Opinion Reversal on Fram Extraguard

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Since I was not involved in online auto discussions during the "Orange can is bad" era until the tail end, I never stopped using Fram filters until recently, when I started using Napa Gold. Even when I did get in on the tail end of the OCOD trash talk, it never did make sense to me. I could never wrap my mind around why people thought metal end caps were better than fiber, when the entire filter media is made of . . . . . fiber???? It is also particularly interesting that there are an awful lot of OEM filters that are designed and manufactured with fiber end caps. Ever looked at a Honda OEM filter? And Honda makes great, well designed products. But simple. Like fiber end cap simple.

I think most anyone that took the time to use a little bit of logic should have been able to ignore the popular trend of the time. Clearly, one has to give a fair amount of thought to many - OK, most - of the discussions here on BITOG, and even more so to the parts store recommendations and auto shop gossip. Much of it is, as Spock would have said, illogical.
 
Originally Posted By: 71Chevyguy
Why get a cardboard filter, when you can get a well constructed one, for the same money, from a different brand? That's how I look at it.


That's sort of how I look at it, assuming a well performing filter is available for the same money with different construction.

That said, Ive been sold on non-metal endcap construction since at least 2004, as my Saab allowed 2 year/16k ocis on such a filter, and our 96 MB diesel and 91 BMW had glued end filters on the market too. All worked well and as expected.

I have no issue with the rigor of Fran's engineering for bypass valves and whatnot. But performance proof was in the pudding for me. Only fram orange and Walmart supertech (which at the time at least was not a fram product) caused start up ticking in my 98 Chevy. Delco, purolator, etc all were just fine. Fram Ultra has also been fine, so it's what I generally run at this point in my truck, and our Odyssey.
 
Fram has upped the quality of the orange can in recent years.
As an aside, the 'cardboard' is in reality fiberboard.
Never mind that the media that does the filtering is PAPER.
I also note that SuperTech filters are made by Wix and of
equal or better than the Orange can.
 
Originally Posted By: dwendt44
Fram has upped the quality of the orange can in recent years.
As an aside, the 'cardboard' is in reality fiberboard.
Never mind that the media that does the filtering is PAPER.
I also note that SuperTech filters are made by Wix and of
equal or better than the Orange can.


Both the Wix and the Orange can are rated at 95% spend $2 more and get a 99% rated filter.
 
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Originally Posted By: camrydriver111
What exactly happened? Were people too hung up on physical appearance or were there some product changes? Did the oil gurus get it wrong?

Remember, there was one day when an AC Delco wasn't an ecore, and a Motorcraft was considered a very impressive filter, when it comes to OEM type filters. Many years ago, Walmart Canada used to sell AC Delco filters for next to nothing. With respect to Fram, you, being from Canada, know what the cost is like for even an orange can Fram.

That's always been my beef about Fram orange cans. I wasn't a fan of the construction, but I was even less of a fan of the price. When a Wix or even a dealer Motorcraft if cheaper than a Fram orange can at Canadian Tire or Walmart, there's something wrong. These days, when Acklands-Grainger sells a Baldwin for under $5 every day of the week, I would find it exceedingly difficult to want to walk into a Canadian Tire or Walmart for an orange can.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: camrydriver111
What exactly happened? Were people too hung up on physical appearance or were there some product changes? Did the oil gurus get it wrong?

Remember, there was one day when an AC Delco wasn't an ecore, and a Motorcraft was considered a very impressive filter, when it comes to OEM type filters. Many years ago, Walmart Canada used to sell AC Delco filters for next to nothing. With respect to Fram, you, being from Canada, know what the cost is like for even an orange can Fram.

That's always been my beef about Fram orange cans. I wasn't a fan of the construction, but I was even less of a fan of the price. When a Wix or even a dealer Motorcraft if cheaper than a Fram orange can at Canadian Tire or Walmart, there's something wrong. These days, when Acklands-Grainger sells a Baldwin for under $5 every day of the week, I would find it exceedingly difficult to want to walk into a Canadian Tire or Walmart for an orange can.


When all things are pretty much equal price is king.
 
Exactly. When our Walmarts had AC Delcos for something like $2 a piece versus the roughly $7+ FL1A (which still, perplexingly, is the same price 25 years later), that was pretty hard to ignore. Right now, I get the Wix 51515 for $4.99 for my F-150. I can't get any of Fram's offerings at that price here, even on special, and I have no reason to chase "specials" when the $4.99 price on Wix is the daily price for me.
 
Went to cut an orange can and found a gold can “in waiting” … both ran 6k OCI
Orange off the Fusion with Pennzoil Gold 5w20
Gold off Explorer ecoboost with Mobil 1 FM 5w40
Both came apart with ADV holding and BPV in good shape:


 
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