OP
OP
Andrewg
Sun, Sea, Sand and Camels
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2016
- Threads
- 7
- Messages
- 314
- Reaction score
- 83
- Location
- Dubai, U.A.E.
- First Name
- Andy
- Vehicle(s)
- 2015 Guard Metallic GT 401A
- Thread starter
- #16
Next update. Installed an MWG short shifter and a host of BMR suspension through L&R Performance (Thanks Louie and team!) CJR001 - Jacking rails, SB043 - Sway bars, TCA045 - Vertical links, BK049 - Differential bushing kit, CB005 - Cradle bushing lockout, BK055 - Lower control arm bearing kit. Couple of pics of the work in progress.
Rear cradle dropped.
Bare cradle:
Polyurethane bushings swapped in:
Lower control arm bearings in:
Lonely pumpkin on the jack:
First impressions
MGW: Huge difference in shifting feel immediately. Pretty stiff and requires a lot more effort to shift at first but as expected, the grease has distributed with time and the shifting becomes easier and easier. Very nicely short. So much more precise and I can now shift from 2nd to 3rd without issue every time in less than half the time it used to take and under WOT. Unlike other shifters on the market, the MGW mounts solidly to the transmission which means driveline torque is transferred through the shifter. Means you have a more direct feel of what's going on, less stress on the transmission parts and perfect shifting every time. It's a beautiful piece (a shame you can't actually see it) that's been over engineered in every way. It really is the Gold standard of shifters. Nothing else even comes close. On the other hand, driveline vibrations are transferred through the shifter so if you're the kind of person that cruises with their hand on the shifter you'll definitely feel it 'purring' as you drive which may get tiresome after a while. I don't mind in the slightest however and there is almost no NVH transferred into the actual vehicle.
Score: 9/10 - Simply, there is no better shifter on the market. Not full marks because the price is high (get what you pay for) and may not be appropriate for some due to the shifter vibrating in your hand. Personally, I love it and I know this will protect the inherently fragile MT-82, prolonging it's life.
Suspension: Ideally would have liked to have the parts fitted one at a time to see what difference each made but in the interests of down time and saving money I decided to let L&R handle it all in one go. Apparently the differential bushings were a bit of a nightmare to get in during install so unless you've got a lot of speciality tools it's probably easier to let an experienced shop like L&R do the work. Huge difference in the feel of the car now. Feels more solid and a lot tighter. All the slop has gone and you can really feel that. Biggest difference is the way the car puts the power down from a take off and the lack of wheel hop. Feels like I have more power (which essentially I do as more energy is transferred to the ground and not wasted in soft, squidgy bushings and flimsy stamped metal parts). Some draw backs however. The more solid bushings really transfer a lot of NVH into the car. I can clearly hear every noise the car is making i.e. squeaks from the body contorting over speed bumps, rear gear whine, exhaust vibration and the most annoying is drive train slop. I've been told it is the diff engaging/disengaging which is backed up by numerous threads on other forums but it basically clunks when I let off the gas, get on the gas and shift gears. Mustangs have always had a lot of slop in this respect hence the need for very soft factory bushings so i'm not worried in the slightest but it is important to note for anyone thinking of going this route, it is loud and the cabin is definitely not as refined any more. I believe it is the differential bushings which are the primary culprit transferring probably 75-80% of the noise rather than any of the other parts. I will be adding a fair bit of Dynamat to the rear of the car in the future and I expect this will kill the majority of the noise so i'm not too worried. Car actually sounds a little like my 07 did with BMR LCAs, UCA and Panhard bar. I haven't really had a chance to push the car as the tyres were previously the weak link and now that weakness is even more obvious. Won't be changing those out until they're finished but will be going summer only tyres when I do and really see how this thing performs.
Score: 8/10 - I'd normally rate each part individually but as I can't tell what a difference each one makes i'll give an overall score. I'm very happy with the parts and know I can quiet them down with Dynamat but gave 7/10 for the noise. While i'm in the 5% of owners that don't mind rough/raw/noisy, I know most people would probably have an issue with this and so adjusted the score down.
Big thanks to: L&R Performance, Kelly @ BMR and the team at MGW
Rear cradle dropped.
Bare cradle:
Polyurethane bushings swapped in:
Lower control arm bearings in:
Lonely pumpkin on the jack:
First impressions
MGW: Huge difference in shifting feel immediately. Pretty stiff and requires a lot more effort to shift at first but as expected, the grease has distributed with time and the shifting becomes easier and easier. Very nicely short. So much more precise and I can now shift from 2nd to 3rd without issue every time in less than half the time it used to take and under WOT. Unlike other shifters on the market, the MGW mounts solidly to the transmission which means driveline torque is transferred through the shifter. Means you have a more direct feel of what's going on, less stress on the transmission parts and perfect shifting every time. It's a beautiful piece (a shame you can't actually see it) that's been over engineered in every way. It really is the Gold standard of shifters. Nothing else even comes close. On the other hand, driveline vibrations are transferred through the shifter so if you're the kind of person that cruises with their hand on the shifter you'll definitely feel it 'purring' as you drive which may get tiresome after a while. I don't mind in the slightest however and there is almost no NVH transferred into the actual vehicle.
Score: 9/10 - Simply, there is no better shifter on the market. Not full marks because the price is high (get what you pay for) and may not be appropriate for some due to the shifter vibrating in your hand. Personally, I love it and I know this will protect the inherently fragile MT-82, prolonging it's life.
Suspension: Ideally would have liked to have the parts fitted one at a time to see what difference each made but in the interests of down time and saving money I decided to let L&R handle it all in one go. Apparently the differential bushings were a bit of a nightmare to get in during install so unless you've got a lot of speciality tools it's probably easier to let an experienced shop like L&R do the work. Huge difference in the feel of the car now. Feels more solid and a lot tighter. All the slop has gone and you can really feel that. Biggest difference is the way the car puts the power down from a take off and the lack of wheel hop. Feels like I have more power (which essentially I do as more energy is transferred to the ground and not wasted in soft, squidgy bushings and flimsy stamped metal parts). Some draw backs however. The more solid bushings really transfer a lot of NVH into the car. I can clearly hear every noise the car is making i.e. squeaks from the body contorting over speed bumps, rear gear whine, exhaust vibration and the most annoying is drive train slop. I've been told it is the diff engaging/disengaging which is backed up by numerous threads on other forums but it basically clunks when I let off the gas, get on the gas and shift gears. Mustangs have always had a lot of slop in this respect hence the need for very soft factory bushings so i'm not worried in the slightest but it is important to note for anyone thinking of going this route, it is loud and the cabin is definitely not as refined any more. I believe it is the differential bushings which are the primary culprit transferring probably 75-80% of the noise rather than any of the other parts. I will be adding a fair bit of Dynamat to the rear of the car in the future and I expect this will kill the majority of the noise so i'm not too worried. Car actually sounds a little like my 07 did with BMR LCAs, UCA and Panhard bar. I haven't really had a chance to push the car as the tyres were previously the weak link and now that weakness is even more obvious. Won't be changing those out until they're finished but will be going summer only tyres when I do and really see how this thing performs.
Score: 8/10 - I'd normally rate each part individually but as I can't tell what a difference each one makes i'll give an overall score. I'm very happy with the parts and know I can quiet them down with Dynamat but gave 7/10 for the noise. While i'm in the 5% of owners that don't mind rough/raw/noisy, I know most people would probably have an issue with this and so adjusted the score down.
Big thanks to: L&R Performance, Kelly @ BMR and the team at MGW
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