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Rear diff lube for new Ford 8.8?

16K views 23 replies 15 participants last post by  JJ'snakepit  
#1 ·
I have my Levy 5-link installed and ready to install my new Ford 8.8 solid rear. What is the latest recommendation for dif lube? My rear included a bottle of Ford's friction modifier and I understand I need that. . ....I did a search on rear lube and found 1,150 threads :w00t: Unscientific popular opinion pole seems to like Redline Synthetic 75/90 w/friction modifier. So 75/90 synthetic? 75/140 ? Any break-in recommdations? :blink:

Thanks,
Tom
 
#2 ·
You can use any synthetic 75/90 or standard 75/90 gear oil. Any of it will wok as long as you ues the friction modifier.
 
#4 ·
Royal Purple Max Gear was recommended to me, when I asked the same question. It has friction modifier already added to it. I found it was a very reasonable price.

Racing Motor Oil | Royal Purple Break-In Oil & More

Is there a break in period for a new diff, where it's required you then change the fluid?
 
#9 ·
Royal Purple Max Gear was recommended to me, when I asked the same question. It has friction modifier already added to it. I found it was a very reasonable price.
X2 except for the reasonable price part.
D
 
#5 ·
Info

Tom,

Do you have the carbon fiber clutches in the new rear end? I am not sure what is installed in rear end assembles. I have the carbon fiber clutches and Ford Racing recommended the Mobil 1 Synthetic Gear Lube
LS 75W-140.

Here is the contact info:
Ford Racing Performance Parts
Dearborn, MI
Techline : (800) FORD788

HTH, Jim
 
#6 · (Edited)
Copied from an older post

Information below is for the Moser 3-link that FFR sells with Traction Loc.

I copied this from an older post. This is a good question and most answers are clear as mud. I ended up going straight to Moser for the answer.

Just spoke to technical support at Moser earlier this week to address the gear oil issue. He stated that synthetic was not recommended and that the ideal oil is a non synthetic 80W90 with a Friction Modifier. He also stated that the Friction Modifier needs to meet the Ford factory specifications. I ended up purchasing 80W90 StaLube brand gear oil with the StaLube Friction Modifier. We will see how things work out.

8.8 Solid Rear Axle - ( 3 Link )
Oil Type Capacity - 80W-90 1.875 qts.
Friction Modifier - 4 oz.

Hope this helps
 
#7 ·
I asked this a few yrs ago when i rebuilt my Ford lim slip unit. One of the local guys who has been doing this a lot longer than I w/ a wild supercharged 302 and a million autocross miles said to use Mobil 1 gear oil w/o modifier. I took him at his word and have been happy ever since. That was on my MkI and I did the same on my MkII when the time for a rebuild came along. This also gets rid of the horrible,permeates everything, modifier smell.
 
#11 ·
Narrowed down to Royle Purple or Redline. Easy to find Royal Purple but at $20/ Qt. Found only one distributer that sells Redline locally but at $16/qt. Going with Redline!
 
#13 ·
No doubt you do pay more, than you would for regular gear oil..That's why I asked if the oil needed to be changed out after a break in period, on a brand new diff. If so, then perhaps go with the cheaper stuff for the break in period, then add the more expensive oil for the long run..
The number of miles the average roadster is driven per year, you would then be good to go for many years. May as well use a quality product..:)

Do you know if the friction discs were pre-soaked when the new rear was assembled. When I overhauled my donor rear, the instructions said to pre-soak them in friction modifier, prior to assembling. (This doesn't preclude the need for still adding friction modifier.) I have read on here of some fellows getting some strange clunks from their rear ends, during their first few miles of driving, and wonder if that may be from the discs not being pre-soaked?
 
#12 ·
might save some money

Tom,

No sure if your local Redline supplier is advance auto, but advance usually has a coupon available like below (they expire and change all the time.) You can try putting it in the online cart making sure you get a discount and do a local pickup.

$10 off $30 Coupon Code: A123 = 33% off

$20 off $50 Coupon Code: A123 = 40% off

$30 off $75 Coupon Code: BIG30 = 40% off

$35 off $85 Coupon Code: RAF7JA1102 = 41% off

$40 off $100 Coupon Code: CCABIN = 40% off

$50 off $150 Coupon Code: VISA = 33% off
 
#16 ·
Tom,

No sure if your local Redline supplier is advance auto, but advance usually has a coupon available like below (they expire and change all the time.) You can try putting it in the online cart making sure you get a discount and do a local pickup.

$10 off $30 Coupon Code: A123 = 33% off

$20 off $50 Coupon Code: A123 = 40% off

$30 off $75 Coupon Code: BIG30 = 40% off

$35 off $85 Coupon Code: RAF7JA1102 = 41% off

$40 off $100 Coupon Code: CCABIN = 40% off

$50 off $150 Coupon Code: VISA = 33% off
Thanks HookedonFord,
Nah......not that easy. The only place within 30 miles was a transmission shop that doesn't do retail but was nice enough to sell me some from their stock. Saved shipping costs and still 25% cheaper than Royal Purple :w00t:

Tom
 
#14 ·
Bill x2

My instructions for 31 spline traction loc with carbon fiber clutches said to pre soak as well.

As far as the oil, $60-75 for 3 qts is minor cost in the grand scheme since it is extremely important piece of the drive train (even if you did it twice for break in and long term.) Do I need synthetic? No, I do not think so, but again I feel it is minor cost in long run.
 
#20 ·
rear end oil

Hi all,
I'm running a MK8 rear with 3.73 posi and was told by the tech who rebuilt it to use nothing but Royal Purple 75/140 which has the friction modifier already in it. A bit on the pricey side but what isn't for these cars...
Regards,
Andy
 
#21 ·
Instructed Per Moser

This is what I got from tech. support at Moser.

8.8 Solid Rear Axle - ( 3 Link )
Oil Type Capacity - 80W-90 1.875 qts.
Friction Modifier - 4 oz.
 
#22 ·
I bought the Moser 8.8 from FFR and it came with a tag that said to use synthetic. FFR website says to use non synthetic. I sent Moser an email and they said to go with what FFR said. I sent an email to FFR tech support and they said to go with the tag. I kept the tag and I will go with the synthetic and follow the oil specs. It seems there is a different answer from everyone who replies here. So the million $$ question here is WHO is right. Just my 2 cents.
 
#23 ·
There's a different answer each time you ask, because there are different answers depending on application. Just like motor oil, you need to match the product with the application.

The big advantage to synthetic is that it can withstand heat better. Heat is generated by heavy loads (like towing a trailer or frequent hard acceleration) and high speeds.

Most people do not drive their cobra's under conditions that would generate high heat, even for short periods of time. But if you're racing on a road course or on the open road, you will heat that diff oil up pretty fast.

Also, the "weight" of oil depends on usage. The heavier weights protect the gears better, but tend to create more drag and parasitic losses. Like most things in life, it's a trade off. I use a heavier weight of oil for the race track. The parasitic losses are probably costing me some HP. But it's also protecting the gears a little bit better. I hope. Maybe. In theory. I have 6 years of racing and cruising on this differential. When I looked at them last fall, they looked pretty good, hardly any visible wear on them at all.
 
#24 ·
Two different clutch materials for the Lock

Like someone mentioned earlier there are two types clutches used. Carbon fiber clutches and paper clutches. I have a Carbon Fiber rebuild clutch kit at home and I will look in the instructions when I get home from work tonight. If I recall the Cobra IRS rear end that I am using has the Carbon Fiber clutches in it and called for a specific differential oil right on the ID tag. I will read that tonight as well as the kit and let you know what I come up with after work... JJ