I know that this will probably stir up a hornets nest but I have got to say it anyway. I have read a lot of negative posting on Fram filters and I guess I don't quite get it. First of all let me point out that I am 50 years old and have driven 10 different vehicles. All except one were Fords. I have logged well over 100,000 miles on each one of them. I put 153,000 miles on an 81 Chevy Chevette, 195,000 on an 88 Tempo. I have 234,000 plus and still counting on a 94 Tempo and 175,000 miles on my 98 Ranger, which is still running strong. The only vehicle that I ever had that burnt oil was a 78 Pinto. I put 104,000 miles on that one. In the end, it burned one quart in about 250 miles. The rear bumper fell off and the gas tank leaked but I had no oil filter problems. I added up the collective mileage mileage and came up with well over one million miles. I use exclusively Penzoil motor oil and Fram filters. I change my oil religiously every 3,000 miles and I do not use synthetic oil. I haven't had any oil filter related problems at all. My Dad is 70 years old with an even more impressive record running nothing but Fords and using Fram filters. I guess that until I have a negative experience, I will be running Fram and Penzoil, at least as long as there is a Walmart or K-Mart in the area.

 

I agree that you must be doing something right, to be getting the mileage that you are .

My complaint with Fram filters, has to do with the thin gauge steel oil filter housing, which collapses, if you torque down too hard. I don't have this problem with any other major filter maker...

 

Fram has been around for ages, and they make a good product however they tend to be made for the local discounters at a bargain price to the consumer.

 

You've had good luck with Fram, obviously. Can't argue with that.

But 100K is no longer the life expectancy of an engine. More like 300K. Prior to the '60s, oil filters were optional equipment on a lot of engines. To make it to 300K you need good filtering.

Do yourself a favor and cut apart a Fram, a Motorcraft, and a Purolator filter for your engine and see if you think the Fram compares. The Motorcraft and Purolator have, IIRC, about twice the filtering area. And they all cost about the same.

Use Fram if you want, but there is no sense in being brand loyal to them when you can get a better product for the same money.

 

You've gotten good mileage from your vehicles because you change your oil religiously at 3,000 miles. A Fram filter will do okay for 3,000 miles.
Like another poster noted, cut a few Fram filters up and compare them to an identical competitor. It doesn't matter what competitor, Fram will have the least amount of filtering area and possibly have cardboard end caps. About the only filter to buy that is made by Fram would be the one for the diesel powerstrokes.
My brother used to be a Fram man and one afternoon we cut up about six different filter applications, half of them Frams, half of them six different manufacturers. He hasn't bought a Fram since.
Frams are okay for 3,000 miles, but you have overpaid for what you get and after a few thousand miles more I wouldn't trust them.

 

guys this needs to be discussed in the propper forum....

Matt

 

If you keep changing oil every 3k miles, it probably doesn't really matter what kind of filter you use. But please realize that modern oils are capable of running a lot more than 3k miles between changes.

Here is some interesting and relevant reading:
http://home.mindspring.com/~cewhite3nc/index.html
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/...20-%20Part%203
http://63.240.161.99/motoroil/
http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/s.../oil-life.html
http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html

You will see there are good reasons to stay away from Fram filters.

 

Use whatever works for you, I use to use fram all the time, now I pretty much stay with motorcraft, but I have no problem with fram except for paying 16 bucks a filter at the auto zone.

 

I used the atomic orange filter from the 50's when they were made by Bendix & were thought of as the best you could buy, up until the early 90's when they cheapened up their construction.

I too never had a problem with Fram, or any engine I used them on.

But having always cut open my used filters, since the 50's, to see what they've trapped, I soon realised there were probably better constructed filters out there, for the same, or less money!!!!

Also the old Frams had the bypass valve located in the wrong place, for my Ford inverted filter placement.

Since Motorcraft has had Puorlator make it's FL-1A filter, I've opted to use them, as they have WAY more filter media surface area (400 sq inches), filters to a smaller particle size, but with the extra media area, pressure dop accross the filter media is still low & imo overall, are constructed better internally & specifically for my Fords engine, with the bypass valve properly located in the base & the bypass valve's setting properly speced for my engines oiling system.

SO, for the past 17 or so years, for all those reasons & more, I've opted for Motorcraft or Purolator filters for all my rides!!!!

Just some reasons for pondering!!!

 

I have used Fram filters for many years and not one filter related problem. I change my filters at 5k miles on dino oil, and 10k on synthetic.

At my local Chinamart, Motorcraft filters are cheaper than Fram, so if cheaper is lower quality...................

As for cutting them open, doesn't tell you much about the ability of the media to filter. You will probably see a dirty filter and oil, so..........

Construction, end caps, drainbacks, all that jazz sounds good, but is there a record of problems with these features?

If you are bending the can tightening it up, you are trying to get it too tight. General rule is 3/4 turn after seal contact.

The so called "Knize filter study" always gets quoted. Study???????? It some doofus cutting open filters in his garage. He tells you himself he is no expert, and is simply reporting what he sees, and to take the info with a grain of salt. Plus, the "study" is older than dirt.

Last I checked, Fram outsold all competitors 2 to 1. 2nd in line was Purolator. I know, I know, its all advertising, nothing to do with the quality of the product. Us customers are retards and don't know what we are buying.....

One of the things that got the "hate Fram" bandwagon rolling was a bad run of filters several years ago for motorcycles. As far as I know, Fram made good on all the damage caused, but the ball was already rolling.

There are tons of opinions on oil and filters. Some have their oil tested every change, others every once in a while, some just change their oil and filters at normal intervals, and forget it. Why worry about it if it works?

If the product you use is working, and you have had no problems, stay with it, no need to change. That is the best test no matter what others may say. jd

 

There several places that sell nothing but Fram, or Fram + another one, with the other, cheaper brand being Pennzoil ...

Most customers doesn't know that they can do better for about the same amount of money.

Well, many of them.

 

I guess some folks just gotta have an orange filter or they don't feel right, regardless of the knowledge there is better product out there for the same price.

For the same money you can get a filter that you KNOW will be better quality construction. Steel end caps, high quality glues, more filtering media, NO CARDBOARD, better quality anti-drainback valves, and thicker steel in the can. That's a good buy in my book, and a sensible thing to do.

But, some people still think every bottle of Mobil1 is still full of nothing but PAO. You can't save everybody. "If it was good enough for my Pappy, it's good enough for me." Please, come in to 2007, if you will...

Good luck with your Frams, Guy. I'll just stick to anything else.


Cardboard paper endcaps...




or everybody else....

 

I agree. No fram for any vehicle of mine.

 

The last line in my post says it all. "I guess that until I have a negative experience, I will be running Fram and Penzoil, at least as long as there is a Walmart or K-Mart in the area". In my book, one million miles is still hard to argue with as is 234,000 miles on a Tempo and 175,000 on a Ranger that are both still running strong, still gets 30 and 24 MPG and both uses no oil whatsoever. This is the USA and we are all entitled to our opinions. I have read all of the other posts and I do not disagree with anyone else's opinions. There are undoubtedly other brands available that are better quality, I just choose to buy my filters at Walmart for $5.00 each. They last 3,000 miles and that is all that I am concerned about. You use what you want and I'll stick to what has been working for me. Thank you for your time and opinions.

 

There really is no contest since the motorcraft part is the same price and almost always sits within a few steps on the shelf. I always had to hunt around for a shop that stocked the purolators before, but now that my driveway is 100% FoMoCo I can get reliable filters anywhere.

Calvin