rol607

Hello,
Looking for advice on the following:
Brake fluid
Transmission fluid
Oil
Coolant
Need to change them all this winter. TIA

Isaacsracing

It's not that simple. What climate are you in? Do you have an LSD? What type of use does your car get - daily, track, weekend joy rides?
To some degree, as long as you use what is in spec for a 968, everyone is going to have different opinions on brands.
You are in Ohio and your car looks pretty so, I'll assume weekend joy rides.

• Brake fluid - Motul 200 (NOT BLUE)
• Transmission fluid - Amsoil Severe Gear 75W90 - add Amsoil Slip lock if you have an LSD. Motul and Mobil 300LS are good too.
• Oil - Amsoil 10W40 European Spec is fine. There are a zillion to choose from.
• Coolant - This is trickier. I use distilled water and Water Wetter, but I don't let it freeze. I'd love to see what others say on antifreeze. You need something for aluminum for sure - I just don't really deal with it.
• I like Mann Oil Filters.
• Take care of the air filter too.
• Check your CV joints

I've tried lots of oils. The only one that seemed really scary was the new nana green Liqui-Moly - It pours super thin and looks more like a Green health drink than like oil. Regular Liqui-Moly is fine though imo.

Goodluck. It'll be fun to see all the different opinions! Great thread to start.

Motosport

I will be interested in this info too, well mostly advice on coolant, brake fluid and transmission oil as I have an LSD trans. I am a fan of Motul though, but lets hear what you guys recommend and why..?

LM964

For engine oil I've taken the the advice of well known UK and Euro 24hr endurance 968 engine builders and race support guys EMC Motorsport. Found them very approachable when I've asked for advice in the past. Caption of their oil recommendations below;

"Motorsport oils are usually full of good anti-friction additives and stabilisers and come in the viscosities that we need for 968's but with the additional price tag and the caveat that the engine will need to be run up to operating temperature regularly, as they can absorb more moisture. As a rough guide, we tend to use Millers, Ravenol, Petronas and Valvoline oils, as we have found these to be the best for the engines. Millers 10w60 CFS Nano is the best oil money can buy for these engines, however it is very expensive and difficult to get hold of. Ravenol and Petronas do a 10w60 that is very good and Valvoline VR1 10w60 is fine and all the latter three are readily available.
Minimum specifications for road use
- 10w40
- 10w50
- 10w60
- 15w40
- 15w50

Recommended viscosities for track use
- 10w50
- 10w60
- 15w50
All oils should be semi or full synthetic and an API rating of SF or above, is a minimum requirement. Oil filters should be original Porsche or OE specification, cheaper makes have a thinner metal for the case and can burst under high load.. Oil filter and engine oil should be replaced every 6000 miles for normal road use or every 3000 miles for regular track use."

For myself I've forked out a bit more and gone for Miller CFS NT 10W50.

For coolant, once flushed and refilled with fresh water only and then ran the engine for half an hour and drained again, I mixed in Comma Xstream G48 and refilled. Watch out for the radiator plastic drain plug when tightening (low torque only) - snapped mine first time! Interested to hear other's preferences.

spanky

Its the same for both of my 968's.
Engine oil: Mobil 1- 15/50, 175,300 miles and Liqui Moly 10/60, 236,200 miles.
Oil filter: Mann, Purolater, Mobil 1
Transmission/Diff gear oil: Swepco Blue 75/90
Brake fluid: Motul 200
Anti freeze/coolant: Porsche factory

DSMblue

Oil - using Mobil 1 0w-40; brake fluid alternate between ATE Super Blue and ATE 200 Gold. Yes, I know Super Blue is no longer available in the US, BUT, if you order leak-detecting dye from McMaster Carr, https://www.mcmaster.com/1400t21, you can create Super Blue on your own. This bottle is enough to make Blue for the rest of your life. Haven't changed gear lube yet, so no recommendations there. For coolant, I have run Prestone Dex-Cool for a number of years, I just make sure whatever coolant is phosphate-free to keep the radiator in good shape.

rol607

Good points.
No LSD
Porsche is only on roads from April 1 - November 15, then into storage.
No track use.
Weekend joy rides
Based in Ohio

Karrera Coupe

I am following this thread with interest.
I have a side question about oil filter replacement: is there a trick to avoid spilling oil down into the engine when removing the old oil filter?
Thanks

DSMblue

No! I have tried stuffing rags under the console, also tried one of those formable trays that channel the oil to the ground, neither has been entirely effective. Usually ends up being a fair amount of cleaning.

dbonds

Having just changed my oil a couple of weeks ago, and read this was an issue on this car - here's the trick I used. After draining oil out of engine, ensure you can loosen filter (turn just until it loosens up, but doesn't release the seal) then poke a hole in top of filter with a screwdriver (obvious now why you need to ensure you can loosen it).

Let it sit another 10 minutes or so (I can always find something else on the car to mess with during this time) to let whatever oil was left in the filter to drain out, then try and get a few paper towels or a shop towel down under the filter and remove it, pulling towel out with it at same time.

I removed top of airbox and loosened brake fluid reservoir as well to get better access to filter - each was a <5 minute job it itself.

With a combination of all the above, I don't think I spilled more than a few drops....

Nathan J.

I put a canister style oil filter on my car from Canton Racing. The advantage is that to change the filter element, you remove four screws from the top, and pull the old element out the top, so it avoids the issue of oil leaking out the bottom of a standard filter. I can look back through my records to find the exact part number if anyone wants it.

Karrera Coupe

Thanks Nathan. Please do let us know the part number for your canister filter. Has it performed well for you?

Nathan J.

Karrera,

I usually keep meticulous records, but I cannot find the receipt for the purchase of this filter, so I cannot verify the proper part number. I do remember that the two pieces of information that I needed to pick the right one was 1) the thread size and 2) the diameter of the gasket. It has worked well for me.

Karrera Coupe

Thanks Nathan