Specialty Formulations Vs. Mobil 1 ATF

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I am about ready to change my ATF in my 2001 Ford F-350 Powerstroke Diesel. I have almost 90,000 miles and have been changing it every 30,000 miles. I have always been using Mobil 1 ATF but I have read a lot of good things about Specialty Formulations AutoGlide. My truck requires Mercon rated fluid. I know that the Specialty Formulations is a synthetic blend while the Mobil 1 is fully synthetic. Are there any advantages to swithing to the Specialty Formulations? I know that I would save a lot of money by switching.
 
I put Mobil 1 ATF on my wife's 4fEAT trans equipped Escort ZX2 with 70K mi on the clock (also added an external trans fluid cooler/filter). It made a night and day difference no studdering, slipping, shifts firmed up, I'm sold.

Granted it's not an 'apples to apples' comparison, I'm sure the trans behind that big powerstroke is much more robust than my fragile/undercooled, mazda-built lump.

Note: the trans had been flushed and filled by the dealer twice(30K mi & 60K mi)
 
Technically the AUTOglide can be called a full synthetic because the dino portion is group.III. SF is just being honest unlike some other oil blenders out there. I personally think that an ATF that has a portion made from a dino base is superior to pure synthetic in this application. Basically, I belive it has less seal and leak issues than pure synthetic. PAO synthetics tend to shrink seals, Ester synthetics tend to swell them. Oil blenders try to get a balance to offset them, but IMHO, dino still has the best overall seal compatibility. now, you may wonder why I'm concentrating on seals so much...because auto trans rely so much on internal seal integrity to function properly.

Hammer
 
It's the aromatics in "dino" that swell seals. Keep in mind that Group II and Group III, where the aromatic content is nil, have no better seal swell properties than PAO. Group I is the only "dino" that can handle that without the addition of esters in the additive package.
 
you are misunderstanding what I said...I never said anything about dino swelling anything. I'm basically saying that the dino content tends to have a more inert effect on ther seals. In true synthetics, you have more PAO & Ester being balanced out to prevent seal problems. With a blend, you have less of the PAO and Ester to deal with.

Hammer
 
Sounds like the SF has some advantages. How about heat issues? Does the SF deal with heat just as good as Mobil 1? I always try to watch my tranny gauge and never seen it get over 220 when towing in the mountains.
 
adamrc, are you running an extra trans cooler? I am not talking about the factory one. I have never exceeded 185 degrees and I pull some good hills when towing. Hwy 7 from Antelope to Jasper, Arkansas is a fairly good good example.
 
No, I'm not running any extra trans cooler. It's an all stock tranny. I pull around 13,500 lbs. I've only seen it get to 220 degrees once and that was in the middle of summer. I think a lot of that was due to slower speeds with my torque converter unlocked. I now have a new chip from DP Tuner and my shifts and lockups are MUCH better now so I don't think my tranny will ever get that hot anymore. The only reason I mentioned that 220 degrees was just to give an example of the Mobil 1 ATF withstanding temps that high.
 
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