Originally Posted by SirTanon
Originally Posted by BlueOvalFitter
Originally Posted by Donald
But the best Fram filters have metal end caps right?
That is correct sir. I wonder why that is?
Most likely because the wire mesh backed media needs metal endcaps for proper support/bonding. XG and TG don't, and thus don't need metal endcaps.
This is correct. They've officially stated that they need a deeper well of adhesive and that deeper well can only be achieved using a metal endcap that is turned upward around the edges. The fiberboard end cap is completely flat and cannot accommodate anything more than a thin layer of adhesive.
There is no conspiracy here and anyone who thinks the metal end caps on ultras are there because they're better, is talking out of their [censored].
"DURRR it looks like cardboard so it's got to be cardboard!" = typical idiocy. Filter media looks even more fragile and softer than the end caps, I don't see anyone [censored] about how those came apart and clogged oil passages, yet they're on every single filter in existence that isn't a metal screen rock catcher, and there have been proven cases where multiple brands of filters experienced holes in filter media, resulting in chunks of filter media disappearing. Maybe they should worry about that more than the end caps...