F355 gearbox oil

I dont think I have heard of a 355 having this issue with "2nd gear when cold".

 

Try Motul 300, 75 90

 

+1, don't drive her cold!

 

Redline 75w-90 NS worked well for me...but after a year, it went back to being a bit cold blooded. I had a major service done at the dealer back in Feb 2008 and they put in Shell....it is already tough going into 2nd for the first mile...but after that, it is fine. Next year, when it is due for another gear oil change, I will go back to either Redline 75w-90 NS or Redline MTL.

 

I used the Redline MTL in the 348 and it cured the problem completely. Redline MTL is a GL-4 spec oil so it should not be used with medium to high offset hypoid gears if I remember correctly (whatever that means). Otherwise I'd go with the Redline 75-90 NS.

Edit:
Here is the quote from Rifledriver reposted by me in another thread...

Originally Posted by Rifledriver
My shop is right down the road from Redline and we use their products in the race cars. I have had many long conversations with them about their products and their recomendations.

Ferrari specs GL5 gear oils for the transmissions. Due to Ferraris specs Redline will not officially suggest anything other than GL5 gear oils.

GL5 basically means an oil that is designed for medium to high offset hypoid differentials. MTL is a GL4 lubricant which means it is designed for medium to low offset hypoid gears. In the 308, 328, 348, 355 transaxles there are NO hypoid gears of any type, hi, low, or medium, offset.

I am not ordinarily an experimenter with others cars except in circumstances where the official way is obviously not working but I have seen MTL used with great success and zero problems in 308 transmissions since the product was introduced many years ago. It was also the oil of choice in the transaxles of the 355 and 348 Challenge race cars with zero problems. Those transmissions were subjected to greater stresses and heat in one weekend than most of our transmissions are in a lifetime. I cannot say that however of the AGIP oil spec'd by Ferrari at the time. One session at the track finished off several transaxles and we were told unofficially by Ferrari to quit using it in cars that would see track service. That garbage did remain the official oil.

I have been using MTL in customer cars that had cronic shifting complaints for several years including one 85 308 in daily service with over 115,000 miles on it and the owner is pleased to this day how his transmission performs.

It's great oil. If you have a shifting problem use it.

I would not use it in any transaxle in a 275, 330, 365, BB, BBi, TR, 288, F40, 550, 456, 360, 430, 612, or 599. Those are all medium offset hypoid gear differentials and should have GL5 oil.


So NO NO NO Redline MTL (GL-4) for the TR!!!


BT

 

This link provides an explanation, with pictures, of what a hypoid gear is. Along with explanations of other gear types.

http://gemini.tntech.edu/~slc3675/me361/lecture/grnts4.html

 

I remember hypoid gears from 60's slot cars, and was pretty sure that didn't apply to our 348's.