MR.johnson

i looked around in the stickys and found nothing.

what are you guys running for fluid and how much power are you making?

Aquafina

iTrader: (3)

Torco MTF daily driver great for everything, Torco RTF high power, drag, and road race. Some customers do prefer the RTF for daily though due to shifter feel.

MR.johnson

i have been reading about the RTF. trying to get these oe trans to last...

MR.johnson

no one else.

Furyof4

Old formula Honda MTF was my favorite fro a long time. I actually stock piled it once I found out they were changing formula. Now that its gone ive been trying lots of different stuff. Pennsoil synchro, cheap 10w-30, High mileage 10w-30, new Honda mtf etc. Right now Im using rotella 10w-30 and like it.

David @ Synchrotech

iTrader: (1)

Torco RTF for Hi-Performance use.

For a daily driver we recemmend Genuine Honda MTF, Synchromesh, or Torco MTF.

blue91EF

10w40 in a 5speed manual

Gearspeed-Performance

iTrader: (1)

I have personally used Torco RTF and love it. Use Torco MTF for a DD...also a tad cheaper. Can also use Honda MTF for strictly DD.

sc34dc4

iTrader: (1)

Penzoil syncromesh

92civiceg9gsr

Joe Gibbs XP3 10w-40. I use it in my engine too.

TaffetaEj6

royal purple 10w-40 works like a charm

unusual71

I like motul's regular 75w90 gear oil

Turbo B18C EJ6

not the best idea to run gear oil in htese transmissions, there are small holes int he mainshaft and counter shafts and gear oil is too thick for the syncros, better off with regular motor oil/ honda mtf or the other options.

Honda Bull

75w90 is roughly the equivalent of a 10w40 engine oil base - which is Motul Motylgear 10w40 and Royal Purple 10w40 (common MTFs for our transmissions). Gear oil has different ZDDP and EP contents, etc. for sure. But the Motylgear 75w90 will more than likely be fine, as it has virtually identical kinetic viscosity properties to Torco RTF. Not all gear oils will work, and in fact, some will prevent the proper operation of the synchronizers and oiling of the bearings, specifically the needle bearings behind the gears. So definitely not usually recommended.

EDIT: Making my statement more specific.

MR.johnson

so for a 500hp street car rtf?

unusual71

after taking apart 2 transmissions now that I used the motul in I would say that there is no way this stuff is bad for the syncros. In 1 trans i installed brand new syncros and put around 10k miles on and after inspection everything still looked brand new

David @ Synchrotech

iTrader: (1)

I have never used Motul 75W90 gear oil but I have seen plenty of Honda transmissions over the years with shift problems from running other brands of 75W90 gear oil. Thicker isn't always better, especially in a Honda/Acura transmission. The Honda gear box is designed to operate using MTF with a viscosity of about 30W. Use whatever brand you like but stay away from the thick stuff.

94EG8

You put 10K everything basically still is brand new. The only real exception being high HP drag racing. 75W90 is just plain too heavy.

unusual71

the only thing i was told to stay away from for the hondas is synthetic.
motul 75w90 isn't incredibly thick, im pretty sure its designed for a synchronous trans. i think the problem is that ratings aren't very consistent between all manufactures
they list compatibility as

Compatibility

All gearboxes without wet clutches & hypoid rear axles without LSD

Honda Bull

Did you ask the person why? Because synthetics almost always have detergents in them, in addition to magnesium and calcium, to keep everything clean, which is a good thing for transmission (or engine) operation. Conventional oils don't keep things clean like synthetics do... and I have yet to see any of the synthetic MTFs impair synchronizer operation.

mik101

Use Honda MTF or GM/Penzoil Synchromesh and /thread.
If you have problems after a fresh fluid change you have something wrong with the damn transmission.

[Besides the fact that gear oil isn't rated the same as engine oil.... 75w90 gear oil is more like a 10w40 engine oil. Yes It has a higher viscosity, but if everything in the transmission is in working order then it's just going to make everything work harder.]

Use what it was designed for unless you have something built to custom tolerances. If you know enough to do that, then you can pick your own oil without a thread to tell you so.

Edit: Missed Honda_Bulls post. Being repetitive.

Aquafina

iTrader: (3)

Except Honda MTF will cause problems if its anything but a DD that doesn't get beat on.

You know under performance driving the fluid will hit 300*F+ without a trans cooler...

Will_H

iTrader: (1)

i run VR1 50w. dog box trans 800hp. Honda mtf in my daily!

mik101

Yes, it CAN cause problems with very high horsepower setups (or people that don't let their equipment cool down between runs) but insisting that that the Honda MTF is unacceptable in all cases is downright foolish.

If the car is used as a autox or circuit car then that would fall under my reasoning to run something else, but for the street and occasional drag track use, just changing it a little more frequently would be equally as effective. Not everyone is taking a 500whp+ B/D/H/F/K to the track every weekend for run after run after run.

My cars are daily drivers that see the drag track occasionally. I personally have never had an issue with either of my b-series transmissions in the 7 years I've had them. These transmissions were used on various B20V and turbo setups between 160 and 340whp. YMMV. *shrug*

It's the same as the oil weight argument really. There probably isn't a "correct" answer. It's really going to depend on what you're using it for, how much $$ and time you have to work with, how frequently you want to change it. Etc etc.

Aquafina

iTrader: (3)

Work on as many transmissions as myself and Synchrotech do and you will see why we don't like it for anything but daily drivers. If you know its going to cause more wear under any kind of performance driving, why run it?