New Fram Ultra Media?

Whoever that is from Fram Tech Hotline is wrong in the description of the media. The old wire backed media was also dual layer. And the new media is not a dual layer synthetic media. It's a shame that people working in company customer service positions don't know the technical details they should know to hold such a job.
I'd be tickled if any or all of the filter producers took you on as a tech line training consultant.
 
Whoever that is from Fram Tech Hotline is wrong in the description of the media. The old wire backed media was also dual layer. And the new media is not a dual layer synthetic media. It's a shame that people working in company customer service positions don't know the technical details they should know to hold such a job.
The real question is: is the person from Fram Tech Hotline wrong due to lack of knowledge or a purposeful reframing of the answer to mislead the consumer..
 
All I can add to all of this is, I used to sing from the highest mountains my praises of the Ultra, but with the new media... after tearing apart the last one I took off one of my Mazdas, I have purchased my last Ultra. The media was easy, and I mean ridiculously easy, to tear. Like I was tearing nothing more than a thick paper towel. None of the pleats were torn, but they were pretty wavy, and just gently pushing on any of them produced a tear at the ends. No thanks, they had a great product before, now its just a meh product riding high on its previous reputation.

I know the efficiency isnt as good as some, but I'll probably be moving on to either Purolator Boss or a Microguard once the next oil change is due on that car. Ultras were so good before, I absolutely hate when companies screw up such good products.
 
Whoever that is from Fram Tech Hotline is wrong in the description of the media. The old wire backed media was also dual layer. And the new media is not a dual layer synthetic media. It's a shame that people working in company customer service positions don't know the technical details they should know to hold such a job.
It could be that particular part number that was being referenced. The South Korean version with white media may have been single layer synthetic.

Not sure they should have referred to the latest media as “true dual layer media with two layers of synthetic media” though.
 
I have about six of the Korean made filters remaining in my stash. When the time comes I hope Fram straightens this out, or I look for something else. A Purolator filter is definately not in the cards.
 
The real question is: is the person from Fram Tech Hotline wrong due to lack of knowledge or a purposeful reframing of the answer to mislead the consumer..
These are probably hourly employees that don't come from a technical background. The type of person you hire for a technical support hotline isn't coming into the job with an engineering or technical background...their staffing someone to field phone calls and emails. Just the nature of what it's like in this industry, good or bad.
 
Isn’t Brazil a very important market for VW and Ford? A lot of the aftermarket for older VWs is from Brazil. I think Carlos Ghosn spent time in Brazil with either Michelin or Renault.
From my mostly anecdotal observations - VW and Ford? Not really. We go pretty often, GM is big, Chevy is the highest volume brand. Stellantis has a pretty good presence between Jeep, Fiat and the French brands. Don't see very many Fords there. VW is around, but they are positioned as a premium brand there with resulting lower volume. I see more BMWs than VWs around Sao Paulo state. Plenty of cars from the Korean twins as well.

There are multiple auto plants visible along the freeway between Sao Paulo and Rio. Most manufacturers produce vehicles in Brazil due to the high import duties.

If you take the BR-116 instead of the Ayrton Senna tollway you will also pass close by the Embraer factory.
 
These are probably hourly employees that don't come from a technical background. The type of person you hire for a technical support hotline isn't coming into the job with an engineering or technical background...their staffing someone to field phone calls and emails. Just the nature of what it's like in this industry, good or bad.
*they're
 
Any more insight on the fuzz issue? I just got this new Ultra filter (made in Brazil) and noticed some fuzz. I gently rolled my finger around it and it's coming off like lint from a clothes dryer filter! Even though it's on the outside, I'm hesitant to use it. Any additional thoughts? If not this one, what other cartridge filters would you recommend for a Toyota Sequoia?


Fram Lint.jpg
 
Any more insight on the fuzz issue? I just got this new Ultra filter (made in Brazil) and noticed some fuzz. I gently rolled my finger around it and it's coming off like lint from a clothes dryer filter! Even though it's on the outside, I'm hesitant to use it. Any additional thoughts? If not this one, what other cartridge filters would you recommend for a Toyota Sequoia?


View attachment 170758
Run a Toyota filter or a Microgard Select.
 
XG10295?

Just find the other Fram synthetic media filter, FE10295. Made in USA. Available at walmart or walmart.com.

Any more insight on the fuzz issue? I just got this new Ultra filter (made in Brazil) and noticed some fuzz. I gently rolled my finger around it and it's coming off like lint from a clothes dryer filter! Even though it's on the outside, I'm hesitant to use it. Any additional thoughts? If not this one, what other cartridge filters would you recommend for a Toyota Sequoia?


View attachment 170758
 
Looks like we have the new equivalent of the old Ultra with the Fram Endurance. They advertise the metal screen backing. I put one on my Corvette. I run it HARD, so it would be fun to tear it apart when it comes out. I´m only running about 3.5k on the first run, but I´ll go to 5k or 1 year after that. If I keep the miles coming quickly, I might go to 5k. I´d be happy to send it to someone wanting to cut it apart when it is done. If it looks good, I may run the next one for 2 OCI´s (10k miles) and see how it does.

The media that was the hardest to tear I´ve ever seen was the Fram Ultra cartridge filter in my 3.6 Jeep. It has a nylon or some kind of monofilament web backing in the media that took a pair of vice grips and pliars to pull it apart. So far, the new Ultra´s I´ve seen for that application have kept the same construction and media. I hope it doesn´t change. The fuzz @Post shared is pretty concerning.
 
So why would Fram see the need to cheapen the Ultra and bring out a new product line? Was there some contract issue, patent issue since Fram is brother with Champion Labs?

Or did they do some bean counter research and figured a Titanium name sells better then a filter named Ultra? They could have brought back the wire media to the Ultra and none would be the wiser.
 
Or did they do some bean counter research and figured a Titanium name sells better then a filter named Ultra?
The Titanium can only be bought at AAP, so I highly doubt for that reason it sells better than the Ultra. The Endurance is basically a Royal Purple which already existed, so I think Fram came out with the Endurance to essentially increase the sales of that particular filter - ie, same basic guts in different cans marketing move.
 
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