SP III ATF equivalent

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Originally Posted By: berniedd
... what equivalent rating should I look for on the label ?


Valvoline Maxlife ATF is readily available at Wally and specs SPIII use right on the bottle.

There's lots of posts on this in this forum

Joel
 
Originally Posted By: ChrisD46
Many suggest staying with Kia / Hyundai SPIII ATF and not chance it .


Maxlife ATF works great in this application if not better...
 
Many NAPA stores can get or stock Eneos Type SP, which is intended directly replace SP III.
 
Originally Posted By: berniedd
My Kia manual says to use SP III ATF for my Sportage. If I were to go to Walmart, what equivalent rating should I look for on the label ?


is there a warranty ?
if so I'd recommend factory spIII
if there is any issue with your transmission they send out a fluid sample to be tested for markers that are in the factory fluid.
It does matter if the issue was caused by fluid or not they will most likely deny you without the factory SPIII fluid.

If out of warranty there are alternatives that are fine.
 
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I'm using maxlife in my kia , my observations, fluid does not darken like the sp3 does this mean anything? The shifts are much smoother on both the up shift and down shift.. I think most kia transmission problems were on the prior 2005 model and below, i believe its was a two fold problem one the transmission were of poor quality and design and the sp2 and 3 fluids were and are a so-so fluid at best.
 
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i've been on the ropes about maxlife mainly because i never tried it. I have a lancer that slips every now and then under medium acceleration. Its 80k now and had D&F @35k and 62k. I'm thinking maxlife will either make it better or worst and doing SP3 again will keep it the same. I figure maxlife since i can get it cheaper + lubeguard is worth a shot in my book.

When i'm at 90k hopefully AAP's coupons are still good for the 20$ off $50 of fluid.
 
I'm using Maxlife in place of SP-III and it works great. Smoother overall operation, and the Maxlife fluid appears to be in better shape after 20K miles of service. Feels better rubbing between the fingers too.

As far as Lubegard goes: I would only use red bottle, and only in severe duty applications such as heavy towing where a cheaper conventional fluid is being used. IMO: a well-engineered synthetic ATF does not need any additives.
 
If there is a factory warranty on the tranny, go to the dealer and buy the SP-III?
My wifes 2007 Elantra just passed 100K miles and I flushed 8 qt. of ST ATF+4 in there, purging old SP-III. Very satisfied with the performance of ATF+4 in the Elantra. It shifts like it should, no excess slippage or roughness.
 
Originally Posted By: keith
If there is a factory warranty on the tranny, go to the dealer and buy the SP-III?
My wifes 2007 Elantra just passed 100K miles and I flushed 8 qt. of ST ATF+4 in there, purging old SP-III. Very satisfied with the performance of ATF+4 in the Elantra. It shifts like it should, no excess slippage or roughness.


What led you to choose the ATF+4?
 
I have two mitsubishi made chrysler cars that call for spIII. Per a chrysler TSB, I am using atf+4 in both trans and steering units without issue for 4+years.



NUMBER: 21-003-02
GROUP: Transmission
DATE: Jul. 29, 2002
SUBJECT:
ATF+4 Usage
OVERVIEW:
This bulletin provides information about ATF+4 usage in ST22 models.
MODELS:
2001 - 2003 (ST) Sebring/Stratus Coupe
DISCUSSION:
ATF+4 (type 9602) is approved for use in Sebring/Stratus Coupe power steering and automatic transaxles. The fluid is fully compatible in power steering systems and no additional maintenance information is required. When using ATF+4 in automatic transaxles, the following information is required for proper service and maintenance.
SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE
When using ATF+4 as a complete fill in Sebring/Stratus Coupe models, the maintenance for schedule A is changed to a 60,000 mile fluid replacement interval. Schedule B remains the same as listed in the owners manual. The owner should be notified about this schedule change when ATF+4 is used as a complete fill.
NOTE: USING ATF+4 FOR TOP OFF WILL NOT CHANGE THE ORIGINAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FACTORY FILL OR ORIGINAL MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE.
GENERAL SERVICE FILL
ATF+4 is fully compatible for top off or for any transaxle service procedures that would require fluid fill or fluid replacement. Special considerations are required if a new torque converter is installed.
TORQUE CONVERTER REPLACEMENT
If a new torque converter is installed, ATF+4 can be used however, green torque converter shudder MAY be experienced. If green torque converter shudder is experienced, it will be eliminated over time as the torque converter clutches wear or burnish in. If shudder occurs, the vehicle can be driven (in torque converter partial lockup) until the condition is eliminated. If customer concerns arise due to green torque converter shudder use the following procedure.
NOTE: TO ELIMINATE ANY CONCERNS OF GREEN TORQUE CONVERTER SHUDDER, THE TRANSAXLE CAN BE FILLED WITH DIAMOND SPIII FLUID PN 05073942AA DURING THE INITIAL FILL.
 
Originally Posted By: wymi516
What led you to choose the ATF+4?


Just from reading various forums, SP-III is an older fluid most similar to ATF+3 and ATF+4 is a far superior upgrade.
 
I am going to use some Catrol Multi Vehicle Import in my sonata that specs SP III it says that it is approved and I heard it is a great replacement for it, Maxlife is always a good choice as well.
 
Even the bottles of supertech ATF+4 at Walmart says suitable for "select" kia/hyundai trans wonder where they get the suggestion from? :)
 
Thanks all, but I haven't gotten to changing the Kia's ATF yet. Today I spotted Mag-1 synthetic ATF on the shelves and the label said it was good for many vehicles with many specs, including Kia needing SP-II and SP-III. Any experience with this brand, guys?
 
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