Change your MTF

novadrive

If you are currently running stock MTF in your civic I urge you to change to something else.

I recently changed my fluid to Royal Purple Synchromax and I cannot recommend it enough over that watery garbage that Honda threw in stock.

For 40 bucks you get a smoother shift, no more fighting into gears and longer shelf life than stock MTF

If anyone has questions or concerns regarding the process of changing the fluid give me a shout
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Honda_RacerX

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If you are currently running stock MTF in your civic I urge you to change to something else.

I recently changed my fluid to Royal Purple Synchromax and I cannot recommend it enough over that watery garbage that Honda threw in stock.

For 40 bucks you get a smoother shift, no more fighting into gears and longer shelf life than stock MTF

If anyone has questions or concerns regarding the process of changing the fluid give me a shout
QFT

the thin as water piss honda mtf is pure trash.. and thats exactly what itll do to your synchros over time, trash them.

ive used amsoil synchromesh, and am now using gm synchromesh with friction modifiers. both of these fluids are worlds better than the honda piss.
 

mvela

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QFT

the thin as water piss honda mtf is pure trash.. and thats exactly what itll do to your synchros over time, trash them.

ive used amsoil synchromesh, and am now using gm synchromesh with friction modifiers. both of these fluids are worlds better than the honda piss.
This is good to hear. I just changed my oil earlier tonight and changed the manual transmission fluid to amsoil synchromesh while I was at it. I haven’t driven it yet to feel the difference but I’m looking forward to checking it out when I go through town tomorrow
 

geeeek

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I switched to amsoil synchromesh about 2 weeks ago. Based on the posts in this forum I imagined my shifts to literally feel buttery. The shifter goes into gears more easily (no more crunchy shifts) but overall shifting feels the same, if that makes sense.

I definitely recommend changing the honda mtf, I'm just sharing my sliiight disappointment after reading all the hype here. I feel a lot more confident shifting and I think I've been banging through the gears too much recently as a result lol
 

mvela

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I switched to amsoil synchromesh about 2 weeks ago. Based on the posts in this forum I imagined my shifts to literally feel buttery. The shifter goes into gears more easily (no more crunchy shifts) but overall shifting feels the same, if that makes sense.

I definitely recommend changing the honda mtf, I'm just sharing my sliiight disappointment after reading all the hype here. I feel a lot more confident shifting and I think I've been banging through the gears too much recently as a result lol
Yeah I haven’t jumped in my car this morning to try. I just changed it to amsoil yesterday and haven’t driven it yet. But I am not expecting perfection. But did you notice even the slightest improvement over the Honda mtf? If there is even a slight improvement then I think it’s worth it. I’m a realist and know it’s not going to get rid of the crunchy gear shifts completely but I’m hoping for a little improvement. Did you at least see some improvement?
 


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I'll be switching to the Amsoil soon. Hoping it makes a difference, especially in cold weather.
 

charleswrivers

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I did Amsoil MTF on 2 other Honda/Acuras including this one. The viscosity is about the same honestly... they're both ~30 weight. The Amsoil has always performed better... smoother shifts, better cold weather performance in the winter. Notchiness substantially improved or downright eliminated. The 3rd gear pop-out in my RSX cured.

I have tried thicker Syncromesh gear oils... but I found, in the winter, they performed unacceptably because the shifts were overly difficult until the transmission was warmed up.
 
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novadrive

I did Amsoil MTF on 2 other Honda/Acuras including this one. The viscosity is about the same honestly... they're both ~30 weight. The Amsoil has always performed better... smoother shifts, better cold weather performance in the winter. Notchiness substantially improved or downright eliminated. The 3rd gear pop-out in my RSX cured.

I have tried thicker Syncromesh gear oils... but I found, in the winter, they performed unacceptably because the shifts were overly difficult until the transmission was warmed up.
Being in a northern state I will have to keep an eye on that this winter
 

charleswrivers

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Being in a northern state I will have to keep an eye on that this winter
Yep. It's been several years so I can't remember the exact brands/viscosities... but it was like the 75w-90 stuff I think. I was in upstate NY at the time. In the ~80F summer-fall it was fine. When I hit winter... you had to wrestle it into gear for the first mile or two. I originally tried things that could be bought in auto parts stores before I sent off for the Amsoil and noticed that it was lightweight gear oil (5w-30). The manual for the RSX said you could use motor oil as a temporary substitute if you can't find MTF... and the RSX used 5w-30 motor oil at the time. 9th gen and 10th gen manuals say the same... though our motor oil viscosities have been lowered to 0w-20 to improve fuel economy. I don't think Honda MTF has changed for a long time... but you can see it's a pretty light oil. Those thick gear oils were better in warm weather by wide margin... but I just had to get rid of it once the winter hit.
 


geeeek

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Yeah I haven’t jumped in my car this morning to try. I just changed it to amsoil yesterday and haven’t driven it yet. But I am not expecting perfection. But did you notice even the slightest improvement over the Honda mtf? If there is even a slight improvement then I think it’s worth it. I’m a realist and know it’s not going to get rid of the crunchy gear shifts completely but I’m hoping for a little improvement. Did you at least see some improvement?
yeah there is an improvement, sorry if that wasn't clear in my previous post. Overall shifting feels more predictable because I don't get random lockouts and crunches anymore, the shifter does what I want if I do it correctly. Which is all I could have asked for really, but just I got a bit too hyped from other's reviews here
 

mvela

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yeah there is an improvement, sorry if that wasn't clear in my previous post. Overall shifting feels more predictable because I don't get random lockouts and crunches anymore, the shifter does what I want if I do it correctly. Which is all I could have asked for really, but just I got a bit too hyped from other's reviews here
Gotcha. Well if I have those same results then I’ll be happy. That’s all the results I was looking for. Now I’m excited lol
 
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novadrive

Gotcha. Well if I have those same results then I’ll be happy. That’s all the results I was looking for. Now I’m excited lol
One small improvement at a time. It all adds up to a better driving experience. I had installed acuity shifter bushings already so these two mods make a great pair!
 

Gotch

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Yes, Amsoil is way over hyped here....but better is better and there is an improvement. Currently I find it’s much better when the trans is cool, still summer here though. Once up to operating temps, meh, it’s a tiny bit better than Honda MTF. The telltale will be a Canadian winter and as the mileage piles on...I’ll keep it in for a year unless it is shit in the winter. The other one to try is GM Syncromesh, another top notch MTF. Time will tell, so far I’m happy but it is still over hyped and anyone saying Honda MTF is crap doesn’t know how to drive a stick.
 

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Yep. It's been several years so I can't remember the exact brands/viscosities... but it was like the 75w-90 stuff I think. I was in upstate NY at the time. In the ~80F summer-fall it was fine. When I hit winter... you had to wrestle it into gear for the first mile or two. I originally tried things that could be bought in auto parts stores before I sent off for the Amsoil and noticed that it was lightweight gear oil (5w-30). The manual for the RSX said you could use motor oil as a temporary substitute if you can't find MTF... and the RSX used 5w-30 motor oil at the time. 9th gen and 10th gen manuals say the same... though our motor oil viscosities have been lowered to 0w-20 to improve fuel economy. I don't think Honda MTF has changed for a long time... but you can see it's a pretty light oil. Those thick gear oils were better in warm weather by wide margin... but I just had to get rid of it once the winter hit.
Honda MTF is low 20 weight with cSt of 6.3 or something close to that. Amsoil MTF on the other hand is around 9.6cSt and is a 30 weight. So, there's quite a bit of the viscosity difference between the two.
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