Tri-ax vs. Pro 5.0 vs. MGW on a T5

I had one of the older red handle shifters. Now I think they just sell orange handle and silver handle. But previously they sold a red handle and a blue handle.

If youncheck eBay you can find these handles. More options to shift position.
 
  • Sponsors (?)


I have driven a car with all 3 shifters . Personally i have a Tri-Ax on my T5 and it's really nice. The throws aren't as short as the pro 5.0 but still are short enough and it feels really good . My father's car has a Pro 5.0 and the throws are really short and percise , and it feels stout . Whether it's better than the steeda or vice-versa seems to come down to how short you like the throws .

My friends car has an MGW and it feels nice but not substantially better than the Tri-Ax or Pro 5.0 although I like the how you can swing the handle around and put it exactly where you. All three so you can't go wrong overall I like the Pro 5.0 the best (but only slightly) over the Tri-Ax and then the MGW.
 
If you're tall, nothing beats the Steeda Comfort Pro handle. It puts the handle way higher, way further to the left, and way further back than anything I've ever seen, including the MGW. Short handle doesn't mean **** if you have to lean out of the seat to hit 3rd ;)
 
I have the Pro 5.0 and it is a decent piece, very well made. However, I can still miss third, which all aftermarket shifters brag that they fix this common problem. I think that a lot of people are loyal to the Pro 5.0, because they were 'the first'. Meaning that they took the design of a short shifter (probably Hurst) and overbuilt the hell out of it, using a thick billet aluminum base plate, instead of the industry standard stamped steel pieces. Possible the reason that MGW got the bad press is because they don't use re-sellers, so none of these companies can make any money off of them, so why should they recommend them? I have heard nothing but good things about about them, and if I was in the market for one, i would buy the MGW. But I'm not really looking to replace my Pro 5.0, since it does a great job, and I already spent close to $200 for it!!
 
ok I'm getting the mgw for sure. too bad they're on vacation and won't be processing orders until the 3rd. gotta wait to order.

metalcop I liked your post. very true, mgw is the only design that's different.
 
I'll agree that any aftermarket shifter is better than the stock junk, but this is an area where I think that some are just plain better than others. I've had to modify my BBK unit a few times before I felt like I could speed shift consistently, and in the end I really should have bought a Pro-5.0 or MGW in the first place.

Short handle doesn't mean **** if you have to lean out of the seat to hit 3rd ;)

+one bajillion. My BBK unit was awful about that, so I ended up fabricating a bracket that moved the handle back about 1"-1.5". I kept missing third because my arm was completely straightened out before it engaged the gear, so I had to lean into it a little, and that just wasn't consistent when speed shifting.
 
When I bought my car back in 1988 the only aftermarket shifter available was the cast Hurst unit, and I picked up the Thunderbird unit for the longer shift lever. Fast forward to about 5 years ago and the car came out of long-term hibernation and needed an update. I searched the forums and ended up with a Pro 5.0 but with their stock lever I didn't have enough effort to make accurate shifts so I bought an MGW adjustable lever and tailored the shifter to me and not the other way around. Check out this $30 piece:

shandle.jpg


Linkey: Mustang Shift Handle

ALSO, my Pro-5.0 shifter hits the console cover and when the tranny moves as I go over bumps and things the plastic squeeks. I'm not sure if this movement is the result of bad transmission mount bushings or whatever, but I didn't have a problem when I had the smaller profile Hurst unit.
 
I have owned both the Pro-5.0 and the Tri-Ax and hands down the Pro-5.0 is better. I did drive an 03 GT with the 3650 and an MGW shifter for a short distance and it was nice too. I ran my Pro-5.0 with the short handle for awhile in my 91 LX but when I got one for my 97 Cobra T45 I used the Pro-5.0 base with the stock handle which I think is a great combo.
 
I am actually running the steed tri-ax with the comfort pro handle. I didn't like it, so i bought the standard tri ax handle instead. I'm 6'1"

Still gonna buy an MGW one of these days though :)