2018 Transmission 6 speed manual vs. 10 speed automatic

[Lonmon]

Yes, I have about 6500 mixed miles on my 18 as well. Daily driving its in D and fun drives are done dropped in S. These reviews are always a bit love it or hate it because they only get a short time with them. At first there were times I was amazed at the trans and times when I was wondering WTF. After a couple thousand miles of getting used to what mode to be in for what I was looking for I am very happy with it. I do miss being able to stab the clutch and rev the car or slip the clutch myself on takeoff but overall the benefits outweigh that. I don't miss a clutch blowing apart at only 7k miles, or the clunky noises and occasional missed shifts.

 

[Norm Peterson]

So I disagree with the article - I think with time both the driver and the tranny adapt.

My money is on the driver absolutely having to adapt - to a lesser or greater extent depending on the individual. For the article, there probably wasn't quite enough time for that to happen for that specific reviewer.


Norm

 

[Rash]

My money is on the driver absolutely having to adapt - to a lesser or greater extent depending on the individual. For the article, there probably wasn't quite enough time for that to happen for that specific reviewer.


Norm

Definitely - I'm just used to what I have to do to avoid the lugging at low speed now. That's probably 75% of it. I definitely do notice also that it doesn't take as hard of a stab of the pedal to get it to downshift - it seems to know what I want a bit more. I think it's a result of babying it the first 1000 miles or so - it learns that style of driving, then has to re-learn when you stop babying, which takes awhile. I suppose you could disconnect the battery after the babying period to start the learning from scratch, buy I wanted to give it a chance without messing with it.

 

[DickR]

Definitely - I'm just used to what I have to do to avoid the lugging at low speed now. That's probably 75% of it. I definitely do notice also that it doesn't take as hard of a stab of the pedal to get it to downshift - it seems to know what I want a bit more. I think it's a result of babying it the first 1000 miles or so - it learns that style of driving, then has to re-learn when you stop babying, which takes awhile. I suppose you could disconnect the battery after the babying period to start the learning from scratch, buy I wanted to give it a chance without messing with it.

This doesn't explain the Motor Trend complaints since they tested a PP which has 3.55 vs the standard 3.15 rear ratio that Rash has but I'm sure the rear end ratio makes a big difference in how responsive the car feels in the top transmission gears. Note that I formed my impressions of how the transmission "felt" on oem 275/40x19 tires but at about 1600 miles switched to driving on my autocross 275/35x19's which are about 4% shorter and therefore make the top trans ratios "feel" even more responsive.

3.55 mph per 1000 rpm

MPH per 1000 RPM

4.80
7.55
10.52
12.79
14.81
17.72
22.51
26.48
33.10
35.72


3.15 mph per 1000 rpm

MPH per 1000 RPM

5.41
8.51
11.85
14.41
16.69
19.97
25.36
29.84
37.30
40.26



GT PP with 275/35x19 tires which are another 4% "shorter" than oem 275/40X19

MPH per 1000 RPM

4.60
7.23
10.07
12.25
14.18
16.97
21.56
25.36
31.70
34.22

 

[Rash]

This doesn't explain the Motor Trend complaints since they tested a PP which has 3.55 vs the standard 3.15 rear ratio that Rash has but I'm sure the rear end ratio makes a big difference in how responsive the car feels in the top transmission gears. Note that I formed my impressions of how the transmission "felt" on oem 275/40x19 tires but at about 1600 miles switched to driving on my autocross 275/35x19's which are about 4% shorter and therefore make the top trans ratios "feel" even more responsive.

3.55 mph per 1000 rpm

MPH per 1000 RPM

4.80
7.55
10.52
12.79
14.81
17.72
22.51
26.48
33.10
35.72


3.15 mph per 1000 rpm

MPH per 1000 RPM

5.41
8.51
11.85
14.41
16.69
19.97
25.36
29.84
37.30
40.26



GT PP with 275/35x19 tires which are another 4% "shorter" than oem 275/40X19

MPH per 1000 RPM

4.60
7.23
10.07
12.25
14.18
16.97
21.56
25.36
31.70
34.22

What's the chart look like for 3.15 with 275/35/20 (which is what I switched to almost immediately - stock was 255/?/18 if I'm not mistaken). Is there a link you use to get this info?

 

[DickR]

What's the chart look like for 3.15 with 275/35/20 (which is what I switched to almost immediately - stock was 255/?/18 if I'm not mistaken). Is there a link you use to get this info?

