rominl

iTrader: (4)

i got my car used when it had 32k miles and now it's 36k. from day one i got the car i already felt it's not as fast as what it should be, coz' with the power and tq of the car it just doesn't make sense that i couldn't chirp the tires when i floor the car.

when i floored the car, the tires will spin a bit, no squeak, and then the car will shoot away. don't get me wrong it was still fast but just not as fast as what i expected it to be.

after talking to rmmgs4 he suggested me to change out the tranny and the differential fluid to see if it does any good. i went to lexus dealer to flush the tranny at 33k so i didn't touch it this time, but today i went ahead and change out the differential oil to the redline 75w90 synthetic gear oil.

let me tell you, the result is incredible. i am still shocked.

so yesterday before the oil change i found a long stretch of road to test out the car. rmmgs4 gave me his g tech pro and i figured i would use it to time myself a little bit.

the first run, i just floored the car completely, no chirp, and i got 0-60 of 6.20. second try i power brake the car to 1500rpm. BAD mistake. when i floored the car it really chirped till 4000rpm badly and i got 6.40.... ugly number.... third time i floored it without power brake and i got 6.14. consider that have the heavy 19" on my car i think these numbers are quite respectable.

tonight i went out to the same stretch of road to test the car out again. temperature was about the same, same level of gas, same load, etc...

from my "experience" yesterday i figured i would power brake it to 1000rpm this time and hopefully get some better result. 3-2-1, boom..... i CHIRPPED through the WHOLE first gear!!!!!!!!! yes, i didn't have any traction with my first gear at all!!!!! i thought it's going to be a bad run, but i got 0-60 of 6.48. that's not bad considering that i basically ruined the whole first gear....

so the second run i just floored the car from stop.... still bad mistake..... i still chirped almost the whole first gear again. it's not until almost 5000rpm did i start to get traction..... but surprisingly, i got 0-60 of 6.15!!!!!! wow!!!!!! i almost beat my record yesterday already.

i did a third run and this time i didn't floor the car from beginning. rather i did a quick accel and this time i got 6.12. mind you though, i still chirped the tires quite badly in first.....

i am VERY happy with the result... basically i still havent' found the best way to launch the car coz' i am wasting a lot of the first gear. and consider i have 19" and the bad launches, 6.12 is very good for me i guess, since this is pretty much the first time i dragged my car.

so people, change your differential oil at 30k to redline synthetic!!!!! you will NOT regret it. now i have every feeling that my car actually has 300 hp and 310tq. 2 quarts of oil and you are good to go, 8 bucks a quart, and labor should be within 50 bucks at most.

oh, and i didn't do more test after that. with the LOUD squeak sound i made in the middle of the night at 1am it won't take long for cops to come and time my speed for me...

ShowGSLuVv

Thanks for the writeup and glad to see everything is good now.

ShOwGS

tomtnc

I have seen dynos of before-after Redline synthetic lubricant changes for transmission and differential on 300HP GM products. Amazingly enough, there were consistent 2-3HP increases through the entire RPM range.

Realistically, your gs probably gained 1-2HP from a differential-only Redline synthetic lubricant change. If you ran the car in the quarter mile before-after, the power gains from a Redline synthetic lubricant change are so minute they couldn't be measured in terms of ET reduction.

The dealership fixed something other than your differential fluid for you to measure before-after 0-60mph reductions, everything else being equal that affects HP/TQ (ambient temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity) and traction (road suface condition, road surface temperature, tire pressure and temperature). Chances are, everything else being equal does not apply here.

I am a proponent of Redline products (from personal experience and research) - but I wouldn't contribute any significant power gains to a change from standard 'dino' lubricants to Redline synthetic products.

DrewGS4

Hey Rominl nice writeup. I noticed a big change in the smoothness of shifting when I went to the REDLINE synthetic for my manual honda prelude. However, not sure if I would use this in my GS. I hear that you should stay with the toyota version of the trans fluid. This will prevent the tranmission from going bad in the long run.

I know when you get the TC installed by SRT, they still use and recommend you continue to use the Toyota transmission fluid and not a synthetic.

I guess if it works for you and you notice a difference than keep running it. I dont think any of us know the long term effect of using this as I believe you are the first to do this.
Keep us posted with some future feedback.

Mr Johnson

DrewGS4: He's using redline only in the diff. That's OK. He had the dealer flush the trans and I'm sure they would stick with Toyota Type IV for that.

BTW: Changing the diff fluid is a pretty easy DIY. I belive banana has a writeup on his page.

Lvangundy

hmm

When I had the dealer change my diff fluid I didn't notice anything different. Still no chirping tires off the line.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Rominl:

Good writeup, thanks! Can't recall if you have a TC or LSD installed in your GS?

Cosm

Great Post ! Do you think Redline oil is better than the mobil synthetic ? I am having a hard time finding Redline locally but if Mobil Synthetic is the same or better I would go that route otherwise I will get the Redline.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

thanks for the input guys i was just too happy and couldn't resist posting my findings. in fact i am going to test it out more in different areas (i am in north cali and i will test it in south cali), different time, temp, just to see what i get. but at least for 60 bucks i can't complain much

and nop, davegs4, i am still with stock tc and lsd. with 19 and performance tires it's known to be hard to chirp the tires. i thought it's a long shot but yesterday i heard something i want

rominl

iTrader: (4)

honestly i really don't know. rmmgs4 has redline synthetic in his car and it's been running great so far (forgot how many miles he has gotten them for), and my friend also has the redline on his car, that's why i got these. if someone else know anything about the mobile synthetic please let us know too

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yup, that's exactly why i went to dealership to have them flush my tranny and put in the toyota type iv for the tranny. i heard the tranny is quite sensitive to the oil type and i definitely don't wanna mess with that

rominl

iTrader: (4)

ah, this is some great technical information. like i said i tried to stay with the same condition but who knows. could be the ground were a bit more slippery yesterday. i will try to do a bit more testing just to see. great info though

tomtnc

Redline, Amsoil, and Royal Purple are among the few remaining companies that offer a true synthetic-based formula.

Reformulated versions of Mobil 1 (marketed as tri-synthetic) no longer offer a pure (by chemical definition) synthetic-base formula.

There is an objective (IMO) and extremely factual write-up on this issue at the Amsoil website:

sythetic or not synthetic?

I hope you all find this information useful.

I have since stopped using Mobil 1 products since this "reformulation".

gserep1

I had the same experience with this new TRI SYNTHETIC FORMULA. I have been using Mobil 1 since 1978, and it has been getting worse and worse. They pushed the 0W-30 oil so much in ads, I tried it in my 2001 Nissan Sentra SE.....The worse thing I could have done. Mileage is good, but the oil is too thin. It gets dirty real fast (detergent doing its job okay), but something just did not feel right.

GM still MANDATES Mobil 1 for their new Corvettes to stay in warranty, but I am not impressed. I will not be putting this in my GS4. I am now using AMSOIL in all of my cars, and I feel much better. If ONLY I could get a synthetic automatic transmission fluid for the GS4. GOTTA stick with Toyota Type T-IV until something better comes along.

Thanks for the info!

Respectfully,
GSEREP1

bryanb124

You can get RedLine through Summit Racing. I replaced both diffs, the tranny and transfer in my 2000 Tacoma and WOW, what a difference. Smoother shifts on both the tranny and transfer (I have a manual) and the diffs both feel smoother, no so clunky when I am in 4WD...

Redline is good stuff....

Later

Bryan