Exactly correct!And about 50% less efficient too.
Fram Ultra / Endurance Users - Move On to What ?
- Thread starter ChrisD46
- Start date
We had a recent c&p of an Ultra with the badly formed leaf spring. This particular filter had a lot of crud in the bottom due to some cleaning. The crud was visually making its way past the ripples into the center tube bypassing the media. This removed all doubt about dirty oil leaking by.
Right, I just don’t find a little leaking to be hugely consequential.
Patman
Staff member
So you are ok with spending more money on a filter that doesn’t fully do the job right? Makes no sense when the PG made filters are built so well AND cost less too.
If carbonous material is visibly leaking by the leaf spring imagine what’s not visible. GM has TSB’s concerning early bypass being a concern and those oil filters voiding engine warranty. Essentially the leaf spring problem is creating a form of constant bypass. To many well made filters available so why even consider the chance.
Well, not quite.
Here's why it doesn't bother me much: the media of the Ultras is good enough that the fraction that DOES go through the filter is sufficient to keep the oil pretty clean.
I posted about this elsewhere, but let's say for purposes of illustration that an Ultra is leaking 20% of the flow through a defect. That's an unrealistically high number based on the huge amount of media flow area vs the tiny pinch of leakage, but let's stick with 20% just to examine the seriousness of the leakage.
Ultra media is 99%+ at 20 micron. Let's say the it's only 99% or ß100. At 25 microns like other filters, it's might be ß500 or greater. Certainly at least ß300.
The Microgard Selects that I use are rated at 25 micron and 99% or ß100.
Because the base media of the Ultra is rated at 5 microns smaller, the effective efficiency at 25 microns will be at least triple to as high as 10x or more greater than the microgard at the same 25 micron reference point
So if the Ultra is merely triple the efficiency at 25 microns, it means that the internal leakage of the Ultra would have to be on the order of 66% in order for the ultra to be merely as good as a Microgard Select that doesn't leak at all.
Based on the posted "flashlight test" pictures I've seen, there's not the remotest chance that 2/3rds of the flow is preferring to go through that crevice instead of all that media area available. Which means that even a leaking ultra is still as good or better than many other good filters on the market.
Agree completely, that's why the only filters I'm buying new are PGs and some one-offs for experimentation.
I'm not buying any more Ultras. But neither am I throwing them away unused. I guess you could say I've "moved on" from Ultras (per the OP) in one sense, but not in another.
Patman
Staff member
I am in the same situation as you then. I won’t be buying any more Fram filters going forward but I do still have one Endurance filter that I bought for my Corvette last year and it bothers me to just let it go to waste so I will be running it for my next oil change.
And hopefully it was one of the earlier production ones that doesn’t have the bad leaf spring. Here is a photo of it if someone can possibly say if this was built before the quality issues began
BrendanC
$100 site donor 2024
Carquest Premium ftw.
Patman
Staff member
That looks like it was made prior to when the ruffled leaf spring started so you’re probably good to go to use it up
So your saying Donaldson white and or blue have BOSS efficiency? Dunno if this is good or bad.
Haven't been a Fram fan since the mid 90's, but that is a story for another day...
I use Mopar filters on the T&C, Fleetguard on the Ram and Super Tech on the Jeep. I keep it simple.
Just my $0.02
I use Mopar filters on the T&C, Fleetguard on the Ram and Super Tech on the Jeep. I keep it simple.
Just my $0.02
Dirt goes where the oil goes.
... and give it a C&P after for all of us on the front lines?
I was exclusively using the OG Fram Ultra's in the form of the Pro Synthetic FPS series for canister, but sold them all off for a profit a couple years back. Still have about a dozen OG XG9972 for the 2GR engines in the fleet.
As a replacement for the FPS Pro Syn, I ordered up countless Vietnam made CQ Premium for less than $2 per filter ($1.40 for those south of the Sovereign Nation above the 49th).
Great construction on the Premium Guard made Carquest Premiums. May sell off some locally to help out the lads and lasses in tough times.
Bought a few Mobil 1 Extended Performance filters at the same time, but not immediately thrilled. They are quite literally half the weight of an equivalent CQP. (Yes, pictures are not equivalent filters, just showing reference and proof).
As a replacement for the FPS Pro Syn, I ordered up countless Vietnam made CQ Premium for less than $2 per filter ($1.40 for those south of the Sovereign Nation above the 49th).
Great construction on the Premium Guard made Carquest Premiums. May sell off some locally to help out the lads and lasses in tough times.
Bought a few Mobil 1 Extended Performance filters at the same time, but not immediately thrilled. They are quite literally half the weight of an equivalent CQP. (Yes, pictures are not equivalent filters, just showing reference and proof).
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