Trouble with stock shifter?

beecha91

Founding Member
Sep 18, 2001
751
1
17
Bartlett, IL (Near Chicago)
Anyone else have trouble with the stock shifter? It's only when I up shift to third, most of the time it feels like its catching as it's going in? Is it my shifting? the shifter itself? or the trans has to break in? Car only has 180 miles. I was thinking about maybe trying a new knob and leaving the stock shifter. Or just getting a short throw. What do you guys think?

Don-
 
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I've had no problems with the stock shifter and my car has 1,300 miles, I powershift without a problem, however it has been said by many that the whole shifter should be replaced on these cars if your going to bang gears due to the lack of positive shift stops so I'm going to order a pro 5.0. Try working on your shifting skills, to me these gear boxes shift like butter wich is fantastic compared to Fox or SN-95's. Have fun :D
 
I've had no problems with the stock shifter and my car has 1,300 miles, I powershift without a problem, however it has been said by many that the whole shifter should be replaced on these cars if your going to bang gears due to the lack of positive shift stops so I'm going to order a pro 5.0. Try working on your shifting skills, to me these gear boxes shift like butter wich is fantastic compared to Fox or SN-95's. Have fun :D

It seems to improve if I grab the shift knob towards the bottom with a few fingers instead of towards the top of the knob with my whole hand. Guess I'll keep practicing. Just dont want to screw the trans up. Thanks


Don-
 
The shifting problems are due to the fact that Ford gave us a remote mounted shifter rather than a top loader. If a top loader was used the shifter would be inside of the dash under the radio. That's why the shifter is mounted with a remote beam and shift rod. The problem with that is the remote set-up causes the shifter to mount to the tranny and to the car's tranny tunnel area which is a BAD design. Shifters should be mounted to the tranny only, not to the car's body too so it can twist a bit with the torque of the transmission under load. This twisting effect causes the shifter to bind under a load.

I've had a Triax for quite some time which is the same exact design as a Pro50. These 2 shifters were the best thing out there for our cars for a couple of years now. The Hurst and B&M shifters are inferior to the Triax and Pro50. That's not debatable, it's true.

MGW is the ONLY company to offer a shifter for these cars that actually addresses the remote mount disaster Ford has left us with. The MGW design has a remote beam with a super strong clamping device that incorporates a torsion bushing to allow the flex that takes place when you stomp the gas pedal. My Steeda triax was a decent shifter, but this MGW shifter that I've had for a couple of months is the only shifter to go with. It also has a fully adjustable throw length from the long stock throw to almost 50% shorter than stock or anywhere in between. I'm running 11 lbs boost with a blower and even with the Steeda shifter I had a fit trying to speed shift this car. I just couldn't do it.....the shifter felt like it was hitting a brick wall instead of going into the next gear under a load at high rpm's.

In addition to the adjustable throw length the MGW allows the user to position the shift knob pretty much anywhere you want it within the shift bezel and the knob height is fully adjustable too. The shifter also comes with dynamat sound deadening material, insulation, and the shift mechanism has an upper and lower dust boot to keep harsh debris out of the moving parts unlike the others. It can be ordered with the metric threaded handle for your stock knob or ordered with the standard threads for the use of a Hurst style knob.

All over the different Mustang forums there is case after case of guys just like me who have spent the cash on an aftermarket shifter only to switch to this MGW set-up. All who have done it are surely glad they did. It's the bomb! Now I can run 2nd gear to 6400 rpm's, keep the pedal to the metal and shift fast as hell into third gear. I could never even think of doing that with the triax. Now, speed shifting into 3rd causes uncontrollable wheel spin to the point where I have to back off on throttle just to regain traction. I had to let off the gas before shifting to 3rd with the triax which caused my blower to wind down.


mgwltd.com
 
I'm still using my stock shifter, although I plan on swapping in the Hurst (whether other here say it's worth it or not)

That being said, I haven't had any real problems with my stock shifter. The first time I shifted hard from 2nd to 3rd, I missed the shift, and ended up grinding third. There is a bit of a learning curve, but I am now able to shift into third under hard acceleration without any real bind at all. It is a bit odd at first, but you'll get used to it. You just have to get a feel for it.
 
