My company makes the media for the WIX filters, Fram, Baldwin, Donaldson, Motocraft, Cummins, Fleetguard... I could keep going... I am sorry to disappoint you guys, but I am immersed in this stuff daily. The manufactures ask for specific efficiencies, "dust holding capacity" i.e. longevity, and physical properties such as stiffness, burst pressure, and tensile (pulling) strength. These factors are all weight across the almighty dollar. Usually the dollar wins this fight. I have to defer to Shovel for the more precise and accurate description of the "planned obsolescence".
Quote:
Originally Posted by 99LeCouch
Compare a Hyundai OEM filter with a Fram. The Fram loses badly. Thinner can, less filter media, PAPER ENDCAPS, flimsier bypass valve, poorer gasket materials, etc. The OEM is superior by far.
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You are talking about the ExtraGuard and Toughguard filters... My company makes the filter media that goes into them, I can tell you that the reason that Honeywell (the owners of Fram) choose to make those particular filters with paper endcaps is because they are inexpensive to manufacture. Therefore they sell for an inexpensive price, and subsequently gain market share. The almighty dollar at work again.
As an aside, The Fram ExtendendGuard is "canned" at Fram, but the actual filter cartridge is made by a company up in Canada called Maddocks. Maddocks uses metal endcaps, expanded metal backing, and media that my boss (now retired) and I developed. The Honeywell people sell it as a premium filter, at a premium price, because it is a premium filter. The Fram name is a dog with fleas because they have been using paper endcaps for too long.
Back to the subject, the Fram filter in question on this thread was damaged by a strap wrench, and it is from poor filter construction, the can is too thin. The filter was
not crushed by the mechanical stresses of the engine, because the "crushed" portions of the filter are in a spiral, hence rotational stress, not differential pressure. I side with ChrisT on this one.