Cooldude01

hi all,
I did a search but couldn't find the right answer for this question. Some members prefer the Amsoil, others recommended Red line but the majority remained with OEM DW-1.
I'm thinking about changing the transmission fluid but is currently indecisive about which one I should go with.
Any help or inputs are greatly appreciated...

alex9119

typically on transmissions i prefer not to mess around i usually stick to the oem stuff, got my atf changed a month ago by dealer and now shifts are silky smooth from 1st to 2nd.

Reorge

Honda or Acura OEM. Anything else can can void your warranty if you have one. Also, other fluids don't meet the spec of OEM fluid. Others might be "better" fluids but they technically are produced to different specs.

aIRpeACE

iTrader: (2)

i am not sure about the 4G.

i have been using redline racing on mine 3G and it works nicely

Cooldude01

is this the first change? are you follow the factory recommended interval??

Cooldude01

This is one of the major concerns I have. I don't want to give the stealership another reason to void the warranty.

Cooldude01

I've heard good thing about the redline with 3x3 method but unfortunately, i don't think any 4G owner tried it yet. Most are from 3G or earlier generations.

alex9119

yup i follow the cars maintenance minder.

acupower

I run 1/3rd redline racing (a mix of lightweight and racing ATF) and 2/3rds Acura OEM in my 09 shawd. Tranny runs perfect and shifts slightly faster than before. I posted a thread about this a while ago in the performance section.

Next spring I will increase the proportion of redline racing to 50% and replace the Acura OEM with redline D4.

Cooldude01

I got 4 quarts of DW-1 and 4 quarts of AWD fluid at the local dealer today. To my surprise, they're cheaper than online store.
I'm going to change them on Saturday when I have more free time.

Cooldude01

Do you remember how long ago that you mix 1/3 redline and 2/3 Acura OEM? Does the fluid look reddish in color or just slight red tint?
I'm going with OEM for now but i will try the 1/3 redline and 2/3 Acura OEM next time.

acupower

I added the racing fluid about 2 month ago. I've done about 3k since then and the tranny has been perfect.

Don't remember the exact color of the ATF but I believe it has a reddish tint to it.

Cooldude01

I just had the car for about a week and I checked the ATF the other day, it had a slight smell to it. I don't think ATF has been changed that's why i'd rather spend $60 and an hour to change it out just to give me peace of mind. While the car is on stand, i'll change the differential fluid as well.
I will definitely change to 1/3 Redline and 2/3 OEM next time.
Keep us post it when you go to 50% redline and 50% D4. Thanks.

aIRpeACE

iTrader: (2)

2 redline racing fluid and 1.5 redline D4. the tranny holds more than 3 quarts of fluid

Cooldude01

I've read a post in here mentioned that if you use too much racing fluid and red line will cause the transmission to hard shift.

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...-012-a-556044/

My car is still under factory warranty but again, i don't want to give stealership an excuse to void it.

Reorge

Its so easy even a caveman can do it.
I HIGHLY recommend using a new seal washer on the drain bolt but if you don't have one, reuse the old one. Its better than nutt'n. I keep extra new ones on hand.
The fill bolt washer can be reused. It does not "see" fluid and can't leak cuz its on top.

Georgiey22

Always use Honda ATF. My neighbor used the AutoZone ATF and within 30 days his tranny died. He said it was the worse thing he ever did to a car...the learning is always use the Homda stuff.

arek1200

DW-1 in my TL only....why experiment and risk failure or damage....

acupower

Hard shifts are good! The harder the shifts, the less dynamic friction on your clutches and all of that results is less heat and longer clutch life. By reducing heat in your transmission you also prolong the life of other internal components.

This is up to you. I am not afraid of taking risks. If you ever decide to jump in the redline pool, I suggest you read all of the threads in the 3G forum regarding the topic. Some very knowledgeable people have contributed there.

Cooldude01

The car is still new to me so I will enjoy it for now. I might try the redline later on but i agree there were a lot of knowledgeable people with their real life experience on the redline and the majority had positive feed back with correct ratio on the redline and OEM ATF mixture.

acupower

Enjoy it! The more you drive this car the more you love it. At least that's my experience so far. Cheers!

Cooldude01

You're right. The more I drive the car the more i fall in love with it.
This is my first experience with AWD car and i really enjoy every second of driving it.

deuce415

iTrader: (1)

I use Royal Purple Max ATF in my cars. It's somewhat pricey, but I've stuck with it for all of my ATF changes and I have been pleased with how it performs.

willmosley

I recently did a transmission flush 3*3 with Royal Purple Racing ATF. It took about 10 quarts. I have noticed increased shifting performance, less stutters in downshifting, and just overall smoother shifting. It's a pain in the ass to do it right, but it is worth it. Change the transmission drain washer at the end of the 3*3. Then, every 20,000 miles I do a transmission change alternating DW1 with Royal Purple Racing ATF (I also replace the transmission drain washer). It takes about 3.3 quarts for the change. This way, I never have to do a flush again.

Cooldude01

Was it 100% Royal Purple or a mixture of 50% of Royal Purple and 50% of DW-1?? My car is still under factory warranty so I'm not sure if i want to take the risk.

Cooldude01

No hard-shifting at all with 3x3 on Royal Purple ???
I've read some where that 3rd Gen owners experienced hard-shift with 100% non OEM ATF

Georgiey22

@Deuce415 - How long have you been using Royal Purple ATF in your TL? The Acura AT's are touchy so I'd be interested in your thoughts if you've used this fluid for a significant amount of time.

