While Wix is a well-established brand in the market, many others too are trying to compete with the company. One of those brands is Fram. But does it outperform Wix Oil Filters?
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Here in this article, we will be looking at the difference between oil filters produced by two major oil filter companies, Wix and Fram. Let’s get started.
Wix vs Fram Oil Filters
Contents
The oil filters need to be efficient and powerful to remove the dirt and contaminants and store them, supplying purified and dirt-free oil to the engine parts. Here we will be discussing the differences between Wix Oil Filters and Fram Oil Filters based on different parameters.
| Parameters | Wix Oil Filters | Fram Oil Filters |
| Filter Medium | Glass enhanced medium | Cellulose and synthetic fiber medium |
| Anti-Drain Back Valve(ADBV) | Present (Silicon Type) | Present(Silicon Type) |
| End Cap | Steel or metal mesh cap | Cardboard cap |
| Relief Valve | Coil Steel Springs | Leaf Steel Springs |
| Phenolic Resin | Present | Not Present |
| Pricing | High priced as compared to Fram Oil Filters | Less costly as compared to Wix Oil Filters |
Filter Medium
This plays a key role in deciding which is the best filter. Wix Oil Filters contain glass enhanced media or a glass enhanced filter medium capable of capturing 10-12 micron-sized particles.
On the other hand, Fram Oil Filters are made with cellulose and glass fiber media capable of capturing around 10-12 micron-sized particles. Coarse than cellulose and fiber media and provides a good surface area.
The thing that makes Wix Oil Filters superior is the glass enhanced filter medium that is more amount of surface area helps in trapping more particles, thus making the oil much cleaner and filtered.
Most oil filters capture around 10-12 micron-sized particles as they are known to be the most harmful particles present in the oil.
But only the Fram Extra Guard Filter has the efficiency in capturing 20 micron-sized particles as per the ISO test 4548-12 as claimed by the company.
Phenolic Resin
A phenolic resin helps provide good mechanical strength, filtration capability, and electrical properties of the filter. Wix Oil Filters contain a phenolic resin that penetrates and saturates the paper providing it good mechanical strength and some good mechanical properties and enhancing its filtration capabilities.
On the other hand, Phenolic Resin is absent in Fram Oil Filters. Here, Wix Oil Filters take over Fram Oil Filter.
Coil Steel Springs Or Leaf Spring
Coil steel springs or leaf springs are the types of springs used in the relief valve.
Wix Oil Filter uses Coil steel springs that are more flexible and can go down and suppress so that unfiltered oil can pass through easily when the filter is blocked.
In contrast, Fram Oil Filters use leaf oil steel springs that are less flexible.
End Cap
The end cap present inside the oil filter is of two types: steel or metal mesh end cap, and the other one is cardboard metal cap.
A steel or metal mesh end cap is comparatively strong and has higher efficiency than a cardboard metal cap.
A steel or metal mesh end cap is present in most Wix Oil Filters, whereas a cardboard end cap is there in the Fram Oil Filters. The backdrop of using a cardboard end cap is that it gets moist and saturated with the oil and loses its strength, and when it is lost, it fails to prevent the flow of unfiltered oil into the filter.
Anti Drain Back Valve
The anti-drain-back valve is used for oil flow. Silicon-type anti-drain back valves are known to take over nitrile anti-drain back valves as they have a much longer life.
Both Wix Oil Filters and Fram Oil Filters contain silicon-type anti-drain back valves, so here both work similarly.
Pricing
Pricing is the concern of most customers these days. People want to get the best quality at cheap rates. But all of us know that quality comes with expensiveness. Wix Oil Filters are more towards the high pricing than Fram Oil Filters.
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Bottom Line
There are a large variety of filters available in both Wix and Fram oil filters. Different filters have different capacities and specifications. Above, we have compared Wix Oil Filters and Fram Oil Filters and found that Wix oil filters are better than Fram oil filters.
There might be a possibility that you may find either of them better than the other based on your personal choice and the models between which you are comparing.
Hey, I’m Bryan and I have been working as a mechanic for the past 8 years. I want to help each one of you reach make wise decisions when it comes to choosing the right products for keeping your cars healthy.
