This is an email I got from Fram after I inqured about the cardboard in their filters. Does not look like they cleaned up their act yet. At least not to me.
Thank you for the e-mail regarding the construction of Fram oil filters. We welcome the opportunity to be of service.
Fram filters meet the requirements of the original equipment filter designed for a specific engine. Our filter
applications follow the recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer for form, fit, and function. Fram filters follow
internally targeted design guidelines to meet the functional requirements of a given filter. Fram filters are tested
against SAE standards to ensure uniform product quality and performance. Material construction will vary between filter
manufacturers. We believe Fram filters have a proven record for providing reliability, superior quality, and engine
protection over the service life of the filter.
A common misunderstanding among our customers concerns the end disks in the oil filter. These disks hold the glue which
keeps the pleated media formed into a rigid circular tube. The glue-to-media interface is also one of the sealing
surfaces keeping dirty and filtered oil from mixing. One common myth is that only metal end disks can adequately seal
and have enough strength in the hot oil environment. For this reason, Fram filters are criticized for having cardboard
end disks. The issue is, the material doing the sealing is the adhesive, regardless of the material of the end disk.
What matters is the strength of the adhesive, its proper curing, the thoroughness with which it can be applied to the
disk, and its adhesion to the disk. By using cardboard end disks, Fram filter engineers are able to specify adhesives
with excellent strength and sealing properties, and strong adhesion to the disk (intuitively, it is easy to make a
strong glue bond with cardboard). Moreover, just as paper media itself is able to withstand the hot oil environment, so
too is the end disk designed of fibers engineered to be strong and inert in hot oil. The thickness and strength of the
adhesive also stiffens the end disk considerably.
Fram engineers perform hot oil circulation tests on the filter element and also regularly cut open used filters to
examine how well they have withstood the rigors of actual use on a vehicle. For over 38 years, Fram end disks have stood
up to hot oil and their adhesives have sealed off the dirty oil. We are not aware of any decision to change the end disk
design of Fram oil filters.
We believe Fram filters are clearly the best filters available. Fram is committed to standing behind and endorsing it's
products and filter recommendations listed in the current Fram application catalogs. As part of this commitment, if you
believe your Fram oil filters have failed due to the construction of the end disks, we encourage you to contact the Fram
Product Evaluation Team toll free at 1-877-250-8361 for further assistance.
Thank you for choosing Fram filters.
yet....
