I think we are the victims of the bean counters and the Toyota marketing department. Why on earth would a modern car manufacturer recommend a gear oil with a spec that has been inactive since 1995? Perhaps because they want to coerce people into the dealers for service. Do they expect us to put in something like this:
http://www.millersoils.co.uk/automot...ector=Classics
This seems to be a 90W only oil, but it is the only one I could find with an internet search for a GL-3 oil.
Also, we must remember that this car was developed with heavy marketing. They talked to a lot of enthusiasts, and being marketing people, may have misunderstood the enthusiasts desire for a clean shifting transmission to one that was notchy. Perhaps they never had it tested at a very cold start. Would you give a prototype to a person without warming it up first? Or perhaps the marketing people felt that the notchy feeling was best for sales. In this day and age, the marketing department trumps the engineering department every time. Why do you think we have engine sounds piped into our cabins? It wasn't because some engineer said that the car would go faster and run better if we bleed some of the sound off the intake to the passenger cabin to relieve sonic compression impediments.
My FR-S is completely stock and has over 13,000 miles with the original transmission fluid (mostly highway miles so far). Shifting into 2nd from cold is often very difficult, and I usually double clutch and take my time when it is acting up. This doesn't always happen. Sometimes it shifts into 2nd just fine when it is cold. This is why I think that bushings may be part of the trouble.
The transmission isn't the only part of the car that does not really like the cold. When I come out of work after 8 hours, the entire car needs warming. It has been fairly cold in Minnesota this year with temps on many days <10F after work. The car will not move quickly when started cold in these conditions and seems to not want to make power at all until it is warmed up a bit. (Note: Amsoil 0W-20 signature oil is in the engine, so cold flow should be just fine.) I have taken to lapping the parking lot in second gear for a couple of minutes to warm things up before going on the highway. After just this brief warm-up, it shifts into 2nd gear just fine.
After reading this entire thread, I think I will do the following:
1. Get Perrin or other aftermarket shifter bushings and transmission supports, and possibly other braces. I really think that much of this could be the result of soft bushings in the transmission linkage and mounting.
2. Try Amsoil 75W-90 GL-4 MTF for spring-summer-fall transmission duty (O.K., I'm a real Amsoil fan so I would really like to try this myself) that will include track use, and Amsoil or Motul in the differential. I think I may change to Pentosin for next winter.
I would really like to thank everyone who posted really good information here! This is a discussion that was really needed. I will try to update when I have the results of my tests.