I always used Motorcraft and when I couldn't get them,used a premium Fram,until I started driving 300 I6's,then I quickly learned about anti-drainback and Fram's lack of it.I never before had any problems with Fram,but I'm not going to set there and listen to my dry engine rattle on every cold start just because a company refuses to build their "premium"products up to the specs of my vehicle.If you have great luck with them,use them,to each their own,but for my Ford 6's,never again,nor will I ever suggest that someone else use them.

 

Wow, I knew people were dedicated to brands, but this goes above and beyond.

I use what I like to use and that is it. I feel that once burned people will make different decisions. I've used four different brands of filters before, Fram, VW, Suzuki, and Motorcraft. I haven't noticed any difference, but I will tell you that since I started driving, I prefer to use the filter designed by the MFR for what ever particular engine it is for. In a tight spot, I will use a Fram if it is the only one available.

 

I use the "tough guard" line. The only reason is the silicone anti drainback valve. I notice no difference in the rate at which I get oil pressure from it VS the standard orange can that I used for 8 years nearly exclusively.

This is all I am getting at. I have never in my life heard of any ill effect coming from the use of any brand of oil filter outside of a racing engine. When applied to racing engines the only consideration was what the filter caused for a pressure differential. Nothing more.

 

I have never heard of a fram filter turning to mush but that's not the reason I don't use them. Just cut one apart and examine it, especially a Ford model. Then cut apart a Wix or a Motorcraft. After the comparison, I doubt that you will want to use a Fram again anytime soon unless you're in an isolated case where you can get nothing else.

 

Depending on where you live you could probably find a good used 300 if you want to save some money. In my area it's very common to see a truck rusted to death that still runs great. Just my .02

 

You need to do some research. Try a couple different google search terms on fram oil filter quality.

Two problems that I have with fram filters are:

- lack of an anti-drainback valve. This is super important on a 300 because the filter is horizontal. The fram filter is missing this critical component and the engine runs without oil for the first few seconds every time you start it cold. Not good.

- less filter element surface area than ANY other filter on the market. Less surface area = bad.

 

Seen them evaluations. 1-I use the Tough Gaurd filter which has a silicone anti drainback valve. Many engines with bypass oilfilters still run fine and they have to pump the entire system full time and again for oil to get everywhere. Some examples would be the venerable flathead, L and F 134 jeep engines, fireball chryslers, and most tractors made prior to 1960. The lack of a anti drainback valve only means that the oil has to flow through the entire system to gain full pressure. I have personaly seen that most of these engines gain full operating pressure in less than 5 seconds in the summer and less then 30 in the winter using the appropriate oils for the season.
Why is this of crucial importance? I have used wix and napa filters (same manufacturer). I got full oil pressure at no greater speed then with the standard orange fram. Why does this debunk your theory? Because the purpose of the drainback valve is to allow the oil to remain in the filter allowing full operating pressure to be attained quickly. So if there is not percipitable change in the rate at which ones engine rises to full operating pressure there is no advantage to using one that purports to hold the oil in the filter any better. So you know the standard oil pressure sending port is on the engine side of the filter and therin representitive of the pressure after the filter.

2. Lack of filter media. A higher surface area does pose many benifits to a filter. It can allow for a reduced pressure differetial in a slightly clogged filter, It can also allow for a greater flow under ideal circumstances. I personaly have never noticed any significant change in my oil pressure using any filter brand comparing at 0 miles and at 3000 miles. The potential gain of 1 or 2 psi in a race motor will be worthy but in a pickup it is of negligable purpose. That slight boost in psi has no direct corelation to anything in a stock or mild engine. Change your oil and filter every 3000 miles like you should and you will run into few if any probloms.
I use top shelf oil. Rotella 10W-30 in all my vehicles made prior to 96 due only to the fact that it has ZDDP in it and out of my 3 vehicles in this group 2 are flat tappet which is what the ZDDP is designed to gaurd against. The 3rd is a 89 mustang which utalizes a roller cam so I could run plain oil in it. In reality one would be better running cheep oil and filters at 3000 mile intervals then the now common practice of using a full synthetic and a premo filter for 6,7, I have even seen people run 8000 miles on one filter and change.

I do belive those comparisons of the filter brands are legitamate and reasonably accurate. I just dont see why there is any advantage to paying $2 more a filter based on what I consider reasonable logical evaluation of the situation. I strongly suggest you sit down and try this. I have nothing against wix or any other brand other then the fact that they cost more.

 

While i agree with everything said on the oil filter subject by all parties involved i'll throw my .02 cents in.

