So in my rear drive manual transmission. There's a bit of vibration in the shifter, which kind of bothers me because it's enough where it'll numb your hand a little. But also gets a little worse the higher the RPMs. I think that maybe just how it's designed. It's carrying over the engine vibration. But some gear oils do better a bit at reducing some vibrations. But I see like a list of oils that are the best, but not really sure which one would actually be best. Just want to hear what opinions y'all have. Right now I got the Valvoline synthetic 75W90G04 boiling. It's about the same as the red line or I've used. And the oil is a little better but there's a bunch of others that are more expensive that are supposed to be better.
Best 75w90 gear oil for vibration reduction?
- Thread starter Toaster
- Start date
What kind of car is this? 
No offense, but there’s no way your hand should ever be on the shifter long enough to get numb from vibration. The pressure from your hand will push the shift pads into contact much more often and cause premature wear or failure.
I don’t know any oil that can deal with that constant level of engagement (since that’s a non-standard operation)… and since Valvoline SynPower is on the J2360 QPL, it’s already meeting some of the toughest tests to pass. It may not be the flashiest or most overqualified, but it’s approved.
IMO, and again no offense, if you get rid of the bad habit of resting your hand on the shifter, your concern goes away. In reality, it’s most likely your hand keeping the pads & synchros partially engaged is the cause of the vibration you feel.
Can you feel the vibration in the car body/seats when your hand is not on the shifter?
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
What is it spec’d for ? GL and all that ?
The Difference Between GL-4 and GL-5 Gear Oil - AMSOIL Blog
The main difference between GL-4 and GL-5 gear oils is in the level of extreme-pressure (EP) additives.
blog.amsoil.com
2019 Fiat 124 Spider.What kind of car is this?
I did replaced the flywheel because the last person smoked the hell out of it. It's not as bad as it was before, but it's still there. I'm just thinking, maybe it's normal for some rear drive cars. I did used to feel a lot of buzz in the pedals and steering wheel. That's all gone now, but it's just the shifter.
Did you replace the dual mass flywheel with a single mass flywheel?
ok
Did you use the Valvoline gear oil in the gray/silver bottle you'd find at Walmart or any auto parts store?
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Ok - well the title and original post are not aligned …
And the correct balance one? Some engines have multiple different flywheel configurations depending on the year of the engine (Ford 302s, for example).
If previous owner smoked flywheel I am wondering about engine and gearbox mounts.
Fair… new information fleshes out information that leads to the root cause
I replaced it with the OEM dual mass
I replaced it with the OEM dual
Had a shop do a test on the engine mounts. All okay, and the trans has a month, but it's not dampened. Just a long aluminum bar that goes from the back of the trans to the differential and frame. Which I hope it's still okay cause it's only got 34k miles on it.Fair… new information fleshes out information that leads to the root cause
I got the quart bagged ones at AutoZone.ok
Did you use the Valvoline gear oil in the gray/silver bottle you'd find at Walmart or any auto parts store?
What test did they do? Mounts could be collapsed and the way you can see it is to compare to new.
But, let's say they re OK, is this something that started to happen or it was always that way? It is small car, it will be more analog.
I would try to find a similar one with a manual and try it. Maybe someone has it for sale as used. Go and "test drive it."
dnewton3
Staff member
This is the gussied-up Fiat version of an MX-5; a 2019, right? In the ND Mazda, that trans is very light-weight; it was redesigned for quick revs. I am not very familiar with the Fiat version, but I seem to recall that they stuck with the NC trans for some reason (based on a video of a chassis review I saw on YT). Anyone able to confirm/deny this?
I had a 2019 MX-5; it had 35k miles on it when I traded it for a 2023.
My thoughts on your quest ...
- keep your hand off the shifter when not actively shifting; whether you believe it or not, the weight of your hand over long periods of time can cause excess wear on the internal bushings, etc. Simply put, the shifter is for shifting; it's not a place to rest your hand.
- No oil is going to dampen the vibrations to any measurable degree better than another; I seriously doubt there is any lube that could quantifiably offer any difference if the same grade is used (GL-4; 75w-90).
- in theory, you'd want a thicker lube, which is ironic, because most folks (myself included) want a thinner lube for quicker shifting and more reliable synchro action
I had a 2019 MX-5; it had 35k miles on it when I traded it for a 2023.
My thoughts on your quest ...
- keep your hand off the shifter when not actively shifting; whether you believe it or not, the weight of your hand over long periods of time can cause excess wear on the internal bushings, etc. Simply put, the shifter is for shifting; it's not a place to rest your hand.
- No oil is going to dampen the vibrations to any measurable degree better than another; I seriously doubt there is any lube that could quantifiably offer any difference if the same grade is used (GL-4; 75w-90).
- in theory, you'd want a thicker lube, which is ironic, because most folks (myself included) want a thinner lube for quicker shifting and more reliable synchro action
Driveshaft balance?
