TheLion
Well-Known Member
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Just wanted to share some experiences in what I've found that most improved the shifting feel of the MT-82. I've done shifter brakets (blowfish), short throws (ford peformance), manual gear lube and diff bushings on both an Ecoboost and a GT.
Now this is more of a street car setup than a dedicated track car, so your mileage may vary and what I did may not be adequate for hard core use, but 90% of us run our cars first as street cars, so a reasonable level of drive ability must be preserved. Going back to the start, my 2016 Ecoboost (which I had bought in June of 2016 brand new in Stirling Virginia with only 29 miles on it) had some nibble when cold in 2nd and 4th gears but I never had any actual issues with the syncros failing to allow it to go into gear even when it was 0F outside. To be sure, it was VERY notchy when cold, but it did work.
My 2016 GT PP on the other hand had issues within the first few months of ownership this past winter / early spring. Car was bone stock at the time except for a Corsa Extreme axle back and tinted windows the previous owner had done. It only had 5,500 miles on the clock when I bought it (currently at 17,000).
I literally could not get the car to go into 2nd quite frequently when cold and even on rare occasion when warm. It would also nibble quite a bit when cold in 2nd and 4th. Yes, some times I would miss the gates as well, something that the Ford Performance Short throw fixed on my Ecoboost.
First thing I tried was the BG Syncro Shift II as a cheap fix, I didn't want to take it in to the dealer for an intermittent issue that they were not likely to find easily anyway. After changing the fluid, it actually took a day or two of driving before the fluid fully resolved the issue of 2nd gear not meshing, it also became noticeably smoother, but there was still some notchy feeling to it, especially when cold. And no my issue wasn't 2nd gear lockout on WOT. I could just be starting normally in traffic and slow shifting into 2nd and it would feel like it was in gear and then all I hear is griiiiinddd! Very embarrassing as I've been driving stick for a decade and a half now...
Anyway, the fluid change did resolve the cold shift and lazy shift issue after a few weeks of use. My guess is that it takes time for the film of the factory fluid to become displaced on bearing surface of the snycro's, just like motor oil leaves a film on you cams etc. even when there's no oil flow which keeps your cold start wear to a minimum.
But the MT-82 would still nibble in 2nd periodically and also in 4th. Shifting was quite a bit smoother than factory, but still not want as good as I would expect from a modern manual transmission in mid 30k car.
Now I had saved the Steeda Diff bushing kit from my ecoboost (used the black ones in the EB but there was so much clunking in the rear end unless I was cruising or WOT it drove me nuts and I eventually removed them). While the performance was drastically improved in the EB, the NVH was enough that it made the car somewhat unpleasant to drive daily. I lost the initiative to swap in the red bushings (for fear of them being no better NVH wise) and just removed them completely form the EB, but kept the kit in case I ever decided to give a second try. Glad I did.
I bought two more round aluminum inserts to convert it for use in my PP GT (EB has two squarish inserts that interface with the harmonic dampers that are NOT on the GT) and just installed them finally this weekend (I also have CB005 cradle lockout from BMR and their SP080 lowering springs). Otherwise suspension is stock.
The combination of the Red Steeda differential bushings and the BG SyncroShiftII on an otherwise stock MT-82 is excellent. Shift effort is now very low, it almost just slides right into place. Shifting also feels more predictable, as I am not worried about missing gates as would happen previously, even part throttle. Thus far I have not experienced much nibble from 4th and none in 2nd. Shifting just "happens" naturally instead of being a focused effort. I was not expecting differential bushings to have an impact on shift quality of the MT-82, but by and large it did. It is not just power delivery of the 5.0 and wheels hop that it has improved.
The soft factory bushings really cause a number of issues from a performance standpoint. 1. They absorb energy and create a delay between the time you step on the gas and the car starts to accelerate. I'd wager the diff bushings and cradle lock out lone are worth at least .1 to possibly .2 seconds on the 1/4 mile with no other changes to the car. Every time you shift, the rear end is absorbing and storing energy from the engine until their limits of travel are reached, at that point you finally are getting the power to the wheels. Obviously this can also cause oscillation when under power as soon as the tires break loose, which not only wastes power, but the shock is very hard on drive train components.
