MTF
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
1st off, sorry for the delay, life's been pretty hectic lately.
2nd ATF was not in your transmission
3rd I am not a certified mechanic, but I've been turning wrenches on honda's & honda's only for many years. I do not trust shops or dealers & feel most are there just to rip you off. I do a lot of side business working on honda's during the weekends and only use honda oem parts (minus oil filters or performance parts, but we'll save that portion for later). I always advise people to do work themselves so they know a job is done right, but when they don't have the time or knowledge to tackle the job, I'm there to assist & treat every car I work on as if it was my own.
4th, yes honda/helms manuals state 10w30 may be used as a temporary replacement for trans fluid in emergency situations, personally I would never recommend this, it's called a cell phone & a tow truck.
Honda's new MTF has been out for over a year now, which tells me that you guys don't change your trans fluid often enough for optimal performance, but for longevity. I change trans fluid every oil change in my turbo integra (1000-1500 miles), & every other oil change in my daily driver civic. For those s2000 owners that care more about performance, change your trans fluid every oil change or at least every other & you will notice a huge improvement. Honda's new fluid is much more clear than the old stuff & yes it does have negatives & positives.
Negative, is yes there is a noticeable amount of noise difference in certain transmissions such as the s2000 & d-series civics, but some cars like the f-series accords & h-series preludes there is little to no noticeable difference. Some customers have complained of a "more notchy feeling" & I would agree that you tend to "feel" the gears more. Personally I think that is a huge plus, because it is much easier to tell when the syncro's are lined up & when things are ready to shift or when they are going to grind or mess up your trans when idiots try to power shift...
Positives, the new fluid last longer, resisting breakdown under higher temperatures for longer periods of time. The new fluid lubricates all honda transmissions more than adequately under any realistic circumstances. Personally I love it, especially on the b-series transmissions it was a noticeable improvement in shifter feel.
I have tried many many many trans fluids & gear oils in the past including gm syncromesh & yes it is a huge difference from honda fluids. This I feel is a bad thing. While GMSM does tend to be quieter & provide soothing grandma feel shifting, i have seen syncro's worn out & more metal shavings in casings using it, maybe it was just the drivers, honestly it is very circumstantial & not a true "judge" of the fluid, but honda knows what they are doing when it comes to fluid, in my opinion there is no need to use anything but honda mtf in your trans. Honda know's what they are doing, why question honda's judgement? Have they not improved the s2000 in each of their revisions? What makes you think they wouldn't do the same when it comes to fluids? Remember type1 coolant before the type-2? guess which is better?
Oh & I never understood why people liked royal purple or redline mtf, I was never impressed with it compared to honda mtf, it's better then used nasty fluid, but comparing fresh fluid to fresh fluid, there is no comparison.
Here's a couple photo's because you guys waited so long & I thought of my idea last week, so I might as well finish it off, & yes I got a little picture happy, sorry 56k.
Honda fluids that I always stock:
The garage:
Legend brakes>S2000 brakes
"The" tire in my book:
Misc transmissions/gear sets laying around:
The mini junkyard of excess crap:
In case anyone thinks about taking things that don't belong to them:
2nd ATF was not in your transmission
3rd I am not a certified mechanic, but I've been turning wrenches on honda's & honda's only for many years. I do not trust shops or dealers & feel most are there just to rip you off. I do a lot of side business working on honda's during the weekends and only use honda oem parts (minus oil filters or performance parts, but we'll save that portion for later). I always advise people to do work themselves so they know a job is done right, but when they don't have the time or knowledge to tackle the job, I'm there to assist & treat every car I work on as if it was my own.
4th, yes honda/helms manuals state 10w30 may be used as a temporary replacement for trans fluid in emergency situations, personally I would never recommend this, it's called a cell phone & a tow truck.
Honda's new MTF has been out for over a year now, which tells me that you guys don't change your trans fluid often enough for optimal performance, but for longevity. I change trans fluid every oil change in my turbo integra (1000-1500 miles), & every other oil change in my daily driver civic. For those s2000 owners that care more about performance, change your trans fluid every oil change or at least every other & you will notice a huge improvement. Honda's new fluid is much more clear than the old stuff & yes it does have negatives & positives.
