Since I just posted a photo a couple comments above of a Titanium filter with the metal backing, that I bought at Advanced Auto Parts yesterday, doesn't that at least show that the first part of Fram's response to michael007 is true? That whatever happened with the metal backing being missing earlier this year, the metal backing is back on the Titanium.I'll believe it when I see it.
Latest Fram Ultra Synthetic oil filter as of 2023 January - Is it still a good choice?
- Thread starter Bill7
- Start date
Except the date code on that filter you bought is pretty old. It reads the 71st day of 2020. Must have been some pretty old stock.
Also cartridges even in the Ultra have mostly retained the metal backing or polymer backing depending on application and where they're made.
Oh, I see. I guess I could stock up on these, but at $16 each it's not very appealing.
One advantage of, at least, of my car using a cartridge filter is that I can just open up the box in the store and look at what I'm getting (which I did do in this case).
How do they date codes work?
The first letter or number identifies the plant the filter was made in the, the second position is the last number of the year, the next 3 numbers are the day of the year, and the last number is the shift the filter was manufactured on.
Sticky thread at top of the Oil Filter forum. Info on date codes in that thread.
Oil Filter date decoding thread
All - The following is the current means of deciphering some of the major oil filter date codes. As we gain more info, the thread will be updated, and as we become aware of changes, we'll make those updates as well. Note: the date code is what we are specifically addressing. Manufacturer...
bobistheoilguy.com
Called inflation
Yes but inflation is quoted at 8% or less and this is nearly 50%.
Price went up, I wonāt buy a ultra regardless of how much it went up.
Iām looking through existing posts to see if anybody has mentioned the YouTube video āEngineers test the best oil filters for 2023!ā Reason being it seems to confirm my suspicion about the ultra that I have mentioned on here in the past. That it was responsible for the piston slap and start up rattle being experienced by my Escalade 6.0. This video seems to confirm what I was thinking. in the test, the multi layered Fram ultra checked in at 24 psi, making it the most restrictive of the others tested. The test was on a new filter, so I can imagine the ultra would quickly become a bigger restriction as it loads up. Some vehicles it doesnāt matter probably. Wonāt be noticed. But my LQ9 definitely did. I have not experienced the start up, rattle/piston, slap in a few years since I stopped using the Ultra. Iām currently using the tough guard with no problems.
If you want official ISO 4548-12 test data, then look at the thread linked below. The Ultra was not as "restrictive" as some of the others tested. The testing you are talking about has no correlation to actual ISO testing because the test methodology wasn't ideal.
A "bad" oil filter does not cause "piston slap" - that's an excessive clearance mechanism when the engine is cold. A filter with a leaking ADBV could cause momentary cold start-up noises. A filter would basically have to be totally clogged to cause the positive displacement oil pump to start cutting oil flow volume to the engine. It's actually pretty hard to make a positive displacement oil pump hit pressure relief. Getting a PD oil pump to hit pressure relief at low RPM would mean the filter would basically have to be 100% clogged. Did you cut open you filter(s) to see what was inside?
Would you all like to see ISO 4548-12 Oil Filter Lab Testing Comparison, Efficiency & Capacity, Pressure vs Flow, Bubble Point, and Burst?
I have this as a āwatchedā thread, so if you do happen to start a new one, could you put a note or link in this one to direct followers to the new thread? Thanks!! Yes, no problem I can do that.
bobistheoilguy.com
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My GM LQ9 6.0 would rattle at startup. āItās normalā.. āThey all do itā āitās GM piston slapā Thatās what everyone said. I had been using the Ultra for years. Pretty much since it came out. Until one day I decided to do a random hot swap with a different model fram filter. A TG. The noise was gone immediately! It was then I realized the filter was causing the āslapā all along. Itās been a few years since that, and still to this day no noise. Not even after sitting for months. Anyways, hereās the video that made me suspect a delay in flow caused by the multi layered ultra was contributing to the rattle.
Here is the video. People can decide for themselves if there is any validity.
Here is the video. People can decide for themselves if there is any validity.
