IceAge
Well-Known Member
Hell how about a “Powerglide” or ”Superglide” optionThis "debate" is approaching silliness...!
Sponsored
Hell how about a “Powerglide” or ”Superglide” optionThis "debate" is approaching silliness...!
I think many glossed over this one. From the vintage mentioned...The car that gave me the most joy and pride when shifting ( clutch less because straight gears) was my 1991 Roush T/A Mustang with a Hewland narrow gears
The pleasure and pride was directly proportional to the the difficulty of the task
While an expert at nothing (but I revel at understanding mechanical failures) I will gladly share my perspective.I would like to hear our resident expert's opinion of the mechanical attributes of the DCT. @Epiphany did a few very good articles on the DCT from inception to implementation. I am without a doubt happy that Ford decided to go the DCT route. It makes the GT500 a very special car at this price point.
Well said Tob. Although not as in depth as you, I have been a mustang enthusiast since I was 15 years old and purchased my first, a 1667 coupe with an automatic no less. For the 34 years I have owned almost every incarnation of it, including the mustang II (admittedly I loved that thing).I think many glossed over this one. From the vintage mentioned...
Doesn't get much more badass than that. Major kudos, I couldn't be more jealous.
While an expert at nothing (but I revel at understanding mechanical failures) I will gladly share my perspective.
When I was still in my teens it was toploaders and rock crushers (etc) that ruled the day if a manual was your thing. Four speeds were as far as it went (aside from euro/japanese cars which aren't part of the context of this discussion) and you were looking at heavy iron castings with external shifter mechanisms along with stiff clutches. Ford automatics were C4/C6 and great for cruising or consistency at the drag strip. GM had some very robust TH350/400's and Chrysler their 727/904. They all took up a lot of space, were heavy as shit, and were limited to 3 speeds.
The mid to late seventies sucked all the way to the mid eighties as we simply didn't have the technology or desire to advance much. When Fox bodies and F-bodies took off, everyone was funneled towards the Borg Warner T5, a lightweight 5 speed overdrive that was really designed for small displacement engines with limited torque.
Tremec jumped into the fray with a TR3550 transmission that was a beefy improvement over the T5. It was the OEM transmission in one car only, the 1995 Cobra R model. I have one in a Fox body now and love it.
Tremec took the ball and ran with it while the OEM's refined their automatics and post Y2k we've been very lucky to ever have recovered from the utter garbage from the smog era. I'd say the TR6060 was the pinnacle that may not be eclipsed (again, for pony cars) while ICE powered cars fade away. Great torque capacity but notchy and not designed for smooth, high(er) rpm shifts. Ford/Tremec addressed that with the TR3160 at the expense of torque capacity.
All of which brings us to now, a discussion that pits the TR3160 with a new to the genre, DCT, and the joy each may bring.
I loved bang shifting the TR3160 (MGW equipped no less) in a GT350 at the track. Given the history, it is absolutely next level in comparison to the best we had seen prior. It is a perfect match for the high revving FPC 5.2, far better than a TR6060 would have been. Jamal did a great job leading the team on this one and should be commended.
The Tremec DCT - seriously...... what? This caught everyone off guard. A few at Ford pushed hard for it as they knew the potential and that if it didn't happen now it would likely never become a reality (the fact that the Corvette was going to use one absolutely helped bolster the argument for it and from what I understand there were some dead set against it at Ford). Tremec had made some slick moves which included a major mechatronics corporate acquisition and the ability to develop it in Belgium along with testing here in the US. This was a big f***ing deal for performance fans whether they recognized it or not.
So here we are with a rather opinionated and highly subjective thread discussion that accomplishes little more than division amongst a rank that should be more unified and mature about it. My father once told me that life was all about choices and left it at that. Having tried every flavor Ford offered in my lifetime, I've learned to be appreciative and constructive about it. I'm riding the DCT wave at the moment and hanging ten all the way - with a giant smile. Having tracked it and spent time driving across the country, I am uber impressed with the calibration in each and every mode in what is undoubtedly the most complex and robust transmission Ford and Tremec have offered us to date.
I have not forgotten the past or where I came from. I am thankful for the opportunity to have thoroughly enjoyed every Ford performance variant I could. If I had limited my choice because I was unwilling to embrace "a lame-ass automatic" I would have missed a golden opportunity.
TL/DR if you must but recognize how far we've come and be thankful for the option to choose. It won't be like this for much longer.
This "debate" is approaching silliness...!
Yes it was. Almost scary fast. My previous race cars before that were vintage Mustangs and Formula V so it was a huge step up at all levelsLuc....that had to be an absolute blast to drive.
It is, especially when it’s power andcoming from a Mustang with 3 turns manual3/4 turn, lock to lock is insane.
Funny you ask that. Lol. Yes very well, used to race with those guys... look at the link below3/4 turn, lock to lock is insane.
Just curious Luc, do you know Doug with the old red NSX (Pulp Racing)?
Come on out to Massachusetts and you can drive me around in mine. Well, maybe in August 21 when she comes back.....zThese threads….
As a prospective future buyer of one of these monsters, I have to admit that the DCT was/is a huge elephant in the room from my perspective. However, my initial concerns revolved mostly around its durability, but I’m not seeing much despair on the interwebs outside some assembly plant hiccups. That’s a good thing.
Beyond that, I’m a staunch 3-pedal guy and all my Mustangs (and most of my other fun cars) have been manuals and I'm a skeptic. But one of those, my ’07 GT500, was modded to a mere ~620-625 HP and was essentially useless on street tires, unless you count drifting and terrorizing helpless passengers. An electronically-reined DCT would have been the ticket for that car, I think. Ah, technology.
Throw my sometimes on, sometimes off clutch knee (thanks to clipping a deer on one of my bikes back in ’09) into the mix, and that DCT looks better all the time. By this time next year I hope the planets align and I place an (ADM-free) order on a '22. In the meantime, I would love to get a ride in one to seal the deal and see what the DCT is all about.