Store brand 75w90 vs name brand?

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I wheel 8 or 10 times a year and change my diff oils once a year regardless of mileage. Since I change it so often is there a benefit to running a more expensive brand?
 
Even then, the Carquest 75W-140 I picked up on sale recently at AAP states it has LS additive blended in, so it depends on which store brand oil you buy. Super Tech at Walmart has no LS additive blended in.
 
I used Supertech semi synthetic 75W90 well over 100K in a WRX manual transmission. The 5 speeds in the WRX's were
nick named glass transmission because they were fragile. Google "glass transmission". I never had an issue, even after I did a stage 2 tune
for mid 13 second 1/4 mile times.
 
Just changed the DIFF fluid in my Suburban and it called 75W-90


Luckily, I scored the last case of walmart Super tech FULL SYN for $22.50 w/tax !!!! I think it was the last case of FULL SYN for that price in oklahoma cause I saw at other stores was semi-syn
laugh.gif
lol


Does anyone know who makes the DIFF fluid for Wal-Mart ??

Dave
 
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Yes, there are significant advantages to using high performance gear oils all the time, even though you change it often. Not all gear oils offer the same level of protection, even for very short drain intervals. Just because two gear oils are both 75W90 with the same specs doesnt mean they are the same. Both being 75W90 has about as much meaning as saying two cars are red so they must be the same and will pick the cheapest one...its not true.

Additive and viscosity breakdown due to shear and load can happen very quickly. The quality of the gear oil comes down to the base oils used, VI improvers, EP additives etc. For example, you can make a cheap gear oil by using lower quality base oil and a lot of Viscosity Index Improvers (VI). Its a way to keep cost down vs using a high grade base oil with very high natural VI, like a Group III or PAO. The latter option is by far the best but tends to be more expensive. To make a great gear oil, you must keep the use of VI improvers down to a minimum, as VI improvers are prone to shear. So just because you change your gear oil often doesnt mean you get the same protection in that short time you do use it. Just like using poor quality motor oils. Short drain intervals WILL NOT save you from premature engine wear and other issues as the poor quality oil does not protect the metal like more expensive / better oils and will generate a ton of sludge in that short 3000 miles. Due to the complexity of lubricants engineering, its nearly impossible to tell how things are made. Having an oil meet certain criteria like GL-5, SN, API approval or whatever, doesnt say much about performance since these standards are not exactly top tier. They are a very low minimum requirement. Best way to evaluate it is to look for mentions of drain intervals and the number of OEM specs it meets. Drain intervals are pretty good indicator of quality.

Top tier gear oils meet or exceed EATON Roadranger or EATON E500 - these two specs are very hard (expensive) to meet. These are 750,000 miles gear oils. Its not the drain interval that matters really, what matters is the quality which goes into the product and is required to even approach that kind of performance. I think you will find only a handful of gear oils meet those specs, probably less than 1% of whats on the market.

A good rule of thumb is to always buy the best you can afford. If you are going to use a 75W90, use a full synthetic. Never a synthetic blend. There is no law that regulates what manufacturers can call a synthetic blend. It can be 1% synthetic and 99% mineral or 20% synthetic and 99% mineral. No way to tell.
 
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Changing gear oil once a year is likely overkill. As often as you do it, it wouldn't matter brand or anything else as long as it meets the specs for your vehicle.
 
I've used a lot of Supertech 75w90 gear oil. Its rated synthetic now as it was recently updated. As said no mention of a LS additive if you need that.
Around $5 a bottle can't be beat.
 
Originally Posted By: TriaxLubes
Yes, there are significant advantages to using high performance gear oils all the time, even though you change it often. Not all gear oils offer the same level of protection, even for very short drain intervals. Just because two gear oils are both 75W90 with the same specs doesnt mean they are the same. Both being 75W90 has about as much meaning as saying two cars are red so they must be the same and will pick the cheapest one...its not true.

Additive and viscosity breakdown due to shear and load can happen very quickly. The quality of the gear oil comes down to the base oils used, VI improvers, EP additives etc. For example, you can make a cheap gear oil by using lower quality base oil and a lot of Viscosity Index Improvers (VI). Its a way to keep cost down vs using a high grade base oil with very high natural VI, like a Group III or PAO. The latter option is by far the best but tends to be more expensive. To make a great gear oil, you must keep the use of VI improvers down to a minimum, as VI improvers are prone to shear. So just because you change your gear oil often doesnt mean you get the same protection in that short time you do use it. Just like using poor quality motor oils. Short drain intervals WILL NOT save you from premature engine wear and other issues as the poor quality oil does not protect the metal like more expensive / better oils and will generate a ton of sludge in that short 3000 miles. Due to the complexity of lubricants engineering, its nearly impossible to tell how things are made. Having an oil meet certain criteria like GL-5, SN, API approval or whatever, doesnt say much about performance since these standards are not exactly top tier. They are a very low minimum requirement. Best way to evaluate it is to look for mentions of drain intervals and the number of OEM specs it meets. Drain intervals are pretty good indicator of quality.

