X-Hibition said:
Your "Holy Grail" of filters sounds great, if it is based on facts. I started this off based on casual observations in a store and lots of reading. I have read the "don't use Fram" before, but never understood it.
I looked at Motorcraft and Fram together and saw no difference. I've used Fram for decades from my first car (Mustang) to last weekend on the daily driver. I've never hurt anything with a Fram oil filter. Or fuel filter. And on cars where I don't use K&N (or Airaid) I use a Fram air filter. No problems. Ever.
Oil filters...whose and why? Or whose not and why? Either way, or both. And "it sucks" doesn't count. Back it up.
Last thing id EVER call anything i write is "holy" anything...more
like HOLE-LY perhaps...
All im really doing is sharing the information i dug up....and tried
to made it easier for anyone else to read...for you to come to your
own conclusions & maybe save some money or find/use a better
product in the mean time.
an easy visual "inspection" of the filters can be done by standing
'em side by side...same height ?
and by looking down the center...is there an innner plastic tube
obstructing the filter media or completely visable filter media ?
is there a felt ring on the bottom ?
(the filters w/ the plastic inner tube, that restricts the visiblity
of the filter media down the center of the filter had reports of
"slower" pressurization...based on observation of the dash oil guage...
there were also some filters that were slightly shorter than the original
designs & these same filters were w/out the felt ring on the bottom...
not to mention they were poorly assembled...w/ signs of glue having
"oozed" out and onto the pleated media....they also werent stamped
w/ patent numbers or "made in germany")
the only other aftermarket filters that were suspect were the
frame rail (HFCM) based fuel filter....there were again some aftermarket
filters that were shorter than the original and w/out the white
media wrapped around the pleated media...its proven the "wrap"
was critical in catching water & holding it IN the filter for separation.
it was also determined there were some mid year changes in either
the CAP or the base (sorry i cant remember which) of the HFCM,
the shorter "aftermarket" filters had issue w/ the change...and
the change was either mid year 05 or 06 (again i cant recall &
since i own an 04...and im not getting paid for my "research" well...
you get the idea
theres also only a couple of filter manufactures in the world...
same as car batteries...these manufactures build product (to someones
specification....hopefully the OEM spec) and drop it in a box...
the box could be anyones on any given day or hour depending on the
company thats ordered the filters.
WIX is the largest filter manufacture & Racor is another (apparently
smaller) manufacture...its even reported that manufactures will
order product from each other to be boxed and sold to someone else...
its all based on stock on hand and order size/time needed....apparently
the manufacting/selling & buying filters is a whores market.
Ive used fram filters for 25+ yrs...never had a problem...but i also
wont use 'em on any of my motorcycles....there were problems early
on (w/ the motorcycle filters) where they were not holding up to
the internal pressures and as such they were blowing the metal crimp/
cases of the filter apart....
certainly fram wouldnt have lasted long as a company if they didnt
resolve those type of issues (and who knows maybe those filters
were mfg'd by wix or racor way back then...who knows).
so again just SHARING (isnt that what forums are all about...)
and i CERTAINLY welcome anyone to further the research and
share it w/ us all...im not perfect...never claimed to be...and none
of us has time to do ALL the research...
