Bret

I was at a local auto parts store today and "discovered" Pennzoil Synchromesh fluid. Has anyone tried this yet. I'm thinking that it may be another alternative to Honda MTF or GM Synchromesh. Is it good, bad, or the same as GM Synchromesh?

Gloffer

Consensus is that the Pennzoil Synchromesh is the same as the GM Synchromesh. If you look at the bottle it has the same GM specs on it. And as far as anybody knows GM doesn't refine oil.

I'm currently using the Pennzoil Synchromesh in my daily driver, a Taurus SHO 5-speed and it is much smoother than the Ford ATF that was in there before. The Pennzoil fluid is a lot cheaper than the GM fluid too.

SpEeDxXxRaCeR

I was referred to it by joe_s2k, and man does it feel good when I started driving it. Butter smooth. over 10k miles since and it still feels better then Honda OEM. Several other houston guys have it and say it's great. Can't go wrong.

-Trung

Bret

I figured that was probably the case.

Now, how do we know that synchromesh transmission fluid is OK to use in the S2000 transmission? Certainly there have not been any short term problems or we would have heard about them by now, but what about long term? Does the S2000 have a synchromesh transmission because the following link indicates that synchromesh fluid is to be used in this type of transmission?

http://www.pennzoil-quakerstate.com/Tech/P...romeshFluid.PDF

fly_S2K

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SpEeDxXxRaCeR
I was referred to it by joe_s2k, and man does it feel good when I started driving it.

FormerH22a4

I would say stick with the HOnda OEM, if it isn't broke don't fix it.
I tried the GM stuff, didn't like the feel, the OEM fluid still feels the best for me.

kane.s2k

Oil doesnt break. Just breaks down.

The stock oils are not as good as what's out there. Stock oils are just good enough and cheap enough for honda to make.

I would never whimp out on oil. It's the cheapest and best protection you have.

RazorV3

i changed my mtf fluid at 3500 miles with honda mtf. its shifts better than the fluid that came from the factory. its still kind of notchy when cold but after it warms up, most gears feel like slicing through butter. ill give gm synchromesh friction modified next time, this is the stuff that mkes the biggest difference. the pennzoil synchromesh is the same as the gm synchromesh, but the better one is the "gm syncrhomesh FRICTION MODIFIED".


try that and you'll be amazed.

Road Rage

I posted extensively on the Pennzoil product (Texaco makes one too) and why it is made. I stated it is comparable to "regular" GM Syncromesh. None is a wonder fluid, and were all designed for specific use in certain Getrag and other trannies as determined by the GM engineers. There were a lot of problems with warranty claims when mechanics started throwing GL5 gear lubes in the GM trannies, resulting in corrosion of the yellow metal synchros. So GM spec'd its own, and the big oil companies produced competitive products.

Although many have used GMS with good anecdotal experience, it remains to be seen what long term effects are. With Honda's product, that question has been asked and answered in millions of miles of Honda R&D and field engineering studies.

Razor - what is "Friction Modified" and what does it mean? Is it slightly "stickier" (to use a layman's term) a la RedLine MTL to ensure adequate coeeficient of friction? Recall that some lubricants are too lubricious for best syncro action, which often requires a bit of "bite".

For the 00-03 it might be good, but if the lubricity is higher than the regular GMS, then it might not be a good product to use in the MY04's, as I stated in another post (short shot: the carbon synchronizers seem sensitive to too much slipperiness, as evidenced by glazing in some of the 2003 Cobra T-56's which also use carbon synchro blockers).

Personally, I plan to stick with Honda's MTF in my MY04 until all this gets sorted out. Once carbon synchros are compromised, replacement is the only option. With yellow metal synchros, one can go back to the original OEM fluid with little harm. What is the difference? It is because the carbon material is porous, and will retain a fair amount of the subsituted lubricant for a while, perhaps long enough for glazeover. Not worth the risk vs. benefit for my taste.