opinions on fram oil filters

Oem filters for my all trac are getting somewhat too expensive for me at $6.xx a pop, so I decided to go with a fram "extra guard" oil filter. now what I want to know is whether or not this filter is going to make my car explode...

not explode but it is a paper filter, so less than admirable product IMHO

A filter is a filter in my opinion. My pickup uses frams and has 206k miles on it. For the benz though I like the hengst filter or mann. I use an EG on my dad's focus and have one for the buell so I think they are all alright. How many filter manufacturers do you think there are? A new filter will be better than an old one.

BTW I've heard the Fram filter's aren't great but how'd you know unless you burn up. Good luck!

http://www.widman.biz/Seleccion/Motores/Filters/Filters-2008/filters-2008.html

God every car that comes into the express bays here at Courtesy Honda with a Fram on is always leaking, the paint and "grip" is always flaking, and every experience I have had with one is bad. I used a Fram once on my old LT1 Trans Am and that was it because it leaked, guess it didn't want to seal up the right way.

I just stick to OEM no matter what now. I'm so tired of dealing with the shotty quality of after market products.

I use Purolator. Always have, never had a problem.

I use Motorcraft FL1-HP on my 86 Crown Vic (since day one on the motor, and 150,000 miles, 5 track weekends, 3 drift events, 5000 towing miles, still wasting rubber and doesn't burn a drop). I've also started using them on my 73 Celica as well (makes ordering filters that much easier). Motorcraft filters are re-badged Purolator filters.

ive used fram pretty much exclusively in all my cars "forever"...never had a problem. a few ive talked have warned me that they can tend to deteriorate long term (5k+) but I dont let the filter change interval go past that anyhow, even using synthetic oil...

I always here REALLY bad things about fram filters..

Then, on almost every classic car show/auction I see on TV I see that bright orange filter that I swear must be a fram...

Why do I always here such bad reviews, then it seems I see them on such NICE cars constantly?

They may have the filters painted to match the engine block paint.

Here is a link to a good oil filter study that shows the internal differences between some of the common brands: http://www.knizefamily.net/minimopar/oilfilters/index.html

No fram ever...

Used one on the wife's DD 1982 Corolla w 3T-C engine. In about three days the filter balloons and oil pressure drops. Tried another Fram (extraguard this time) and it did the same thing.

Oil pressure is only 3bar in this car, it shouldn't balloon filters.

I changed to Purolater and have had no problems after that.

Cardboard endcaps in filters are a BAD idea.

Shawn

I have used farm on and off for years and never had an issue.. . . . Well actually now that I think of it I had one explode on my 86 RX7. But that was not the filters fault. We pulled the motor and reinstalled it and never changed the filter. It hit the firewall or something and it was damaged resulting in a catastrophic failure that was quite spectacular (and very messy).

Again this was not the filters fault it was operator error.

Can anyone actually point of a motor failure that is the result of form? I here bad things about them as well but it is always a case of someones brothers, sisters, husbands, sisters, friends, friend. Always rumor and here say never and fact.

I also noted that the fram got a rather good rating in the filters that were cut open and inspected. I was surprised that the Toyota was at the back of the pack. We have used them for years on the MR2's and friends who have toyota swear by them. the funny thing is that when asked why you get that 1000 yard deer in the headlights look.

I suspect that it really is a case that people just regurgitate what others tell them. A mechanic says that this is a good filter to there customer and they tell some one else and on it goes. No fact's involved. Same with fram. A car goes to the shop with a billion miles on it. Because it is warn out and has to be junked it is the fault of the fram filter that was installed at the last oil change.

I suspect that if you just change your oil and filter every 3k it really does not matter what filter you use. Where problems occur is when you start asking oil filters to go 10k between changes. Oil has changed. With the advent of synthetics filters are being asked to go more than 3x longer than they use to. I suspect that this is really the problem. It would be interesting to see a study taking this in to account.

I've had trouble with Fram filters before. On one car, the filter gasket popped out and the engine oil spewed everywhere, especially onto the pavement and under the rear tires (that was exciting). On another car, Fram filters caused the oil pressure to drop after a month or two. In the end, i gave up on them and switched to either Purolator Premium (Miata and Toyota pickup) or Mann (Mini S).

$6 isnt that much for a filter. If you see one cut open next to a cut open WIX filter you wouldnt ever use one again.

Twenty-something years ago, Auto-X / GRM did a comparison article on oil filters. They bought a bunch of filters and opened them up. Fram was the big loser as it was an empty can compared to the rest. There was very little actual filter media, plus the media end caps were made of cardboard.

The big winner was WIX out of Gastonia , NC. It had more filter media than any other filter, steel media end caps plus the bypass spring was an actual spring. Purolator did well but lost out due to its sheet metal bypass spring which can fatigue from many hot/cold cycles.

Since that test and the accompanying pictures of gutted filters, I use WIX when I can get them or NAPA Gold out here on the west coast. NAPA filters are repackaged WIX filters, much like NAPA oil is repackaged cheaper Valvoline.

I always go with the Fram toughguard, or the "high mileage". they seem to be better constructed, and i have never had a problem.

who sells wix filters?

smog7 wrote: who sells wix filters?

I used to get them at KOI in Ohio.

In reply to nicksta43:

NAPA sells WIX here

BBC

I've got 300,000+kms on my 99 Cougar and I've used Fram filters exclusively (or the identical but cheaper Honeywell filters) and have not had a single problem. I also use them on my Jaguar and have not had a problem there either, although I've only had it for about 25,000km.

FYI, besides Fram, Honeywell also owns Autolite, Bendix, Garrett Turbochargers and Prestone, all of which are highly respected names in the auto parts business. Do you really think they'd decide to have Fram turn out crap while keeping the quality of their other products so high? And if Fram is absolute crap, wouldn't some greedy lawyer have started a class action lawsuit against Honeywell for ruining millions of customers' engines? Can you imagine the payout for that lawyer?

Bob

smog7 wrote: who sells wix filters?

http://www.wixfilters.com/wheretobuy/index.asp

I have heard the same horror stories yet in my family we have used frams 99.9% of the time and we never had an issue with one. Oil gets changed every 3K and they have worked fine. In our newer cars we run full synthetic and the fram extended guard(?, 7,000mile change intervel) and still never a problem.

My father even used frams on his 750 night hawk, it took the same filter as my old accord. Only down side was we had to drop the exaust manifold b/c the filter was larger.

I always get the higher end fram filters. No leaks, no issues.

-my wrx has 111k miles -my 2.5rs has 257k miles -my 95 dodge ram has 179k miles of tow and plow duty

My previous cars were both audi 1.8t A4's, both hit 180k before I dumped them.

All of these had fram filters for the most part, or whatever I could get.

I think the nightmares come from the folks that leave the filter on over a dogs age without changing it.

A friend of mine with a turbo S2000 told me that the S2000 community prefers FRAM filters because they are higher flowing than other filters. When a motor spins to 9000+, I guess flow is a serious issue.

So filters are a compromise between flow and filtration. I'm sure they all work fine if changed on a regular basis. I personally lean towards maximum filtration.

nicksta43 wrote:

smog7 wrote: who sells wix filters?

I used to get them at KOI in Ohio.

I can now get them at O'Reilly's.

NAPA gold are the same thing and Car Quest's brand filter is made by them too (but cost more than WIX).