My experiences mirror those of
Malibu. Each time I have used Red Line or heard others use it, they have noticed a marked improvement in shifter feel and most are very happy/excited and never look back.
In the January issue of
Sport Compact Car they had an article about a 500hp 300ZX Turbo project car and they talked about what a thinned-out runny mess the Mobil 1 oil gear oils in their diff and transmission had become and what an improvement switching over to Red Line gear lubes had made. If I didn't have so many positive personal experiences with Red Line myself I would have written the comments off as paid "puffery" endorsements by a magazine. As it is, I just look at their 300Z experiences as just a couple more successful applications of Red Line gear oils.
Occasionally I run into someone who says they felt no difference when switching to Red Line and very rarely I talk to somone who reports more "crunchiness" in their transmission than when using some other kind of lube.
I have come to the conclusion that synchromesh gearboxes are fussy and some prefer certain coefficients of friction over others. It is not unheard of that someone reports problem after swithing to Red Line from some other brand or even the factory fill.
I also feel that others are blaming the oil in their transmission when it is actually their abuse of the gearbox which is the problem. Much easier/better to blame the oil than to accept the idea that you are a lousy driver ... or even need more experience behind the wheel. I found this on some of the Honda-Acura boards I used to frequent. Kids (often new to stick-shifts) driving hard in cars with lots of miles on them.
I say experiment ... and if it seems your transmission doesn't care for a type of gear oil, swap it out for something else ASAP. With manual gearboxes, it usually only takes 2-3 quarts so even at $10 per quart, it's small potatos in their world of auto maintenance.
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Bror Jace