The only time there is a "delay in flow" is if areas of the oiling system drain out out while the engine is sitting - main cause if that is a leaky ADBV. It's also possible that as an engine wears out, that some areas of the oiling system could "bleed down" (like lifters) regardless of what oil filter is used ... has no correlation.
Do some research on positive displacement oil pumps used on engines. That kind of oil pump ensures zero "delay in oil volume" unless parts of the oiling system is not 100% filled with oil between shut-down and restart. Like said before, pretty much ignore any oil filter "testing", because unless it's official ISO 4548-12 test data it has not real "validation", like the links I provided in post 151.
Piston slap has zero causation correlation with what oil filter is used. What you're hearing must be something else beside "piston slap". So you haven't used an Ultra for years, and conclude it must be caused by the oil filter. Should try the same experiment now and see if that's still the case. Have you used any other filters besides a Fram XG and Fram TG?
Iām using the term many people claim is the noise that GM engines make at start up. If you think it wasnāt piston slap, Ok. The ānoiseā I was experiencing the first 10ā15 seconds after start up went away immediately after hot swapping a Fram Ultra with a spare TG. Yes I have tried different brands over the years mostly by availability. None exhibited that same amount of noise at start up. I did try using the last ultra in my inventory a few months later. After about a week that noise started again so I took it off. That was it for me. Anyways, itās not just the Ultra. The LQ9 experience has changed my view on high-efficiency filters in general. I think a quiet starting engine is more important than capturing a few microns of carbon dust floating in my motor oil
Piston slap is caused by excessive piston skirt to cylinder clearance when the pistons are cold. It has nothing to do with the oil filter. My Z06 has slight piston slap, and it went away within a minute after start-up as the pistons heated up.
What do you mean by "hot swapping"? So you stated it up, it made noise so you shut if off and swapped out the Ultra with a TG and then restarted it? Or did you swap the filters, then let the engine sit over night and go from a total cold start-up? And did you start the engine after the swap to get the air out of the system, then shut it down and let it sit over night? What exactly was the test procedure?
If the start-up noise was caused by the oil filter, it wasn't because it was "high efficiency". If you look at the ISO testing done by Ascent, the Ultra flowed near the best of the filters he tested. I was most likely caused by the ADBV leaking some, and your engine must be super sensitive to any lack of oil in any of the oiling system galleries.
When you do an oil and filter change, does the engine make start-up noises upon the first engine start-up after the oil change?
OK. My LQ9 was not piston slap. The start up noise is gone and it never came back. Thatās whatās important.
I shut it off. Swapped oil filters hot. Same oil. Topped off with less than a half quart and turned it back on. Took about 15 mins. Noise was gone. Noise was gone the next morning when it was cold.
When I do a regular oil change and filter swap, there is definitely a lag in oil pressure. I can see it on the gauge. But no, I donāt get the 15 second noise. I get full oil pressure before there is any noise.
I get it thereās an iso with some testing. It doesnāt mean my ears are lying to me lol. Somethings up with that filter on that engine. Maybe somebody reading this and uses a Fram ultra with a lot of start up noises wants to try a hot swap to a cheap filter. See if the engine quiets down.
Something weird going on there IMO. In order for any oil flow to be reduced the filter would have to be totally clogged up enough to put the oil pump in pressure relief, and I just don't see that happening. Was it making noise with hot oil at idle? ... is so, even more hard to believe it was the oil filter. How many miles on this engine? ... maybe the pump is really weak. Where did you buy the oil filters ... maybe they were counterfeit? ... as pointed out in post 151, Ultras are not "flow restrictive" any more than any other main brand name oil filter. Did you cut them open for inspection after use?
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OVERKILL
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Also, the TG is not far off from the Ultra in terms of efficiency and it uses a blend media that would flow less per sq-in of media than the Ultra's microglass media.
As you note, the Ultra was only out-flowed by the WIX XP rock catcher, a filter so inefficient it doesn't even show up on the 90%+ efficiency chart.
Would be interesting to compare the total media area between the PH, TG and XG (both old and new) in the same exact model number. As you know, Purolator PureOne had lots of media area (not full synthetic either) to get the "flow vs dP" down.
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