Fram Tough Guard vs, Ultra Guard.

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GRWOil

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I'm looking at the Fram Tough Guard or Ultra for my Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0T. It's a GDI turbo that is pretty hard on oil so It'll be on a 5,000 mile OCI, and I'll probably swap the filter every time because the warranty requires it.

Here's the deal. I can get the Fram Pro FP9688, which is the tough guard without the grip tape, made for oil change shops, for $2.99 a piece if I buy a lot of 12. For sale here.

OR, I could buy the ultra for $5.13 if I buy a lot of 6. For sale here.

How much better is the Ultra as opposed to the Tough Guard? Is it more efficient? Does it have a better more consistent bypass? Is the upgrade worth $2.13?

Oh and one last thing. Do oil filters go bad on the shelf? (it would take me about 5 or 6 years to mill through a dozen filters)
 
The Fram Toughguard is plenty for a 5K Mi OCI. No need to waste extra money on extended OCI filters on short change intervals.
 
The Ultra is a much better filter and well-liked on here. The case of 6 will still be good when you're ready to use them. Oil filters do have a shelf life, but six filters in 2-3 years is absolutely not a problem.

I would be worried about 5 years, though. For me, I think that would be the cutoff.

For a common filter (that is, one that's used in a lot of cars), I'd only buy what I need, one or two at a time, so I can get the freshest stock. But for a harder-to-find filter (like the 8316), then it's worth stocking up, but I still don't want something too old.
 
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
The Ultra is a much better filter and well-liked on here. The case of 6 will still be good when you're ready to use them. Oil filters do have a shelf life, but six filters in 2-3 years is absolutely not a problem.

I would be worried about 5 years, though. For me, I think that would be the cutoff.

For a common filter (that is, one that's used in a lot of cars), I'd only buy what I need, one or two at a time, so I can get the freshest stock. But for a harder-to-find filter (like the 8316), then it's worth stocking up, but I still don't want something too old.


Yeah I'd be worried about the o-ring starting to go bad and crack over time, but I have no idea how long it'll be until that happens.
 
Are you sure the Fram Pro's are Tough Guards and not Extra Guards (OCODs)?
Either way your good @ %K OCIS (I'd go at least 2 OCIs on the Ultra).

Another choice would be Genuine Hyundai filters which are usually under $5 each on Amazon.
 
Yes, there does seem to be some reported engine noises when not using an oem filter on some Hyundais. Which would be too bad if you bought a bunch of filters then switch back to oem filters. I think in your app I'd stick with oem.
 
Originally Posted By: pbm
Are you sure the Fram Pro's are Tough Guards and not Extra Guards (OCODs)?
Either way your good @ %K OCIS (I'd go at least 2 OCIs on the Ultra).

Another choice would be Genuine Hyundai filters which are usually under $5 each on Amazon.


The Fram pros are Ultras without the sure grip
 
12 filters is a lot. Not that they'll go bad, but what if something goes wrong with the car, like it gets hit and totalled while parked - would you buy the exact same replacement? One or two extra filters is all I'll ever buy - things change. I'm not sure Hyundai says you "have" to change the filter every time, but they may recommend it. TG filter is all you'll ever need and w a 5k OCI, I'd definitely be double stinting them.
 
Originally Posted By: pbm
Are you sure the Fram Pro's are Tough Guards and not Extra Guards (OCODs)?
Either way your good @ %K OCIS (I'd go at least 2 OCIs on the Ultra).

Another choice would be Genuine Hyundai filters which are usually under $5 each on Amazon.


From another BITOG post

Hey,
I work at FRAM. The Pro series is intended to be sold to shops for professional installation on cars.
The baseline filter is orange, internally it is like the Ecore filter we make for GM and many others. 92% efficiency and 5k OCI
The white filter is a Tough Guard internally with silicone ADV, 99% efficiency and 10k OCI.
The gold filter is a FRAM Ultra inside, silicone ADV, 99% efficiency and 15K OCI.
We are puzzled as to how these ended up where they are.
The same filters are available to the public in our consumer brands. Unless your a repair shop or oil change center, it is not likely you can purchase these. If you are a shop and interested in the program, please email me at [email protected]

_________________________

Jay M Buckley
UCI-FRAM Technical Training Director
(248) 808-4551
[email protected]
 
The $2 upgrade, for two filters a year that's $4 for a year, has to be worth it. The Fram cans, bypass, are the same between versions as far as I know. The synthetic will hold up to time better than the blended media. Go for the big spending. That's a low price for the Ultra. Hope it is all legit. With free shipping where are they getting them so cheap to sell?
 
