ATF favorite type brand , does it matter ?

The person that built my transmission (s) Says to use only , Pennzoil Dex/ Merc..

due to whatver , no one in this area seems to carry it, only thing my google search came up with Wal-Mart for $17.XX something a quart .. good lord in heaven!

Local farm store does have Valvoline DEX/ MERC for $5.99 a quart, are they compatible?



What does everyone else use ?

As long a the fluid meets the spec, the brand doesn't matter. Personally, I'd prefer Valvoline over Pennzoil (brand loyalty)

Lucas Racing ATF

Brand is irrelevant spec is more important

^^^^This^^^^
TES-295 or TES-668

Cheapest Wal-Mart type F.

Lots of street/strip abuse in a heavy street car that runs low 10's with a close to stock 727.

Ssssshhhhhh. Now you went and did it.

Yep same here.

I'm with you, I've run Valvoline in every application for over 50 years with zero problems. Now is something else better, or at least comparable, probably so but I'm not risking anything to find out.

Valvoline Type-F here, but as the others have pointed out, it's about the specs more than the brand, it helps though if you've had a good history with their products...I did, and keep on using Valvoline here on all of our stuff.

See attached specs sheet.

I attended several of the drag race seminars that Tom Hoover and few other engineers put on back in the 70's They had to repeatedly state use any brand type F. All the same. People just couldn't wrap thier head around the idea of using Ford fluid in their Mopar trans.
They wanted to believe that the huge premium they paid for the B&M blue stuff means that it must be better. Nope, it's type F with blue dye for a lot more money. Only difference is the color of the stain on your garage floor. Great marketing B.S. though.

...this is why i probably not able to find it there anymore

Same here. The problem that I have run into with Valvoline, is that MOST of their products (not just ATF) has gone from "conventional" to "synthetic blend". I'm old school for sure, and don't like changing horses in the middle of the stream. But it's either that or do with out. Not real sure about syn ATF in a race transmission?

Brian

I'm a proponent of synthetic ATF, especially for street/strip use where there can be extended high-slippage conditions. It's all about the heat breaking down the fluid and synthetic can take higher temps than conventional.

Carquest Type FA when it was still made by Ashland. Don't even see it around even though Type FA fluid still shows up on the Valvoline site. Worked in the 2 and 3 speeds. Normally could still see the writing on the frictions after many runs. Wear was minimal over time when I measure the clutch plate thicknesses.

I tried Amsoil synthetic once. Made the high gear clutches streak black from slipping. Back to FA and it was good.

Have been told the Amsoil synthetic Type F is good. Never tried it as I changed fluid often enough that the cost would have been excessive.

I want the friction elements to lock up with a minimum of slippage. Not have a nice smooth shift so Grandma doesn't complain.

JD Hy-Gard is the current hot lick I believe. Especially in high horsepower applications. I've even heard of guys using shock oil. Maybe BS, maybe not.

We've been using John Deere Hy Gard for around 15years. Someone on here recommended it saying it tightens the stall a little. We had just re-built the trans so we bought Hy Gard as it was a little cheaper than ATF locally. Still using it to this day, never had any issues but never noticed any change in stall either. It's still a little cheaper than ATF but both have almost doubled in price since then.

Available in different viscosities. They will make a difference.

I've heard the rumor that ATI fluid is Hy-Gard. It's available in different viscosities.

LOL!

It's funny how people will spend money for no reason.

The only time I've had steels start to blue is when we were doing lots of street type races and leaving in 2nd gear for traction. Fluid never burned, mind you. I keep tabs on everything because we use almost all stock type parts and I see no reason to change from what the DC/MP guys recommended back in the day

Next ask the same question about oil....Then converters, this can be fun

Interesting you say that. I always ran 5W-30 Valvoline conventional in wifey's Tribeca. One day I bee-bop down to NAPA and can't find it. All I can find is 'synthetic blend'. So I go home, get a bottle of what I'd been using and go back asking why the disappearing act. So the owner gets on the Ashland tech line and is told that the 5W-30 was always a synthetic blend and it had to be to get the viscosity range. Nothing has changed except the bottle. Okay, I buy the synthetic blend and change oil. Next oil change I go back to NAPA and lo and behold, conventional 5W-30 is back on the shelf! Happy camper buys three cases. Use them up and go to NAPA a week ago to buy some more and...wait for it...."synthetic blend" 5W-30 is all they have. Don't ask me what is going on. I don't know and the owner doesn't know.

And carburetor builders... and cylinder head porters... and...

FWIW #1 - ATI trans fluid was developed with Driven. I don't know if what Driven offers are the same or their own blends.

FWIW #2 - I've used Redline Racing Type F synthetic with very good results, based upon the positive comments made by the people who have worked on my trans.

I use the red stuff.

[quote=Al_Alguire]Next ask the same question about oil....Then converters, this can be fun

Glad to see you are feeling better!!!😄

The “Secret Sauce” from Mike’s Transmission in Lancaster, CA……….the best out there.

i thought so too until I switched my old S/P car back the Valvoline type F non synthetic based fluid, quicker 60 Ft times between .021 to .030 and quicker reaction times bye .02
With no other changes
I was changing fluid and adjusting the front band every 25 runs on the Mikes Ultra Glide in the car with his race 9 inch converter

This is the winner of the day!!!!

