I'm wondering about running the new Endurance filters at around $12.95 each for two OCIs instead of the single OCI I have done for years with both old and new Ultras. I cut up a bunch of old filters yesterday and both old and new Ultras look fine after 5-6,000 miles using 5W-30 synthetic. I've been going on a time-based oil change regiment for all vehicles for the past few years. Change both oil and filter every six months (around May 1 and November 1). I like to dump the winter oil in the spring no matter what the mileage because it has endured numerous cold starts over the winter. The most used vehicle might run 5-6,000 miles during that period, so potentially the Endurance would be on there for 10-12,000 max. That's still less than half the claimed rating on these things. I'd plan on changing it around May 1 each year. All vehicles are well beyond any warranty worries, don't burn oil, and otherwise mechanically sound.
Ultra or Endurance for 2 OCIs?
- Thread starter AuthorEditor
- Start date
Even though the box says "20,000 Mile Protection"?
If you can get the wire backed Ultra why buy the Non Wire backed Ultra version? If you can't get the wire backed ultra then buy the Endurance.
The Endurance is wire-backed and rated upto 25,000 miles. If only doing 5000-6000 mile OCIs, and if your engine is clean, it could go easliy three 5K-6K OCIs with room to spare.
Someone just posted a C&P thread about the new Ultra going 17,000 miles. Of course "wavy" pleats makes some people freak-out, lol.
I’d trust a ULTRA before a “endurance”
Why? The Endurance is basically the wire-backed Royal Purple, but Fram claims a bit higher efficiency so maybe the Endurance has a tweak to the media design (?).
Well my money is still putting my trust in the Fram TG!
Maybe. I’m not paying $12 for a unknown. I want justification and not claims also.
Least a Fram ultra non wire backed or wire backed I know what I’m buying
I think you will change your mind after you cut a few open.
The Ultra is plenty good enough, people just hate on it because the pleats become a little wavy, people already have 15,000+ miles on the new ultra's and they held up fine, currently a 17,000 mile one posted in this section right now and it held up fine.
Until someone shows actual proof of a new ultra failing then the hate is baseless.
No thanks. I’ve saw one cut apart here. I just don’t get a good feeling and knowing “first brands” can and will cheapen stuff at will. The consumer can’t tell them what to do. Sad that CHAMP filters are still same as they were back in 2006 construction wise. Food for thought.
How do you know what the non-wire backed Fram Ultra is? ... efficiency, miles rating etc?
Fram shows all that stuff for the Endurance too on their website, so it's really not unknown what the performance specs are.
Would you use a wire-backed Royal Purple?
Nope, since most are same price or more than Endurance. I’d gladly use a newer ULTRA.
I think one of the big unknowns of the Endurance is how it actually holds up, there is no used ones cut open for any length of time. Either Royal Purple under rated their filter or FRAM is using a different filter media so they can't necessarily be compared 100%.
The Ultra on the other hand even the new one is so far proven to hold up.
And then everyone has personal preferences, me for example I do not like louvers and one of the main reasons is it is not uncommon for louvers to not be fully opened and the majority of DIY people probably do not even look to make sure the louvers are open because they shouldn't have to, and I prefer a metal crimped seam, this isn't to say one is necessarily better than the other it is simply a preference.
I remember seeing some on here saying they are running the endurance and will then cut them open so hopefully that will start giving us an idea of how they actually hold up.
It's also possible the Endurance (with same media as the RP) came out a hair better in ISO 4548-12 efficiency due to how the test was ran within the parameters of the test procedure. We also saw the OG Ultra test even better than what Fram claimed by Ascent, an independent certified ISO test lab.
I'm not worried about how it would hold up with use if it's rated for 25K miles. Especially if it's only ran 50-75% of that distance.
More and more filters are going from center tube holes to louvers. Even the Ultra and other Frams may switch over at some point. Just need to know about how they should look, and for the people that don't know, well put it in the bucket with 1000 other things people go through life not knowing about, lol.
Similar threads
