After reading several posts regarding various mods including shifters, I decided to invest a good chunk of change and get an MGW shifter. I must say, that without a lift, the installation was a PITA. Lost a lot of knuckle skin and even a little blood. I'm a big guy with big hands. However, with the written instructions and DVD installation video provided, along with a good on-line instructional video, I was able to install it in three hours time with only one small mistake. Getting my car up on jacks high enough to work on it was the most time consuming. I like the adjustable throw on the MGW. I have mine set to about 40% less than stock. Any shorter and I'm not sure if is considered shifting anymore. The shifting is smooth, but with enough resistance to let you feel when the car is in gear. (solid). No more worries about missing 3rd gear under hard driving. It is almost as if the shifter knows where to go next. Downshifts from 4th to 2nd are also easier. I have had some trouble getting into reverse. Maybe because of my lack of practice. I go forward a lot. The adjustable height of the shifter is also nice. I find setting it low keeps my elbow in line with the center consol lid, which makes for a more comfortable shift position. Now I went from stock to the MGW. But have driven an 05 Roush with the short throw shifter and feel the MGW is much better. In fact, I believe the MGW to compare well with the shifter on the Ford GT supercar I drove. Although my Mustang seems to be missing the 6th gear. I almost went with a Steeda sport shifter kit, but could not find anyone who actually owns one to give me a comment. The Tri-ax shifter, Hurst shifter, and 5.0 all have a good following, but overall the MGW had the best reviews. I have to agree. (just my opinion) Hope this helps anyone else looking for info on a shifter.
MGW is a great product. How did you like how they had everything packaged? I don't think anyone else can do it like them.
My MGW will be arriving in the mail today (to replace the Hurst that's currently on my car)...hopefully I'll like it as much as everyone else!
Mine went in last week. I can't compare it to anything but the stock shifter but the improvement at 5 turns out (about 33%) is tremendous. Powershifting 2nd to 3rd is a breeze. Let us know how it compares to your Hurst.
Well the shifter arrived today and I unpacked it. My first impression of it is that it's a COMPLETE JOKE!! I have no business installing anything that nice on my POS Mustang!! Seriously, I think I need to buy a new car to go with my shifter -Can't wait to get it installed!!!
Hahahaha !! ... at first, I didn't even see your bottom part of your post and wanted to laugh at you and say what the hell is wrong with you !!
Damn!! You guys are easy to mess with! I actually did have to chuckle to myself when I unpacked the new shifter though...I mean, the quality and build is unreal on that thing. It has quite a bit of 'heft' to it as well. I hope the puny factory bolts for the rear mount can hold it securely enough!
When ordering this shifter, do you need to get the adjustable stop kit for the shifter? What is its purpose? I am new to the whole manual world.
No do not get it. We have internal stops in our transmission and adding those can cause problems and damage.
You don't need the stop kit - as pointed out in another reply, our trans has them built in. Even though MGW sells them, they do not recommend them.
George at MGW said he only supplies them because some guys won't buy a shifter without stops. Mpentico, try raising the knob height a little. It will make finding reverse a little easier. Just 1/4'' higher will give you more leverage than you might think. Also, you might want to just let the springs break in. After a while the springs are perfect.
MGW My MGW is my favorite mod I have done, period. I just ordered the MGW "Gripper" knob. Up till now, I have been alternating between a white ball knob with 5 spd pattern, and the stock Upgrade interior knob. I think I'll like the Gripper.
If you don't mind. Post a bunch of photos of it installed and give us a review. I'm running the MGW Black Ball but want something else and that's my first choice as of right now.
What throw are all you guys running?? (how many turns counter clockwise?) I'm hopefully going to be installing mine this weekend and was thinking of going for a 30% shorter throw (5 turns?) I'm trying to decide on what knob to go with... I actually like the Hurst knob I'm using now but it won't fit my MGW (stock threads on stick) so I'll be forced to use the factory upgrade interior knob or order something else ASAP. What do you like about the gripper over the white ball or stock knob? Appearance? Feel? Are the MGW ball knobs huge? I prefer the smaller size...and I wish they had the shift pattern instead of the MGW logo! Let me know if any of you guys want to part ways with your classic style shift knobs...I might be interested in buying them!
American Muscle has the Roush knob which fits the stock threads. Comes in black or white - high quality.
Practice and the springs breaking in seem to be helping with finding reverse. The shifter is also smoothing out a bit. I have the stick low to keep my arm in-line with the center console. According to my wife who is an occupational therapist, it is at an ergonomically "correct" postion. Its just sad when your wife sets your drivers seat and shifter height positons. But then again. being a 60 yr old hunchback with arthritis is not a fun picture.
Yeah, I thought of that when I ordered the shifter (had my choice of shaft) but I picked the stock threads because I already have a stock knob that I can use immediately and I plan on selling the Hurst ball with the Hurst shifter. I figured that if I went to a ball style knob in the future I'd just get one that fit the 12mm threads, and all the other knobs on the MGW site use 12mm threads as well so I had a wider selection of knobs to choose from. Ultimately, I think I'd like the MGW knob but with a shift pattern instead of the logo. The ROUSH knob looks perfect aside from "ROUSH" on the side (would prefer plain). I'm also still considering the other MGW knob choices or a plain Hurst ball with a boot adapter from grabberpony.com (would buy the knob from grabberpony but I don't like the font used for the shift pattern numbers). So how do you guys have your shifters set (percentage of stock throw length)??