It seems also that the shock of the bushings loading up then suddenly stopping seem to effect the syncros in the MT-82. That shock feeds back up into the drive train and transmission. There's no other explanation I can think of. Shifting is smoother with the Differential bushings and BG SyncroShiftII than it was in my ecoboost with a short throw and blowfish backet (but no diff bushings). And precision is about on par with the EB setup as well, a short throw would make it just about perfect, but the stock shifter is pretty good for daily use, it's right in between a true short throw and a more standard length shifter.
Drive ability of the car has drastically improved on other fronts as well. The car isn't prone to bucking as it was stock. 3.73 PP cars are known to be a little "bucky" or harsh in daily use. Not any more! Power application is now very predictable and I can hang the tail out on command which great precision. Before the diff bushings, it was crap shoot as to weather the rear end would do what I wanted it to or not and that was even with the CB005 and SP080 already installed. The rear would still hop (not as bad as stock, maybe about half as much hop after installing the CB005).
I'd have to agree with Ford Performance, the primary culprits of wheel hop are a combination of three things with #1 and 2 being the primary culprits: 1. IRS cradle oscillation and 2. Differential oscillation 3. toe angle changes. Both #1 and #2 need to be addressed to limit hop to a minimum on street tires. #3 I have yet to do, but should be the final refinement, but isn't 100% necessary.
But getting back to shifting, the MT-82 with new fluids and differential bushings really runs smoothly. I feel confident that just a drop in short throw would be easy to run and predictable now without having to force the shifter into place (notchy). Everything finally seems to be working in harmony. I've also been careful of my selections weight wise. There are some other anti-hop kits that add 10~15lbs of parts.
The CB005 weighs just 6.5 lbs, but your removing 2.5 lbs of parts from the car during install (the stock support brackets weighed about 1 lb 6 oz each). So weight gain is only about 4 lbs. The differential bushings with screws and washers are collectively about 2 lbs. So total weight gain between the BMR cradle lockout and Steeda Diff bushings is around 6 lbs. Well worth the small gain. Lowering springs are about net 0, you just swapping one part for another is nearly identical weight.
Unlike the black differential bushings I had used in my Ecoboost, the Red bushings in literally the same kit I re-used seem to be the best for street, which you would think is obvious given that's what they say, but in my GT with the red bushings I can't hear any clunking during stopping / starting except a little on rare occasion if I start hard but then push the clutch (drive train loaded down, but then suddenly push the clutch in like when some one stops in front of you unexpectedly), which I heard even stock, just a little louder (2 piece drive shaft is going to have more slop than a 1 piece). No big deal. So far no 3.73 gear whine, which my GT torsen I stuck in my EB did do also with the black diff bushings. That may be more related to the gapping and how well Ford did it in my particular diff as opposed to the one I stuck in the EB, but both were 3.73 Torsen loaded diffs.
Just the fluid, CB005, red poly diff bushings and SP080 have really made the car tight, precise and harmonious without any other changes. For now the last thing on the suspension is the out toe link bearings from FP which I've had sitting in my garage for the past 6 months that are going in Monday when I have a little more freed time. I wanted to get all the suspension quirks worked out before saving up for the PP2 and eventually once the car is paid off, a PP3.
The GT now feels like everything is working harmony rather than the front being disconnected from the rear and the engine isolated from the wheels / drive train with the MT-82 walking off into the weeds somewhere....and yet the front end was laser precise. Nothing was communicating or in sync, just these few changes have really transformed the car, but miss any one of them and something will still be out of place.
S550 Must Do's List for Drivetrain:
1. CB005 Lockout Kit or something equivalent
2. BG SyncroShiftII for MT-82 cars
3. 80 Durometer Poly Differential Bushings
Those three changes will make quite a drastic difference alone in the precision and communication of the rear end. They really do synchronize the rear with the rest of the car.
Stock is fine for a grand touring setup which is really how these cars are set up from the factory, both suspension, chassis and throttle mapping. Yes, Ford definitely set up the stock GT's, even PP optioned ones, more like a Ford Fusion than they did a performance oriented muscle car. And they are great at the GT part. But not so much the SS part like the latest Alpha based Camaro. There's an excellent chassis and engine under there just waiting to be tapped into however with only a few strategic changes that are all that is really necessary to bring it out!
