Which Red Line oil should be used in the factory limited slip diff?

 

How about you call Redline and ask? You know dood....your getting lazy in your old age cause you just asked a noob question...

 

Whatever Justin ... you bolt down your seats and roll bar yet? It's only been a couple years! LOL And what about that wing?

OK, anyone have worth while input?

I realize the obvious answer would be Red Line MTL however...

Turner Motorsport's website says BMW recommends ATF in all manual transmissions produced after 1/1995 under Red Line D4 ATF.

I sent an online request to Red Line and they replied with Red Line D6 ATF.

So, now I'm curious to what others have used with the factory limited slip and to what effect.

Anyone?

 

What's included in the Red Line Power Pack for the MINI?

 

OK, just to add to the confusion.

From Red Line's website about the Mini Power Pack...

 

I feel your pain. I've had some MTL sitting in the garage for 6 months waiting for a definitive answer on this one.

 

The ATF is recommended by BMW, but you can use the MTL. I prefer the MTL from Redline due to shifting feel and transmission noise.

 

My underestanding is that the factory LSD has the friction discs. My question, is how the friction modifiers in the Redline oil affect the lockup of these discs. When reading the material on the Redline web-site, you can get transmission oil , with and without these friction modifiers.

I am not sure whether the MTL is the correct oil for an OEM LSD.

This is not an issue with the Quaife LSD as it does not use the friction discs to transfer the power to the non-slipping wheel.

 

Probably not helping, but when I had a 300ZX with LSD Redline recommended MT90 or MTL for tranny but 75-90 trans oil for the LSD. Redline rep said the MT90 and MTL would not let the LSD operate correctly.

 

I also received a reply recommending the D6 ATF. When looking at the oil specs, the viscosity of the D6 is even lower than the D4. The D6 is pretty thin stuff for a manual tranaxle. It has me worried as to whether it will provide adequate protection for the gears during track days where we get continuous high rpm and loading, plus higher temps.

 

Based on BMW's TIS recommendations, it would appear MTL would be appropriate for use with the OEM LSD. MTL is the same visocosity as MTF-94 which is recommended for the Getrag 6spd with LSD (and pre 7/04 non-LSD models), LT-3 is a lower viscosity (like ATF) and recommended for the non-LSD for models after 7/04.

This was copied from a recent BMW TIS.

5 spd Midland up to 7/2004 MTF-94
5 spd Getrag Convertible from 4/2004 MTF-LT-3
Saloon from 7-2004 MTF-LT-3
Convertible from 9/2006 MTF-LT-4

6 spd Getrag GS6-85 BG/DG
Up to 7/2004 MTF 94
From 7/2004 MTF-LT-3
With LSD from 1/2005 MTF 94

6 spd Getrag GS6-55 BG, GS6-53 BG/DG
From 9/2006 MTF-LT-4

*** Not exactly what is shown today in ETK for these transmissions....so must be another update.

For the Getrag GS6-85BG Actually the LT3 is listed for up to 7/04, so some of this data is either incorrect or outdated ?

 

I've got an '06 MCS with LSD.

I swapped out my factory fluid with MTL after 1 year and 15k miles... it came out looking like Hershey's syrup. After adding the MTL, the shifts were a bit easier and it took less force to move over to reverse.

I just rolled past 40,000 miles (almost 2 years later) and swapped the fluid for MTL again. The old stuff came out a darkish tan to brown... still transparent and no bad smells at all.

The LSD works like a champ on for DE events and makes no noise. I have had no problems at all (knock on wood) with the transmission.

When I first did this a few years ago, MTL was the only fluid that I could find that would meet the MINI specs for LSD. It worked well, as far as I know, so I am going to stick with it.

 

Here's a thread going on my local club board on this same topic: http://www.metroplexmini.org/forum/s...ad.php?t=24752


And here's a write-up I did on how to change the transmission fluid a while back: http://www.metroplexmini.org/forum/s...d.php?p=277374

And a how-to from k-huevo with lots of pics: http://www.lonestarminiclub.com/foru...read.php?t=474

 

I've been running Redline MTL in my '05 Getrag with OEM LSD for over 1 year also and similar results to Agranger. I've done 5 two-day DEs and a full season of AX on the MTL and it held up quite well. I've just changed it for the second time and used MTL once again.

 

Redline is good stuff, and my '04 MCS ran the Redline MTL for about 12-14k. However there was no change/improvement in shift performance compared to the factory fluid. The factory fluid is also synthetic and seems to wear & perform fine compared to aftermarket synthetics.

 

Do you even use tranny fluid?

 

I checked with MINI and they did change tranny fluids for 05 to MTF LT-3. I have an 06 GP w/LSD
Here is what Redline told me:

Felipe,

Thank you for contacting Red Line Oil, in your MINI manual transaxle the MTF LT-3 fluid is called for and as a replacement I would recommend the D6ATF.

The MTL is a higher viscosity than used in the late model, it was used until July '04, after that a lower viscosity fluid was used. The limited slip is likely either a gear type or viscous and wouldn't require anything special in the gear oil.

Regards, Dave
Red Line Oil

 

Sorry, but Red Line is mistaken; the OEM LSD is a plate type and MTF-94 is used after Jan 2005. LT-3 is for the non-LSD gearbox from July 2004.

 

at what mileage intervals is everyone doing their trans fluid change at?

 

NO....and the tranny ran fine until I induced the failure....(the 2nd failure)...

 

Two years ago, the Redline web site recommended MTL for my 06 MCS 6sp. I put it in at 10K and now close to 45K with no issues what so ever. I plan to use MTL next time I change the tranny fluid.

YD

 

'05 w/factory LSD. I, too, changed to REDLINE MTL. Smooooth.

 

Can I mix a half and half blend of MTL and D6ATF?

 

Can I blend a half and half mix D6ATF and MTL.

 

So I just put the D6ATF