I have a manual tranny and have been reading its a good idea to use an aftermarket fluid.

does anyone have any thoughts on that?

im mulling amsoil, redline or royal purple.

good idea or not needed? these tranny can be so clunky and loud...not to mention the issues some have reported. users of after market fluids have reported that the mt82 feels better sans the OEM fluid.

 

Unless you track your car, have problems, or are just **** about it I wouldn't do it at least until after 5-10k break in. I don't have any issues with my transmission other than my failings at shifting, and that may be the shifter.

 

failings at shifting.....what?

i am at 4200 miles.

do not track my car. i just want it to feel smoother. its really rough going from 1-2. all other shifts feel pretty good, it just can sound clunky...i heard these fluids help.

what kind of $$$ am i looking at to have a shop do it?

 

Failings as in oops i missed. If you let the spring do the work it does a pretty good job of getting you into the gates. Forcing it is where the missed shifts come in, that and the cursed skip shift feature. I am a fan of the idea, when I am doing it on purpose, and who the hell bogs out their car at 15-20 mph in 4th gear?

Changing the fluid is easy. Get a catch pan, jack the car up and put the rear on stands, block the front. There is a plug on the bottom side of the transmission, probably has the word drain next to it. same thing as changing your oil. There should be another plug about halfway up the side of the transmission, probably says fill. Get your fluid, a length of tubing (4 ft should be fine), plumb the hose into the fill hole and start squeezing. If the tube is long enough you can stand/sit outside the car and hold it up and let gravity do the work. Fill the transmission until oil starts to come out of the hole, then pull the tube out and plug it back up. You can also buy a hand pump to put the fluid in, but to each his own. Should take 30 minutes.

 

i was going to say "That annoying skip-shift feature" but you beat me to it!

You could just buy an aftermarket shifter assembly like i did and THEN you will really hear the tranny...

I'm not sure where to get it or who makes it, but i heard there is an aftermarket kit for the slave cylinder line. Increases it from 5/16th to uuuhhh...looks at a ruler...something slightly bigger. This increases the brake fluid flow and pressure to the slave cylinder thus reducing some of the noise and sloppiness.

The tranny is chatty, but then again the gearbox and shifter assemblies are almost right on top of you, so the noise transfer doesn't have far to travel. especially thru that gaping hole in the drive tunnel

 

Shoot, I thought it was just the um.. older S197's that had loud trannys. I'm thinking about switching over to Amsoil here soon.

 

JPC Racing
http://store.jpcracing.com/JPC-2005-...ade_p_601.html

 

TY SIR!!
added to my parts list!

 

So get this part and switch fluid, or just add this?

Would adding this void any warranty?

 

I don't think that hose is necessary except for the most serious of racers. Wait until you replace the clutch and slave cylinder before getting that hose. The OEM pressure plate isn't stiff enough to warrant the reinforced hose.

Quick rant: kind of annoys me that a lot of manufacturers use SS braided hose as the "end all, beat all" phrase for hose upgrades. They never tell you what the hose burst pressure or rated operating pressure differences are between the OEM hose and the one they are offering. Reinforced brake lines make more sense, and there is a noticeable difference in feel. Clutch line is under pressure for less than a second each time, the pressure is fixed unlike the brakes, and there probably isn't a discernible difference in the feel. OK done, sorry for the hijack.