Mike Kojima posted on February 23, 2010 20:28
Amsoil Severe Gear SAE 250, Medicine for Weak Transmissions
MotoIQ Staff Report
The staff at MotoIQ has a lot of experience trying to get weak transmissions to live under hard racing conditions on cars with lots of power. We race Skyline GT-R's (weak third gear), EVO's (weak transfer case or 4-5th gear on an MR), WRX's (the whole tranny) and Sentra SE-R's (weak 3rd gear) and always struggle keeping the transmissions alive, especially when the engine puts out significantly more power than stock. For extreme racing use we have always recommended Redline Shockproof heavy as a extreme heavy duty transmission and general gear lubricant when transmission strength is marginal. This unique milkshake thick gear lube made a noticeable difference in increasing transmission life in difficult situations.
Now Redline is going to have some company in the extreme use category as Amsoil has just launched and new severe duty racing gear oil, Amsoil SEVERE GEAR SAE 250. Like Redline, the Amsoil product has an amazing gear cushioning weight of 250! The heavy weight SEVERE GEAR SAE 250 resists sling off and forms a shock absorbing cushion between gear parts as well as using an advanced extreme pressure metallic film forming additive package. SEVERE GEAR SAE 250 is designated for racing use and is so new, you won't find it on Amsoil's web site yet but you can read about it on MotoIQ!
Our sources who have been helping develop this lube in off road racing tell us that they previously used Shockproof Heavy to protect there transmissions with good effect but when they switched to SEVERE GEAR SAE 250, transmission failures dropped to zero and transmissions which would previously only last one event would last a whole season. Although we feel that no lube will make a crappy transmission last forever under any amount of power, our sources give a powerful testimate to how well this lube may work.
We will be starting to use Amsoil SEVERE GEAR SAE 250 in several of our project and race cars and will be able to give a first hand long term evaluation soon. Below is some technical details of the oil.
Product Description
AMSOIL SEVERE GEAR® Synthetic Extreme Pressure (EP) SAE 250 is a premium grade gear oils specifically engineered for maximum performance in racing severe duty applications. This state-of-the-art AMSOIL formulation features an exclusive blend of high viscosity, shear stable synthetic base oils and an extra treatment of high-performance additives. AMSOIL SEVERE GEAR® Synthetic EP Lubricants maintain their viscosity for long-lasting protection against metal-to-metal contact. The proprietary AMSOIL additives form an iron-sulfide barrier coating on gear surfaces, providing the ultimate line of defense against wear, pitting and scoring. AMSOIL SEVERE GEAR® SAE 250 helps prevent “thermal runaway” — a phenomenon caused by a lubricant’s inability to control friction and increased heat under high-stress conditions. By controlling thermal runaway, AMSOIL SEVERE GEAR® SAE 250 inhibits rapid lubricant degradation and component damage.