Your 275/35x20's have almost the same revs/mile as 275/40x19's.
The oem 235/50/18's revs per mile are about halfway between the 275/40x19's and the 275/35x19's according to Tire Rack specs for Michelin and/or Bridgestone tires. Revs per mile for the oem 275/40x19s are 751, RE-71R 273/35x19 are 784, 275/35x20 Michelin all season about 755. 235/50x18 Michelin all season about 762. Whatever your oem or replacement tire brand/model are likely to be similar.

I use a customized spreadsheet I found somewhere on the internet years ago and then plug in the appropriate ratios and tire revs per mile. I prefer using the revs per mile from Tire Rack since those are verified vs trying to calculate from tire sizes.

I also use a very comprehensive spreadsheet Norm P sent me early this year for gearing charts. I think Norm and/or I posted gear charts in one of the many transmission threads and/or the FS autocross sub forum early this year.

The biggest factor is the rear axle ratio since the 3.55 results in 12.7 percent higher revs. Tire revs per mile differences are around 4 percent for my oem vs autocross tires.

The gear ratio differences are about:

Percent Change


-0.36
-0.28
-0.18
-0.14
-0.16
-0.21
-0.15
-0.20
-0.07

so you can see there is very little difference between 10th down to 9th.

 

[Intrepid175]

My money is on the driver absolutely having to adapt - to a lesser or greater extent depending on the individual. For the article, there probably wasn't quite enough time for that to happen for that specific reviewer.


Norm

I have to say I agree with your assessment. Maybe the car does adapt to some degree but I've always felt like I was doing a lot more adapting that it was!

Definitely - I'm just used to what I have to do to avoid the lugging at low speed now. That's probably 75% of it. I definitely do notice also that it doesn't take as hard of a stab of the pedal to get it to downshift - it seems to know what I want a bit more. I think it's a result of babying it the first 1000 miles or so - it learns that style of driving, then has to re-learn when you stop babying, which takes awhile. I suppose you could disconnect the battery after the babying period to start the learning from scratch, buy I wanted to give it a chance without messing with it.

If you disconnect the battery, you'll be starting from scratch anyway so may as well let is adjust on it's own. I can't imagine that being any more involved.

 

[revinto7]

actually this mt82 is garbage ,especially after having a t56 magnum xl swap into my last mustang ..now its only option thats valid is the 10speed

 

[mustangthrall]

I've glanced over a good chunk of these posts but have not read every word... so if I'm echoing what anyone else has said, i apologize... In any case, here is my impression, opinion and experience with the MT82 and 10R80.

MT82 - Initial release was riddled with problems; high RPM lock out, very notchy especially when cold, bad / disconnected shifter feel, grinding and I believe even some issues with certain bolts backing out if I remember correctly.

Most of the serious issues were addressed over the first few years by adding different fluid and addressing some of the hardware issues. I owned a 2014 GT with the MT82. I can definitely say that the shifter feel left something to be desired, and even though I was a recipient of the "updated" version, it still had issues with notchyness when cold. An after market shifter and new two post bracket to replace the crappy rubber/zip tie set up from stock did wonders.

With the s550 came even more updates and improvements, the biggest issue still being shifter feel. Aftermarket shifters that link directly to the trans rather than the body more or less eliminate these issues. For 2018 the gear ratios were changed to coincide with the higher revs of the gen 3 coyote and bring some better gas mileage. They addressed further the issues with high RPM lockout and many more things... even went to a twin disc clutch... It looks like they also changed some materials internally - one being cast aluminum shift forks - anyone who watches YouTube or reads forums knows that there are issues with these breaking and people are sitting without their cars for extended periods of time due to a parts backorder.

The shift fork issue alone is enough for most people to completely write off the MT82 - unfortunately we haven't heard anything from Ford regarding this problem... Was it a casting issue that resulted in a bad batch of forks? Has this issue already been fixed on later production 2018 Mustangs? Did they change anything for 2019?

The 10r80 is a baddass transmission... it handles power, is fantastic if you like to drag race your car, and ultimately makes the most of the Mustang's power. If you push your car hard all of the time or just don't feel like shifting the old fashion way, this is probably your answer, and for all of the haters out there... There's nothing wrong with that!

I am one of those guys who loves shifting my car, there's no automatic that will "do it" for me... not even a DSG. I've got a 2019 on order... it is an MT82. Would I have preferred a Tremec? Absolutely. ...but at the end of the day Ford is in business to make money, they know there is an issue, and I trust that they've done what is necessary to get it fixed. If there are any other issues, that's what a warranty is for... and if i decide I want to get crazy with mods and push the car to the limits on the track, I realize there is a possibility that i may eventually have to get some aftermarket, beefed up internals. All of that being said, one of my first mods will be an aftermarket short shifter that mounts to the trans instead of the body... along with a softer clutch return spring because I hate the way the stock one feels (assuming they use the same one on the 2019s as on the 18s.)

