAM.

 

[dnewton3]

As if there aren't enough Fram threads running, you have to drage up an eleven year old one?


Locked.