I replaced the Air filter today and used a Fram filter versus the AC Delco.
The paper filter part looks the same. The Fram price is 20 bucks cheaper.
Is there any difference?

Barry

you should be able to see the difference by just looking at it. The Fram does not have the glue lines on it like the AC Delco. There is a risk of having the filter gettin sucked or deformed and creating a leak...allowing dirty air in engine...or?


Your spending too much money on your filters if they vary by 20 bucks... Shop around and get an OEM paper element

You're going to find the number of pleats on the Fram to be way less than the AC-Delco. There's a filter study floating around showing the AC-Delco is the best paper filter available.

you should be able to see the difference by just looking at it. The Fram does not have the glue lines on it like the AC Delco. There is a risk of having the filter gettin sucked or deformed and creating a leak...allowing dirty air in engine...or?


This Fram filter has the exact same configuration as the OEM filter. Same glue lines same number of pleats. The study that was done didn't include a Fram filter. Probably because it is exactly the same as the AC Delco. Except that it is Orange.

The Fram part # is CA8755A. One supplier tried to give me a CA8756A and your right it is just the wrong filter. It is for the 6.0L motor. Is there anyone that has used one that can comment.

Stay away from Fram. . . The AC-Delco is worth the extra bucks. It's easy to do, but don't 'go cheap' on stuff like filters.

Dennis

Dennis can you tell me why I should stay away from Fram? I visually cannot see the difference with them side by side. Is the paper different? The number of pleats is the same and the demensions are identical.

Do a search for Air Filter Study for a thread started by Spicer. I think the evidence is very clear that the Fram filter will let significantly more dirt through the element than the AC-Delco does.

Dennis

Here is a link to the thread I was talking about, it might be hard to find if you didn't know what to look for.

http://dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10372&highlight=filter

I have some, but not enough brands. Ken will test anything EXCEPT Fram, since there would be a conflict of interest. I will contact UMP. I have AC Delco, UNI and Amsoil. We will need a K&N and any other filter we wish to test.


The above is a quote from the thread. They didn't test Fram Dennis. I can't see how you can come to your conclusion

"will let significantly more dirt through the element than the AC-Delco."

Did I miss the Fram data in the report?

Barry

Uhhh, well I guess my pants are around my ankles.:o I thought they did. . . sorry for any confusion. I must have interpolated the data to all filters except AC-Delco. It had been a while since I read that thread. . . guess it's time I did so again. I still will buy AC-Delco, though. . . even though they look the same, they may not be. . .

Dennis

I bought the Fram, did like the looks and took it out about a week later. No glue less pleats.

Stay with the ACDelco.......whats a few extra bucks when it comes to your baby?

Tom

I bought the Fram, did like the looks and took it out about a week later. No glue less pleats.

I was offered the same filter and saw the same thing. I went to Fram's web site and got the right part #. Like I said looks identical.

The air filter test did not include the Fram filters as part of the agreement.

If the Fram does include the glue lines and appears to be the same amount of pleats.. Its worth looking at. If that is the case, It will be the first aftermarket paper I have seen that has it.

Still....40k+ for a truck... filters are cheap

I have used the FRAM and while I agree with Dmaxallitech that it deforms slightly, so did my AC/Delco. They all bend to the side. The glue lines were identical, but if I remember, the early ones had a few less pleats. I bought AC the next time, but will use Fram again if the pleat count is up.

The pleat count on the two filters is:

AC Delco OEM - 125
Fram - 75

50 less pleats!!

So I can asume that the AC Delco filter is doing about twice the filtering. Interesting that they difference would be so high. Would this account for the price difference I see?

I continue to use only AC Delco filters to deny my "stealer" the opportunity of denying warranty work due to using what he would consider "inferior" filters.

Seems like anything with the AC-Delco emblem on it costs a lot more. . . regardless of what it is. . .

Dennis

I compared the AC Delco Duramax air filter and Fram Duramax air filter last summer and did not find them to be the same. Here is a copy of my postings in Spicer's Air Filter thread.

**************
First Note:

Looks like I will be staying with the stock air filter system for now. That being the case ......

I know Fram makes a poor oil filter, but how about their air filter for the Duramax (CA8755A). The availability is much better than the AC Delco replacement. I took a quick look at one tonight at Wal-Mart (price is $11.64) and I did not notice any obvious problems.

************
Spicer replied back that he did not think the Fram was of the same quality as the AC Delco.

************
Second Note:

In an earlier note to this thread, I asked the question, are all paper element filters the same, and more specifically, is the less expensive Fram equivalent to the AC Delco.

Spicer indicated they were not the same, so I decided to take a closer look and removed my original AC Delco for examination. I then took another look at the Fram. The AC Delco appears to be a much better filter.

- The AC Delco has about 115 pleats, the Fram has about 70.

- The AC Delco has five thick beads of epoxy, the Fram has three thin beads of epoxy.

- The bead runs of the Delco are longer than the Fram.

- The seal construction of the Delco appears somewhat better.

