Originally Posted By: Drivebelt
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On a number of occasions, I have posted a photo I took a few years back in which I easily crushed an entire Fram filter element, paper endcaps, center tube, and all, with one bare hand.
This could probably be done with a lot of cheaper filters, and perhaps you had a defective filter. So you get metal endcaps -- you can still end up with a lousy filter …
Motocraft filter " When I tried to pry the folds of the filter apart to inspect in between them, the cardboard completely crumbled apart in my fingers with almost no effort! I've never seen this happen before. … I've never seen a filter with such thin, flimsy, weak, filter material either."
Champion e-core filters use fiber endcaps and a plastic inner cage, which probably isn't even as strong as a Fram EG cage.
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The other problems I have with Fram are that they have very cheaply made bypass valve designs
Almost all low end filters have "cheaply" made ADBV's. If there is a test that shows these ADBV don't perform their function as well as other designs, then present the tests to show this. Otherwise, the opinion "I don't like the looks" of the ADBV's doesn't have much merit. The product is the being completely dismissed or disparaged on a non-technical basis. And there is anecdotal evidence pointing to that most ADBV's that don't seal well on occasion. So is this just a problem with low end Frams like the EG? All Frams? Or, it is the case that cheaper low-end filters all pretty well have generally lousy ADBV's? I recall reading some test where they tested the ADBV's on some filters and the author stated that 90% of the ADBV's didn't really seal that well -- across various brands. (I tried googling that report but couldn't find it).
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What it really comes down to for me is not so much fear of failure, but rather, comparative value. I can walk from my office to a NAPA store that's a couple blocks away, and get a superbly made NAPA gold for about the same price as a Fram. For me, this begs the question of why would I ever bother with a Fram? I simply get more margin and more quality for the money.
How do you know it's a better filter? Do you have flow tests, particulate filtration tests, drain-back flap efficiency tests, bypass valve test, media bursting tests? Not likely. You just don't like the looks of the Fram EG. Jeepsunlimited had a filter test up a while ago (no longer can find it) ….
Fram Extra Guard ($2.37)
Napa Gold ($7.85)
Pure One (Puralator) ($6.35)
And Fram EG performed on par with the 2 much more expensive filters. So I’d say that’s looking pretty good for the price. Just because one filter LOOKS better to someone, doesn’t mean it will PERFORM better.
In this test (somewhat old 1995)
filter test the Fram filter performed fine.
NHHEMI made an unfounded slam against all Fram filters and I called him it. In my view it amounted to senseless Fram bashing. Even the low end Fram EG appears to hold together well and filter decently.
Buy a more expensive better looking filter and you can still get this …
Bosch filter " The friggin leaf spring was put in upside down like this: And the center tube only had half the holes as normal: 2nd time I've bought a Purolator clone that's been all messed up."
And then there is this …
AC Delco filter "I personally think that AC Delco is making some cheap or defective PF46 filters. Here is what happened to me TWICE. … a year ago I had a problem when I started the truck up I had NO OIL PRESSURE on the gauge and the LOW OIL PRESSURE warning message came on. … … NOW - flash forward to this week. I take a camping trip, Truck has around 3,000 miles on the oil change - where I had to use a Delco filter (PF46) because that's all they had. I get 2 states away, stop for gas. Restart the truck - you guessed it NO OIL PRESSURE again! "
And this …
ST filter "I have two problems with this filter: 1.) The gasket always seems to fall off very easily. It's happened on two out of two ST6607's I've purchased. And 2.) In this filter, the pleats are all distorted."
Sure, Fram will probably make the odd defective filter too, but my experience with Fram's (even the low end EG) have been nothing but good.
I'm not sure how posting of a list of obvious manufacturing defects who's likeliness of occurrence is in the fractions of a percentile in certain filters "makes a case" for FRAM.
The FRAM ADBV "seals" against the "cardboard" top.
Now, take a look at this picture (which is a TYPICAL FL-1A crossed FRAM):
Tell me how you are going to PROPERLY seal against that surface? Other than the centre tube, there is NO support, and massive room for deflection under elevated PSID or even oil volume.
Again, I am NOT knocking the FILTERING ability of the filter. I am knocking the CONSTRUCTION PROCESS, which is CHEAP.
If we look at the top of a PureONE (or any other Purolator filter):
It is VERY easy to see where the base of the ADBV SEALS against the RIGID METAL TOP of the filtering cartridge. The little "ticks" around the top, are from the bracing on the back of the ADBV to aide in its functionality.
My argument, which echoes ekpolks is that there are simply BETTER CONSTRUCTED filters for the money, included the aforementioned Motorcraft I posted which was almost HALF the price of the FRAM TG, but has a ADBV which has an obviously sealing advantage.
In this picture of the TG, we see the ADBV and where it "seals" against the filter top, and the bypass valve, which is expected to "seal" against the cardboard end-caps, which my previous picture shows, deflect: