I didn't find any change to Wix company ownership since 2016. Napa may have chosen another company to make their filters due to supply chain issues, cost etc. I haven't seen anything to indicate a decline in quality of Wix or Napa Gold filters. I still use oem and wix filters, have not had any issues.
If you care, the photos of NAPA Gold filters on the NAPA.com website have "Made in China" printed on them.
Good discussion. I'll just make the point that all of the big filter manufacturers can make cheap or high quality filters. The type of filter media, the pleats or total filtering area, the micron rating, the end cap material and type, the spring material and type, the anti-drainback valve material and type, the can and endplate material and thickness, and other manufacturing details. So avoid making statements that ****** filters are junk. Any manufacturer can produce low quality to a cheap price point. Just as they can also make high quality filters. The best is educate yourself a bit on the products. There is a bit of truth you get what you pay for.
Good post !!! I got this email forwarded to me many many years ago that was a response from Fram [regarding the cardboard end-caps they use] Fram are very much aware of "Trolls" that base their opinions on hearsay attached: I play around a lot with adhesives and know very well the plight of gluing incompatible materials together [adding heat is another issue]
Indeed. I used to own a high end loudspeaker manufacturing company. My drivers were made of esoteric materials (not the paper or polypropylene parts typically used), and a considerable amount of my R&D went into gluing incompatible-material parts together-- aluminum to polyetherimide foam, butyl to ceramic, etc. In short, I found that, in many cases, glue-to-glue connections were the best... so part A would get compatible glue #1 applied, part B would get compatible glue #2 applied, and the #1 and #2 glues would serve as the mechanical bond between A and B parts. Additionally, I had to address wet chemical effects of certain glues on the opposing part (eg, MEK solvent glues attacking the adjacent PEI foam part). Lots of research, lots more trial and error, and voila.. I figured it out. I'm pretty sure Fram has a bigger 7-day R&D budget than the lifetime gross revenue of my speaker company. They've probably figured it out too.
I’m so sorry , I misunderstood what I was told Hastings and Baldwin are one and Wix is not part of them . So sorry , thank you for making we did deeper into the brainpan to get corrected info .
Engine Masters did a filter test and Fram failed bad the best were K&N, Wix then Motorcraft. I use Napa Gold.