Oil Filter Thread

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HEMIMANN

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Anyone thinking of changing oil filter brands as a result of these tests?

Mobil 1 replacing Fram XG?
Royal Purple replacing Fram XG?
 

JHoward

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I've considered using the FRAM XG2 at one time when the Royal Purple 20-820 wasn't available. Instead I used the RP equivalent AMSOIL AEO11 on the last oci, all is good.

I bought a few Hispanic made Royal Purple 20-820 from Summit Racing when they restocked them and will stick with the Red Line 5w/30 and RP 20-820 combo/strategy.

I wonder if anyone is going to consider using FRAM's newer and supposed to be an improved oil filter, the FRAM Synthetic Endurance FE2/FE10575?

I can't bring myself to using FRAM ... the old days of "the orange can of death" are still in my memory.
 
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ramffml

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Anyone thinking of changing oil filter brands as a result of these tests?

Mobil 1 replacing Fram XG?
Royal Purple replacing Fram XG?

I didn't watch the video, but not terribly worried about it either. I have an XG2 which has been sitting on my shelf for a few months and needs to get used up. I'll cut up my current/smaller Fram in a few days with my next oil change.

I may be odd but I don't really worry that much about filters, as long as they have excellent filtration (which the Fram does) and I run the highest quality oil I can find and that's good for me.

I should add that I do run short OCI's, and with the next change in few days I will add my relocation kit which makes it easier to change filters. I plan to run HPL and change it once a year, with two or three yearly filter changes. I put about 12 to 14k miles on per year. HPL no vii euro is being delivered to my door today!
 
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HEMIMANN

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Well, you know I think flow is an issue in this engine series, I probably wouldn't obsess (as much) with idle set up to 750 rpm instead of factory 650 rpm to save 0.0000001 gallons of gas per year.
But I can't / won't cause I already tuned w/o idle adjust and don't want to do over with a different tool.

What's more important for Hemi Gen III - max. available filtration efficiency, or flow, presuming there is a tradeoff?

The video basically says there is no tradeoff with Mobil 1 filter, they didn't test Royal Purple. But from Project Farm Test by independent lab, we know Fram has highest efficiency, Royal Purple is close, Fram has longer life in terms of contamination capacity, however long that is.

What we don't know is relative flow restriction between Fram and Royal Purple, out of the box. That's a big deal to me. We are educated deducing Royal Purple should be lower due to spun glass, but we don't know surface areas either.

I think I'm going back to biggest available Royal Purple now that they seem to have reappeared on the market.
 

e3mrk

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I use Mobil 1 Oil and the Mobile 1 Filter.
 

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good test- this test suggests m1 very high quality


The quality of content as well as the production value of that oil filter comparison video was amazing. Wish more internet content consisted of well-researched and presented information like that.

But Mobil 1 oil filter is not loose, thick media. Its blend, not wound fiberglass. They didn't test Royal Purple, but Project Farm did..

So my question is how.can flow restriction differ this much between Fram Ultra and Mobil 1? Makes no sense to me.

In regard to why flow restriction differed so much between Mobil 1 and Fram Ultra, the Mobil 1 advertises 99% efficient at 30 microns, while the Fram Ultra advertises 99% efficient at 20 microns. Surely that would explain things, at least in part?

Holy $hit, Mike - this is terrific, thanks.

If memory serves, without digging it back up, the Project Farm oil filter tests used fine flour as uniform, small contaminant, with Fram Ultra & Royal Purple testing tops in contaminant filtering efficiency & capacity, with Fram having most capacity.

BUT - I don't remember seeing flow restriction measurement. This test is shocking to see how restrictive Fram Ultra is! I submit this is not good for the oil-starved valve lifters of the Hemi, esp. during the very slow rpm of factory set idle speed.

Doesn't Champion make Mobil 1, as well as Royal Purple? Think we should take Fram Ultra off the Hemi recommended oil filter list?

It seems the original rankings of oil filters in the dusty early days of this thread were based on filtering efficiency and capacity. The new test video @Burla posted shed some light on the tradeoffs of running a filter with high efficiency, that being higher flow restriction. I share @HEMIMANN's concern — given that the #1 concern with the HEMI is poor lubrication and flow to begin with, does this mean a high efficiency filter is the wrong call?
 