Bottom line... if you're one of those guys (or gals) that loves rowing through the gears... don't let other people's issues with the MT82 sway you from getting it. There is nothing that compares to the feel you get in a manual transmission car (for better or worse). Modern manual transmissions are way easier to drive than ones of old... the clutch is way lighter, there is rev matching, hill assist etc... so if you prefer the experience you get with a manual... GET A MANUAL! If you care more about the numbers and putting the power down, are building a drag car, if you sit in traffic all day, if you don't like shifting yourself, go with the 10R80! ...do what makes YOU happy!

Both options are great, although not without their flaws. Don't let others pressure you into driving something other than what YOU want. Do what makes you happy. If you can't drive stick but are curious and want to learn.. learn first and then make your decision. My first manual car was my 2014 GT and prior to getting it I barely knew how to drive stick.

End rant...

 

[itguy08]

The shift fork issue alone is enough for most people to completely write off the MT82 - unfortunately we haven't heard anything from Ford regarding this problem... Was it a casting issue that resulted in a bad batch of forks? Has this issue already been fixed on later production 2018 Mustangs? Did they change anything for 2019?

I'm on here nearly every day and know of only maybe 2 shift fork failures on 18 MT82s. Given that, IIRC, Ford says they are 50% of Mustangs sold that we should hear more about them than the few that have been seen.

 

[airfuel]

It’s not the tranny, people need to stop driving it like this!

 

[SlaughterOfTheSoul]

There's about 8 of us with 2018 mustang gts at work and none of us have managed to break our shift forks yet. Three of us drag race and all of us are pretty spirited. I am not saying it's over played, but I am saying it may be batch related. If mine breaks I am just going straight to the tr6060. I don't have time to wait for the warranty.

 

[jenksdrummer]

I didn't test the auto, test drive was an 18 PPK1. IMy previous manual was an I4 97 Ranger that I traded in back in 2010, so it'd been a while. Ride motorcycles so not total loss on doing it.


I didn't notice anything overall; short of me wearing steel toed work boots it all wasn't too bad, never killed it, drove it fairly comfortably.


When I put in my order, I was getting a manual. I want to 'feel' that V8.


Rewind a few years ago, I got a 370z. I wanted a manual with that, but dealer only had an auto on hand and gave me a bunch of BS about it costing me more to get one transferred from another dealership. Test drove one w/ auto. Wanted the car bad enough I compromised. Ended up hating that decision, as well as choosing black as I'm apparently pretty OCD...for an auto, it was said and is a very good auto transmission, BUT, for me, a manual is where I would be happy when it comes to go-fast cars; but else, auto is fine, if there is even an option...

My thought is if you go with an EB, it could be an advantage going with the auto as it'll give less boost loss when shifting. But at the end of the day, get what you want and drive it within your means...

Another area we're a bit lucky is there are other options to upgrade too...

 

[XROSEM]

Question for those that have driven both and can give a real-world unbiased observation/evaluation (i.e. this isn't a question for those that have a strong preference of manual vs. automatic transmissions).

Since my current vehicle has a manual transmission, I have no problem driving stick. But I'm looking at getting a 2018 Mustang Ecoboost as my daily driver so am looking for opinions/feedback on whether it's best to get the manual or the new 10 speed automatic.

The difference in price doesn't matter to me as much as making sure whatever I get is going to be reliable and problem-free.

In the meantime, I'll continue my research - but a lot of of that is by experts/writers that are test driving brand new cars. I'm looking to this Forum for some real-world everyday experience and feedback from actual owners.

Thanks much!

Chris
(with apologies if this has been beaten into the ground on another thread already - I did do a search first and didn't find anything, and admit I might have missed one, so will be searching some more)

New automatic transmissions are faster and can shift way better than sticks. Also why many manufacturers are not making as many sticks. Just do a Google search and you will find out. My tuned automatic Mustang GT is always the winner, especially now that I have the3.8L Whipped with exhaust and American Racing Headers.

 

[drive_55_not]

New automatic transmissions are faster and can shift way better than sticks. Also why many manufacturers are not making as many sticks. Just do a Google search and you will find out. My tuned automatic Mustang GT is always the winner, especially now that I have the3.8L Whipped with exhaust and American Racing Headers.

So ... Are you like one of them new chatbot AI's learning to converse by responding to 5yr old ded threads?

And the OP hasn't logged on in 4.

./