In short, this shifter helps the mustang feel like a race car!

In this write-up of my experience with the MGW shifter, I’ll touch on several points, but will maintain the focus on function/performance. The manufacturer and some other enthusiasts have some great product descriptions that are chock full of selling points, comparison improvements and installation guides. Therefore, I encourage you to check out those videos, but an unbiased opinion from another user may help you out as well. If it’s worth anything to you, I am a mechanical engineer who among other things, develops industrial gear reducers and am an accredited vibration analyst.

The Shifter

The MGW shifter assembly is of very high quality construction. The pivot joint for the shifter arm utilizes an offset gimbal design that appears to be quite durable. The unit is designed well and the material selection was well thought out. The machining is clean with good surface finish and protective coatings that all lead to an aesthetically pleasing unit. The shifter package shipped partially assembled and lubricated with all sub assemblies and like fasteners grouped logically into their own plastic pouches. In addition to the shifter components, other items included in the shipment were:  an additional sound/vibration damping pad, small section of Dynamax sheet, lubricant and instructions.

Installation

The installation really blew. Primarily due to the drive shaft being in the way. As you’ve seen or will see in the install videos out there, the basic steps are nothing special. There is a reason though for half or more of the footage being with the shifter separate from the car. They simply couldn’t show what’s involved if they were to only take footage during an actual install. I’m not a real big fan of lifting the front end of this car to put on stands so, I used ramps to elevate the front end. It worked, but wasn’t the greatest. Lifting a corner for a tire change is no problem, but the whole thing is tough to accomplish if you are to follow Ford’s recommended jack locations. Point is, sure a lift would be awesome, but if you’re like me, my garage lacks one so, I hid under the car off and on. It’s certainly doable, but be prepared to spend considerably more time than how long it takes you to watch the 3-part install video series. Finally, I performed it by myself, but a helping hand could be used a time or two.

The Shift

As for the fun stuff, the shifter definitely shortens the forward and aft throw distance. So much so in the forward direction that I was initially unsure if I made it all the way into first and was hesitant to let the clutch out. The stock shifter had two distinct stages for most of the gears and if you don’t engage through the second stage or notch, it would grind and/or pop out of gear. The MGW reduces the shift engagement to one distinct engagement. The above mentioned gimbal joint selection really improved the squareness of the shift pattern. The gates now feel appropriate as the forward/aft throws are now shorter and much more equalized to the unchanged lateral throw. The system is rigid, with quick, compact and accurate lever movement. The first propelled 2-3 shift with the MGW put me sheepishly into 5th. I immediately had to retrain myself not to coax it into 3rd through a discontinuous forward-right-forward action. The designer’s addition of a vertically opposed spring pair really gets the shifter back to the neutral position in a hurry. All that is required for the 2-3 shift (regardless of your throw force and subsequent speed) is a simple, forward motion. The stock shifter just can’t accomplish that. I’ve never had issues with the stock 2-3 shift, but never liked it either. Also, nearly all of the vagueness from the shifter is now gone. First through 4th are rock solid, 5th & 6th are night & day difference compared to stock and as a nice bonus the reverse lockout scheme is much improved. You know what gear you’re in and the positive feedback is phenomenal.

So, how was this achieved? Well, the throw was modified through the modified pivot height while the slop was reduced through decreased clearances and increased joint rigidity. Unfortunately, as in life, you don’t get something for nothing. In my opinion, there is no better example of trade-offs than in the field of engineering. Very rarely can perfection ever be achieved and if nothing else, it will come at a literal co$t. So, that little blurb brings us to the negatives.

Trade-Offs

Or should I say THE negative. As mentioned, a huge part of the gain in this design is rigidity. You’re no longer moving the shifter housing around along with the shift lever. The original, unwanted deflection  is minimized with the MGW and nearly all user input gets passed into the shift linkage only, which is great, right? Well, it depends. To the person who wants an aftermarket shifter, it’s likely not a problem, but to the average owner, it may not be so great.

It’s pretty simple really, when you reduce clearance in and stiffen connections of joints (both movable and fixed), you also increase the efficiency of energy transmission. That was the goal for reduced deflection, but the there is of course a consequence. The once relatively isolated transmission now has a much stronger link to the vehicle’s passenger cabin and that is primarily achieved through the replacement rear bracket. The stock bracket merely hugs a boss off the back of the stock shifter housing. I’m sure it isn’t a coincidence that the MT82 utilizes this design (that looks like some backwoods trash with soft rubber and a pair of cable ties). The result is an increase in perceivable transmission noise. I don’t believe the MGW shifter is actually causing any additional ruckus, but it IS providing a “bridge” for the noise/vibration signal to reach the interior.

While there is also an increase in the actual gear shift engagement noise or “notchiness”, it isn’t a concern, in my opinion. It doesn’t sound harsh at all and actually feels much smoother than stock. A forum review got it right when they likened the stock shift action to dragging a pole through gravel (or something like that). Unlike the stock shifter, MGW doesn’t make me feel guilty when I shift.

The increase in noise I’m observing is the same noise I’ve heard all the long, which is gear mesh. I only notice it if the windows are up and the stereo and/or HVAC are turned way down. At slow, slow speeds (e.g. sustained 1500 rpm in 1st or 2nd), it sounds a little rough. The gears do not sound as though they are cut as well as they could be. As you accelerate through 2nd and more so in 3rd, it turns into a slight whine, but in my opinion it sounds pretty damn sweet. It basically sounds like a quiet compressor gear set, which is what an upper intake manifold style supercharger is. There aren’t too many people who don’t like supercharger noise, right? It’s really not that loud, but…

…my “loud” description is subjective. I’ll also say this…It’s not quiet either. I’ve got about 50% of my 2011 GT lined with FatMat (trunk, floor-pan and doors). I did that when I swapped out the Shaker 1000′s 6×8′s. I also:  used the included DynaMat to wrap the MGW housing like a Chipotle burrito, added multiple layers of FatMat to the interior facing side of the drive shaft tunnel around the access hole and even added some to the interior surfaces of the center console/dash. Another, relevant to the discussion, modification that I had already done is swap out the axle-backs with a set of Flowmaster American Thunder Series. All of that extra sound deadening improved the situation a bit, but even the exhaust doesn’t quite drown the gear mesh noise out. Again, it’s not all that bad, but if you’re still reading, it’s clear that I’m still bitching about it. What can I say…I expect more quality than what a German engineered, Chinese made transmission could deliver.

Disclaimer

Certainly not everyone will have the same experiences. I have no doubt that some of these MT82′s are louder than others. Hell, just do a quick search and you’ll find enough failure testimonials (stock setup) to make you nervous. That said, there’s likely some out there that would be relatively quiet too. If so, I wish I had one. In the end, one thing is for certain, if I ever do have a problem, I’ll just deal with swapping the shifter back out for the stock and go whining to Ford.

Wrap It Up

In summary, the MGW shifter is great at what it’s supposed to do. It reduces the throw, refines the action and mitigates play/looseness. It may or may not add a bit of gear mesh ambiance to your Mustang’s cabin, but if so, just roll the windows down and/or turn the stereo up and enjoy harnessing that super wide torque band with your new race car shifter!