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>>Tranny Fluid Info and Experimenting Thread<< (Amsoil, Redline, USC, etc.)

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#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
>>Tranny Fluid Info and Experimenting Thread<< (Amsoil, Redline, USC, etc.)

UPDATE:

To start off, a link to " MEMBER TESTIMONIALS (on page 2 of this thread)" where there are tons of testimonials and lots to read.

What I ended up running and install pics. >>>>HERE on page 4<<<<


MY Blackstone analysis of my USC fluid that I replaced. >>>HERE<<<

Also started a "What fluid was your car running when it blew?" thread.

One more link to the Uncle Scotty's Cocktail Thread on Nasioc.

With that said where I started at 1-30-08:

So it is once again tranny fluid time in my car, or getting close anyways. Last time I used a synthetic version of USC or "Uncle Scottys Cocktail" I came up with. It works great, but in my quest to not leave well enough alone and brand homogeneity, I wanna try an all Amsoil formulation. Specifically, replace the Frankenstein colored Redline Lightweight shockproof with something, but we'll see where the research and findings take me.

What I am currently running:
I mixed up a batch of "Uncle Scottys Cocktail" but a full synthetic version in my 06 TR at 15k miles.

1 qt Redline lightweight shockproof
1 qt Amsoil syncromesh
2 qt Amsoil 75w90 gear oil.
What I am thinking about going with:

4 0z Amsoil slip lock
1
qt Amsoil MTG
1 qt Amsoil syncromesh
1.5 qt Amsoil 75w90 gear oil.

The bold is what I am thinking about to replace the Lightweight shockproof. They have a lower kinematic viscosity at 40 deg which should lead to improved shift at cold temps. Using all Amsoil products also guarantees (through Amsoil) that I can up the service interval considerably.



Discuss.

Here are the results:

Now at page 24 we have come to some conclusions:

* We've decided Uncle Scotty's cocktail shifts nice for a while but breaks down really fast and needs really short change intervals.
--Also don't think syncromesh needs to be in the blend
--There is also concern it may cause extra wear

* Redline Lightweight Shockproof works well in the 5MT but not the STI trans (slinger lubrication versus pump)
--Seems to work just as well straight as mixed

* Straight Severe Gear 75w90 from Amsoil is not good in cold weather, but works well when mixed with shockproof

* SD_GR still loves his Valvoline conventional 75w90

* Subaru Extra S is the greatest gear oil to put in a stock Subaru
--It works well for a long time, shifts great, but is not sold in the quart. Its sold in the 5 gal drum, but many Subi tuners and dealer have it

FWIW Redline 75w90NS is what you'd run in the 5MT, but in non-mixed form it hasn't netted near the result of the Extra-S. Don't use MT90.
 
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#94 ·
Being dino, does it obviously thicken up when it gets cold though? The Valvoline dino I have in right now is perfectly fine at operating temperature. But on a cold morning, it's like stirring frozen molasses.

Frankly, I'm just looking for something that shifts well, doesn't harden up in the winter, and if it's lower-friction so my gas mileage goes up, more power to it.

So far, the stock fill, straight 79w90NS, USC, a 75w90NS/75w140NS blend, and a couple of others I'm forgetting have all failed at least one part of this :(
 
#96 ·
I put Royal Purple 75w90 in my girls 04 wrx. After doing that It felt alot easier to shift, but noticed on downshifting into first gear it would cause it to grind or be hard to put into first gear while coming to a stop. Personally I think that i'm going to switch over to Redline oil for the tranny and rear diff. I live in Pa so we do have some cold winters once in a while, I noticed on cold mornings it would take longer for the tranny fluid to warm up. So I would have to say that this would be a negitive review for royal purple. The mileage on the car when I replaced the oil was in around 45,000 miles. The car is currently around 88,xxx miles and i'm definitely switching to redline. Before replacing the oil, never had a problem with shifting, after the royal purple problems. The only reason that I went with the royal purple was that it was easier to find in stores, then redline, but now more and more performance stores seem to be carrying it.
 
#101 ·
Yeah, I also switched to the Mobil 1 extended performance, and I really like it. Sometimes I don't get a chance to change the oil every 3,000 miles so that is why I went with the extended. Once it warms up here in a few weeks I'll definitely be putting in the lightweight shockproof in the tranny and rear diff.
 
#104 ·
Well, I finally broke down and put some G-O Extra S in it two days ago. I have to say it's the best initial results I've had with any oil I've tried so far. Obviously, the proof will be 5,000 miles from now as that's when most oils fall flat on their faces. As an added bonus, it smells like pine trees not nasty gear oil!
 
