Hello Scotty,
I have a 2005 Mini Cooper S with the Getrag 6 speed manual Transmission. I bought this Mini new and it has 51,000 miles on the clock. I do all of my own maintenance and am considering changing the gear oil in the transmission. I would like the transmission to shift a little smoother. Other than changing the gear lube with the factory recommended oil is there any additive or brand of gear oil I can use to make the transmission shift a little "slicker"? I have no issues whatsoever with this transmission or the way that it shifts now, I am just looking for something a little better. Mini owners are all about performance 🙂 Thanks for your time and consideration. Great work and I am a huge fan!
Maus
When I had my 2011 Camaro SS 6spd. I replaced the oem with Amsoil recommended fluid and I noticed a much better feel when shifting. But it may have been better just from changing and having new clean trans fluid. So you could look for a different option, or just stick with factory fluid.
I have considered Royal Purple or Amsoil, yes. The transmission capacity is not so great that the expense of a premium synthetic gear lube is prohibitive. I was hoping for a specific recommendation. There are scores of "snake oil" additives that claim all kinds of things. In my experience most are not beneficial or worth the expense. Thanks for you input.
You might want to check on a Mini enthusiast board. For what it's worth I've found manual transmissions in the old original Saab 900 just love Honda MTL (Manual Transmission Lube), improving both shift quality and transmission life, and those are very trouble-prone transmissions. However in the absence of other information the only really safe thing to do is stick with the manufacturer's recommendation.
Great advice Chuck. I did some research last night and it looks like Royal Purple Synchromax could be just what I am looking for. It is the hot tip for the Honda manual transmissions and looks like it could work in my Mini. One BMW site recommends it for all of their manual transmissions and Mini's also. I am aware that it is not the GL75W90 that I believe is recommended for the Getrag 6 speed manual transmission in the Mini. More information is needed before I would attempt the change.