Gear oil question

[falcon381]

This will seem like a dumb question to many on this forum so please forgive my ignorance. Is there a difference between "gear oil", "transmission fluid", and "transmission lubricant" or are they all the same thing? I have heard from many about the wonders Red Line MT-90 oil does for shifting and want to buy some for my Versa. Also, with 5000 miles on my V is it broken in enough to switch to synthetic? Thanks in advance for any help!

[Versa Madness]

Gear oil is usually a heavier weight lubricant for rear ends and manual transmissions. Transmission fluid can be a term used for manual or automatic transmissions depending on the type required. Usually transmission fluid is the term used for automatic transmissions, but I own a vehicle that has a manual transaxle that the manufacture recommends Mercon auto transmission fluid for.

The Redline MT-90 oil that you are looking at is for the manual trans only. MT stands for Manual Transmission I believe and the 90 is the viscosity of the oil. If your V is a 6 speed then you could switch to the Redline, but I would allow for a little longer break in before going to synthetic.

If your Versa is the 4 speed automatic transmission, then use the recommended automatic transmission fluid or there are synthetics available as well for those applications.

The CVT transmission requires different fluid that is made specifically for the demands of the CVT transmission.

Hope this helps.

[falcon381]

Thanks for the reply! I do have the 6 speed so from what I hear Red Line is definitely the way to go. So I guess "gear oil" is essentially another term for manual transmission fluid/lubricant. Approximately how long of a break-in period does my transmission need before switching to synthetic?