#105 ·
I posted this in another thread in the Tranny and Driveline section but.....I thought I'd add it here in case someone had the same problem I did.....

I tried Castrol Syntec 75W90 in the box at my first gearbox oil change after I got grinding when shifting from 3rd to 4th at >4500 rpm. I hated it. The car didn't want to shift on mornings, and couldn't go into 1st unless I was at a dead standstill.

So I went looking around for the ingredients for Uncle Scotty's Cocktail. However, I couldn't find all the components locally, so I made a substitution as follows:

1 qt Redline SuperLight Shockproof (as opposed to Lightweight Shockproof)
1 qt Redline 75W90NS (to mimic the Pennzoil Synchromesh....which has no friction additives)
1.8 qt Castrol Hypoy C 80W90



(Redline water wetter not added LOL)

I am now a thorough believer in the USC gospel....'cuz the tranny feels better than ever with this mixture. I've done circa 10000km on it with no complaints thus far.




BigSkyWRX, I see you said you've used Subaru Extra-S gear oil? I've heard it works wonders for the 6 speed...but is it any better than USC for the 5 speed? Or should I stick with the USC....
 
#106 ·
I can't say how it compares w/ Uncle Scotty's combo as I've never run it. It (Extra-S) is warranty friendly which is a plus for some. I have run straight LW shockproof in my old 02- I was very pleased w/ it (until my motor died :(). As my 04 was new (at the time :)) I wanted something warranty friendly and stumbled on the Extra-S, found out that several of the motorsports guys were having very good luck with it. I can say that I've had very good luck w/ it as well- although I'm filling on a annual (~ 12-15K) basis. The down side is the up front cost (I don't think it's really too bad priced/liter) as you have to buy a 5 gallon bucket of it, but obviously that will last a guy awhile. I don't have any suby owners close, but if a guy did a person could split the cost among a couple guys as a option.

I just did my annual spring swap this past weekend- one downside to the Extra-S is that it isn't greenish like the LW SP- I had a hell of a time seeing it on the dipstick!!!! :)
 
#107 ·
It seems after all the darn pages I have read, that either the 75-90 NS or Shockproof is will be going in my 04 wrx tranny & rear. Trying to not mix things together, any recommendations which people prefer where?
 
#109 ·
dammit youre not helping the cause lol. It seem thats theres no 1 brand that someone hasnt had a problem with. I assume you meant in the tranny as well though too?

I think part of the confusion is that some people have older 02 and 03 cars that had more problems period but it's hard to tell which they have.
 
#111 ·
I've heard people having problems with royal purple, mobile one, synchromesh. I guess theres always going to be some car that has problems. My 04 has 57k on it and i dont know whats in there as I just bought it and there was only 1 owner...I almost dont want to be the dont fix what isnt broke guy since I only get a tiny bit of chatter when its cold but shifting is fine.
 
#112 ·
Fluid choices



As Willi said for a straight fluid most prefer the Subaru G-o Extra S (havent tried myself)...only draw back is you have to buy a five gallon drum (no biggie if you got storage space).

Me personally I had an 04 WRX with 40K on her and getting into first and reverse was like a lead weight in Boston Winters...until I tried Uncle Scottys which worked wonders. Only draw back is getting the different fluids together, potential warranty issues, and the Synchromesh in it could be a long long term wear item in the tranny.

I had to trade the 04 in for another 04 (needed new tires, spoiler, and turbo - new one had 30 K less plus moon roof, heated seats, shortie, etc). I will be soon trying 04's combo of lightweight shock and the SVG...I may also try after that the shock proof and redline NS....NS and SVG are pretty much exactly alike, matter of preference.

If you want one fluid get the Extra S....otherwise I would try one of the above I mentioned
 
#113 ·
ve heard people having problems with royal purple, mobile one, synchromesh. I guess theres always going to be some car that has problems. My 04 has 57k on it and i dont know whats in there as I just bought it and there was only 1 owner...I almost dont want to be the dont fix what isnt broke guy since I only get a tiny bit of chatter when its cold but shifting is fine
Can't go wrong with the Subaru G-O Extra-S
 
#114 ·
Yeah I just called my local dealership but no way in hell am I buying that much at one time lol. I dont even know someone to split it with.
 
#116 · (Edited)
Thoughts on Superlight Shockproof

Ok, thought I'd add my two cents about using the Superlight Shockproof over the Lightweight shockproof in USC. I changed the USC in my 5MT on my '06 N/A 2.5i about 2.5k ago after reading about the syncromesh not holding up to the 20k change interval.

