> > Tell me, how does one determine a brand of filter is bad? If the proof is > in lack of engine trouble, then my use of primarily Fram filters for 20-30 > years and well over 100,000 miles on the 300H alone with no failures whatsoever > must indicate they are not too awful!! > 300ly, Gil Cunningham > Tallahassee, FL > The demonstration is to cut the PH8A Fram filter open and compare what is inside with the insides of a 51515 Wix or 1515 NAPA. There is a big difference in the quality of the construction. We monitor and contribute on an international network of auto and truck technicians and, excepting for air filter filtration performance, their investigations and conclusions are based mostly on details of the construction of various filter brands. The Fram filter line always gets thrown out first for crumby quality and then NAPA gets a so-so favoring. by the HD guys that favor the Baldwin air filter especially (as do most all HD OE's and Ford now, finally for it's Powerstroke diesel). FYI only, Baldwin air filtration is what you will find in a lot (most?) over the road HD trucks. Baldwin makes the retrofit kit for the Ford Powerstrokes that replaces the OE bad design. I switched from Fram to Wix some twenty plus years ago when I saw what was inside a Fram PH8A. And, I have had multiple instances of air intake restriction problems with new Fram air filters with vehicles on my chassis dyno. OE air filters fixed the problems (big block Fords, Chryslers and big block GM applications). I have cleared sertious intake restriction problems with a simple maintainance cleaning of clean looking K&N filters. The K&N is a very nice piece of work but it must be maintained. And, I have yet to have one K&N vehicle come into my shop without seeing dirt in the intake system downstream of the air filter. Not good. We stock Wix filters in our shop for most applications. We stock ACDelco filters for GM applications, Motorcraft foir Ford applications, FleetGuard for Dodge diesels and I use them on my 383 Dodge. Big diesels in our shop benerally get a big pile of new Wix filters except Caterpillars which get Cat oil and filters. I do not have any laboratory performance evaluations that show Fram filters to be deficient. I have personally accumulated a lot of miles on vehicles with Fram filters (and Perolator filters) with no problems. However, I do think that there is a (much) higher quality product available for a still reasonable sum of money and that is what I elect to use. I also see a greater benefit to changing engine oil on a regular, frequent basis than to switch to an extended, long oil change interval synthetic engine oil program (only where the engine does not come OE sped'd to use full synthetic). We have had very good service from synthetic lube in rear axles. Synthetic lube is recommended as a retorfit for many rear axles by the OE's. There can be lube/seal compatibility issues with synthetic gear oils. I tried to buy a lube filter from Chrysler for my 383. The short filter for the small blocks was still available with the Chrysler logo but not the log one. Is there a current Chrysler part number that is available for the long filter that I would rather see on my 383? So, Mr. Cunningham, I do think you are right as Fram (oil filters anyway) has never let me down either. I do think that there is a better product available and I will continue to use a product that I consider to be of superior quailty. Warren Anderson Sedona,AZ ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Help save the life of a child. Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.' http://us.click.yahoo.com/6iY7fA/5WnJAA/Y3ZIAA/8LmulB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To send a message to this group, send an email to: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For list server instructions, go to http://www.chrysler300club.com/yahoolist/inst.htm Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Chrysler300-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/