Well unless you want to use the clear tractor stuff that is

Cheap type F hear. If i were to run enough to have heat issues, i would opt for synthetic, thinking being there is an extra 50 to 100 degrees before oil breakdown?

Your correct, 325Fon petroleum based oils and 525 F on most synthetics, a little more than 100 F

It amazes me the after 40-50 years many of our members are out there weekly beating on their cars and people are still trying to find a “magic fluid” for their transmissions. Most of use have ran Dextron or type F in every build we race with zero wear issues but guys still aren’t satisfied. If you want to see heat jacket race a 600 HP plus combo with a powerglide with a brake and a 6000 stall converter. But go ahead an keep looking for something we have race tested for way to many years. Lol. Good luck.

Type F. Pro tree. Leaving WFO on the brake every pass. Trouble free for years. Parts look new when it gets looked at. No evidence of slipping the clutches.

I have been using type " F " in my 904s for over 35 years as per my trans builders recommendation . I have had very few problems any I did have had nothing to do with the fluid . My local Advance Auto Parts didn't even stock type " F " and had to order it in when I charged my fluid this past spring. All they could get was Fram brand its been good I am sure its made by somebody else with their name on it .

I run type F in 727s and glides forever until it got hard to find and expensive. I got tired of calling parts stores trying to find it and having them say Type F? What does that go in?!?!? So I decided to find something that I could grab off the shelf at Walmart, and for 4 years now been using Valvoline MaxLife Multi-Vehicle Full Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid from Walmart that comes in the red gallon jugs.

In a glide that 60 fts 1.19 and a 904 that 60 fts 1.30 with no problems....

Honestly, a properly built trans isn't very picky about what is in it IMO.

EDIT: My fluid opinions only apply to NA applications where you are not building boost or trying to make Americas List.......

727 / 904 non-lockup will work with about any trans fluid.
The Dex/Merc is normally used.
The ATF+4 is good also, but really designed more for the lock-up converter in newer model transmissions.
I think most of the current clutch and band materials for the 727/ 904, and the overdrive variants were designed for Dex/Merc/ATF+4
Type F was phased out in 1981.
Type F shifts harder, no friction modifiers, but I think it also increases wear.
Some old Chrysler Power article mentioned running Type F mixed with a quart of straight 30 weight oil for better lubrication.

Don’t know if it’s been mentioned in this thread, but back in the 80’s people were (still are) buying B&M “Trick Shift” for $8 a quart (back then!) and it’s just Type F dyed blue. I fell for it once.

....wondering if anyone has done a back-to-back test on line pressure with the tractor fluid verse type f?

I have no idea what you're talking about...

I mentioned it in my answer. People were buying that snake oil in the 70's as well. Probably 50 years and they still sell it.

I've always run Type F. No particular brand preference, just whatever I can find at the parts store when I need it. No issues w/ anything fluid related in a 3800 lb street driven car that runs 8s...w/ a 727.
My trans/converter builder is local to me and is an ex super stock racer. He and his son ran 2 NHRA SS class cars up until 7 or 8 years ago I believe. He's been doing this a LONG time...he's one to listen to in my opinion.
He told me years ago to run 1 quart of a synthetic Dexron V fluid for added lubricity and then fill the rest w/ Type F. This was after seeing some wear on one or more thrust washers if I recall correctly.
He tells his customers NOT to run the JD Hygard fluid in their cars. If they need the stall tightened up, take it out and let him adjust it. He said the lubrication properties of it just aren't that good. I didn't ask him to go into any detail, that's just what he told me when I asked about using that fluid. He said it's fine to use as a test to see if tighter is faster, but not to use it long term.

I spoke with Rossler at length about the different fluids and which is better and any advantages over the other - go to his web site and read what he recommends as it applies to torque flites also - personally I run the Dex/Merc - Pennzoil if I can find it or Castrol seams to work just fine also - main thing he advised me was watch your trans temp - heat kills things quicker than anything and synthetics are not a must - unless you cant get the heat out of the transmission between rounds. Some of the Chevy guys that go many rounds run the Mobil Delvac 1 ATF or equivalent made for Allison Transmissions - seems to have good heat properties.

http://www.rosslertrans.com/tech.html

Interesting to hear this, according to rossler, the break for type F is at 1500hp, then its a mix of type F and hyd fluid. above 1500 its straight HYD fluid with maybe one qt of type F for color only to see on the stick. BUT maybe they think these kind of cars change it a lot more often???
Any way, i buy whatever type F is cheapest, and whatever hyd fluid is cheap and then mix them 50/50

Tony, that was my thinking also. At big HP levels, the fluid is gonna get changed often. How many passes does a 1500+ hp car get on a trans before something gets changed/fixed resulting in the fluid getting replaced? I bet it's not very many.

The "secret sauce" cheap and done......just depends if it's a personal label or business label. All the same. Works and is cheap either way.

Has anyone had good success with the 30wt type F that ATI sells? I use type F now, but am worried my converter is going to be too loose on the spray and figured if jumping from 20 to 30 weight type F would tighten it up a couple hundred RPM, I'd give that a try first before swapping out the converter.

ATF+4 Synthetic is what all superstockers use