JAvenger007

iTrader: (9)

My dad is a firm believer in amsoil and hes a dealer so im gonna go with that but I need to figure out which bottle to get for my 99 T56 before I give him a call.

Opinions seem to be all over the place for T56 oils. Some say full synthetic ATF fluid, some say good 'ol dino dexIII, others say synchromesh stuff. My shifting is pretty notchy right now, and im at 50K miles so i need a change. Amsoil makes:

Synthetic Manual Synchromesh Transmission Fluid (MTF)
Synthetic Universal Automatic Transmission Fluid
Torque-Drive™ Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATD)

https://www.amsoil.com/storefront/mtf.aspx

anyone have experience with these? Or lemme know what your using as far as synthetic vs synchromesh

SSDriver

iTrader: (2)

I use amsoil in my motor and it definitely last way longer than Mobil 1. I send my oil out and the readings I get back are night and day difference between the amsoil and Mobil one and the same miles. I haven't used there tranny fluid yet but I will definitely try it next time. As for the oil I would go with the synchromesh. I wasn't aware that amsoil made it, makes me happy now . There is too much controversey over using full synthetic trany fluid so I would stick with synchromesh or dino oil. The dealer and even builders of aftermarket t-56's recommend synchromesh or dino oil.

-William

JAvenger007

iTrader: (9)

yea the synchromesh caught my eye and so did the torque-drive. Ill likely go with synchromesh but i wanted to know if anyone has done torque-drive and if this synchromesh fluid will be ok since its synthetic.

rollinna65

iTrader: (18)

My car had amsoil in everything(including the tranny) when I bought it. As you may have read, synthetics are bad for pre-01 T56s, the blocker rings take a **** and then you start grinding gears. My tranny was no exception .

bad6as

iTrader: (17)

i use the standard ams oil atf in mine

mcamp001

iTrader: (1)

i use ATF in the M6, changed it at 1k miles, in there ever since

Bluewire

iTrader: (9)

I used the AMSOIL synthetic ATF and trans has been fine. Now that they have a new synthetic manual trans oil out, I will chnge it in the spring.
I also agree that Amsoil is much better than Mobil 1.

JAvenger007

iTrader: (9)

So what about the synchromesh? Its synthetic but would it solve the problem with the blocker rings? How was the shifting with regular atf fluid? I didn't even see non-synth atf on their site, but I'm sure they make some. I'm still puzzled about torque drive too. All these mixes are synthetic. Should I just stay away from synth all togethor. I think I read that either synchro or torque drive were good alternatives to dex 3

dailydriver

I asked the same exact thing in a post a couple of weeks ago, it got NO responses. I guessed that was because the Amsoil Synth. Synchromesh was still too new for anyone to have used it yet. I was also wondering about the Torque Drive stuff and if it would act any better in a T56 than regular synthetic dex 3 fluid. If it pans out OK, I'd rather use the Amsoil Synchromesh than the Pennzoil stuff (being a preferred customer). BTW, Amsoil only makes synthetic fluids/oils, no regular petroleum stuff.

SSDriver

iTrader: (2)

I wasn't aware that the syncromesh was fully synthetic. The GM Synchromesh is semi senthetic and thats why in my first post I said I use synchromesh but have not tried amsoil's version yet. Since your car is a 99 I would probably stay away from the fully synthetic synchromesh.

-William

JAvenger007

iTrader: (9)

I'm gonna give em a call and see what to go with. They also have the "super shift" but it seems too race oriented. I noticed that if you go into their product chart for a T/A they don't list the synchro for t56, only synth atf and torque drive. I need to figure thid out and get answers, I needed to order this stuff about 6 hours ago

SSDriver

iTrader: (2)

I just changed my fluid from ATF to syncromesh and the tranny seems to shift smoother than I ever remember it shifting. I went with GM Sychromesh with friction modifier. It is expensive though at just over $11 a quart

JAvenger007

iTrader: (9)

I thought you weren't supposed to have friction modifier. Was the friction mix a different bottle or a certain type of synchro mix. What year car did this go in?

is it synchromesh that is supposed to be used in pre 01 t56s or only for 01/02 cars. I can't remember if that mattered.

JAvenger007

iTrader: (9)

Well i ended up goin with Amsoil's Dexron III synthetic ATF. I drove it around the clutch engagement seems much better and the shifting is a little smoother, but i think my clutch hydrolics need to be adjusted and the drill mod done. Either way its still better than what was in there.

I also went to a GM dealer and asked a few T56 questions. They pulled the usual GM tech service BS...thinkin real quick of what to say since they have no clue what the answer is to my question. Said yes to synchromesh and that it was a synthetic mixture. From my understanding, just about every single guy on here has proven that it is only non or partial synthetic. Then he said its $28 a quart and that the tranny only takes 2 quarts though. I said ok thanks GOODBYE

what scared me is that these idiots had a brand new ford gt in the service garage...i hope to god they arent working on it

ls1 joe

iTrader: (37)

As a T56 Rebuilder I have seen most everything. The synchromesh is by far the best. When tearing down Viper Transmissions versus the Camaro's, there is a hugh difference in wear. The vipers come standard with synchromesh and the wear is minimal. I would use the GM synchromesh but the amsoil should do just fine.

speed_demon24

iTrader: (6)

I use the syncromesh, and my dad had mobil 1 in his car and had a 2nd gear grind. Then he switched over to the syncromesh and it fixed the grinding, and it shifted a lot smoother, so I'd say go with the syncromesh.

dailydriver

This is because GM does not spec even their own (Pennzoil's??) Synchromesh for our T56s. Amsoil can only go by what the OEM specs for a given application (even though WE know better!).

onebad82z

iTrader: (1)

Would you recommend synchromesh for any year T56?I picked up an '01 T56 I was planning to run the Amsoil Synchromesh in.I run this fluid in my daily S10 and it made a noticeable difference in shift smoothness so I would like to use in the T56 as well!

calhoon

iTrader: (6)

You need to do some more research Joe. NO T56 ever came with synchromesh. Vipers since 95 or so come with Castrol syntorque LT. It is a light gear oil and is not suitable with F-car spec. T56s due to the paper -lined blocker rings. Vipers have a carbon-particle blocker material that is compatable with that gear oil. Synchromesh is a synthetic/ dino blend and has a higher viscosity than Dex III. It will give a stiffer shift cold but is compatable.
BTW Avenger your trans oil has nothing to do with your smoother clutch apply.