Now this is more of a street car setup than a dedicated track car, so your mileage may vary and what I did may not be adequate for hard core use, but 90% of us run our cars first as street cars, so a reasonable level of drive ability must be preserved. Going back to the start, my 2016 Ecoboost (which I had bought in June of 2016 brand new in Stirling Virginia with only 29 miles on it) had some nibble when cold in 2nd and 4th gears but I never had any actual issues with the syncros failing to allow it to go into gear even when it was 0F outside. To be sure, it was VERY notchy when cold, but it did work.
My 2016 GT PP on the other hand had issues within the first few months of ownership this past winter / early spring. Car was bone stock at the time except for a Corsa Extreme axle back and tinted windows the previous owner had done. It only had 5,500 miles on the clock when I bought it (currently at 17,000).
I literally could not get the car to go into 2nd quite frequently when cold and even on rare occasion when warm. It would also nibble quite a bit when cold in 2nd and 4th. Yes, some times I would miss the gates as well, something that the Ford Performance Short throw fixed on my Ecoboost.
First thing I tried was the BG Syncro Shift II as a cheap fix, I didn't want to take it in to the dealer for an intermittent issue that they were not likely to find easily anyway. After changing the fluid, it actually took a day or two of driving before the fluid fully resolved the issue of 2nd gear not meshing, it also became noticeably smoother, but there was still some notchy feeling to it, especially when cold. And no my issue wasn't 2nd gear lockout on WOT. I could just be starting normally in traffic and slow shifting into 2nd and it would feel like it was in gear and then all I hear is griiiiinddd! Very embarrassing as I've been driving stick for a decade and a half now...
Anyway, the fluid change did resolve the cold shift and lazy shift issue after a few weeks of use. My guess is that it takes time for the film of the factory fluid to become displaced on bearing surface of the snycro's, just like motor oil leaves a film on you cams etc. even when there's no oil flow which keeps your cold start wear to a minimum.
But the MT-82 would still nibble in 2nd periodically and also in 4th. Shifting was quite a bit smoother than factory, but still not want as good as I would expect from a modern manual transmission in mid 30k car.
Now I had saved the Steeda Diff bushing kit from my ecoboost (used the black ones in the EB but there was so much clunking in the rear end unless I was cruising or WOT it drove me nuts and I eventually removed them). While the performance was drastically improved in the EB, the NVH was enough that it made the car somewhat unpleasant to drive daily. I lost the initiative to swap in the red bushings (for fear of them being no better NVH wise) and just removed them completely form the EB, but kept the kit in case I ever decided to give a second try. Glad I did.
I bought two more round aluminum inserts to convert it for use in my PP GT (EB has two squarish inserts that interface with the harmonic dampers that are NOT on the GT) and just installed them finally this weekend (I also have CB005 cradle lockout from BMR and their SP080 lowering springs). Otherwise suspension is stock.
The combination of the Red Steeda differential bushings and the BG SyncroShiftII on an otherwise stock MT-82 is excellent. Shift effort is now very low, it almost just slides right into place. Shifting also feels more predictable, as I am not worried about missing gates as would happen previously, even part throttle. Thus far I have not experienced much nibble from 4th and none in 2nd. Shifting just "happens" naturally instead of being a focused effort. I was not expecting differential bushings to have an impact on shift quality of the MT-82, but by and large it did. It is not just power delivery of the 5.0 and wheels hop that it has improved.
The soft factory bushings really cause a number of issues from a performance standpoint. 1. They absorb energy and create a delay between the time you step on the gas and the car starts to accelerate. I'd wager the diff bushings and cradle lock out lone are worth at least .1 to possibly .2 seconds on the 1/4 mile with no other changes to the car. Every time you shift, the rear end is absorbing and storing energy from the engine until their limits of travel are reached, at that point you finally are getting the power to the wheels. Obviously this can also cause oscillation when under power as soon as the tires break loose, which not only wastes power, but the shock is very hard on drive train components.
