We only recommended car differential fluids that did an excellent job for the vast majority of car enthusiasts and professionals alike and filtered out unreliable sources. We also looked at what professionals have to say: differential rebuilders, workshops,… How We Did Our Reviewįor this review we dove deep in all manufacturer specifications and spent hours comparing and assessing customer reviews to see what people think about different products in different situations. To be sure how much differential fluid you need, check your car’s manual. If more expensive synthetic differential fluid wasn’t the better choice, manufacturers wouldn’t bother and just fill their diffs with low-cost conventional oil, wouldn’t they? How Much Differential Fluid Do You Need? Just for argument’s sake: Why do new cars leave the factory with their diffs filled with synthetic oil, and not with much cheaper old-school petroleum-based gear oil? Because car manufacturers like to waste money on more expensive, less performant lubricants and like to pay for warranty claims? Don’t think so… We know, you can find all kinds of urban legends on the internet… Nope, GL5 synthetic differential fluid won’t harm or “eat” your diff’s internals… They are more stable and longer-lasting than conventional oils, can stand higher pressure and working temperatures and provide better lubrication, with less drag. That’s not our opinion, but a rock-solid fact!įull-synthetic oils are chemically designed and tweaked with specific needs in mind and blended with special additives for superior performance. It is scientifically proven that synthetic oils outlive and outperform classic petroleum-based ones big-time. It’s equally important to use quality synthetic differential fluid instead of the cheaper conventional oil derivatives. Synthetic vs Conventional Differential Fluid Knowing a differential has to cope with thousands or often even tens of thousands of foot-pounds of torque, GL5 is the only way to go. The higher the American Petroleum Institute (API) GL specifications value, the higher the extreme pressure (EP) it can handle, with GL5 being the highest end of the scale. GL5 is formulated with special additives and double sulfur/phosphorus content compared to GL4, to be able to withstand even the toughest loads. We strongly recommend high quality GL5 synthetic gear oil for all types of differentials. Old, contaminated end-of-life fluid is dark and murky because of all the free-floating metal particles. Fresh differential fluid is light brown and semi-translucent. If it’s black and it smells burnt, it’s way overdue and your differential has already overheated.Īlthough it’s not an exact science, the differential fluid color will give you a good indication.If it’s dark brown or black, it needs to be changed.You can check the state it’s in by simply removing the filler plug and checking the fluid color: If your vehicle is used for towing heavy loads or has a hard life, it’s good practice to change your diff fluid more often. Most differentials need a fluid change every 30K-60K miles. How Do I Know When To Change My Differential Fluid?Ĭheck your vehicle’s manual. If they build up and keep recirculating, they will speed up the differential’s aging process dramatically, grinding away between the differential’s gears and bearings. These are tiny gear shavings from normal wear, coloring the fluid a dark brown or black color. Old differential fluid is also packed with metal particles and shavings. When the differential fluid overheats, it will deteriorate even faster as a result. This is a downward spiral resulting in gear deterioration, causing loss of horsepower, increasing fuel consumption, a whining noise and eventually failure.īecause of poor lubrication the differential gears will generate more friction heat and the lubricant will start to overheat and cook. You should change your differential fluid in time because it will lose its lubrication properties and gear friction will increase. Why Should I Change My Vehicle’s Differential Fluid?
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