Top tier gear oils meet or exceed EATON Roadranger or EATON E500 - these two specs are very hard (expensive) to meet. These are 750,000 miles gear oils. Its not the drain interval that matters really, what matters is the quality which goes into the product and is required to even approach that kind of performance. I think you will find only a handful of gear oils meet those specs, probably less than 1% of whats on the market.

A good rule of thumb is to always buy the best you can afford. If you are going to use a 75W90, use a full synthetic. Never a synthetic blend. There is no law that regulates what manufacturers can call a synthetic blend. It can be 1% synthetic and 99% mineral or 20% synthetic and 99% mineral. No way to tell.


Sounds an awful lot like an oil salesman.
 
Originally Posted By: Lubener
Changing gear oil once a year is likely overkill. As often as you do it, it wouldn't matter brand or anything else as long as it meets the specs for your vehicle.


I change it so often only due to the risk of water seeping into the cases. We do a lot of deep water crossings.
 
Thanks for all the feed back guys. Last time I changed my front diff I must have reused the crush washer instead of replacing it and it was leaking. So when I replaced the crush washer I just refilled with super-tech syn. No LS required for the front diff or xfer case, only the rear diff.
 
If the cheap stuff "meets or exceeds" the specced lube grade... I read the bottles when I compare a name brand to the cheap stuff.
 
This is what is in my 3/4 ton diffs. It's the Canadian Tire store brand. It is good enough or do I need to worry about PAO and stuff.
wink.gif




MotoMaster Synthetic Extreme Pressure Gear Oil is recommended for differentials and manual transmissions for which hypoid-type lubricants are required
Transfer cases for heavy equipment – trucks, tractors, industrial gear drives, automobiles, farm machinery, etc.
Meets or exceeds API Service Classification GL-5 and MT-1 and SAE J2360; former U.S. Military Specification MIL-L-2105D and MIL-PRF-2105E performance requirements
Meets or exceeds Scania STO 1:0, Eaton Road Ranger E500 and ArvinMeritor O-76N performance requirements
Meets DANA SHAES 256, Rev. C (75W-90) and Mack GO-J Plus (75W-90) requirements
Grade: 75W90
 
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I for one have experienced gear oil break down (Shell bulk dino) ~ drained out like hydraulic oil in 30k … lost the whole rear end just past warranty … $1800 later I had a used rear end with 20k more than the truck had …
That pumpkin was filled with Schaeffer synthetic …
 
I'm not sure how much brand matters, unless your car or truck has a part that is weaker than it should be. I'm guessing you have a fairly common truck or SUV, so just buy whatever grade matches your vehicle.

Also, change your transfer case lube. Those can also break down over time or become contaminated with water. Read your manual because different vehicles call for different kinds of lubes in transfer cases. If your kind of transfer case has a reputation of lasting with basic maintenance, just buy whatever meets the OEM specification and don't worry about brand. If the transfer case isn't known for durability, and a high performance aftermarket lube meets specs, use that instead. I have heard of people using Redline oil to extend the lives of parts that aren't as good as they should be.
 
Originally Posted By: artificialist
I'm not sure how much brand matters, unless your car or truck has a part that is weaker than it should be. I'm guessing you have a fairly common truck or SUV, so just buy whatever grade matches your vehicle.

Also, change your transfer case lube. Those can also break down over time or become contaminated with water. Read your manual because different vehicles call for different kinds of lubes in transfer cases. If your kind of transfer case has a reputation of lasting with basic maintenance, just buy whatever meets the OEM specification and don't worry about brand. If the transfer case isn't known for durability, and a high performance aftermarket lube meets specs, use that instead. I have heard of people using Redline oil to extend the lives of parts that aren't as good as they should be.


Ya, I change all 3 at the same time
 
Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
I change the transfer case even more often than the diffs. It’s easy to do.


Me too … and that’s what’s getting Redline or Amsoil … nuttin’ else …
 
Originally Posted By: TriaxLubes
It can be 1% synthetic and 99% mineral or 20% synthetic and 99% mineral. No way to tell.

I'll take some of that 119% oil please!
banana2.gif
 
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