AMSOIL 100% Synthetic CVT Fluid

Product overview

A continuously variable transmission has no fixed gears. A steel belt or chain rides between two pulleys that change diameter, and the fluid has to hold that belt against the pulley faces without letting it slip.

AMSOIL Synthetic CVT Fluid is formulated around that metal-to-metal friction requirement. It surpassed a 12-stage pass in FZG wear testing, lasted six times longer in the JASO LVFA anti-shudder durability test, and ran 100,000 miles in each of four Las Vegas taxis during field testing.

Why a CVT cannot run a standard automatic transmission fluid

A geared automatic moves power through planetary gearsets and clutch packs, and its fluid is tuned to let those clutch plates grip and release on cue. A continuously variable transmission works nothing like that. Power crosses a belt or chain squeezed between two variable-diameter pulleys, so the whole torque load passes through a small contact patch where metal presses on metal.

That contact patch is why CVT fluid exists as its own category. Continuously variable transmissions require a fluid with specialized frictional characteristics that keep the belt or chain in contact with the pulleys without slipping, and AMSOIL Synthetic CVT Fluid is formulated around those metal-to-metal properties. A geared-automatic product such as Signature Series Multi-Vehicle ATF is built around clutch-plate friction and carries a separate specification list, so it is a different fluid for a different mechanism.

Match the CVT fluid name, not the badge on the car

CVT fluid callouts belong to the transmission, and two vehicles wearing the same badge can require different fluids depending on the unit installed. A Nissan calling for NS-3 is not automatically served by a fluid built around a different callout, which is why the fluid name in the service documentation decides this rather than the make. The specification list on this page shows the belt-type and chain-type CVT requirements this fluid covers as published.

Off-road machines sit in a separate category despite the shared name. A Polaris STEELDRIVE unit is served by AMSOIL Synthetic ATV/UTV CVT Fluid rather than this passenger-car formula, which is a reminder that a CVT badge alone never settles the question. The printed specification does.

What the anti-shudder and wear testing measures

Shudder in a CVT is felt as a vibration or a droning pull at light throttle, and it traces back to the fluid losing the friction stability that keeps the belt from micro-slipping across the pulley. In the JASO LVFA anti-shudder durability test, AMSOIL Synthetic CVT Fluid lasted six times longer, a result that describes how long that friction behavior holds up rather than how it reads when the fluid is new. The same wet-clutch performance is what supports reduced noise, vibration, and harshness.

Wear resistance is scored separately. The fluid surpassed a 12-stage pass in FZG wear testing (ASTM D5182), a load-stage method that raises pressure on gear teeth until the fluid film can no longer keep the surfaces apart. Pulley faces in a CVT carry high contact pressure on every mile driven, which is what makes that kind of film strength relevant here.

Heat, varnish, and the cold end of the range

Sustained heat is what turns a transmission fluid into varnish on valve bodies and internal hardware. In elevated heat, the thermally stable formulation guards against thermal breakdown and resists the varnish formation that can threaten transmission performance and life. Flash point is 218°C (414°F) and fire point is 238°C (435°F).

At the cold end, pour point is -46°C (-49°F) and the viscosity index is 183, so the fluid stays nearer its intended thickness from a winter start through a long summer climb. Service timing does not change with any of that. AMSOIL Synthetic CVT Fluid is changed according to the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation, and covering an original equipment fluid does not rewrite the schedule the transmission was built around.

Specifications Synthetic CVT Fluid covers

This fluid covers belt-type and chain-type continuously variable transmissions requiring any of the following:

• Audi/Volkswagen Multitronic, TL 525 16 (G 0520516), TL 521 80 (G 052 180)
• BMW EZL 799/32 22 0 136 376/83 22 0 429 154
• Daihatsu Amix CVTF DFE, CVT Fluid DC and DFC, Fluid TC
• Dodge/Jeep NS-2, CVT+4
• Ford CVT23, CFT30, MERCON C, WSS-M2C933-A, Motorcraft XT-7-QCFT, WSD-M2C-199A
• GM/Saturn DEX-CVT, GM1940713, 1940714, CVTF I-Green 2
• Honda HMMF, HCF2, Z-1, CVT
• Hyundai/Kia CVT-1, SP III
• Mazda JWS 3320
• Mercedes-Benz CVT28, 236.20
• Mini Cooper EZL, EZL 799A
• Mitsubishi DiaQueen CVTF-J1, CVTF-J4 and J4+, SP III, ECO J4
• Nissan NS-1, NS-2, NS-2V, NS-3, N-CVT
• Punch CVT
• Renault ELFMATIC CVT
• Shell Green 1V
• Subaru Lineartronic CVT, CVT II, CVT III, K0425Y0710, K0425Y0711, K0421Y0700, CV-30, High Torque CVTF-LV
• Suzuki TC, 3320, 4401, NS-2, Green 1 and 2, Green 1V
• Toyota/Lexus TC, FE
• ZF CVT V1

Coverage as published in the AMSOIL data bulletin, checked July 2026. AMSOIL revises coverage when a formula changes, so confirm against AMSOIL's current data bulletin before ordering.

Service life

Change according to the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations.

Good to know

• AMSOIL Synthetic CVT Fluid is Warranty Secure, so using it keeps the factory warranty intact.

Typical technical properties

Typical properties published by AMSOIL, checked July 2026. These are representative values rather than a specification, and they change when AMSOIL updates a formula.

Package sizes and product codes

Select a product code to open that package size on the AMSOIL product page.

Product documents

AMSOIL publishes the full technical detail for this product in these documents.

• Synthetic CVT Fluid product data bulletin (PDF)
• Synthetic CVT Fluid safety data sheet (PDF)

Where to order

Confirm this formula is the match for the vehicle or equipment in the AMSOIL product guides, then order Synthetic CVT Fluid online. Existing members can sign in to apply the discount automatically.

Details and questions