*Is a Fram 3593a a longer version of the #9688 ? Are the flow rate and bypass rating the same ?I agree and don't really care about what the retail price of an oil filter is, especially when I like to figure out how I can get whatever it may be at a lower cost. Even at the full retail price an Ultra is not THAT expensive for what you get.
With my Hyundai GDI engine I came to figure out that running something heavier than 0w/5w-20 makes a huge difference. Also running a Fram 3593a series filter, instead of a 9688 series filter, seems to have made a difference as well.