Manual Transmission question

[doulos4jc]

...When I lurked this site along time ago this was only a "ditch the clutch assist spring". Now you cant talk about it without a steeda counseling session. The spring promoting is ridiculously funny...

:lol: +1

+2. I installed the Steeda spring and five minutes later, I removed it. No spring is perfect.

Any spring no matter how light is going to bring back some of the spongy, artificial feel that is totally eliminated when the spring is removed.

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[Hurricane]

When I lurked this site along time ago this was only a "ditch the clutch assist spring". Now you cant talk about it without a steeda counseling session.

Since when was the cure for transmission clunk and shifting hang-ups to simply ditch the clutch assist spring? Don't get me wrong, I personally enjoy the heavier clutch feel now, but a $10 part is not the miracle cure for the stock drivetrain issues in this car.

You guys dont have to wait for a delivery in the mail to decide about your spring. The factory spring has dimensions. You have many choices of different pressures to choose from out there. Just venture to your local bearing/seal supply houses.

You're a machinist. Going to a bearing supply house (I didn't even know such a thing existed) is normal to you. For the other 99.99% of us Mustang drivers, we'd rather pay ten bucks and have something shipped that we know for a fact will work and fit perfectly in the car. If I was a chef, it would be like me suggesting that someone go to a restaurant supply warehouse store just to buy a spatula when you can get one at any Target or Walmart for $3.

 

[Hashbrownn]

185lb stock assist spring to the 35lb Steeda spring sounds like a big difference.
I may give it a shot. I don't mind bit of "mushy" feeling clutch, since it makes the car easier to drive. My modding days are over...

 

[Ecoboosted]

Yep the MT-82 transmission is hit or miss. Time for an MGW shifter, transmission fluid change and a Steeda 35# clutch spring.

 

[Mustang_GT]

I just drained the trans (3k miles) and put in Royal Purple Synchromax and it is a totally different trans now. Except when cold, notchy shift is gone and it shifts super smooth.

 

[dgc333]

"Many new Mustang owners have found that taking out the stock OE spring will give you somewhat similar results, but realistically the clutch becomes far too heavy especially if your Mustang is daily driven. Most owners fail to realize the prolonged effects of simply taking out your factory OE spring and not replacing it with another spring. By negating your factory clutch assist spring you will notice chatter/NVH from your clutch pedal. Your clutch pedal will never fully return to stock position without any assist spring, and over time your slave cylinder may begin leaking due to constant pressure on its seals from the clutch pedal not returning to the stock position. Avoid these problems in the future by installing our Steeda S550 Mustang Clutch Assist Spring 35 lb/in into your GT, EcoBoost or V6. - See more at: http://www.steeda.com/steeda-s550-mustang-clutch-spring-assist-35-lb-in-15-16-all-555-7022/#sthash.tHE69084.dpuf "

Well I have had the stock spring out for almost 25k miles. The clutch pedal returns fully every time and there is ZERO chatter or NVH. I call BS on not having a spring causing seals to leak, drum break systems have residual valves to maintain a small amount of pressure in the system since there inception. I highly doubt the weight of the pedal assemby can even over come the stiction in the seals to cause any pressure.

The feel is much better without the spring but over all even with the spring out the clutch is still to light for my preference. BTW, I daily drive my car.

 

[shawndean22]

They may be right, I had a 350z no spring assist and the slave failed on my twice, even though they had a plastic slave clyinder. They added spring in 370z and wasnt much of a problem anymore. I am sure the spring is there for a reason.

 

[5pointOh]

the slave failed on my twice, even though they had a plastic slave clyinder.

There is your problem.

 

[TheMightyAndrew]

I have been hearing so much about the MGW shifter. Is there a specific one that you guys recommend?

 

[Hurricane]

I have been hearing so much about the MGW shifter. Is there a specific one that you guys recommend?

@TheMightyAndrew I was in the same boat as you about a month ago, looking for a new shifter. You'll get four main responses to your question:

• Steeda
• MGW
• Barton
• Ford Racing

Each one varies a little bit from the others, but they will all shorten the throw and clean up the sloppiness in the stock shifter. The Steeda and Barton are very similar in construction and installation. They will both completely replace the stock shifter body, internals and shifter-to-transmission mounting arm, replacing it with a much more rigid machined aluminum version. The MGW goes one step further and also replaces the stock linkage, while the Steeda and Barton reuse it. The MGW also has additional arms on the sides of the housing that connect to the transmission in order to give it a more traditional tranny-mounted shifter feel as opposed to the body-mounted style of the stock design. The Steeda and Barton versions maintain the rear body mounting style of the stock shifter, but come with much more rigid mounts compared to the flimsy OEM one. Finally, the MGW does away with the stock reverse lock-out where you lift UP on a collar and instead has you press DOWN on the whole shift lever in order to get into reverse. The Ford Racing shifter is more of just a parts swap as opposed to a full replacement of the shifter and housing like the other three options. Because of this fact though, it also comes in at a much lower price point, around $250. The Steeda is next at $440, then Barton at $450 and finally the MGW at $475. All prices are before any discounts or promo codes.

I personally chose the Steeda Tri-Ax and have really enjoyed it so far since installing it last Saturday. For me, it was a toss-up between that and the Barton because I wanted to replace as much OEM stuff as possible, but still maintain the OEM reverse lock-out functionality. I like the other Steeda stuff I bought for the car and, well, the Tri-Ax is blue and I like blue. Plus, the M6G promo code helped me save over $40 on the shifter, so that finally pushed me over the edge. Just PM @David@Steeda and he'll send it your way.

Good luck with whichever one you choose!

