Short throw

[Vlad Soare]

Yeah, the idea of a push-down lockout doesn't really appeal to me. That, and the shipping and import costs, since I don't know of any MGW distributor in Europe. Which is why I had my eye on Steeda's Tri-Ax shifter.
But then, Steeda's shifter is still body-mounted, like the OEM one, and if I were to go through all the trouble and expense of replacing the shifter, then I think it would make sense to go all the way and get a transmission-mounted one, rather than settle for a compromise.
But what's actually keeping me from ordering either of them is that I have absolutely no issue with the stock shifter, none whatsoever. It's butter-smooth in any gear, at any temperature, at any RPM. So my biggest fear is that I will spend a lot of money, then struggle with a complicated and difficult installation procedure, only to discover at the end that the shifter feels like it did before.
A shorter stick with a shorter throw would be nice, though.

Does the MGW stick have to be flat, or do they make a round one as well? I see they offer an adapter that allows you to retain the OEM knob. Does this "adapter" refer to a round stick that can take OEM-style knobs, or is it really an adapter that mounts on top of the flat stick?

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[TeeLew]

My MGW took a little while (couple weeks?) to free up. It started very direct with a bit of effort, but that drag went away and it's been practically frictionless since while losing none of the directness. Fingertips for any gear but 6th, which is just a little awkward regardless of the shifter.

Also : The flat stick is an option; the standard is round.

 

[Vlad Soare]

Also : The flat stick is an option; the standard is round.

That's good to know. Thanks!

 

[jacknifetoaswan]

Yeah, the idea of a push-down lockout doesn't really appeal to me. That, and the shipping and import costs, since I don't know of any MGW distributor in Europe. Which is why I had my eye on Steeda's Tri-Ax shifter.
But then, Steeda's shifter is still body-mounted, like the OEM one, and if I were to go through all the trouble and expense of replacing the shifter, then I think it would make sense to go all the way and get a transmission-mounted one, rather than settle for a compromise.
But what's actually keeping me from ordering either of them is that I have absolutely no issue with the stock shifter, none whatsoever. It's butter-smooth in any gear, at any temperature, at any RPM. So my biggest fear is that I will spend a lot of money, then struggle with a complicated and difficult installation procedure, only to discover at the end that the shifter feels like it did before.
A shorter stick with a shorter throw would be nice, though.

Does the MGW stick have to be flat, or do they make a round one as well? I see they offer an adapter that allows you to retain the OEM knob. Does this "adapter" refer to a round stick that can take OEM-style knobs, or is it really an adapter that mounts on top of the flat stick?

This is my opinion, based on the shifter in my S197 GT and my S550 GT. The stock shifters were ok. They weren't great. They were definitely not precise, but they weren't as bad as the shifter on other cars I've driven. I would sometimes get locked out of first gear on cold starts in my S197, and that Tremec transmission was great. I've gotten second gear lockouts on my S550, and the MT-82 is a little less than great, but not exactly bad.

The MGW shifter is precise and changes everything about the shifting process for the better. I've not been locked out once, and there's a very satisfying "thunk" when you engage a gear with the MGW. I don't know why it took me six years to install one. The installation is definitely a pain, but it's nothing that can't be done with a few hand tools and a couple hours on jack stands.

JR

 

[Konamoth]

This is my opinion, based on the shifter in my S197 GT and my S550 GT. The stock shifters were ok. They weren't great. They were definitely not precise, but they weren't as bad as the shifter on other cars I've driven. I would sometimes get locked out of first gear on cold starts in my S197, and that Tremec transmission was great. I've gotten second gear lockouts on my S550, and the MT-82 is a little less than great, but not exactly bad.

The MGW shifter is precise and changes everything about the shifting process for the better. I've not been locked out once, and there's a very satisfying "thunk" when you engage a gear with the MGW. I don't know why it took me six years to install one. The installation is definitely a pain, but it's nothing that can't be done with a few hand tools and a couple hours on jack stands.

JR

So, you installed yourself? Did you wind up having to drop driveshaft / exhaust? I saw that (Or similar—I may well not be recalling right.) mentioned in the installation process. That's the only thing I'm leery of, and has me pondering if a good shop install may be wise.

 

[jacknifetoaswan]

So, you installed yourself? Did you wind up having to drop driveshaft / exhaust? I saw that (Or similar—I may well not be recalling right.) mentioned in the installation process. That's the only thing I'm leery of, and has me pondering if a good shop install may be wise.

Yes, I installed it myself. Start to finish, it took about three hours. I did remove the resonator, but only because I was planning to install an H-pipe, anyway. It could be done without removing the exhaust, but it would be a giant pain. I didn't see a big need to drop the driveshaft, but it would definitely make certain steps easier.

What I found to be important is that if the transmission is lowered as far as it will go to enable access, the shifter body will be touching the transmission, and you can't get the bridges connected properly. I had to raise and lower the transmission multiple times to get the right alignment. This would be extremely simple with access to the top of the transmission, if it were out of the car.

