SuzukiSavage.com - DRY CLUTCH OIL ! How is that possible ?

blod

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DRY CLUTCH OIL ! How is that possible ?
05/31/26 at 20:01:15

I use Rotella T4 Diesel Oil in every vehicle I own, including my lawn mower, I have done so for as long as I can remember. There are people I know who are adamant that it can not be used in vehicles that have a dry clutch

.
No
No, Shell Rotella T4 and T6 cannot be used in vehicles with a dry clutch. These oils are specifically designed for wet clutch applications and do not contain friction modifiers, which are necessary for dry clutches. Using these oils in a vehicle with a dry clutch can lead to clutch slippage and other performance issues. It is recommended to use motorcycle-specific oils that meet the JASO MA1/2 standards for wet clutch compatibility.

What I want to know is why not ? that makes no sense to me whatsoever. What am I missing ?

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zevenenergie

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Re: DRY CLUTCH OIL ! How is that possible ?
Reply #1 - 06/01/26 at 00:52:50

The question is a good one, because the man was unsure about what a dry clutch is. So it is good that he is asking.

But the man answering is wrong; a dry clutch is never in oil.

Whit a dry clutch the space for the clutch is separated from the rest of the engine. This has the added benefit that you can use a different oil that is more suited for the transmission and the cylinder.
And I think that is where the misunderstanding arose.

If you don't know anything about a subject and you start reading up on it, it often seems like you understand it. The chance that you will then start spouting nonsense is very high.

I always think things through very carefully before I say something stupid. Wink

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Dave

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Re: DRY CLUTCH OIL ! How is that possible ?
Reply #2 - 06/01/26 at 03:28:55

I doubt that Rotella is designed with any kind of a clutch in mind - it is a Heavy Duty Engine Oil, and the life and well being of the engine is the goal. The fact that their formulation for the oil does not include friction modifiers makes it suitable for use in engines that have wet clutches.

As Zevenenergie stated - the engine and transmission oil have no contact with a dry clutch and have no affect on clutch operaton.

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blod

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Re: DRY CLUTCH OIL ! How is that possible ?
Reply #3 - 06/01/26 at 05:06:10

zevenenergie wrote on 06/01/26 at 00:52:50:

The question is a good one, because the man was unsure about what a dry clutch is. So it is good that he is asking.

But the man answering is wrong; a dry clutch is never in oil.

Whit a dry clutch the space for the clutch is separated from the rest of the engine. This has the added benefit that you can use a different oil that is more suited for the transmission and the cylinder.
And I think that is where the misunderstanding arose.

If you don't know anything about a subject and you start reading up on it, it often seems like you understand it. The chance that you will then start spouting nonsense is very high.

I always think things through very carefully before I say something stupid. Wink

--------------------------------------------------------------------

I know what a dry clutch is, and I know that a clutch without oil can only be dry, but put any oil on it and it us no longer dry, so it's not possible to have dry clutch oil.

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blod

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Re: DRY CLUTCH OIL ! How is that possible ?
Reply #4 - 06/01/26 at 05:12:06

Dave wrote on 06/01/26 at 03:28:55:

I doubt that Rotella is designed with any kind of a clutch in mind - it is a Heavy Duty Engine Oil, and the life and well being of the engine is the goal. The fact that their formulation for the oil does not include friction modifiers makes it suitable for use in engines that have wet clutches.

As Zevenenergie stated - the engine and transmission oil have no contact with a dry clutch and have no affect on clutch operaton.

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Rotella is labeled as motorcycle oil now, so I suspect it's officially ok to be used with wet clutches. I know it is anyway, I've been using for years in bikes with dry clutches and wet clutches

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zevenenergie Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 2305 The Netherlands Den Haag	Re: DRY CLUTCH OIL ! How is that possible ? Reply #5 - 06/01/26 at 05:27:44 Maybe we can evaluate it: 1. Rotella = OK 2. Don't put oil on a dry clutch unless it is a dry wet clutch.
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Ruttly Serious Thumper Offline Thumpers Rule Posts: 5583 Manteca , CA Gender:	Re: DRY CLUTCH OIL ! How is that possible ? Reply #6 - 06/01/26 at 09:42:23 Why do people freak out over a typographical error ?
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MMRanch

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Re: DRY CLUTCH OIL ! How is that possible ?
Reply #7 - 06/03/26 at 22:22:57

Quit it , you guys are just too silly ! This is the Silly of all Silly's

My Moto Guzzi had a Dry Clutch , and all those strait shift car's of old , and my Tractors , and some 18 wheeled trucks ,

Hay , there are people (driving every day) alive today that have NEVER operated a dry clutch vehicle ! Maybe that's where the Nonsense started ?

Roll Eyes

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Dave

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Re: DRY CLUTCH OIL ! How is that possible ?
Reply #8 - 06/04/26 at 04:47:14

MMRanch wrote on 06/03/26 at 22:22:57:

Hay , there are people (driving every day) alive today that have NEVER operated a dry clutch vehicle ! Maybe that's where the Nonsense started ?
Roll Eyes

And folks who have never operated a vehicle with a manual choke, or heater/defroster systems with levers and cables, or bench seats, or windows that you have to wind up/down, or vehicles with the dimmer switch on the floor!

So many drivers have never heard the sound of a 6 volt car trying to start in winter.......that slow grinding sound of a cold battery and thick oil that makes it really hard for a car to start (My first car was a 1950 Plymouth and I had to park it on the hill in front of the barn so I could coast it down the driveway and out on onto the street - I would then coast down the steep hill on the public road to jump start the engine after the car sat outside on cold winter night).

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« Last Edit: 06/05/26 at 03:45:09 by Dave »

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MMRanch Serious Thumper Offline Evil flourishes if Good Men do Nothing. Posts: 6224 LYNCHBURG TN Gender:	Re: DRY CLUTCH OIL ! How is that possible ? Reply #9 - 06/04/26 at 07:19:56 1950 Plymouth Yep , part of the "Majic" of the 1957 Chevy was that was the year they went to "12 V" ! Doesn't some of the smaller Honda motorcycles still use a 6 volt system ? And A "WET" clutch ?
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