Clio gearbox oil for Box with gripper diff.

tombate911

Paid Member
looking for recommendations for gearbox oil for TL4 box with a gripper diff.
Currently running motul LSD oil now I've got the diff fitted. I always used to run MTL with good success until fitting the diff.

What do other people run? I was considering the MTL LSD oil as I used to run the standard MTL oil

I found on track that as the gearbox temps go up the quality of shifting in the box appears to deteriorate. I would like to start measuring the gearbox oil temp and see what it's getting to on track.

@Northloopcup @Stephenvenning thought you two people would also be good to ask.

Cheers.
 
Last edited:
You need to read up the oil specs to make sure that the lsd oil doesn't have any adverse effects on the brass synchro rings mate, otherwise you'll be pulling it apart and having them replaced prematurely.

Unfortunately you're caught between the devil and the deep blue sea as a plate diff by nature contaminated the oil with material off the plates.

Personally if it were me, I'd just run the best possible oil for the gearbox and not the diff. You will also find that the gripper is heating the oil up just from how it operates.

Now is the time to look at cooling the gearbox imo. Something simple like this,IMG_2579.JPGcan and does work very well. This ducted air up at the casing of my old jc5 and it never used to kick the oil cooler in when the car was getting a proper pasting.
 
That's a great reply @Northloopcup i knew you would have some fantastic answers. I'm going to look into cooling as well as data logging gearbox oil temps..

I did a bit of reading, I know the gearbox I'm using now still has the brass second gear syncro with some of the others being upgraded to the later steel version.
Regarding additive free and more friendly oils I came accross the Redline MT90

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-1020-red-line-synthetic-manual-transmission-90-mt90-75w-90-gl4.aspx

Rather than the Redline MTL I was running previous to fitting the LSD.

However would there by any downsides to running that oil with the gripper because it's not an LSD oil with the modifiers? I'm guessing from what I've seen just a slightly louder more notchy engagement?

Cheers!
 
I wouldn't put special lsd oil into a fragile box!

Fuchs race synchro 75w90 is good as gold for the tl4 and fine for the diff


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: tombate911
That's a great reply @Northloopcup i knew you would have some fantastic answers. I'm going to look into cooling as well as data logging gearbox oil temps..

I did a bit of reading, I know the gearbox I'm using now still has the brass second gear syncro with some of the others being upgraded to the later steel version.
Regarding additive free and more friendly oils I came accross the Redline MT90

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-1020-red-line-synthetic-manual-transmission-90-mt90-75w-90-gl4.aspx

Rather than the Redline MTL I was running previous to fitting the LSD.

However would there by any downsides to running that oil with the gripper because it's not an LSD oil with the modifiers? I'm guessing from what I've seen just a slightly louder more notchy engagement?

Cheers!

Engagement was near silent on mine with a new diff on highest preload and my oil


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: tombate911
I'm using the same oil as I used to to be honest Tom, fuchs 75w/80 synthetic.

I change it once per year, 5,000 miles more or less. I did ask the same question to Sean (Jade) given that he's seen a respectable number of clio boxes and he also confirmed.

It's a cheap consumable, change it annually and you shouldn't have a problem:smile:
 
That's really good to here.
Going to order two bottles of the MT90 I posted above I think as it say perfect for cars with brass syncros etc and really rated the Redline stuff I've used in the past.
 
Ordered the MT90 oil along with some gear cables, M15x1.5 to 1/8th NPT sump plug. Going to drop a temp sensor in for the next track day and see what types of temps the oils getting to inside the box. Out of curcuousity mainly now the gripper is in there.
 
I'd agree with what's above, use the best gearbox oil for the gearbox, I use fuchs titan but then again I have a helical lsd rather than a plated one. I find the new synchros are actually worse than the original and the carbon cone material is far more fussy over what oil you use. I knackered 4th gear synchro in a few 1000 miles just because the cone material broke down.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tombate911