Are Fram oil filters good?

upgw · Oct 1, 2003

I seemed to detect some dissatisfaction with Fram oil filters from various posts. Are these filters of inferior quality in some way? Maybe a better question is, are other brands of oil filter of significantly higher quality (and at what cost)??

Thanks,
- Patrick

Egon · Oct 1, 2003

It may all depend on the quality of Fram filter one is purchasing.

Egon

pruntyc · Oct 1, 2003

Most of the men who have reseached fram, seems to think they are not as good as they could be. I guess maybe they have got too big, they are makeing so many anymore, sometimes companys don't put as much into them when they get so big. A good cheap filter is WalMarts. Get the one that is black, it is made by the Champion company, who makes Bosch filters, and Champion labs says it is the same filter. And only cost $1.97. And it is supose to be as good as you can buy.

shady1701 · Oct 1, 2003

I've heard stories from one person who worked in one of there plants there. I've seen the results of there hot glue cardboard filter elements too.
Not for my engines.

zuiko · Oct 1, 2003

I don't use them. There is a web site where a guy cut a whole bunch of filters apart and looked at how they were constructed and I was not impressed. You don't really need to spend more to get a better filter, just about any of the other makes are probably better.

I stick with the OEM ones now, they aren't much more and its a low cost item to start with.

JeffRey30747 · Oct 1, 2003

I used to use Fram filters based on a review that I read years ago in Consumer Reports. After seeing the review mentioned earlier and other assorted comments about the poor quality of Fram, I quit using them. I now use the Purolator Pure One filter. The oil appears to be cleaner than with the Mobil 1 filters and it only costs $5. My Tacoma has a 6 qt. fill capacity and I change oil (Mobil 1) at the regular service interval of 7500 miles. To me, the oil looks like the conventional oil (with cheaper filters) did after only a few hundred miles after this time. Presently, I'm considering extending that change interval out to 10,000 miles.
In summary, I wouldn't recommend Fram. There are a number of better choices out there, some of which cost less. My personal preference is to pay just a little more for the Purolator premium filter.

Docsknotinn · Oct 2, 2003

By 10k any filter element is likely to be broken down inside the filter . I used the premium Fram filters for several years on my Bronco with mobil 1 oil. At 100,000 miles there was no noticeable oil consumption after 5k miles at oil change. They worked for me but they were $10 each. I now use the mobil 1 filters on the new Hemi and I use ac Delco filters on my duramax as they are less than $4 and they are OEM approved no matter what. I did read that Dodge would void the warranty if Fram filters were used on the Cummings due to some manufactureing defects in the Fram filters. Dave

Inspector507 · Oct 2, 2003

Here is a very popular oil filter study that has been on the 'net for years. If you read all the way through it, the author would not recommend a Fram..........his research and opinions only.

pruntyc · Oct 2, 2003

Hi Dave, I mentioned yesterday, that WalMart black filters are the same as Bosch filters, but what I didn't say was Champion Labs also make. AC Delco's Ultra Guard Labeled filters and K&N, and also Mobil 1. The guys at Champion Labs say they use the same filter as the WalMart. You know put another name on them and up the price. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

BillyP · Oct 2, 2003

I know of 2 people who had engine damage due to Fram oil filters.

The first was a guy I used to work with. This man changed oil religiously. I've seen him change oil on his lunch break many times. The oil filter collapsed and he had to replace the cam shaft and bearings. The mechanic said it was a bad filter. The filter was sent back to Fram, at their request, and Fram said 'nope', wasn't the filter.

The second was my brother. He was driving home from work one day and lost all oil pressure. He let the truck sit for a few minutes and started it back up and oil pressure was back. This happened 2 more times before he got home. He changed the oil filter the next day and it never happened again. He wasn't as lucky as the first guy though. The engine had to be rebuilt a few weeks later.