AMSOIL Torque-Drive™ Q&A

Allison transmission company manufacturers heavy-duty transmissions and recommends maintenance practices for those units. Allison establishes transmission fluid quality levels through fluid specifications such as the popular C-4. Allison established another specification for high quality oils called Technical Engineering Specification-295 (TES-295). Operators using TES-295 oils can extend drain intervals according to Allison recommendations in bulletin 1099C, and operators are eligible to purchase the Extended Transmission Coverage (ETC) warranty. ETC is an additional warranty beyond the standard Allison warranty.

What is TranSynd®?
TranSynd® is the only TES-295 licensed synthetic transmission fluid formula available. It is manufactured by Castrol® and marketed in conjunction with Allison. This formulation is also being made available through other marketers under private label as well.

Why are there not other products licensed as TES-295?
Competing lubricant companies seeking TES-295 approval for their own formulations are faced with formidable obstacles. Allison requires a test to be run on a specialized test stand, which it has not made available to other lubricant companies. Furthermore, Allison requires a field trial but has not established formalized field trial protocol. This effectively locks out competing oil companies and allows Allison and Castrol to charge exorbitant prices.

How can AMSOIL claim Torque-Drive™ as TES-295 quality without having run the tests?
Because Allison did run the tests on TranSynd® and AMSOIL successfully "reverse engineered" TranSynd®, creating a fluid based on the same type chemical technology. Both contain PAO. Both contain ester. Both contain enhanced additive systems. Neither contains VI improvers. Not even sophisticated laboratory analysis can accurately measure the differences between these two products. The only difference customers will notice is the price. Torque-Drive™ at commercial pricing is considerably lower than TranSynd®.

How will the use of Torque-Drive™ affect the warranty coverage?
The use of Torque-Drive™ will not affect the standard Allison warranty for defects in material or workmanship and may only be challenged if there is clear evidence of a lubricant related failure, in which case AMSOIL provides full warranty coverage. Torque-Drive™ does not fulfill the Allison warranty requirements for those customers who have already purchased ETC. This is a separate contract that binds the parties according to its terms.

Customers who are considering purchasing ETC should give this careful consideration. ETC can be very costly ranging from $235 per unit for one year in school busses equipped with a 1000 model transmission to as much as $4,000 per unit for three years in transit busses equipped with a B500R. Allison customers need to ask themselves where the savings are if they have to pay big dollars for additional warranty coverage which forces them to use the most expensive transmission fluid available. If Allison customers consider Torque-Drive™ as an alternative, they will find that the standard Allison warranty for defects in material and workmanship is not compromised and AMSOIL provides additional warranty coverage for lubricant related failures indefinitely.

How does Torque-Drive™ compare to AMSOIL Synthetic Transmission Fluid (ATF)?
Torque-Drive™ was created to satisfy the concerns of customers currently using TranSynd®, and it carries with it the confidence to be used for the intervals established by Allison. AMSOIL ATF is a more advanced product with universal applications such as Mercon V and ATF +4. AMSOIL does not recommend draining or switching to Torque-Drive™ unless the Allison customer intends on following the extended drain interval recommendations of Allison.

What are the key performance benefits offered by Torque-Drive™?
AMSOIL Torque-Drive™ provides superior performance and protection against thermal and oxidative degradation, sludge and varnish formation, viscosity shear down, cold temperature thickening, poor friction stability, high component wear and shortened oil life. Conventional oils require frequent changes and reduce the effective service life of transmissions. AMSOIL Torque-Drive™ extends lubricant life and provides protection superior to conventional ATF's.

AMSOIL Torque-Drive Synthetic Automatic Transmission is based on the same type of chemistry as TransSynd®. This fine, infra-red scan (IR), revealing a chemical "picture" of both products, shows no measurable differences.