Originally Posted By: goodtimes
The $2 upgrade, for two filters a year that's $4 for a year, has to be worth it. The Fram cans, bypass, are the same between versions as far as I know. The synthetic will hold up to time better than the blended media. Go for the big spending. That's a low price for the Ultra. Hope it is all legit. With free shipping where are they getting them so cheap to sell?


Don't know! There are several offers in the mid $30s for the 6 filter case on ebay, that one being the lowest. It seems like a competitive price for the case of 6.

In fact there is one on there that is $.01 cheaper, but they'll charge me sales tax because they are inside my home state, Missouri.
 
Ultras are great but really overkill for 5000 miles. Tough Guards will do a fine job too. We've never heard any strange noise using various aftermarket filters... NapaGold, TG, Valvoline or Champs etc. All worked just fine. Our oci is usually between 3-4k miles as this vehicle sees 90% severe service duty. Enjoy the ride.
 
That place has my size for $26 for 6 Ultras with free shipping no tax. So if it costs them $8 to ship minus $3 Ebay and Paypal fees, they get $15 for 6 filters. So they have to be getting them for about $2 or less. That's all I am saying, maybe they are brand new right from the Fram factory. I don't understand it though.
 
Wow, so the FP line is the Tough Guard media, an e-core center tube, fiber end-caps and silicone ADV?

For my car it is $20/6 ($3.33 each), $24/6 ($4 each) for the truck.

It is $5.50 for the TG filter for my car at Walmart, so this my be my next filter for the car (I do 5000 mile oil changes, may start 7500 mile).
 
Originally Posted By: GRWOil
Originally Posted By: pbm
Are you sure the Fram Pro's are Tough Guards and not Extra Guards (OCODs)?
Either way your good @ %K OCIS (I'd go at least 2 OCIs on the Ultra).

Another choice would be Genuine Hyundai filters which are usually under $5 each on Amazon.


From another BITOG post

Hey,
I work at FRAM. The Pro series is intended to be sold to shops for professional installation on cars.
The baseline filter is orange, internally it is like the Ecore filter we make for GM and many others. 92% efficiency and 5k OCI
The white filter is a Tough Guard internally with silicone ADV, 99% efficiency and 10k OCI.
The gold filter is a FRAM Ultra inside, silicone ADV, 99% efficiency and 15K OCI.
We are puzzled as to how these ended up where they are.
The same filters are available to the public in our consumer brands. Unless your a repair shop or oil change center, it is not likely you can purchase these. If you are a shop and interested in the program, please email me at [email protected]

_________________________

Jay M Buckley
UCI-FRAM Technical Training Director
(248) 808-4551
[email protected]


Thanks a lot for sharing this. Nice to know.
 
I would stick to the OEM filter on the hyundai application due to the TSB they put out there with some aftermarket filters causing knocking at startup.

I purchased 6 OEM hyundai filters on ebay with crush washers, and the sheer weight of these filters is substantial. They are very well made. MANN I think makes them.

I will post a photo of the OEM filter next to a valvoline quick lube filter that was on the car, its almost a joke.
 
Originally Posted By: blupupher
Wow, so the FP line is the Tough Guard media, an e-core center tube, fiber end-caps and silicone ADV?

For my car it is $20/6 ($3.33 each), $24/6 ($4 each) for the truck.

It is $5.50 for the TG filter for my car at Walmart, so this my be my next filter for the car (I do 5000 mile oil changes, may start 7500 mile).


No you have it wrong. The orange pro series is an e core champ labs, the white pro is exact like a tough guard and should use a metal center tube and the gold pro is exactly the same as the Fram Ultra without the sure grip.
 
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