A fluid change should help. Use a quality synthetic

I second Apex's thoughts; that sounds like a lubrication issue when it's cold. Fluid change! The bonus with a fluid change is learning to service your own vehicle and seeing the running condition of your new car with your own eyes (should you choose to do it yourself)

Thanks for the tip. When I drove the BRZ yesterday I had zero grind, even cold. Buttery smooth. Granted, it was 100 degrees yesterday. I've been doing a lot of reading on this issue on these forums. Some mention altering shift technique for 2nd gear so I'll give that a try first. Maybe it's just me.

It's not just you. I don't know if you came across my advice but it's all about timing. Be quick through neutral. No need to jam it hard. Just don't pause. Because the OEM fluid is so thick, if you wait too long, the gears spool down and you miss the opportunity. Your transmission is also very new. They take many thousands of miles to really break in. Mine was super tight until about 8K-10K miles.

Thinner fluid is nice but it gets noisy. I hear more neutral rollover with Redline MT90.

The stock fill isn't as thick as we are led to believe.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62288

Interesting. I wonder if the stock fluid doesn't behave more like a straight weight. You must admit it really was thick when cold. Even the MT90 that I use has more give in the morning. I think that's thicker than MTL. I bet the syncros bite nicely with MTL.

Just FYI removing the lockout plate eill NOT allow it to be removed. There is another plate under neath that.

The comment above about shifting too fast is also correct. Smooth shifting is an equation between the lubrication and design of the synchros. Shifting too fast alsobwears out the gates as well as synchros extremely fast not to mention placing stress on shift forks and even the rods.


I have the 2017 toyota 86 limited edition and i have installed the japanese TRD short throw shifter. There is a BIG difference between a short shifter and a short throw shifter.

Over modifying a vehicle is quite common when individuals start bolting on aftermarket gear. Each to their own of course but i can vouch for all the TRD stuff that OEM in fitment quality and that it enhances the attributes of the car, not change them.

I have written a review on a few TRD products on this forum.

Hope this helps

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