For what it's worth I personally prefer the Motorcraft filter. it's heavier physically than purolator, wix, or fram. it seems more stoudtly built. And it was designed specifically for these engines. It is OER. and only costs about .10 cents more than purolator or wix.

Just my .02.

 

Just FYI, a few years ago while I was driving a truck for XYZ, I backed into a dock at a Wix/Dana plant, and they loaded my truck with Motorcraft filters, headed to dearborn assembly plant.
Not saying who makes motorcraft filters, just telling my experience.....


As for fram's orange cans of death. Cut one apart. Cardboard end caps glued to the paper filter media. Look at the stamped metal spring.
Cut open a Wix. Metal end caps. Coil steel spring.
I'll use wix, thank you very much.

 

Dana engineering is contracted to make parts for a LOT of places so it wouldn't surprise me if they do design and make parts for both. My grandfather worked for them in the 60's or so. He was the engineer that designed and built the first maxi brakes for mack trucks.

Either way i was just saying from personal experience the motorcraft filters are heavier and seem better built from looking at them. I have no scientific evidence of such or anything i just prefer to use them because they're original equipment.

 

When walmart here sold the motorcraft filter at the same price as the fram I utalized that product. When the price of the motorcraft went up $1.32 I stopped using it. Why? Cause I have seen no percipitable change in performance or an ill effect from any of these brands. I have seen fram filters on some top shelf muscle engines in hotrod and the like? Why? BECAUSE THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THEM! PLEASE SHOW SOME SCIENCE HERE, NOT JUST THE SAME THREE POINTS REPEATEDLY.

 

I figure the quality of construction is plenty enough for me. I don't need sceince to determine what *I* consider as quality high enough for *MY* engines.
Of course, I don't buy much from walmart either. I don't like their business practices, so *I* choose to spend *MY* money elsewhere whenever possible.
What *YOU* do with *YOUR* money is of no relevence to me. Be it what oil/filters you buy, or where you buy them. That's what's so great about this country. We have the choice of what we buy, and where we buy it.

 

I was mainly trying to get a piece of revelant information on this disagrement. Yes, that is what is great about america. About the only things I buy for my vehicle from walmart are oilfilters and washerfluid. The prices are that much lower and ther is no difference in what is attained by purchasing them there. I will agree that their buisness practices at times are shady and imoral. I did support the initiative to prevent wall mart coming to this town but it never went anywhere.
You are entitled to think whatever you want, as are all of you fellow members. However I have never once seen a truly legitamte and logical placed piece of information against the use of frams oil filtration products. I had a clevite rod bearing spin once? I still use them. I had a wall mart battery I bought once when I was broke start on fire. I no longer use that product. My justification is that several other people (2) have proported the same thing happening to them for no apparent reason.
What does this infer. Only that I need to see a strong trend or a gross indescretion in manufacturing quality to justify my ceasation in use of a product. Not some random happenchance occurance. I am not qualified in anyway to make such determanations of the quality or reliability of the item in question. Niether are the people who have done these comparisions available here on the internet. I have only based my determinations on usage and observation with the tools which are available to me. Which is basicly limited to an oilpressure gauge and my judgement of what condition my oil is in at the end of its service period. I have found no defects personaly in the quality of neither fram nor any other oil filter. I always ran wix filters on my jeep as the crossrefrence at wallmart was incorrect. I used supertech on my escort as it was a dollar cheeper than fram and I changed oil every three weeks on that vehicle due to me putting 1000 miles a week on it. Not once have I ever been capable of determaining anything from any brand of filter other than cost. My determination is a cost to protection balance and is implomented with sound thought and analaysis. I did take into consideration the folks who cut the filters apart and switched from the "orange can of death" to the toughgaurd line that fram offers. This includes an upgrade to the metal endcaps and silicone drainback feature that is supposedly the lacking feature on all fram filters. It is most obviously not. Your determanation is based on a filter collapsing/decomposing. This I would frankly belive to be caused by either solvents in the oil such as seafoam or gasoline or an excessive amount of oilpressure acting on a void causing collapse. This is analytical thought. Please feel free to use wix filters I have. They are a good product and would utalize them on a high performance application and would recomend them as such. Why, Not because they are better. Because if one were to fail, the local parts source that sells them would contact wix on mine or your behalf. Therin making an attempt to set things right for us on are pricy new engine.

Back to the original guy here. Did you decide if you want to have napa do it?

 

Here is a site that can end this argument. Read the info on this site and we can all stop talking about oil filters. make our own decisions and let the OP have his thread back.

Oil Filters Revealed - MiniMopar Resources