JR

 

[TeeLew]

Definitely drop the driveshaft when you're doing it. It will save you a lot of aggravation.

 

[Sigman]

Do as TeeLew recommends, it will save you time and frustration especially if you have larger hands.
I had more fun installing the LTH, LOL.

 

[Konamoth]

Definitely drop the driveshaft when you're doing it. It will save you a lot of aggravation.

Do as TeeLew recommends, it will save you time and frustration especially if you have larger hands.
I had more fun installing the LTH, LOL.

Well, that settles that, then—short fingers, wide hands. Ain't gonna be able to reach

I'll give it thought. Of course I'd prefer to do the work myself, but, dealing with such critical components brings some hesitance.

 

[TeeLew]

Well, that settles that, then—short fingers, wide hands. Ain't gonna be able to reach

I'll give it thought. Of course I'd prefer to do the work myself, but, dealing with such critical components brings some hesitance.

Is not a particularly tricky job and it's well documented. Take a good look at the instructions. I bet you could do it.

 

[Vlad Soare]

But what's actually keeping me from ordering either of them is that I have absolutely no issue with the stock shifter, none whatsoever. It's butter-smooth in any gear, at any temperature, at any RPM. So my biggest fear is that I will spend a lot of money, then struggle with a complicated and difficult installation procedure, only to discover at the end that the shifter feels like it did before.
A shorter stick with a shorter throw would be nice, though.

Well, in the end I resolved my dilemma. Since I'm happy with the stock shifter, I'm going to buy the light version of the Steeda shifter (I believe they call it the "street" version). This is cheaper and easier to install than a complete shifter assembly (no need to drop the driveshaft or the transmission), while still retaining those particular features of its bigger brother that I want, i.e. lowering the knob and shortening the throw. The delrin reverse lockout is a nice bonus, too.

 

[Vlad Soare]

Update: in the meantime I received and installed the Steeda Tri-Ax short throw shifter. I'm really happy. I used to like the stock shifter, there was actually nothing wrong with it, but this one is a definite improvement. The throw is indeed much shorter, the shift knob sits lower, it's firm and crisp, no play whatsoever, and there's a pleasant, mechanical feel to it that I can't describe in words. I love it.
Pictures and more details, in my journal:

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/my-red-pony.149009/page-9#post-3418274

As expected, the effort required to move the shift lever has increased a bit, but not too much. It took me less than one day to get used to it, and now I'm perfectly fine with it.

The only glitch is that the reverse lockout makes a loud screech whenever it moves up or down. I've installed everything correctly and greased everything using the supplied grease, but to no avail. Last year I replaced the original lockout collar with Steeda's black delrin one, and I noticed that it squeaked a bit, as opposed to the OEM collar which was completely silent. Now that the reverse lockout itself is also made of delrin, the screech has become louder. It appears to be an intrinsic characteristic of this material. I don't think there's anything I can do about it. I'll probably have to live with it.

 

[Vlad Soare]

There is something I don't quite get. Now that I got to compare the stock shifter with the Steeda Tri-Ax, I realize that the stock one did have a bit of play in it. It didn't feel sloppy before, when I compared it to other manual cars I had driven which were much worse, but now I can tell that it was a bit sloppier than it is now.
But here's what puzzles me. I haven't replaced the entire shifter assembly. I've only replaced the stick that goes from the shift knob to the shifter base and into the shift linkage. That's it. This is nothing more than just a simple metal rod with two bulges on it. If there's slop in the shifter, then surely this slop must be in the shift linkage, or at one or more of the attachment points between the various components, mustn't it? Surely you can't get rid of the sloppiness by replacing just a lowly metal rod while keeping everything else (including the bushings) unchanged, can you? And yet this is exactly what happened. How come?

 

[WD Pro]

Reduced lever length = less exaggeration of any 'slop' in the linkages ?
Better tolerancing of the ball and bulge = less slop in the shaft interfaces ?

WD

 

[Vlad Soare]

Yeah, I thought about that, but I'm not entirely convinced.
The shorter throw could indeed make any slop a bit less obvious (by increasing the effort required to move the shifter in any direction, including sideways), but not make it completely disappear even when you're actively looking for it. I mean, if the shift lever could move a tiny bit sideways before, then it should also be able to move a tiny bit sideways now, albeit with a bit more effort. But it doesn't.
Better tolerances... yes, that could explain it in theory, but the bulges did look identical at first glance (though I didn't put a micrometer on them to make sure). Besides, both bulges went into the same plastic bushings that the old shifer used, and both bushings clicked in place exactly as hard as they unclicked from the old shifter. Having a plastic bushing - the same plastic bushing - between the shifter and the shifter case and shift linkage should make tiny differences in the diameter of the bulges irrelevant.
The only thing I can think of is that the distance between the bulges is a bit longer in the Steeda shifter (see the picture in my journal). Since the upper ball sits in the same position as it did before, moving the other ball further away might push the rear end of the shift linkage down a bit, thereby tensioning it slightly. But this is just a wild guess.

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