It seems also that the shock of the bushings loading up then suddenly stopping seem to effect the syncros in the MT-82. That shock feeds back up into the drive train and transmission. There's no other explanation I can think of. Shifting is smoother with the Differential bushings and BG SyncroShiftII than it was in my ecoboost with a short throw and blowfish backet (but no diff bushings). And precision is about on par with the EB setup as well, a short throw would make it just about perfect, but the stock shifter is pretty good for daily use, it's right in between a true short throw and a more standard length shifter.
Drive ability of the car has drastically improved on other fronts as well. The car isn't prone to bucking as it was stock. 3.73 PP cars are known to be a little "bucky" or harsh in daily use. Not any more! Power application is now very predictable and I can hang the tail out on command which great precision. Before the diff bushings, it was crap shoot as to weather the rear end would do what I wanted it to or not and that was even with the CB005 and SP080 already installed. The rear would still hop (not as bad as stock, maybe about half as much hop after installing the CB005).
I'd have to agree with Ford Performance, the primary culprits of wheel hop are a combination of three things with #1 and 2 being the primary culprits: 1. IRS cradle oscillation and 2. Differential oscillation 3. toe angle changes. Both #1 and #2 need to be addressed to limit hop to a minimum on street tires. #3 I have yet to do, but should be the final refinement, but isn't 100% necessary.
But getting back to shifting, the MT-82 with new fluids and differential bushings really runs smoothly. I feel confident that just a drop in short throw would be easy to run and predictable now without having to force the shifter into place (notchy). Everything finally seems to be working in harmony. I've also been careful of my selections weight wise. There are some other anti-hop kits that add 10~15lbs of parts.
The CB005 weighs just 6.5 lbs, but your removing 2.5 lbs of parts from the car during install (the stock support brackets weighed about 1 lb 6 oz each). So weight gain is only about 4 lbs. The differential bushings with screws and washers are collectively about 2 lbs. So total weight gain between the BMR cradle lockout and Steeda Diff bushings is around 6 lbs. Well worth the small gain. Lowering springs are about net 0, you just swapping one part for another is nearly identical weight.
Unlike the black differential bushings I had used in my Ecoboost, the Red bushings in literally the same kit I re-used seem to be the best for street, which you would think is obvious given that's what they say, but in my GT with the red bushings I can't hear any clunking during stopping / starting except a little on rare occasion if I start hard but then push the clutch (drive train loaded down, but then suddenly push the clutch in like when some one stops in front of you unexpectedly), which I heard even stock, just a little louder (2 piece drive shaft is going to have more slop than a 1 piece). No big deal. So far no 3.73 gear whine, which my GT torsen I stuck in my EB did do also with the black diff bushings. That may be more related to the gapping and how well Ford did it in my particular diff as opposed to the one I stuck in the EB, but both were 3.73 Torsen loaded diffs.
Just the fluid, CB005, red poly diff bushings and SP080 have really made the car tight, precise and harmonious without any other changes. For now the last thing on the suspension is the out toe link bearings from FP which I've had sitting in my garage for the past 6 months that are going in Monday when I have a little more freed time. I wanted to get all the suspension quirks worked out before saving up for the PP2 and eventually once the car is paid off, a PP3.
The GT now feels like everything is working harmony rather than the front being disconnected from the rear and the engine isolated from the wheels / drive train with the MT-82 walking off into the weeds somewhere....and yet the front end was laser precise. Nothing was communicating or in sync, just these few changes have really transformed the car, but miss any one of them and something will still be out of place.
S550 Must Do's List for Drivetrain:
1. CB005 Lockout Kit or something equivalent
2. BG SyncroShiftII for MT-82 cars
3. 80 Durometer Poly Differential Bushings
Those three changes will make quite a drastic difference alone in the precision and communication of the rear end. They really do synchronize the rear with the rest of the car.
Stock is fine for a grand touring setup which is really how these cars are set up from the factory, both suspension, chassis and throttle mapping. Yes, Ford definitely set up the stock GT's, even PP optioned ones, more like a Ford Fusion than they did a performance oriented muscle car. And they are great at the GT part. But not so much the SS part like the latest Alpha based Camaro. There's an excellent chassis and engine under there just waiting to be tapped into however with only a few strategic changes that are all that is really necessary to bring it out!
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