Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 09:36:13 PDT
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "Shawn Wright" <VWNUT@smus.bc.ca>
Subject: Re: FRAM specualtion re pressure
On 29 Jul 96 at 9:41, john wakefield wrote:
>
> "It is common knowledge among us who are on the list awhile that Fram
> filters are unsuitable for Vanagons."
>
> I offer this speculative response to observations that FRAM oil filters
> used in Vanagons result in lower oil pressures: Lower particulate
> threshold passing media combined with lower total media surface area.
> In particulate passage tests, FRAM has shown up as a top performer for
> years. This indicates to me that they have elected to use a finer pass
> media than most competitors. As to whether the cost per unit area of
> this is higher than coarser media, I don't know that either. But I did
> find it interesting to see a FLAPS point of sale product demonstration
> supplied by WIX, who's product box seems to claim WIX is an Original
> Product Manufacturer for quite a few others marketed labels. The demo
> consisted of a FRAM and WIX oil filter apparently from identical
> application specifications. Each was cut around its circumference to
> allow easy inspection of its media. Just guessing based on what I saw,
> I'd think the accordion folded media had about twice the unfolded surface
> area in the WIX compared to the FRAM.
> There are so many assumptions integrated into this speculation that I
> offer it only as a first conjectural comment. I could be completely
> wrong. If someone knows of a person who wouldn't bias their comments to
> favor a company's economic interests, and who could address this anomaly
> well, please do a little arm twisting to get their explanation posted as
> to why the ordinarily considered excellent Fram product apparently
> performs so poorly in Vanagons.
>
Add to this all other w/c VWs - I've recorded lower oil pressures
with FRAM in: 85 diesel, 82 1.7l, 89 16v 1.8l, 88 turbo diesel. In
all these cases, a VW filter resulted in improved hot oil pressure of
5-10 psi using 20w50.
Shawn
'88 Westy 332k (Kyra)
'85 Jetta TD 350k (Jenni)
|