[MarkC]

For the past few weeks a fair amount of topics and post have come across the forum about oil filters. And they always end up with the Fram filter issues. Well I've been looking at the Fram filters other than just the orange ones, or the black motorcycle ones. Anyway I had picked up and looked at one of the TG-7317 (The Tough Guard Line). Well today I bought one to cut apart to see just how it was put together, my thinking was any difference in the way it is made whould make it a MUCH better choice than the other ones. Here is what I found.

The TG-7317 would be the filter for our Shadow's (most of them anyway),

It cost $4.97

The filter is Gray in color with the black sure-grip end,

The metal housing is nothing extra, about the same as the Super Tech's,

The filtering media folds (pleats) were VERY un-even (some people made a big deal out of that with the Super Tech filters),

The filtering media is glued to thin paper end-caps just like the other Fram's, (Not a GOOD thing at ALL!)

The anti back-flow valve as good as the box for the filter claims it to be, its still a rubber flap resting against the paper end-caps.

The pressure relief valve is not much different than the Super Tech's, BUT! the metal suspension that its mounted in is where it seals to the filter's media and that's paper.

Over-all the filter's price isn't bad, $4.97 but I wouldn't trade one Super Tech for 20 of the TG-7317's
There isn't one thing about the filter that is better made than the Super Tech's!

I was hoping that the Tough Guard filter would give the Fram users a better filter, and I was looking forward to writing a post to reflect that. I even had the title of the post,
"Attention! I've found a good Fram filter"!
Sorry, it didn't work out that way, and I really didn't have an extra $5.00 to just throw in the trash.
MarkC

 

[Pavogg]

ToughGuard vs Regular Fram

If I remember correctly, the only difference was the micron rating of the filter media, resuting in a better 1st pass filtration

 

[xrayr]

Long Live the SuperTech Filter! :wink:

 

[MarkC]

Re: ToughGuard vs Regular Fram

If I remember correctly, the only difference was the micron rating of the filter media, resuting in a better 1st pass filtration

The box did read that the Tough Guard had a synthetic en-hanced filter media.
They also claim to have a silicone rubber anti back-flow valve. These features were for those that REALLY dirve hard?? LOL!
Some time back I read where one of the Fram filters was an okay filter, but I can't find that information? and I thought Maybe??? it might have been the "TG" line.
MarkC

 

[oliver99]

i'm a ford mechanic by trade and we currently have a problem on some trucks that people have been using cheap aftermarket filters(rather than the ford ones) that come apart and the paper makes its way up the oil galleries into the cylinder heads and then stops and blocks them causing a lack of lubercation to the cyl head. then the cust comes in with a noisy engine adn it had to come apart and tappets and lifters replaced, expensive because u wanted to save $5 on a filter. :x
we have vsrioud oil filters cut open in the service dept on display and the oem ones have a lot more pleats, better quality paper the springs and check valves are better quality as well. just goes to show u get what u pay for and i always use oem for filters plugs wires and anything electrical (car wise) as they are made and designed by the manufacturer for that particular vehicle.

 

[danimal]

I don't know if they make motorcycle filters, but we used to only use Wix oil filters in our racecar engines.

 

[TucsonDon]

i'm a ford mechanic by trade and we currently have a problem on some trucks that people have been using cheap aftermarket filters(rather than the ford ones) that come apart and the paper makes its way up the oil galleries into the cylinder heads and then stops and blocks them causing a lack of lubercation to the cyl head. then the cust comes in with a noisy engine adn it had to come apart and tappets and lifters replaced, expensive because u wanted to save $5 on a filter

Ouch, ouch ... and I repeat: ouch.

I stick with the Honda OEM filter. I think I've read that it's a pretty good filter. I can get it for $9 or so on the internet, which isn't too bad.

 

[litnin]

i'm a ford mechanic by trade and we currently have a problem on some trucks that people have been using cheap aftermarket filters(rather than the ford ones) that come apart and the paper makes its way up the oil galleries into the cylinder heads and then stops and blocks them causing a lack of lubercation to the cyl head. then the cust comes in with a noisy engine adn it had to come apart and tappets and lifters replaced, expensive because u wanted to save $5 on a filter. :x
we have vsrioud oil filters cut open in the service dept on display and the oem ones have a lot more pleats, better quality paper the springs and check valves are better quality as well. just goes to show u get what u pay for and i always use oem for filters plugs wires and anything electrical (car wise) as they are made and designed by the manufacturer for that particular vehicle.

I agree 100%.

Motorcraft filters are made by Purolator, BUT they are made to Ford's
specifications... not Purolators.
Many other manufacturers filters are made by makers of aftermarket
filters, but again, they are still not the same filter.

 

[Pavogg]

Re: ToughGuard vs Regular Fram

If I remember correctly, the only difference was the micron rating of the filter media, resuting in a better 1st pass filtration

The box did read that the Tough Guard had a synthetic en-hanced filter media.
They also claim to have a silicone rubber anti back-flow valve. These features were for those that REALLY dirve hard?? LOL!
Some time back I read where one of the Fram filters was an okay filter, but I can't find that information? and I thought Maybe??? it might have been the "TG" line.
MarkC

Fram, like many other players in the market, makes filters or has made filters in the past for other filter manufacturers as well as the OEM Auto and aftermarket like AC Delco, Motorcraft, Mopar, etc. No manufacturer can afford to make a filter unless the volume can justify the tooling/setup costs. ALL, I repeat, ALL of them buy each others low volume filters.

All filter suppliers have prequalified substitute filters ready in case the OEM Auto filter manufacturer has trouble or there is an unexpected surge in sales. GM would contact that source and tell them to make PF47's (example) and the source would change the paint color and pull out it's supply of labels and boxes and proceed to fill the order. This was ligitimate based on the filters being previous ly sample approved and tested to meet the OE standards. Fram USED TO BE one of the GM Service Parts suppliers that did this at GM's request.

Most of AC Delco service parts and the OE filters being scewed on in the assembly plants are produced by manufacturers like Champion Labs (incidentally, the GM filter PF1235 for our Honda's is made by Champion labs), Wix , Baldwin, Etc. Delpi (previosly GM AC Delco) is getting out of the filter manufactuuring business.

You can see the AC Delco PF2135 (Champion Labs and same filter as the Supertech WallMart filter) and a lot of others at

http://www.tobycreek.org/oil_filters/acdelco.shtml

I actually contributed the AC Delco to toby for review on his site.