Negative, is yes there is a noticeable amount of noise difference in certain transmissions such as the s2000 & d-series civics, but some cars like the f-series accords & h-series preludes there is little to no noticeable difference. Some customers have complained of a "more notchy feeling" & I would agree that you tend to "feel" the gears more. Personally I think that is a huge plus, because it is much easier to tell when the syncro's are lined up & when things are ready to shift or when they are going to grind or mess up your trans when idiots try to power shift...
Positives, the new fluid last longer, resisting breakdown under higher temperatures for longer periods of time. The new fluid lubricates all honda transmissions more than adequately under any realistic circumstances. Personally I love it, especially on the b-series transmissions it was a noticeable improvement in shifter feel.
I have tried many many many trans fluids & gear oils in the past including gm syncromesh & yes it is a huge difference from honda fluids. This I feel is a bad thing. While GMSM does tend to be quieter & provide soothing grandma feel shifting, i have seen syncro's worn out & more metal shavings in casings using it, maybe it was just the drivers, honestly it is very circumstantial & not a true "judge" of the fluid, but honda knows what they are doing when it comes to fluid, in my opinion there is no need to use anything but honda mtf in your trans. Honda know's what they are doing, why question honda's judgement? Have they not improved the s2000 in each of their revisions? What makes you think they wouldn't do the same when it comes to fluids? Remember type1 coolant before the type-2? guess which is better?
Oh & I never understood why people liked royal purple or redline mtf, I was never impressed with it compared to honda mtf, it's better then used nasty fluid, but comparing fresh fluid to fresh fluid, there is no comparison.
Here's a couple photo's because you guys waited so long & I thought of my idea last week, so I might as well finish it off, & yes I got a little picture happy, sorry 56k.
Honda fluids that I always stock:
The garage:
Legend brakes>S2000 brakes
"The" tire in my book:
Misc transmissions/gear sets laying around:
The mini junkyard of excess crap:
In case anyone thinks about taking things that don't belong to them:
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
I don't own an s2000, I will, but for the time being I have other priorities...
I've driven & have worked on numerous. My roommate also owns one.
As for the new fluid, usually not a whining type noise, but there is a noticeably "crisper" feeling...
I've driven & have worked on numerous. My roommate also owns one.
As for the new fluid, usually not a whining type noise, but there is a noticeably "crisper" feeling...
Registered User
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 7,500
Likes: 2
From: AZ-CA-NV-24/7
This could go on forever just like all of those other "which xxxx is the best" threads. I was just stating what I had experienced personally. I have not tried the new Honda MTF, but with the old MTF when the trans would get hot I would grind 1-2. This was when the car was new. I used the OEM a couple times and still had the same problem. Tired the old GMSM and it was good for a few thousand miles, then the grind came back. Switched to Redline and haven't had the problem since. I change my trans/diff fluid twice a year (15k miles). I will stick to what has been working for ME.
To those saying that OEM fluid is the best, did you say that about the old Honda MTF? If it was so great, how did they find room to improve it? Do you use OEM Honda Oil too? The fact is that OEM manufacturers are always going to find ways to cut cost/corners. They need to make the cheapest product/biggest profit for a wide sprectrum of customers. That is why specialty/aftermarket companies are around. They can spend the extra time/$$$ to fulfill the needs of a smaller niche.
Just my $.02. OP asked peoples opinions on what fluid they found works best for them.
To those saying that OEM fluid is the best, did you say that about the old Honda MTF? If it was so great, how did they find room to improve it? Do you use OEM Honda Oil too? The fact is that OEM manufacturers are always going to find ways to cut cost/corners. They need to make the cheapest product/biggest profit for a wide sprectrum of customers. That is why specialty/aftermarket companies are around. They can spend the extra time/$$$ to fulfill the needs of a smaller niche.
Just my $.02. OP asked peoples opinions on what fluid they found works best for them.