 

[David@Steeda]

@TheMightyAndrew I was in the same boat as you about a month ago, looking for a new shifter. You'll get four main responses to your question:

• Steeda
• MGW
• Barton
• Ford Racing

Each one varies a little bit from the others, but they will all shorten the throw and clean up the sloppiness in the stock shifter. The Steeda and Barton are very similar in construction and installation. They will both completely replace the stock shifter body, internals and shifter-to-transmission mounting arm, replacing it with a much more rigid machined aluminum version. The MGW goes one step further and also replaces the stock linkage, while the Steeda and Barton reuse it. The MGW also has additional arms on the sides of the housing that connect to the transmission in order to give it a more traditional tranny-mounted shifter feel as opposed to the body-mounted style of the stock design. The Steeda and Barton versions maintain the rear body mounting style of the stock shifter, but come with much more rigid mounts compared to the flimsy OEM one. Finally, the MGW does away with the stock reverse lock-out where you lift UP on a collar and instead has you press DOWN on the whole shift lever in order to get into reverse. The Ford Racing shifter is more of just a parts swap as opposed to a full replacement of the shifter and housing like the other three options. Because of this fact though, it also comes in at a much lower price point, around $250. The Steeda is next at $440, then Barton at $450 and finally the MGW at $475. All prices are before any discounts or promo codes.

I personally chose the Steeda Tri-Ax and have really enjoyed it so far since installing it last Saturday. For me, it was a toss-up between that and the Barton because I wanted to replace as much OEM stuff as possible, but still maintain the OEM reverse lock-out functionality. I like the other Steeda stuff I bought for the car and, well, the Tri-Ax is blue and I like blue. Plus, the M6G promo code helped me save over $40 on the shifter, so that finally pushed me over the edge. Just PM @David@Steeda and he'll send it your way.

Good luck with whichever one you choose!

Well said, Ted! :cheers:

 

[michaelmfl]

When I first bought the car I disliked the clutch feel, so I took the spring out. I absolutely loved the new feel. There was no chatter or NVH. The clutch pedal returned fully and did not seem loose at the top of travel. The effort didn't even feel that much heavier to me.

I drove with the spring out for a few months.

Then I tried putting it back in and found that it didn't really feel that much different. I noticed it at first, but then it seemed OK. I think there's a learning curve with this clutch. Once you get it, you get it. The clutch engagement point in high and once the engagement starts it is shallow.

If you want to try a different spring, or no spring, I say give it a try. You might really like it. And you can always revert back. But I think warnings for not using a spring overblown.

 

[TheMightyAndrew]

@TheMightyAndrew I was in the same boat as you about a month ago, looking for a new shifter. You'll get four main responses to your question:

• Steeda
• MGW
• Barton
• Ford Racing

Each one varies a little bit from the others, but they will all shorten the throw and clean up the sloppiness in the stock shifter. The Steeda and Barton are very similar in construction and installation. They will both completely replace the stock shifter body, internals and shifter-to-transmission mounting arm, replacing it with a much more rigid machined aluminum version. The MGW goes one step further and also replaces the stock linkage, while the Steeda and Barton reuse it. The MGW also has additional arms on the sides of the housing that connect to the transmission in order to give it a more traditional tranny-mounted shifter feel as opposed to the body-mounted style of the stock design. The Steeda and Barton versions maintain the rear body mounting style of the stock shifter, but come with much more rigid mounts compared to the flimsy OEM one. Finally, the MGW does away with the stock reverse lock-out where you lift UP on a collar and instead has you press DOWN on the whole shift lever in order to get into reverse. The Ford Racing shifter is more of just a parts swap as opposed to a full replacement of the shifter and housing like the other three options. Because of this fact though, it also comes in at a much lower price point, around $250. The Steeda is next at $440, then Barton at $450 and finally the MGW at $475. All prices are before any discounts or promo codes.

I personally chose the Steeda Tri-Ax and have really enjoyed it so far since installing it last Saturday. For me, it was a toss-up between that and the Barton because I wanted to replace as much OEM stuff as possible, but still maintain the OEM reverse lock-out functionality. I like the other Steeda stuff I bought for the car and, well, the Tri-Ax is blue and I like blue. Plus, the M6G promo code helped me save over $40 on the shifter, so that finally pushed me over the edge. Just PM @David@Steeda and he'll send it your way.

Good luck with whichever one you choose!

Holy smokes. This is the best write up I've seen in a long time for just a simple question. Thanks so much man

 

[Hurricane]

Well said, Ted!

Holy smokes. This is the best write up I've seen in a long time for just a simple question. Thanks so much man

Thank you, thank you. You're too kind!

Seriously though, I have a really analytical personality (probably why I got into programming). I research the heck out of something before making a commitment, so when I was looking for a new shifter, I really did my homework. If my legwork can save someone time with searching, comparing features, and reading through specs, then I'm happy to share that info. I think I'll save that reply somewhere and just re-post it anytime in the future I see somebody ask about what shifter to buy.:lol:

 

[hiccup]

Since when was the cure for transmission clunk and shifting hang-ups to simply ditch the clutch assist spring? Don't get me wrong, I personally enjoy the heavier clutch feel now, but a $10 part is not the miracle cure for the stock drivetrain issues in this car.


You're a machinist. Going to a bearing supply house (I didn't even know such a thing existed) is normal to you. For the other 99.99% of us Mustang drivers, we'd rather pay ten bucks and have something shipped that we know for a fact will work and fit perfectly in the car. If I was a chef, it would be like me suggesting that someone go to a restaurant supply warehouse store just to buy a spatula when you can get one at any Target or Walmart for $3.

Its not that complicated man. They're called industrial supply houses. Like Grainger. If you dont wish to wait on steeda spring or find a few with varying pressures to test, put some heat to the factory spring. That'll lighten it.

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