- The pleats of the Delco are relatively straight compared to the Fram.

Even though the Fram is much easier to find and is less expense, I think I will stick with the AC Delco. The AC Delco appears to have better construction and based on th test results, I know what I am getting.

I also looked a Wix, and it was similar to the Fram, but it had no epoxy beads. It looked like it was for a gas engine, but the parts guy told me it was listed for the Duramax. It may fit, but I would not want to use it.

**********

The Fram I looked at was the CA8755A for the Duramax, not the gas version. Are you sure the Fram is now the same as the AC Delco? They weren't even close when I looked back in August, 2004.

you should be able to see the difference by just looking at it. The Fram does not have the glue lines on it like the AC Delco. There is a risk of having the filter gettin sucked or deformed and creating a leak...allowing dirty air in engine...or?


This Fram filter has the exact same configuration as the OEM filter. Same glue lines same number of pleats. The study that was done didn't include a Fram filter. Probably because it is exactly the same as the AC Delco. Except that it is Orange.

The Fram part # is CA8755A. One supplier tried to give me a CA8756A and your right it is just the wrong filter. It is for the 6.0L motor. Is there anyone that has used one that can comment.:confused:
[/QUOTE=BH in AZ]The Fram I looked at was the CA8755A for the Duramax, not the gas version. Are you sure the Fram is now the same as the AC Delco? They weren't even close when I looked back in August, 2004.[/QUOTE]
:confused:
Maybe bad packaging? Something sounds fishy(-:

The pleat count on the two filters is:

AC Delco OEM - 125
Fram - 75

50 less pleats!!

So I can asume that the AC Delco filter is doing about twice the filtering. Interesting that they difference would be so high. Would this account for the price difference I see?
If the Fram has 40% less pleats then it has 40% less paper to do the filtering. The ONLY reason paper filters have so many pleats is because the paper is very restrictive. Paper MUST be restrictive. This is what allows it to filter down to a small particle size, also known as EFFICIENCY.

If you used AC paper and used 40% less pleats (40% less paper), it would CLOG quickly and/or be overly restrictive. So how does Fram get away with it? OBVIOUSLY the paper is less restrictive. As mentioned above, if it is less restrictive, it lets in more dirt. There is a virtually DIRECT CORRELATION between filtering efficiency and air flow/restriction in the air filter industry data. A less restrictive filter passes more dirt.

So how can you use restrictive paper for efficency purposes and not adversely affect the air flow? Add more pleats/surface area/paper.

Fram makes NO claims of superior filtering ability over the AC on their packaging or litterature or by request. Do they have the data? They OWN numerous $285,000 air filter test machines and have techs on payroll that test filters all day. If the Fram was as good as the OE at a fraction of the cost, I'm sure they would not withold the data. SPICER

This thread had me wondering if Fram has improved the quality of their Duramax filter since I looked at them in August, so I stopped at a WalMart yesterday and took another look.

The Fram CA8755A Duramax filter that I saw was still the same as the one I saw last August. It only had about 70 pleats and only three very thin epoxy beads. Just to make sure it was not a packaging error, I confirmed the model number printed on the side of the filter. It also said Made in Canada.

Thinking this may have been a less expense WalMart edition, I then stopped by an AutoZone. They did not have a Fram listed in their reference book for the Duramax, but did have two CA8755A Fram filter boxes on the shelf. These turned out to be even cheaper quality than the one at Walmart. Both had NO epoxy beads. I did not bother to count the pleats, but it look about the same as the WalMart Fram. Both of these AutoZone filters had CA8755A printed on the side and were also made in Canada. They looked just like the gas engine version.

This issue is debated all the time over at the oil drop server forum.

From my reading over there, there seems to be alot of quality deviations when it comes to Fram or some of the other branded filters, (STP, Super Tech, etc.)

I think if you stay with AC/Delco, Wix, NAPA gold, Baldwin, you should get a decent filter. However, even in those filter lines you may not get exactly what you want as compared to the AC/Delco OEM.

I found a parts dealer who had the AC Delco cheaper than the dealer. So I replaced the Fram with the OEM filter. I now know more than I need to know about Air Filters. :D

Baldwin air filters seem to do a decent job. Cheaper than AC Delco.

Eric sells them, too. . . delivered right to your door. . .

www.gmdieseltech.com

You will find numerous vendors here on the site that will help you out...

Just got new literature from Amsoil--they are now marketing/partnering a new air filter, the "Donaldson Endurance" with nanofiber rather than conventional celluose fibers. They claim top gun stuff. Would be interesting to test this new filter. Could it be their own Amsoil brand fell short of its mark for filtering???

I have been buying my filters for the last year or so from Cummins. The oil filters are Fleetguard but the air filter box is not labeled so I am not sure who makes it. I am guessing Baldwin. Any ideas?

I replaced my air filter with a baldwin brand about five months ago. The replacement filters looked the same. Does any know how how the Baldwin brand compares?

Overall in the Air Filter Study, the Baldwin finished either second or third best.