Manual Shifter Improvement

[Bartly]

If you get under your car and grab the end of the tranny it is quite easy to move it around. The rubber mount between the cross member and the transmission has several openings in it that allows you to deflect the rubber with your fingers. The insert is a urethane molded piece that fills these openings to stiffen up the mount. Steeda, Whiteline and a couple other outfits sell them.

When I first got my S550 I would get locked out of 3 or 5 about 1 in 4 shifts when driving aggressively. After installing the Steeda version I have not missed a shift since.

This is another no brainer upgrade since these inserts cost only $30.

Having the shifter remotely mounted is great for isolating the interior from noise and vibration but have the tranny and shifter moving around independently of each other is not good for precise shifting. These bushings and inserts reduce the amount of motion so shifting is improved.

There are a couple of outfits that make brackets. That bolt to the tranny and the shifter mounts to the bracket is no longer attached to the floor of the car. This almost cuts the independent motion to zero and is the best solution. After that you are talking about replacing the factory shifter altogether.

I installed the tranny insert first and it made more improvement than the bracket bushing but that could be reversed if I had installed the bushing first.

Hey, thanks for taking the time to write all of that for me. I appreciate it. Does sound like a pretty good thing to try for the $ spent.

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[whatdoyoufeedit?]

More reading/photos can be found about these here: http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31772. I was going to stick with my stock bushing/bracket (since I am upgrading motor mounts and trans mount to attack slop) however at this low price this makes this mod worth it for the fact it is one less rubber bushing to wear out. Thanks for bringing this part out to light again. Ordered! :cheers:

 

[BmacIL]

I plan to install mine this weekend if time allows. I don't have any other trans/shifter mods besides a boomba knob, so I will provide feedback on just this piece.

 

[BmacIL]

Did the install of this bushing today. Overall I'm really impressed with how much of a change it is for so cheap. Shifts feel both lighter in effort and more precise. I didn't drive too long, so I'll give some more impressions later.

The installation was more difficult than expected. I had to lower the rear section of my catback to get enough hand/arm room to do this (x pipe is welded on). If you have an aftermarket catback, drop the mid section to do this. If you have a stock catback, good luck. I have no idea how you'd do this with the stock suitcase on besides taking the whole catback off. Also, my shifter bracket had the little clip that holds it to the body on the passenger side stud. You have to yank this off or you won't be able to put the bracket over the bushing.

 

[whatdoyoufeedit?]

Did the install of this bushing today. Overall I'm really impressed with how much of a change it is for so cheap. Shifts feel both lighter in effort and more precise. I didn't drive too long, so I'll give some more impressions later.

The installation was more difficult than expected. I had to lower the rear section of my catback to get enough hand/arm room to do this (x pipe is welded on). If you have an aftermarket catback, drop the mid section to do this. If you have a stock catback, good luck. I have no idea how you'd do this with the stock suitcase on besides taking the whole catback off. Also, my shifter bracket had the little clip that holds it to the body on the passenger side stud. You have to yank this off or you won't be able to put the bracket over the bushing.

I'm planning to install mine this evening. I am still on the stock/exhaust suitcase. I will report ways on how to get it done if I can complete it.

 

[dgc333]

Should have mentioned I have an Ecoboost and have replaced the resonator with a straight piece of pipe, access was easy for me.

 

[BmacIL]

Should have mentioned I have an Ecoboost and have replaced the resonator with a straight piece of pipe, access was easy for me.

That would definitely help. The driveshaft still took up most of the line of sight. The passenger side nut requires a swivel joint along with a ~18" extension, whereas you can get to the driver's side with straight extension.

 

[whatdoyoufeedit?]

Easy peasy on the stock lunchbox. All I needed was my Matco 3/8 ratchet and a really lengthy extension. The trickiest part was making sure not to lose the clip. I did not need any swivels nor did I run into any issues. The biggest tip I can give is do not over-torque the nuts, they only need to be snugged. Impressions: for less than $20 bux I am ecstatic. This makes a night/day difference and is a much better value than completely replacing the bracket with an aftermarket one. Shifts are much more buttery. This is tying really well with my Boobma Rear vertical links and Steeda aluminum differential inserts. I can definitely recommend this part. :cheers:

 

[BmacIL]

Nice!

After driving a while today, I have noticed a few other things. There is a little bit more powertrain/driveline presence in the cabin under moderate to hard acceleration. It's not annoying or particularly loud at all, and actually sounds good. There's also a bit more vibration felt from the driveline under hard acceleration only. Otherwise it feels/sounds like stock, but with better shifting.

 

[whatdoyoufeedit?]

Nice!

After driving a while today, I have noticed a few other things. There is a little bit more powertrain/driveline presence in the cabin under moderate to hard acceleration. It's not annoying or particularly loud at all, and actually sounds good. There's also a bit more vibration felt from the driveline under hard acceleration only. Otherwise it feels/sounds like stock, but with better shifting.

Nice indeed. I can attest to this. The increase NVH is minimal and the Cyclone (with stock exhaust I plan to keep for a good while) is so quiet it translates some of that nice engine noise into the cabin in a subtle manner. I love the more direct feel in shifting. Even with the aluminum diff inserts, and vertical links my car is still quiet and feels much more tied together.

 

[BmacIL]

Nice indeed. I can attest to this. The increase NVH is minimal and the Cyclone (with stock exhaust I plan to keep for a good while) is so quiet it translates some of that nice engine noise into the cabin in a subtle manner. I love the more direct feel in shifting. Even with the aluminum diff inserts, and vertical links my car is still quiet and feels much more tied together.

Or....
http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52127

 

[dgc333]

The trickiest part was making sure not to lose the clip:

I tossed the clip, it's just a factory assemby aid which I didn't need to put the new bushing in. Getting it off was the hardest part of the entire install.

 

[Lonmon]

I used to miss 3rd when shifting aggressively fairly often with the stock set up. Since then I have added the blowfish bracket, steeda clutch spring, steeda trans mount bushing, and changed the fluid to the BG syncroshift II. Night and day difference, no more missing gears and much tighter feel to the shifter. No grind or notchyness what so ever. A slight increase in vibration to the shifter when the blowfish bracket was installed (got used to it in a day or two) and a little tiny vibration in the cabin under decel when the trans mount bushing was added but nothing that a passenger would notice. I am absolutely satisfied with the results!

 

[BmacIL]

I used to miss 3rd when shifting aggressively fairly often with the stock set up. Since then I have added the blowfish bracket, steeda clutch spring, steeda trans mount bushing, and changed the fluid to the BG syncroshift II. Night and day difference, no more missing gears and much tighter feel to the shifter. No grind or notchyness what so ever. A slight increase in vibration to the shifter when the blowfish bracket was installed (got used to it in a day or two) and a little tiny vibration in the cabin under decel when the trans mount bushing was added but nothing that a passenger would notice. I am absolutely satisfied with the results!

This is the next thing I'm doing for shifting performance.

 

[BmacIL]

I did some more driving tonight. This was definitely worth the time and amazing value for the money. Shifts are much more crisp and drop into gear with only very slight pressure. Also, high speed/WOT shifts are excellent. No lockout and no feeling like you're gonna break something.

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