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Group Buy - Swepco 201 - Gear Oil for Aircooled 911s with 915 Transmission


ErikA

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I'm canvassing interest in a group buy of Swepco 201 gear oil.

 

It's not available for retail sale in Canada, so I reached out to Swepco and got the contact details for the closest sales rep, who is located in Black Diamond. Before I contact him, and drive out to Black Diamond (probably in the next couple of weeks), I wanted to see if anyone else wants to participate. It comes in 1 gallon jugs and my research indicates the minimum order is usually 2 gallons. The 915's fluid capacity is ~ 3 quarts.

 

Pelican Parts lists it at US$62/gallon, plus $50 ground shipping to Canada :eek: I'm hoping the local rep can do a bit better on pricing!

 

https://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/CARE/POR_CARE_swepco_pg2.htm

 

For context, Swepco 201 is claimed by many to be the best gear oil for the 915 transmission. I switched to Redline 75w90NS last season and it is making my LSD bind like crazy in low speed turns. Forum debates rage about custom blends of "slippery" and "non-slippery" Redline, or the use of friction modifiers, but I can't find anyone complaining about Swepco 201! It's safe for use with "yellow metal" synchros and is claimed to improve shifting - see this recommendation from Wayne Dempsey @ Pelican Parts:

 

https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/101_Projects_Porsche_911/36-Tranny_Fluid/36-Tranny_Fluid.htm

 

If interested, shoot me a PM or reply below and we can sort out orders and logistics. Alternatively, I can share the rep's details with you via PM, if you prefer.

Edited by ErikA

Erik

 

2001 911 Turbo X50

1980 911SC - Black, 3.2 litre short stroke SOLD!

2002 BMW M3 - Carbon Black over Cinnamon

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Erik - I'm down if you get it going. I have been running Amsoil without concern, but interested in the "magical properties" of Swepco. I'll touch base with another friend with a 3.0 SC who may be interested too.

 

Thanks,

Keith

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Thanks Keith! I'll leave this up for another couple days and then get in touch with the rep - and let you know about pricing.

Erik

 

2001 911 Turbo X50

1980 911SC - Black, 3.2 litre short stroke SOLD!

2002 BMW M3 - Carbon Black over Cinnamon

Link to comment

Hi Erik,

I don't mean to highjack your thread, but owners of G50 transmission cars are faced with similar challenges when looking for their favorite tranny fluid. The general consensus is that Mobil Delvac 75W-90 works very well, but as a fleet/commercial product, it is normally only available to DIY'ers in 20 liter pails (my '88 Carrera requires less than 4 liters). I am happy to report that Riegel Tuning carries Mobil Delvac in bulk and will sell it you for $15.82/liter (for the non-limited slip version). Bring a clean container!

 

Marc

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Thanks Marc! And to confirm, you are correct that Swepco does not work with the updated "Borg Warner-style" synchros in the G50. It's only good for brass/yellow metal synchros like the 915.

Erik

 

2001 911 Turbo X50

1980 911SC - Black, 3.2 litre short stroke SOLD!

2002 BMW M3 - Carbon Black over Cinnamon

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi Erik

I'm a new member but long time owner. I had same issue finding the holy grail - I mean Swepco 201. Followed a similar approach to you and had a number of emails with their rep in BC, who I got to contact Porsche Calgary who said that had no interest in stocking it. Anyway long story short the rep put me in touch with a place in Vancouver (Weissach)that sells (sold) it and as I visit Vancouver on a semi regular basis I picked some up and did the work myself last summer. Think I paid about $85 plus tax for 3.78l

 

John

 

1980 930 Ruby Red

2005 Cayenne Turbo some sort of grey

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Thanks John! I've neglected to run this to ground, so I just got off the phone with the rep. Couple things:

 

1. He's pretty leery to sell to guys with strange foreign cars and wants to call his head office to confirm it works in our application.

 

2. He indicated he'll accept a $500 minimum order (but I seem to have convinced him to combine our 3 gallons with another larger order, so that might not be an issue).

 

Will provide an update when he calls me back (he said tomorrow). Worst case, maybe Lambo Calgary (i.e. Weissach) sounds like a promising option.

Erik

 

2001 911 Turbo X50

1980 911SC - Black, 3.2 litre short stroke SOLD!

2002 BMW M3 - Carbon Black over Cinnamon

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johncalgary

Erik

 

I tried them (Lambo) last year before having to go to Vancouver, they said they didn't have any - hopefully they do now. Unfortunately even tho there are reasonable numbers of 911 air cooled owners don't think the numbers justify the effort of swepco to push it out to dealers (and probably the dealers wouldn't make enough money on it). Its the same for so many bits and pieces that are readily available from Pelican in the states, good pricing until the shipping to Canada is included.:(

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John the shipping from the states is outrageous! And agreed on this being a niche product.

 

Happy news though. I talked to Bill (the rep) and got a great price delivered to me - $56.13 per gallon plus GST, so let's call it an even $60 per gallon. I did have to buy a whole case (6 gallons) so I have extra if anyone is interested. So far it's:

 

Keith - 2

Erik - 1

John - ?

Others - ??

 

I'll collect money when I give you the goods. Should be delivered to me in 1-2 weeks as it comes from Brampton, ON.

 

Bill had called his corporate head office and they flipped him an Excellence magazine article from the 90s extolling the virtues of Swepco 201 80w90, so he's not worried about wrecking our expensive P-cars anymore :cool:

Erik

 

2001 911 Turbo X50

1980 911SC - Black, 3.2 litre short stroke SOLD!

2002 BMW M3 - Carbon Black over Cinnamon

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Gents, I picked up the Swepco this morning. Can arrange a time to meet, or deliver it to you, over the coming evenings (I'm off skiing this weekend). Shoot me a private message and we'll coordinate.

Erik

 

2001 911 Turbo X50

1980 911SC - Black, 3.2 litre short stroke SOLD!

2002 BMW M3 - Carbon Black over Cinnamon

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