MGW installed: thoughts

trinity_gt · Jun 24, 2005

Yesterday I got my 3.73s in and today after work I put the MGW shifter with the red handle in my 02 GT.

1) On a scale of 1 to 10, those who've had this shifter and others (e.g. Steeda Tri Ax) please rate this one for noise. Holy cow...when I turned the radio down I thought something had gone wrong in the rear after the gears with all the racket. Turns out it's just that the shifter transmits noise...alot. But how much compared to others?

2) The throws are miniscule compared to stock. It's going to take some getting used to. 3rd seems further away to me now. 1-2 requires a good tug but it's satisfyingly short. Has a nice "self-center" effect for getting 3rd.

3) Neutral seems a bit stiff but I think that's normal given the reduced leverage.

Good quality parts & packaging, easy to install. I look forward to getting more used to it and time will tell if I can live with that gear racket. The wife is going to love this mod...

40th GT · Jun 24, 2005

Wow, surprised to hear a complaint about noise transmission through a MGW. It's supposed to be one of the quietest ones, with the Tri Ax being the loudest. I have the Steeda in my car and the noise doesn't seem to bother me at all..Apparently people have different noise tolerances.

Dave Holman · Jun 24, 2005

I also just installed the MGW (blue handle) and I am extremely pleased with it. I do hear a slight whine from the transmission when I'm decelerating but my exhaust is so damn loud, you can barely hear it.

Crzyhrse · Jun 24, 2005

I have absolutely zero noise from my MGW.

trinity_gt · Jun 24, 2005

Okay, after reading some of these posts I went back out and drove her around a bit. The things we do in the name of clearing stuff up...

I noticed that when the shifter is left completely alone about the only noise I hear as Dave Holman noted is on deceleration...a bit of neat-sounding whine, not objectionable at all. Pretty much all other times the thing is very quite...that, or my Steeda & MRT pipe are just too loud. Either way, I can definitely live with it.

The noise I heard comes when I touch the shifter. Even if I wrap my hand around the shift knob and don't apply any sideways or fore/aft force I get alot (I was going to write "hellacious" but that seemed over the top) of trans racket. If I move the lever in any direction from neutral the effect is amplified.

It's just my style to oftentimes have a hand on the shifter, even though it's applying zero force in any axis. I can learn to adapt to keep my mitt off the shifter except when shifting.

Evenflow · Jun 25, 2005

trinity_gt said:
Okay, after reading some of these posts I went back out and drove her around a bit. The things we do in the name of clearing stuff up...

I noticed that when the shifter is left completely alone about the only noise I hear as Dave Holman noted is on deceleration...a bit of neat-sounding whine, not objectionable at all. Pretty much all other times the thing is very quite...that, or my Steeda & MRT pipe are just too loud. Either way, I can definitely live with it.

The noise I heard comes when I touch the shifter. Even if I wrap my hand around the shift knob and don't apply any sideways or fore/aft force I get alot (I was going to write "hellacious" but that seemed over the top) of trans racket. If I move the lever in any direction from neutral the effect is amplified.

It's just my style to oftentimes have a hand on the shifter, even though it's applying zero force in any axis. I can learn to adapt to keep my mitt off the shifter except when shifting.

No way I could live with that...I always rest my hand on the shifter.

BlackenedSVT · Jun 25, 2005

40th GT said:
Wow, surprised to hear a complaint about noise transmission through a MGW. It's supposed to be one of the quietest ones, with the Tri Ax being the loudest. I have the Steeda in my car and the noise doesn't seem to bother me at all..Apparently people have different noise tolerances.

Yeah my transmission is loud with the MGW shifter. People who drive my car always tell me "the transmission is making wierd noises when I shift". I tell them its the aftermarket shifter. But I dont really care about the noise

Face it, whenever you start modifying your car, it is going to become more and more less-streetable. Or at least more and more uncomfortable or luxurious

BlackenedSVT · Jun 25, 2005

trinity_gt said:
Okay, after reading some of these posts I went back out and drove her around a bit. The things we do in the name of clearing stuff up...

I noticed that when the shifter is left completely alone about the only noise I hear as Dave Holman noted is on deceleration...a bit of neat-sounding whine, not objectionable at all. Pretty much all other times the thing is very quite...that, or my Steeda & MRT pipe are just too loud. Either way, I can definitely live with it.