Art unique

Just use OEM... it was intended for the car. You don't want to give the dealer any excuses. Just follow the maintenance reminder. The manual tells you which interval requires what. The Service Manual is in my sig. If you want to know the mileage intervals. I just replaced mine at 65,000 I believe I had a maintenance code of B123. Which is almost everything. Easier than engine oil change.

deuce415

iTrader: (1)

It's been in my car for the past 3 or 4 months. I had the stock ATF in it before. I've used it on my previous Honda Accords without issue. As long as it is rated as an acceptable replacement ATF then it shouldn't affect your warranty.

I don't do a 3x drain and fill or anything, just let it drain completely and then filled. If I remember correctly, I think 4 quarts came out and I put 4 quarts back in. Since it wasn't a flush, I'm guessing I'm running something like 90% Royal Purple to 10% whatever was in there originally since I bought the car.


It'll boil down to whatever you're comfortable with. If you're more comfortable to stick with the Honda brand ATF, then go with it. If you like to go with a different brand, then try the others like Redline or Royal Purple that make a performance ATF.

mrphilipanderson

you neeeeeeeeever told us how using Royal Purple ATF worke din your 4g TL.

jjrphs

I run MaxLife synthetic ATF in all my Honda / Acura vehicles...present and past. With any used Honda / Acura I've purchased in the the past dozen or so years, one of the 1st items on creating a baseline maintenance record for that vehicle is performing a 3x drain/fill with MaxLife ATF. After the initial transmission service, I perform a single drain/fill every 50,000 miles thereafter with MaxLife ATF. No transmission issues in over 500,000 miles of use across more than a few Honda / Acuras

Anicra

How can any ATF fruid that covers Honda specs, void your warrenty, there are laws in US against that.

mrphilipanderson

Royal Purples website CLEARLY states NOT recommended for (honda's DW-1). And you added it anyway? Its been in your car for three months? Approx how many miles? ANY mishaps? Which version of the TL do you have? 3.5? 3.7? And what year? Because there is a difference in the trannys after the mid cycle refresh ('12-'14)

jjrphs

MaxLife synthetic ATF is a Valvoline product and the ATF of which I was posting experience. Royal Purple Max is a completely different product and not one which I use or have experience with. The question posed by the OP was "What is the best automatic transmission fluid for our 4G TL?" and I answered in that context.

As my sig indicates, I have a 2012 TL-Base (3.5L FWD) which I bought locally in late June of this year...so the MaxLife synthetic ATF has been in the TL for 4 months now. The vehicles listed in my sig are the vehicles I currently own...I've had many other Honda vehicles as well. Refer to my previous post for my experience with MaxLife synthetic ATF by Valvoline.

As for my 12 TL...when I first purchased and before I performed the 3x Drain/Fill with MaxLife...it had a tendency to "stumble" or "stutter" off the line with the 1-2 shift. After replacing with MaxLife ATF...that has gone completely away. Honda transmissions love MaxLife synthetic ATF in my experience.

meowmeows

MaxLife is recommended by Valvoline as a replacement for DW-1. I wouldn't hesitate to use it.

https://www.valvoline.com/our-produc...ti-vehicle-atf

broman7899

If OEM is easily available use OEM, I don’t think it is worth the risk. I know dodge 2500 with the 47re transmission can use John Deere low vis hy-gard tractor fluid and get great results. I’m too scared and cheap to try another tranny fluid other than OEM in honda vehicles.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

I would certainly hesitate; MaxLife is NOT certified compatible with DW-1 (the OEM fluid), that and I would argue any multi-vehicle ATF will not have lubricity and friction properties exactly correct for any of the cars it purports to be recommended for. For your transmission, the ONLY ATF you can be assured of being correct is Honda DW-1.

jjrphs

Horseshoez is correct in that Honda / Acura does not certify MaxLife synthetic ATF for use in their transmissions. In fact Honda / Acura does not certify any aftermarket ATF for use in their transmissions. Honda / Acura does not release a PI sheet or any other information of DW-1's formulation, so there's just no way to perform a comprehensive chemical comparison. How self-serving and profitable for Honda / Acura to create a spec they won't release and...that they won't certify any other aftermarket fluids for their transmissions!

Having said that...Valvoline lists MaxLife synthetic ATF as compatible with both DW-1 and Z1. Valvoline also states that MaxLife synthetic ATF is suitable for use in (non-CVT) Honda transmissions. Valvoline puts its "stands behind statement" for MaxLife synthetic ATF in writing. In this regard, I think one either trusts one of the largest and most respected petro-chemical producers in the world and its representations / guarantees or they don't. Not only that...there's also thousands of satisfied Honda / Acura owners like myself who've logged millions of miles of MaxLife synthetic ATF in Honda / Acura transmissions successfully.

Everyone has a comfort level where and when they use OEM vs aftermarket products...so MaxLife synthetic ATF may not be for everyone. For myself...I have the first hand experience to back up my opinion and like meowmeows I don't hesitate to use MaxLife synthetic ATF in any/all of my Honda / Acura vehicles.

mrphilipanderson

In comparison to the dw1 are the. Shifts smoother in your TL OR more firm? I am asking because I am a fan of smooth. I dont like to feel the shifts. I like a seamless climbing of the revs.

csmeance

smooth = more friction modifiers which means more slippage of clutches
Harsh = less friction modifiers which means less slippage of clutches

Hence the 3G TL folks using a mix of redline racing ATF (little Friction Modifiers) and D4 (lots of friction modifier). The more they slip, the more wear and tear!