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I "borrowed" a few piccs of FRAM's new Endurance FE10575 oil filter. It is stated on the box that it has:

•Micro glass synthetic media with wire mesh media support.

•Heavy duty construction for maximum durability

•High flow high strength centertube

•Silicone anti drain back valve

•Perfect Seal™ No Stick Gasket

•25,000 mile protection

... nothing about the bypass valve other than it looks the same as the Royal Purple ...

The FRAM FE10575 does resemble a Royal Purple 20-500 and states it has @99% efficiency/? microns. It's dimensions are (L×W×H):
2.99×2.99×4.45 inches.


The FRAM Endurance could be just the right alternative oil filter for the "Drama Queen HEMI".

I couldn't find the equivalent to the factory spect oil filter or the RP 20-820. Maybe it isn't being made at the present or ?
I still don't understand what FRAM is doing with the XG line. Amidst all the uproar about the redesign involving moving away from the old media and doing away with the wire mesh backing, I purchased (8) FRAM XG2 oil filters at my local Wal-Mart a month or two ago and found that build codes ranged from 6/29/22 to 2/3/23, with all filters still possessing the old wire mesh-backed media as I reported here.

Now the Endurance filters are out, with FRAM advertising on their website that they have fully synthetic (not blended) media and wire mesh backing. On the surface that would appear identical to the old Fram Ultra XG2. What the hey?
 
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Wild one

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One question that's never answered or even suggested is how much more wear do 30 micron size particles exhibit over 20 micron sized particles when you're dealing with bearing clearances.Is a 30 micron sized particle actually going to do more damage to the bearing surface over a 20 micron sized particle,when you factor in a couple 10,000's of clearance between the bearing face and the crank surface.Are we sweating over particle size when in reality it doesn't make all that much differance in bearing wear.
 

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The quality of content as well as the production value of that oil filter comparison video was amazing. Wish more internet content consisted of well-researched and presented information like that.



In regard to why flow restriction differed so much between Mobil 1 and Fram Ultra, the Mobil 1 advertises 99% efficient at 30 microns, while the Fram Ultra advertises 99% efficient at 20 microns. Surely that would explain things, at least in part?



It seems the original rankings of oil filters in the dusty early days of this thread were based on filtering efficiency and capacity. The new test video @Burla posted shed some light on the tradeoffs of running a filter with high efficiency, that being higher flow restriction. I share @HEMIMANN's concern — given that the #1 concern with the HEMI is poor lubrication and flow to begin with, does this mean a high efficiency filter is the wrong call?

Great catch, thanks. I would have to review the data again. If M1 filter caught nearly the same weight of contaminants as Fram Ultra, I'm still confused how their stated efficiencies are so different.
 

HEMIMANN

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One question that's never answered or even suggested is how much more wear do 30 micron size particles exhibit over 20 micron sized particles when you're dealing with bearing clearances.Is a 30 micron sized particle actually going to do more damage to the bearing surface over a 20 micron sized particle,when you factor in a couple 10,000's of clearance between the bearing face and the crank surface.Are we sweating over particle size when in reality it doesn't make all that much differance in bearing wear.
Well yes, studies show significant wear reduction down to single micron filtration in automotive engine tests, but what does that translate to for actual engine longevity?

For example, if it meant losing compression between 250,000 and 275,000 miles with a lower efficiency filter, who cares, right?

For long haul diesel guys looking for a million miles, I'd care a lot.
 

Wild one

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Well yes, studies show significant wear reduction down to single micron filtration in automotive engine tests, but what does that translate to for actual engine longevity?

For example, if it meant losing compression between 250,000 and 275,000 miles with a lower efficiency filter, who cares, right?

