Subaru Extra S

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buster

buster

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The MT on the Forester was getting a bit loud when shifting from 1st throug 3rd. It really only made the noise when shifting above 2,500 rpms.

I changed the gear oil that was in the car when I picked it (131k miles) to Extra S. The noises are gone. Much quieter.

There was some metal buildup around the drain plug. I did not take a sample.

Does anyone know anything specific regarding the Extra S? From what I researched, it's the preferred MT/Diff fluid for Subarus. It works better than most per the Forester Forums. Redline is also a favorite.
 
Originally Posted By: buster
The MT on the Forester was getting a bit loud when shifting from 1st throug 3rd. It really only made the noise when shifting above 2,500 rpms.

I changed the gear oil that was in the car when I picked it (131k miles) to Extra S. The noises are gone. Much quieter.

There was some metal buildup around the drain plug. I did not take a sample.

Does anyone know anything specific regarding the Extra S? From what I researched, it's the preferred MT/Diff fluid for Subarus. It works better than most per the Forester Forums. Redline is also a favorite.



From my understanding, Subie people LOVE the stuff.

However, it is not synthetic. . .


I plan on throwing Motul 300 in the WRX this fall.
 
Quote:
From my understanding, Subie people LOVE the stuff.

However, it is not synthetic. . .


+1. It really smooths out the shifting. I'm curious who makes it.
 
I tried it.. car shifted terrible afterwards.

It was supposedly from a 5gal mini-drum but I never saw it.

Makes me doubt I got geniune stuff.


The redline 75w90NS is better than the walmart supertech stuff though.

I might try shell spirax next.

My father recently bought a 2013 outback 6mt so It wont take me 10 years to use a mini drum anymore.. lol.

only so many api gl-5's that work good in a shared MT/front diff.
 
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Why bother when you can get Redline 75w90NS much easier for not much more money, its more or less designed for transaxles with hypoid diffs and shifting issues.
 
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Why bother? Because most people that use it report great results. It seems to be the preferred fluid for Subaru MT's.

You may not have gotten the OEM stuff. Check out Fred Beans parts. They carry it.
 
Both the Extra S and Mobil Delvac Synthetic 75w-90 are straight GL-5 75w-90 gear oils that many Subaru owners have good experience with.

I have been using Extra S for a few years and the shifts are consistent. I learnt long ago to not experiment with different Subaru MT oil if what's in there works.
 
I really liked the feel of Extra-S, but it took too long to warm up for me in freezing temps. I was actually making a left turn near my house in third gear when driving to the bus stop.

Mobil Delvac works much better for me in winter. Thinking about Motul Gear 300 next, although it did get notchy after about 20k miles in my WRX.

-Dennis
 
^ Interesting, thanks for sharing.

Being all fluids are a balance/compromise, it's possible that Extra S isn't as good as RL or Amsoil in the cold. However, in terms of shifting, it's top notch.

My MT has been silenced since switching to the stuff. 90% of the time people report positive things about Extra S and Subaru MT's are apparently finicky when it comes to MTF's.
 
I just finished removing the Valvoline High Performance gear oil from my Impreza's transmission and rear diff, replacing it with Extra-S I recently bought from Fred Beans. It immediately fixed the 1st gear grind that appeared soon after I installed the Valvoline last year.

As good a dino gear lube as Valvoline HP is otherwise, never again in my transmission. It was perfectly fine for the rear diff, though.
 
I now have about 400 miles on this fluid and I'm extremely happy with this stuff. Since I've been on this forum, I've never had a fluid make that much of a dramatic difference. I paid $14qt for this stuff and it's well worth it. I will probably replace it once a year. It's become even quieter. The car shifts so much better and is so much quieter from when I bought it. Very smooth shifting.
 
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