Thanks for the reply, I was typing & researching when you posted. I think the blend took up too much room for the wire backing to be there.
Wire backing typically means the media is full synthetic, which is not rigid. Absence of wire means the media is pretty rigid and will "stand up" on its own, typically cellulose or synthetic/cellulose blend, which will not flow as well as full synthetic. The new Ultra, & now Titanium, use two layers, one rigid synthetic blend, one not rigid full synthetic. For long OCI, you want the full synthetic which will hold more before plugging, or raising the delta p to the point that previously trapped particles are broken loose. Hence the 25K mileage rating on the full synth, & 20K on the blend.
The Ultra "up to use mileage rating" didn't change from 20K when the media changed. Neither did the efficiency rating. Keep in mind that the total media area also plays a factor, and the total media area went up on the Ultra when the media changed.
Actually, the efficiency rating went up slightly with the media change. It has been said the media area increase was to compensate for the lower flow rating of the cellulose/synthetic blend.
If you're referring to the old email from Fram showing better efficiency at 15u on the new Ultra, maybe that's so on the specific filter they were referencing. But I'm talking about the efficiency rating statement for the Ultra shown on Fram's website. The old Ultra with wire-backed media was also shown as 99%+ at greater than 20u, and so is the new Ultra non-wire baked media.
Yes, possible with any non-wire backed media if the pleat spacing is out of control.
Yup, I'm not super confident in that e-mail, which I've noted several times in these discussions, lol. I'd like to see it actually tested, since we have that data for the original XG.
XG5 must be a slow moving item, & they had older ones in stock. Do you have the date code from the outside of the can? I have received 5 year old filters from AAP in the past.
If that's what they thought/meant then they need some better training before working the customer servive tech line.
The larger diameter filters are still being produced with a wire back, I can't tell from the photos if they're using the new hybrid media or if that's the old 100% microglass media from those photos.
My guess, for what it's worth, is that Fram sells 90+% of their product to various OEMs and other companies that rebrand. The retail market which we look at is a small part of their business, but Walmart is probably 90% of that segment. Advance likes to purchase something that is unique to them so people aren't making direct comparisons to the pricing at Walmart, which is almost always lower. Therefore you get the Titanium, which is basically an Ultra with a different paint job and a higher price tag. The reason they decontented the Ultras and introduced the Endurance at Walmart is they wanted to raise prices and profit, and people hate it when a product is reduced in quality but sells for the same price. However, they are willing to pay more for a product that they think is of higher quality. The average Joe buying filters at WM will never know the Ultras have been reduced in quality, but they may be tempted to upgrade to the new thing on the block--the Endurance.
The exclusiveness of the Titanium for AAP and the Endurance for Walmart is an off-shoot from the main Fram line, and the prices are determined by AAP and Walmart, not Fram. Also, I'm betting AAP and Walmart have a say on how those two filters are built with collaboration with Fram engineers.It's tough to understand Farm's marketing and product strategies.
1. They removed the wire backing from the Ultra but have maintained its price at $8.97.
2. They removed the wire backing from the Titanium and have maintained its price at $12.49. And its features and performance are the same as the Ultra.
3. The Titanium is a specialty filter for Advance Auto Parts only and as stated above has the same performance as the $8.97 Ultra.
4. They recently price reduced the Tough Guard that was already the top value oil filter to buy and now its even better value.
5. Their highest performing retail filter Endurance is only available at Walmart.
I know the importance for companies to always be introducing new and better products to stay competitive and healthy. But it feels like clutter and confusion is being created combined with defeaturing to cut costs that is devaluing the product to the consumer.
The wire removal was started & carried out before inflation was an issue. Seems to be another example of share holders best interest before customers’.
