Originally Posted By: ram_man
It doesn't shift poorly at all I just am trying to improve the quality with a good fluid.
A lot of what I am reading in this thread is nonsense, and probably written by people that have not had this experience themselves...
Of course you can affect the shift quality with different fluid types and viscosities. The synchros depend on the friction characteristics of the fluid to work properly, so as long as you have no underlying mechanical or clutch hydraulic problem, then go right ahead and try out some different fluids.
On my last vehicle, which was a 2005 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE with a 5-speed M/T, it shifted awful from the factory until it was 100% warmed up (and I mean driven for at least 15 minutes and that was in summer temps of 80+ F). When "cold" (again, summer temps of 80+ F, but not driven for several hours), I could not engage first gear at ALL without coming to a complete stop, and second would grind. Also, I could not downshift to second without double-clutching, and would still result in a grind.
Draining the factory fill for Amsoil MT-90 netted me a good improvement in shift quality, reduced grinding, but still required a warmup. This was due to the fact that my transmission really preferred a fluid with reduced viscosity. So I ended up settling on a mix of 60% Redline MTL, and 40% Redline MT-90 to give me the shiftability I wanted. After this mix was in the car, no more grinding with 2nd gear except in the middle of the winter when extremely cold, and only for a few minutes. Also, I was able to select first gear while rolling as well.
Fluid absolutely makes a difference. Try getting a high quality synthetic oil to take advantage of the higher viscosity index that they offer. You will still get the same protection (hot viscosity), but when the car is cold, the syn fluid will be thinner than most conventional lubricants.
The only problem with changing fluids around for best shift feel is that you have to try them out and experiment. This can take a while to get something to your liking, and cost a lot of money until you settle on something. Also, you need to give each fluid some time/miles to work correctly as the old fluid and additives will still be on the synchros right after the change.