It's not a question of whether others here think it's worth it or not. It's a question of superior design. Not just marginal superiority, but in a league of it's own, especially when you're putting more than the stock 260 or so hp to the wheels. The more power you're laying down, the more the flawed design rears it's ugly head. That's a fact.

If you take a little trip over to the more ''tech'' oriented mustang forums it's a no brainer when it comes to what shifter to buy as of a couple of months ago. Most of the guys there are gear heads and it's understood. One forum in question had somewhere between 50-100 MGW shifters sold in a matter of maybe a month and this thing has exploded. I'm just coming in here to share information and the experience with you guys and gals. I'm a tech myself and fully understand the mechanics of this kind of thing and I can say without a doubt that it's a huge mistake not to buy one if you plan on a shifter upgrade. That's all I can do.....share the info. If the members here don't take the advice because they have it set in they're minds that they want the Hurst because it was the bomb on the old 60's cars they have the right to make that mistake.
 
It's not a question of whether others here think it's worth it or not. It's a question of superior design. Not just marginal superiority, but in a league of it's own, especially when you're putting more than the stock 260 or so hp to the wheels. The more power you're laying down, the more the flawed design rears it's ugly head. That's a fact.

If you take a little trip over to the more ''tech'' oriented mustang forums it's a no brainer when it comes to what shifter to buy as of a couple of months ago. Most of the guys there are gear heads and it's understood. One forum in question had somewhere between 50-100 MGW shifters sold in a matter of maybe a month and this thing has exploded. I'm just coming in here to share information and the experience with you guys and gals. I'm a tech myself and fully understand the mechanics of this kind of thing and I can say without a doubt that it's a huge mistake not to buy one if you plan on a shifter upgrade. That's all I can do.....share the info. If the members here don't take the advice because they have it set in they're minds that they want the Hurst because it was the bomb on the old 60's cars they have the right to make that mistake.

Take my advice that anthony knows what hes talking about. i have the mgw and it is the ****nit. Nothing is as quiet and shifts as efficient. Get the facts before you get BS.
 
I know what it is like to miss 3rd. When it happened to me a few times, I thought it was an issue with the car. I researched the issue and found what was already told to you as to why it happens. Getting a Hurst shifter is not going to remedy the problem. You WILL miss 3rd with the Hurst. I bought a Steeda Tri-Ax and sold it before I ever installed it. I ended up being one of those that bought a MGW when they first came out. Today, I have shifted my 05 Mustang GT at 6800 RPM into 3rd many times, I have yet to miss a gear with the MGW shifter. You can take the advice you are given here or you can ignore it. Sometimes it is best to learn lessons the hard way...
 
HURST is horrible, MGW rocks. Lets suck MGW's **** some more here.

Get what you like. If you aren't into racing a bunch, the HURST will be wonderful for you. if you want to race a bunch, get the MGW. I personally love my hurst and got a great deal on it. I also love the shotgun sound it has when I shift. Love the look of it too. Sure, the MGW blows my shifters design right out of the water, but it's a matter of personal preference and what is in your budget. A $315 dollar shifter wasn't in my budget, HURST ftw.
 
I'm going with hurst to keep the old school theme, shifting isn't a problem, I'll push it through the hood and slam back through the trunk as allways ha ha. I want a good street performer, not so much a strip car myself. If I was building for the strip, then I would go with the MGW.
 
I have the Hurst shifter & no problems at all.By the way I never missed 3rd gear with the stock shifter or my Hurst.I like the fell of it and the throws.I bought this 3 weeks ago & its saved .10/.20 off my times in 1/4...
 
No, my toes are fine. I don't know what pics you saw of my car, but it's been changed up a few times. I don't have many decent pics and I recently installed a CDC ducktail spoiler which I have no pics of yet. The Procharger is coming off this fall/winter and I'm putting an intercooled Whipple on. My boy is getting the Procharger for his '05. The picture of the window scoops don't show the machined caps that go over the nuts (inside the scoop)

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If you're reasonably satisified with the stocker, try the shifter bushings first. The bushings that come with the car are great for Noise reduction, but let the shifter wobble all over the place and give very vague shift feel.

Tom