The noise I heard comes when I touch the shifter. Even if I wrap my hand around the shift knob and don't apply any sideways or fore/aft force I get alot (I was going to write "hellacious" but that seemed over the top) of trans racket. If I move the lever in any direction from neutral the effect is amplified.

It's just my style to oftentimes have a hand on the shifter, even though it's applying zero force in any axis. I can learn to adapt to keep my mitt off the shifter except when shifting.

...while it is comfortable sometimes to drive with your hand on the shifter, its best to just shift when you need to, then put both hands back to the wheel. This is road-race etiquette anyway

And you want to talk about no leverage on the shifter, try the blue handle! short ass shifts!

BigChiefSmokem · Jun 25, 2005

The noise is normal, and maybe a bit excessive for your car. You might wanna pull it apart and make sure that everything is done correctly, as i've hard the MGW's are quiet.. at least compared to others.. MY UPR Shifter (which is about the same as a tri ax) is loud, but i have gotten used to it over the years, whining and clicking, etc... I kinda like it tho. BTW, the stiffness will lessen a bit over a couple of weeks once you break in the shifter.

SilverGTV8 · Jun 25, 2005

When I installed my MGW I installed the inner shift boot also not just the large outer. It's not in the directions and doesn't seem to hur anything.

Noise wise I haven't noticed it really. everyonce in awhile it rattle but a quick touch and it's gone.

The shifts with smooth out over time and the neutral position will get softer. I couldn't move the shifter side to side in neutral without really pushing it and now I can.

AmBo · Jun 25, 2005

Jeesh, I just purchased an MGW red handle due to all the ranting and raving over it. I've never seen a bad post until now. Way to make me nervous. :-(

tony laq · Jun 25, 2005

mgw was the first mod ive ever done and ive got no complaints- and i was way nervous about it screwing something up. zero noise or rattle..just a nice quiet click going 1st to 2nd and in fourth also. in neutral there is very little play in it.

i also tend to keep my hand on the shifter with my elbow on the center arm thingy..no pressure on the shifter though.

tony

Mustang5L5 · Jun 25, 2005

Check to make sure the shifter base doesn't hit the trans tunnel under the inner boot. The MGW shifter has a think base and each trans is not exactly centered. If it hits at all it will make noise.

My MGW is dead silent. It's no louded than stock.

Also, the MGW was slightly stiff when new, but after a month or so of shifting, it loosened up quite a bit. Nuetral is nice and loose now but the shifts are still short and precise.

The shift gates are very close and take a little time to get used too. A few friends have gotten in my car to feel the shifter ans say "How do you know what gear you are in".

It really wasn't a problem for me. If you are used to your car it won't be for you either.

Blinkstang · Jun 25, 2005

I too have the MGW w/red handle on my 02' GT, have had it over a month now. I keep my hand rested on the ball all the time, and do not get any noise, same as stock. The only time I get any noise is when I let off the gas in first gear, decelerate; it gives a little whine, but I had that same noise with the stock shifter as well. Are you sure everything was installed correctly? Did you make sure to take the shift stops out? Like I said my 02' GT is nice and quiet w/the MGW.

AmBo · Jun 25, 2005

You 01+ guys don't need shift stops, but us 99 and 00 guys need the shift stops. *sigh*

trinity_gt · Jun 25, 2005

Yep, shift stops are in the little baggy in the original shipping box. There's no contact between the shifter and the trans tunnel and the shifter and I installed both "inner" and "outer" boots.

The noise is as UDTbadkarma describes it: when I have my wife in the car, windows up, radio off and driving easy, I know she'll say that exact thing, "That's a wierd noise" when I shift or when I let off the throttle to coast some. I'll then say "You think? How 'bout now..." and I'll put a wee bit of pressure on it steady or put my hand on it.

My trans recently had the Ford TSB work done on it but was silent with the factory shifter. I had a set of 3.73s put in it 2 days ago and had them also change the trans fluid to Mobil 1 Synth ATF. They said they only added 3L because of the sticker on the side of the trans so while I had the shifter out I added another 1/2-litre or so into the shifter opening since my 02 shop manual calls for 3.6L...I added a we bit more to bring it closer to that spec although not the whole 0.6L.

I can live with the noise now that I know it's fairly quiet when I keep my hand off the shifter. I don't care too much about noise when I shift. Most of the time I'm driving the windows are down, the audio is on or the exhaust is too loud anyway to hear nonsense coming up through the shifter.

MGW installed: thoughts

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