This subject has always been one of the most hotly debated on every automotive forum website I’ve been on – dozens.
There’s no doubt there are people who have had bad experiences with the dreaded FRAM oil filters, but globally, with millions and millions consumed in the aftermarket non-OEM industry, there doesn’t seem to be any ongoing issues of causing engine failures due to the design, quality of the construction, or internal filtering materials.
A backyard self-proclaimed expert taking apart an unused oil filter and analyzing its components is like taking apart a freshly rebuilt engine and visually describing its components. Neither action will accurately predict how it will operate in its designed function.
In the “comparisons” I have read I did not read any statements about actual testing of Filter Capacity, Cumulative Efficiency, Multipass Efficiency, Mechanical and Durability, Single Pass Efficiency to SAE Standard HS806. Why?
To me, those comparisons are about as scientific and as meaningful as the comparison below…
Below is a link to a toilet paper comparison…. Nowhere in this comparison does it state how many “testers” there were, what parts of the tester’s anatomy were tested, how many rolls of TP did each tester test. Did the any of the rolls pass the “poop test” which should have included: Filter Capacity, Cumulative Efficiency, Multipass Efficiency, Mechanical and Durability, Single Pass Efficiency.
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health-products/toilet-paper-reviews/a18787/toilet-paper-brands/
The debate about those bad-a$$ FRAM filters will rage on…and on… ![Driving :driving:](https://board.marlincrawler.com/Smileys/marlin/driving.gif)
Gnarls. ![Green Grin :greengrin:](https://board.marlincrawler.com/Smileys/marlin/greengrin.gif)
I can tell you with absolute assurance that if if cheap Fram filters mean instant death for automotive engines, they are the equivalent of the toilet paper that's provided at my work. Single ply, thin, and somehow smooth in a way that smears more than it removes.
I think the real lesson here is that there's no reason to settle for the super cheap Fram when it takes so little to a clearly superior product. If I remember correctly, the Bob is the Oil Guy (BITOG) forums doesn't seem to have a problem with Fram apart from their cheap basic orange can.