For long haul diesel guys looking for a million miles, I'd care a lot.
For the most part i think the size of the particles let through the filter are more bearing wear particles then ring wear particles,as the oil ring scrapper should be keeping the majority of the particles off the low tension compression rings,plus the crank bearings get oil first,and are soft metal,so any bigger particle let through the filter in theory should also get embedded into the bearing face,before it'll get to the cylinder wall.Factor in the fact the cylinder walls aren't really lubed by pressurized oil in the oil system,as much as they are by crank splash,so the filter doesn't really come into play for the rings
 

HEMIMANN

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So member adrianp89 brought this test to the Syn thread, but this test is good enough to have it's own thread and many guys have tuned out of the Syn thread. This test proves the benefit from spun micro glass filters, all of the top three performers where spun microglass, and others such as Wix XP weren't tested. Anyhow, spun micro glass not only filters better out of the gate, but lasts much longer and holds contamination better. The top three filters tested in order are Royal Purple, Amsoil EA and Fram Ultra in third and the most economical choice. The test shows a different name for the third place filter, but it was changed to Ultra that year 2011. Below is the test filter after it passed through the tested filter (the name of the filters on the left), this is a compilation of the filters and as you can tell no noticeable contamination 30microns pass through the royal purple filter. Very little passed through the Amsoil or Fram Ultra. Read through the test page to see all of the results. Bottom line, Cellulose filters simply do not filter as good as synthetic media at any point in your oil change interval.


comparison.jpg

Mike - thanks for re-posting this reminder, I remember it fairly well, my challenge is trying to correlate the filter patch test data with the youtube dude test. The data conflicts, in my mind. Without writing it all down and assessing it, I can't really explain why these conflict - we didn't have a spring and all a sudden it's arrived and I have a lot of tree damage I need to get to before the heat and bugs show up.

If somebody can take a crack at making sense of why the youtube video showed Mobil 1 oil filter as the winner, have at it. I know they didn't have a spun glass filter tested, but we do know the efficiency tests between spun glass and matted per Project Farm Test - but they didn't test flow restriction! grrrr
 

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Looks like we have a new synthetic media option from fram instead of the blend media ultra. And its rated for 25k miles but no info on frams site yet



I "borrowed" a few pics of FRAM's new Endurance FE10575 oil filter. It is stated on the box that it has:

•Micro glass synthetic media with wire mesh media support.

•Heavy duty construction for maximum durability

•High flow high strength centertube

•Silicone anti drain back valve

•Perfect Seal™ No Stick Gasket

•25,000 mile protection

... nothing about the bypass valve other than it looks the same as the Royal Purple ...

The FRAM FE10575 does resemble a Royal Purple 20-500 and states it has @99% efficiency/? microns. It's dimensions are (L×W×H):
2.99×2.99×4.45 inches.


The FRAM Endurance could be just the right alternative oil filter for the "Drama Queen HEMI".

I couldn't find the equivalent to the factory spect oil filter or the RP 20-820. Maybe it isn't being made at the present or ?

I still don't understand what FRAM is doing with the XG line. Amidst all the uproar about the redesign involving moving away from the old media and doing away with the wire mesh backing, I purchased (8) FRAM XG2 oil filters at my local Wal-Mart a month or two ago and found that build codes ranged from 6/29/22 to 2/3/23, with all filters still possessing the old wire mesh-backed media as I reported here.

Now the Endurance filters are out, with FRAM advertising on their website that they have fully synthetic (not blended) media and wire mesh backing. On the surface that would appear identical to the old Fram Ultra XG2. What the hey?

I was at my local Wal-Mart again yesterday and took some photos of the FRAM Ultra XG2 (date code A30681) and the new FRAM "Endurance" FE2 (date code 23019Y) for sake of the collective hive mind. A few differences of note:

1) Canister Dimensions — The FE2 weighed slightly more than the XG2 despite measuring about 1/4" shorter overall.

2) Grip Overmolding — The FE2 has a grip overmolding covering the entire surface of the filter, rather than simply the bottom third as is typical. That said, the overmolding texture has also changed, and not for the better. The FE2 I was looking at nearly dropped out of my hand due just to the weight of the filter while I was examining it. The grip of the old overmolding was far better, so this is a clear step back in my book and a major reason why I would actually stick with the XG2 unless the FE2 is proven radically better in other areas.

3) Base Plate Design — The FE2 has six slightly larger holes in the base plate, compared to the XG2's eight slightly smaller holes. Gasket appeared the same on both filters.

