Which Gear Box oil for F355

Hmmmm.... What is that I see peaking around the corner?

"fled this forum from sheer embarassment"? Beyond comprehension! Brian was just fed up dealing with kind of crap from a few folks with ZERO technical experiance posting opinions as fact.

Dave

 

Makes sense to me, I'd follow Brian's recommendation on this one. I already have Mobil 1 75W90 ready to go in for this change, next time I'll try the Redline.

 

I SUPPOSE the same dealership reccomends welding headers too........
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OH YEAH

Look whos back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This thread deserves to get a WEASEL ALERT
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I'm just gonna sit back and watch where this goes
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Back on track: I use the Redline Lightweight (blue) shockproof based on experience in my race car. PAP348 uses the Redline ultra-lightweight (yellow) shockproof, and is happier than I. This week I am switching to either MTL or Yellow, I haven't decided yet.

The reason I don't trust PAP completely, is that he watched me chat up a beautiful woman in San Francisco, and he was oblivious to the fact that she plays Womens fast pitch softball for the other team. Of course I didn't know either...... I guess they dont all wear Pendleton.


Jay

 

This what I would recommend. It isn't GL4 or GL5 rated, but seems to work well....and if the trans breaks anyway, it'll help easy the pain of the rebuild!!!!!!!!!!!
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+1

I suppose the same dealership also says there aren't any problems with 355 valve guides...just a rumor started by a few people.
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I feel your pain bro, I've been in the same situation. Somehow, though, I got her into bed!!! No joke, this woman was hardcore, the real deal. One of the best nights of my life!

 

Hahaha!!

How ya doing mate??

 

I drained my Redline 75-90 shockproof and installed 3 qts Redline MTL and 1 qt Redline 75/90 gear oil (not the NS) to keep the limited slip smooth. The reason for this blend is because the roads I drive on require a lot of full throttle 2nd gear operation, and the diff has been "chattery".

So far it is a slight improvement when hot, and a big improvement when cold. I think I will keep it this way until winter, and see how it goes.

Jay

 

Cool!

 

Got biscuits with that gravy?

 

Going to bump this super old thread as I've been researching what gear oil to use. Sounds like there are a consensus of 3:

-Redline MTL
-Redline 75w90NS
-Redline Lightweight Shockproof

Not much on shockproof in this thread, do we have a consensus on which causes the smoothest gearbox operation? Any new developments since 2008? I couldn't seem to find any other threads as granular as this one.

 

Add this one to the list:

- Motul Gear 300LS, 75W90, GL-5, 100% synthetic

 

I put the shock proof in my 355 found no difference in gearbox operation. The only thing is I have no idea what was in there before, it may have been the shock proof already. Some say it may not stick to the gears and oil well enough.
I still have half a case and will probably put it in my 348 next month before the real Montana driving season starts. That is getting some shifting stiffness and issues so maybe I'll see some improvement there. I'll let you know.

 

Thanks, that is what I'm leaning towards but wanted to make sure I research appropriately. Are you experincing any "crunching" and any notchiness in 1-2 shift?

 

No problems on the 355 before or after the change (?) to shock proof.
On the 348 that is exactly what I have so when I change that I'll let everyone know if it is better or worse.

 

You have to be careful with the old threads on this subject because there where some posts that confused the NS with the Shockproof. When I did my engine out three years ago in my 348 I decided to go with the NS because that is what the Redline web site recommended. I didn't know what was in the box prior but the shifting was really bad with the new NS in the box. I ran it for two months and drained it and put Shockproof in and the shifting was dramatically improved. Interestingly, the box is still not quite back to the smoothness of how it was before the engine out but that may be from a slight misadjustment of the shifter. I do wish I knew what was in there before I purchased the car. I am due for another change and may use the Motul mentioned above because I have been using their products in my P car and I like it.

 

Thanks 97, keep us posted on your results. Sounds like Shockproof is the way to go.

Joe - thanks for the heads up, let me know who the Motul goes.

Any experience with Royal Purple Products? I've used their oil in some of my other cars (motor oil) but no experience with gear oil.

 

As I have said in other posts on the topic, if you are thinking of straying from the oil manufacturer's recommendation for your specific application I suggest you call their technical department and discuss the options with someone who is familiar with your particular car and use case. There are often reasons why oil manufacturers do not recommend a particular oil for a particular application, but those reasons aren't always immediately clear in actual use. I doubt many of us here would trade awesome cold shifting for the need to rebuild the gearbox at 20k mile intervals, for example. So at least ask the guys who make the oil (and someone who has experience-- not just a random phone answerer) why they don't recommend what you're thinking of using.

For those who don't know, I used to own a multi-marque import repair shop and still do track prep work, so I have some real world experience with this topic, but not with Ferraris. My experience echoes an earlier post in this thread, which mentioned that each gearbox has its own preference for oil, and that one 355 might shift best with Redline but another might shift best with another brand. So experimentation is advisable here, only I would recommend against using any oils that the oil manufacturer does not recommend for your application.

FWIW, the best shifting 348 I've ever driven (a notoriously balky shifting box, but this one shifted beautifully) was filled with Amsoil's recommendation for that gearbox. That will be the next oil I try after Redline's recommendation for the 348 (NS, I think).

Good luck and let us know what you choose and how it works.

 

I have tried shell, motul, amsoil, royal purple and currently, redline 75w90 ns.
Recommend one try the different brands till you find what works for you.

 

Words of wisdom. What did Ferrari owners do before the internet and places like Chat?

 

Out of curiosity, which do you like best, and why?