I put in :
1qt of Redline Superlight Shockproof
1qt of Penzoil Synchromesh
1.7qt of Castrol Hypoy-C gear oil 80W90

The first difference is in the color, the Lightweight is the Frankenstein blue, while the Superlight is a nice mustard yellow. The car shifted fine, felt like regular USC at first.

When I drove the car hard, it really seemed to like it. My car seemed to climb revs quicker, and like she accelerated quicker as well. The superlight says it transfers power more efficiently, but at a cost of durability.

I drove from south Orange County, CA up the coast to Big Sur, CA. About 360miles or so one way. The car loved the windy coast highway, even though she was fully loaded.(It looked like the rear tires had about 3/4 of an inch of clearance till the wheel well.) And my motor and tranny really liked to stay above 3.5k rpm. It loved shifting at 5,500 rpm. Hitting 100mph on PCH is awsome.

I've had the USC w/superlight in my tranny for about 2.5k and now it really doesn't like to be driven like your driving ms. daisy. Notchy when I shift at 3k rpm, slightly difficult to shift from 2-1. It still shifts fine at higher rpm, but that sucks my gas down. And seeing as how this car is also my daily driver, I would not recommend using the superlight shockproof in the USC mixture. It almost feels too slippery. I want the peace of mind of having the extra durability and smooth as a hot knife through warm butter shifts at low rpms.

I can't wait for my 2qts of Amsoil Severe Gear 75w90 so I can swap out this mixture and try the Amsoil/Redline mixture.
 
#118 · (Edited)
Blackstone Analysis back!!!

And the results are in. I had abnormally high Iron levels for the time the cocktail was in the transmission. They recommend a change and resample interval of 5k miles with USC. As I have nothing to compare the results to stock, I dunno whether or not this differs from the factory in any way. I also dunno if this is common for transmission break-in in the 1st or 2nd change. As such in a while, I may "Mighty Vac" some of my current formula out and send it off for analysis for comparison purposes.

Edit: Added a link to this post in the OP on 1st page.
 
#121 ·
Blackstone Analysis

And the results are in. I had abnormally high Iron levels for the time the cocktail was in the transmission. They recommend a change and resample interval of 5k miles with USC. As I have nothing to compare the results to stock, I dunno whether or not this differs from the factory in any way. I also dunno if this is common for transmission break-in in the 1st or 2nd change. As such in a while, I may "Mighty Vac" some of my current formula out and send it off for analysis for comparison purposes.

Edit: Added a link to this post in the OP on 1st page.
Was anything else off on the fluid from their analysis aside from the high iron levels? Just curious if you can post the stat sheet they gave you for it (if they did) and possibly compare it to a conventional GL-5 tranny fluid.
 
#120 ·
Just wanted to add my $.o2 worth and say that i have a 04 wrx wagon with a 5mt and as soon as i bought the car switched to straight redline 75-90ns and was great at first. But then after 2000 miles or so it slowed down my synchros so bad that i could barely get it into fourth without grinding badly. So i ditched the redline and went with straight GM Synchromesh not pennzoil but GM and now it shifts way better than ever. Also i use my car in the mountains and some mornings its about 0 degress outside and with the GM Synchromesh shifting at that temperature is easier than ever. Just my opinion.
 
#126 · (Edited)
Good news. Turn in Concepts sells Extra-S in 1 quart bottles now...

Extra S fluid!!!! Now in 1 quart containers!!!! - NASIOC

I think I'm gonna start using this from now on since it's available in single serving quantities.

Edit: Stuff costs an arm and a leg :( Maybe I'll go 1/2&1/2 with some synchromesh or something...
 
#129 ·
This thread (and others) convinced me to go with the Subaru Extra S.
So, today I talked to my local dealer and asked them if I could just bring in empty quart containers and buy 4 qts of the Subaru Extra S out of their bulk supply. They said NO and gave me some BS excuse about not being able to sell hazardous materials in a different container than they were shipped from the manufacturer :rolleyes:.
So, I asked them for a price on the whole 5 gal bucket, they quoted me $206.44. I told them you can order it online for ~$150 shipped. Then they tried to talk me into just having them change the MT fluid in their service shop. He tried to sell it with "we have very reasonable rates and you won't have to deal with disposing of the used up stuff." I said, "ok but I enjoy doing it myself and you can recycle used oil for free at Kragen." Then I said thanks and left. I don't really like that dealership.

Anyway, sorry for the rant.

I have decided on:
2 qts Red Line 75w90NS
~1.7 qts Red Line Lightweight shockproof

Then thread was very helpful.
 
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