I was invited to the Fram test lab by J Buckley/motorking for a tour of the and a seminar/discussion on Wednesday and Thursday. Went out to eat Wednesday night at nice restaurant with the other invitees, some Fram engineers, the lead Fram division exec, and some pr folks. On Thursday morning went to the lab for the tour and discussion. Much of what I saw can be viewed on the two 2011 Fram Challenge videos on youtube. The second video shows some of the major testing I viewed. I also saw the impulse test simulating possible increased pressure impulses, the ISO multipass efficiency testing shown in the video, environmental testing area for the Fram canisters, and the hot oil testing lab and vibration testing lab shown in the video.
Also I got to view the climate controlled air filter testing lab, which as a long time Fram air filter user I very much enjoyed. In that lab, the Fram air filters are tested in the actual vehicle manufacturers air boxes. The particulates are drawn/vacuumed into the filter and measurements taken downstream. Unlike the oil filter multipass efficiency test the air filter test is a single pass test using the latest ISO standard (can't remember the number) And one thing that I found interesting, is that Fram still uses genuine nitrile gaskets on it rigid fram AF's like those used on Honda's which is much more expensive to use. But, many competitors are now using cheaper composite material which doesn't seal as well or remain as flexible over it's usable life. The chief engineer, who happens to own a Honda apparently won't compromise on the nitrile gaskets even though a lot of money could be saved by going with the cheaper gasket material.
The Fram/Champ oil filter manufacturing and testing is now pretty well integrated. I saw some actual return filters on a bench sent back to the lab for testing, and while I won't mention the specific type filter, two were for a non traditional design that is frequently discussed here including a very recent thread.
I did ask a couple questions of two of the engineers. I asked Gary, who you can see in the video, about the frequency and length of 'bypass events'. As Jim Allen has said based on his visit, Gary said especially with todays oils/viscosity, bypass events are relatively infrequent and of short duration. Most on very cold starts when the oil has set for a long period. When I asked him about the 25000 cycles mentioned in the video, he said he'd have to go back and look at the video, but I was satisfied with the direct answer he gave.
I also asked another engineer, Mike, about the difference between the older single pass oil filter efficiency test and the now industry standard ISO 4548-12 multipass test. I asked which test, the single pass or multi pass test would show a higher efficiency. His answer was that the single pass test was not a real world oil filter test and tended to have more of a 'fudge factor' in the rating. The filter they were efficiency testing the day I was there was a Tough Guard, which according to the screen read out was right on spec at 20um.
Going back to lab for the mythbusting session we viewed a few of the infamous anti Fram youtubes, some have been posted here. Clearly on the first the guy hadn't changed his oil in ages and any filter would have looked similar. One with media/centertube collapsed either from a failed or tampered engine bypass, non spec'd on the filter. And the one the for the orange can where the joining seam pleat was not fully joined, but folded over leaving a clear view of the centertube. That one likely could be a assembly line failure, but still odd that the guy opened one unused and found it. A fact once mentioned by Gary Allan (rip) on yt comments who was quickly sternly rebuked by the youtube maker.
Last thing we did before lunch was look at different filter types(canister/cartridge)and endcap designs, no end cap, plastic/composite endcaps, to make the point about endcaps being made out of many materials, including fiber. And last Gary showed the High Mileage filter, saying that the gel was designed to increase the tbn ~1-1.5 points. Though I personally wouldn't buy the HM, the explanation sounded reasonable.
Ate a catered box lunch, got some Fram swag and left to catch a plane out of Detroit. All in all, a busy and worthwhile trip, met some nice folks, got first class treatment and learned a lot. And I now have a Fram hat to go with my Purolator hats. And, thanks to Jay, and all the folks at Fram that made the experience possible and a good one.
Also I got to view the climate controlled air filter testing lab, which as a long time Fram air filter user I very much enjoyed. In that lab, the Fram air filters are tested in the actual vehicle manufacturers air boxes. The particulates are drawn/vacuumed into the filter and measurements taken downstream. Unlike the oil filter multipass efficiency test the air filter test is a single pass test using the latest ISO standard (can't remember the number) And one thing that I found interesting, is that Fram still uses genuine nitrile gaskets on it rigid fram AF's like those used on Honda's which is much more expensive to use. But, many competitors are now using cheaper composite material which doesn't seal as well or remain as flexible over it's usable life. The chief engineer, who happens to own a Honda apparently won't compromise on the nitrile gaskets even though a lot of money could be saved by going with the cheaper gasket material.
The Fram/Champ oil filter manufacturing and testing is now pretty well integrated. I saw some actual return filters on a bench sent back to the lab for testing, and while I won't mention the specific type filter, two were for a non traditional design that is frequently discussed here including a very recent thread.
I did ask a couple questions of two of the engineers. I asked Gary, who you can see in the video, about the frequency and length of 'bypass events'. As Jim Allen has said based on his visit, Gary said especially with todays oils/viscosity, bypass events are relatively infrequent and of short duration. Most on very cold starts when the oil has set for a long period. When I asked him about the 25000 cycles mentioned in the video, he said he'd have to go back and look at the video, but I was satisfied with the direct answer he gave.
I also asked another engineer, Mike, about the difference between the older single pass oil filter efficiency test and the now industry standard ISO 4548-12 multipass test. I asked which test, the single pass or multi pass test would show a higher efficiency. His answer was that the single pass test was not a real world oil filter test and tended to have more of a 'fudge factor' in the rating. The filter they were efficiency testing the day I was there was a Tough Guard, which according to the screen read out was right on spec at 20um.
Going back to lab for the mythbusting session we viewed a few of the infamous anti Fram youtubes, some have been posted here. Clearly on the first the guy hadn't changed his oil in ages and any filter would have looked similar. One with media/centertube collapsed either from a failed or tampered engine bypass, non spec'd on the filter. And the one the for the orange can where the joining seam pleat was not fully joined, but folded over leaving a clear view of the centertube. That one likely could be a assembly line failure, but still odd that the guy opened one unused and found it. A fact once mentioned by Gary Allan (rip) on yt comments who was quickly sternly rebuked by the youtube maker.
Last thing we did before lunch was look at different filter types(canister/cartridge)and endcap designs, no end cap, plastic/composite endcaps, to make the point about endcaps being made out of many materials, including fiber. And last Gary showed the High Mileage filter, saying that the gel was designed to increase the tbn ~1-1.5 points. Though I personally wouldn't buy the HM, the explanation sounded reasonable.
Ate a catered box lunch, got some Fram swag and left to catch a plane out of Detroit. All in all, a busy and worthwhile trip, met some nice folks, got first class treatment and learned a lot. And I now have a Fram hat to go with my Purolator hats. And, thanks to Jay, and all the folks at Fram that made the experience possible and a good one.
