I replaced my air filter with a K&N today and when I pulled out the 'MotorCraft' filter out came a very orange filter, with orange foam on the sides. The spitting image of a Fram... Does Fram OEM for Ford?

 

Nope, Motorcraft filters are orange have been for many years. There is usually printing on the end that will have a part number and sometimes a logo.

 

Not sure about gas engine air filters but I own the 6.0L turbo diesel in a 1ton PU and the Donaldson air filter from the factory is the ABSOLUTE best at filtering fine dust and K&N filters are about as bad as you can get. They pass so much dirt that the turbos are worn out or damaged in about 20K miles.

With this in mind I would think long and hard before swapping the factory FORD filter for ANY aftermarket air filter.

While the K&N "HYPE" seems to make sense often there is more to it than that. I have found that you can get more air flow but it comes at the cost of poorer air filtration.