4) Center Tube / Filter Media — The XG2 filter with a manufacture date of 03/09/23 still had the pink/purple microglass wire-backed media. The FE2's center tube is a perforated design advertised as a high-flow style, but it conveniently eliminates the ability to see the filter media, although in the reflection of the camera flash I do believe I saw wire mesh through some of the slits. Some of the perforations were crimped nearly or fully shut in the filter I examined, which looks like a possibility for manufacturing defects to impact performance.

5) Pricing — The FRAM Ultra XG2 was priced at $8.97 vs. the FRAM Synthetic Endurance FE2, which was $12.97.

Final Thoughts
Given the FE2's far less desirable grip overmolding and higher price point, I plan on sticking with the Fram Ultra XG2 as long as they are still being produced with the original synthetic media with wire mesh backing, as it appears they currently are.

For sake of reference, I did open a Fram Ultra XG3614 while in-store, and that filter's media was completely different from the XG2 — brown/yellow paper media with no wire mesh backing. I am still unclear why the XG2 hasn't been "converted" to the new dual-blend media without any wire mesh backing as was first mentioned a year or two ago.
 

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HEMIMANN

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What a mess! Fram, whoever bought them now, has a product line mess. Just like ExxonMobil with Mobil 1 oils.

I get that the world has gotten more complicated, but corporations don't have to add to the confusion with marketing chaos.

Btw, I have a letter from Fram stating that the new Ultra media is still synthetic, not paper or paper blend. Fram stated they are progressive filtering two different media levels to increase total surface area, making the combined media stiff enough not to require metal mesh backing to hold in place.

Thanks for your report.
 
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Burla

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I was at my local Wal-Mart again yesterday and took some photos of the FRAM Ultra XG2 (date code A30681) and the new FRAM "Endurance" FE2 (date code 23019Y) for sake of the collective hive mind. A few differences of note:

1) Canister Dimensions — The FE2 weighed slightly more than the XG2 despite measuring about 1/4" shorter overall.

2) Grip Overmolding — The FE2 has a grip overmolding covering the entire surface of the filter, rather than simply the bottom third as is typical. That said, the overmolding texture has also changed, and not for the better. The FE2 I was looking at nearly dropped out of my hand due just to the weight of the filter while I was examining it. The grip of the old overmolding was far better, so this is a clear step back in my book and a major reason why I would actually stick with the XG2 unless the FE2 is proven radically better in other areas.

3) Base Plate Design — The FE2 has six slightly larger holes in the base plate, compared to the XG2's eight slightly smaller holes. Gasket appeared the same on both filters.

4) Center Tube / Filter Media — The XG2 filter with a manufacture date of 03/09/23 still had the pink/purple microglass wire-backed media. The FE2's center tube is a perforated design advertised as a high-flow style, but it conveniently eliminates the ability to see the filter media, although in the reflection of the camera flash I do believe I saw wire mesh through some of the slits. Some of the perforations were crimped nearly or fully shut in the filter I examined, which looks like a possibility for manufacturing defects to impact performance.

5) Pricing — The FRAM Ultra XG2 was priced at $8.97 vs. the FRAM Synthetic Endurance FE2, which was $12.97.

Final Thoughts
Given the FE2's far less desirable grip overmolding and higher price point, I plan on sticking with the Fram Ultra XG2 as long as they are still being produced with the original synthetic media with wire mesh backing, as it appears they currently are.

For sake of reference, I did open a Fram Ultra XG3614 while in-store, and that filter's media was completely different from the XG2 — brown/yellow paper media with no wire mesh backing. I am still unclear why the XG2 hasn't been "converted" to the new dual-blend media without any wire mesh backing as was first mentioned a year or two ago.
thanks for doing this, so like you were saying the FE2 has better center tube for flow, no small consideration with hemis.
 

e3mrk

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I use Mobil 1 Full Synthetic Oil and their Filter. I saw a study on Oil Filters (not official) and Fram seems to be the worst Filter out there.
 

HEMIMANN

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I use Mobil 1 Full Synthetic Oil and their Filter. I saw a study on Oil Filters (not official) and Fram seems to be the worst Filter out there.

Which "Fram" filter? The Ultra XG is rated one of the best for efficiency and capacity by several web tests.

What study?
 
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