Steeda Tri-ax Shifter Noise?

michaelgta

New Member
Jun 24, 2005
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I am looking at puchasing the Steeda Tri-ax shifter. I had theTri-ax on my last two GT's. My 03 transmitted alot of tranny noise. I loved the way the shifter felt but hated the noise. I asked a sales rep at Dallas Mustang about the noise on the new 05 shifter. He said it was quiet do to the rubber mounting bushings. I have read threads that lead me to believe otherwise. What is the real deal? I hope you guys out there with the Steeda shifter can give me your input now that the shifter has been out for some time. Thanks.

2005 Mustang GT black on black
bone stock ,but still in love :)
 
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Here's what I did. I pulled out the hard red bushing from the aluminum arm and replaced it with the stock bushing. Next I placed a half inch thick piece of silicon rubber between trans tunnel and the main shifter bodymounting bracket over the long threaded mounting posts. This helped a great deal, but some trans noise was still present. I know rubber mounting everything takes a little away from the feel of the shift, but you still benifit from the shorter throw. I have not tryed this, but perhaps placing some dyna-mat on the arm and shift handle might help as well.
 
I have the Tri Ax in my car. It's very quite to me, very similar to the stock shifter. Steeda gives you a piece of rubber to put between the handle and the base of the shifter to make it quite and vibrate less. It works great and I love it.
 
I don't think MGW has a shifter for the 05 yet. I have one of their shifters on my 94 GT 'vert, and it is quieter than stock. Plus it's built like a rock.

If they even make one for the '05 and beyond, it will probably be equally stout. Otherwise, just make sure you use plenty of RTV or the rubber isolators that come with the kit.

On your 03, did you use plenty of RTV when mounting the shifter?
 
michaelgta said:
I am looking at puchasing the Steeda Tri-ax shifter. I had theTri-ax on my last two GT's. My 03 transmitted alot of tranny noise. I loved the way the shifter felt but hated the noise. I asked a sales rep at Dallas Mustang about the noise on the new 05 shifter. He said it was quiet do to the rubber mounting bushings. I have read threads that lead me to believe otherwise. What is the real deal? I hope you guys out there with the Steeda shifter can give me your input now that the shifter has been out for some time. Thanks.

2005 Mustang GT black on black
bone stock ,but still in love :)


What kind of noise are we talking about here (whine, vibration, etc)? I've also been looking at the Tri-Ax. I think I could handle some noise when shifting, but is there also noise while the car is it gear?
 
No I did not use any material to quiet down the shifter on my 2003. The noise that is transmitted from the shifter is in gear. It comes from the positive stops in the Tri-ax shifter. It can be very bothersome. That was the only draw back about the Tri-ax. Other than that it was great.
 
ya the sound it makes when it shifts is like a rifle bolt! one question i have, on mine, it is harder to put it into 5th and reverse than the other gears. is there an adjustment, or is this just the way it is??
 
mine rattles under acceleration, more of a vibrating noise i guess.

mine is also hard to put into 5th and reverse. I got used to it because it is not like you really bang into 5th gear. the 1st 3 gears is the most important.
 
for anyone thinking of buying one, it is DEF one of the best mods you can do to your car. and as far as a little more noise or vibration, it is not bad at all, i actually like it, adds to the whole muscle car thang, and you did buy a mustang, so if you want no noise or vibration buy a lexus or a benz! if you miss third with one of these bad boys in your car, you shouldnt be driving stick! tri-ax it up!
 
I figuered out the 5th & reverse problem- if your shifter has offset bushings like the pro 5.0 then cut the thicker one in half & use the cut off piece as a spacer & it fixes the shifting problem. I don't know why they offset the bushings but it doesn't work on my car.
 
I installed and removed my Tri-Ax at least 4 times in the first 12 months due to rediculously stiff 5th and R.
I never left it in more than a week at a time fearing the pressure on the trans while in 5th may damage something.
I had some difficulty shifting with my new clutch while at FFW Epping last August so I threw the Tri-Ax back in.
I went 8 rounds before losing in the finals in Street Ford and have never removed it since.
By leaving it in it has worked itself in nicely and is no longer a pain to get into 5th or R.
 
The Tri-Ax was the first mod I did - going on two years. When first installed, I noticed a little more noise than the stock. There was an issue if I recall correctly regarding the brass bushings - lubricating them when doing the install took care of that. I think there has been some modifications since I got mine. To me, its like using a precision firearm - wouldn't change it for the world.
 
Steeda's latest version has you re-use the stock linkage rod bushings rather than the brass ones which cause most of the noise. The positive stops DO NOT cause noise if adjusted properly. The shifter handle should not even touch the stop bolts during normal shifts, they only touch if you shift extremely hard. The rubber pad placed between the shifter and tranny tunnel does help noise a bit. Steeda is also in the process of developing a bracket that will completely eliminate the tunnel mounting position all together.

The MGW shifter will be released late February and it's supposed to be bad ass as their shifters always are.