Seriously, I would like to hear/see a factual explanation to back that statement up. I've used Fram filters for the past 50+ years. My father used them before that. I've never had a problem... and don't remember Dad ever having a problem. And that's not hearsay... it's experience. For the record, I don't own stock in Fram, and I don't stand to gain a cent for defending them. Fram been around for many, many years and if they were as bad as some people say I seriously doubt they would have survived this long. Just another opinion.
It's not that they're all bad, it's that there are much better filters for very little price difference. Some of the Fram lines are complete garbage, some are better (ToughGuard for example), some are very good (Extended Guard). Even crap oil filters work, they just don't work nearly as well as better filters.
Using a classic Fram instead of a Mann or Wix or whatever doesn't mean your engine is going to blow up, it just won't have the best protection possible. That doesn't prove that Fram is as good as other filters. Lack of a failure doesn't prove good relative performance. I'm just stating the obvious.
Theres a lot of factual information about why some Fram lines are poor, and info about why ToughGuard are better, and why Extended Guard is a good filter. There is a very large forum dedicated to such nerdy pursuits as oil chemistry and filter testing. The orange Frams have poor manufacturing quality, the smallest amount of filter media of most/all filters you can buy, it goes on and on.
The regular orange Extra Guard are a low-end filter and are traditionally the targets... We've all heard the stories of separating cardboard end caps, leaks, and collapsing/disintegrating filter media, but they still sell millions of them every year. The ToughGuard is a better filter, but still uses cardboard/phenolic end caps. It's internally a better product than the orange Extra Guard, just going by the specs and the internal dissections I've seen.
I'm not anti-Fram, I just have model lines I'd rather use instead based on research I've done. I'd use a Extended Guard with little hesitation, and trust their quality control has improved as much as it's reported to be.
That's mostly based on price and quality. If a cheaply made filter is $3-4 online, and a very good filter is $5-6, why would I ever mess with the cheaply made filter? They're both cheap, relatively speaking. It's the lowest quality name brand filter you can generally buy, and often not even the least expensive. I've seen orange Fram filters in stores for more money than Purolator, which is just totally wrong.
Seriously though, if you care about the oil filter on your engine, the orange Fram is probably the last filter I'd use when compared to the other options out there.
