Shell Spirax S5 ATF X

Worth knowing

The Shell data sheet’s exclusions are wider than the page note: S5 ATF X does not meet the low-viscosity requirements of Toyota WS, Nissan Matic S, Honda ATF DW-1 and Hyundai/Kia SP-IV and SP-IV-RR either. All these codes, along with the Ford MERCON LV and GM Dexron VI approvals, are recorded for Spirax S6 ATF X, a fluid from the same line with 6.2 mm²/s at 100 °C against 7.2 for S5 ATF X. The reverse does not hold: Toyota T-III, Ford MERCON V, GM Dexron III and Hyundai/Kia Red-1K are not recorded for S6 ATF X, so it promises nothing for gearboxes that call for them.

The data sheet for Spirax S5 ATF X (ND) gives the same list of specifications and the same typical figures, so on paper the two cans are identical. The S5 ATF X data sheet gives its list, from Aisin Warner JWS 3309 to Nissan Matic K, under the line “suitable for applications requiring”, while GM Type A Suffix A appears in its application table under the line “suitable for use”; the article on universal ATF and a list of twenty specifications explains how such wording differs from an approval.