Short throw?

ZakMay09

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Hey guys, just poking the bear a little bit and trying to figure out the best option for a short throw shifter. The car is currently running a Tremec TR3550 transmission. I saw the MGW one but I'm not entirely sold on it just yet. A friend is trying to tell me Hurst makes a good one as well. I was trying to look at the Steeda short throw but apparently they are discontinued for the transmission. If you guys could shed some light for me and what exactly I should be looking at, I'd appreciate it. Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year gents (and ladies).
 

Magic

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Not too many shifters for the 3550 transmission around anymore. Pro 5.0 is another company that still makes one for the 3550. The Hurst Billet Plus is a nice shifter as well.
 

mcglsr2

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MGW all day. I had a Pro 5.0 knockoff, then a Hurst Billet Plus, and now an MGW with the race handle. Granted this is on a T5 - but the MGW is much better than the previous two IMO.

Talk to g36monkey if you are interested in an MGW, I think he might be able to work a deal for you (or at least could at one point, don't know if he still does that).

Edit: I'm trying to mention g36 but it's not working right now, all I get is @
 

g36 monkey

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I can really only get local people the hook up on the shifters, but thanks for the mention haha.

As noted, you cannot go wrong with MGW, their quality is superior.
 

ReplicaR

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MGW all day. I had a Pro 5.0 knockoff, then a Hurst Billet Plus, and now an MGW with the race handle. Granted this is on a T5 - but the MGW is much better than the previous two IMO.

How would you describe the feel of MGW by comparison to Pro 5.0 knockoff and Hurst? I have Pro 5.0 right now, and the only reason why I'm not letting it go is because I have it paired with Roush shifter arm. I know that MGW does not accept the traditional shifter arms, which is why I never bothered even looking into one.
 
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ZakMay09

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I appreciate it. If it's any consolation, my home of address is an hour or so south of Orlando haha.
 

mcglsr2

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I can really only get local people the hook up on the shifters, but thanks for the mention haha.

As noted, you cannot go wrong with MGW, their quality is superior.

Ah, well. I shall file that away for next time. My bad ;)

How would you describe the feel of MGW by comparison to Pro 5.0 knockoff and Hurst? I have Pro 5.0 right now, and the only reason why I'm not letting it go is because I have it paired with Roush shifter arm. I know that MGW does not accept the traditional shifter arms, which is why I never bothered even looking into one.

In a word: more crisp. The Pro 5.0 knockoff was okay for like the first week, then the springs started getting weak. Pretty soon 3rd was hit or miss. So I got the Hurst instead, thinking it was legit and thus would last longer/feel better. It, too, was good for a while (though it did last longer than the knockoff Pro 5.0). But same thing, the springs felt funny to me - they didn't have equal force, either - it was easier for me to pull the lever over towards 1st, harder toward 5th - which seems opposite for me as pulling towards 1st is naturally a strong motion. Also I had a big issue with the location of the handles on these shifters for some reason - to the point where I had to swap the Hurst shifter out for the stock one that brought the knob back further because the stock Hurst put the knob into the dash on 1st/3rd.

The MGW feels better all around - no issues with the springs yet - they are still quite stiff and feel equally stiff; and because of the adjustment options, I can use the race handle without hitting the dash or anything. The shifts are very short and locating the gears has not been an issue. It's got a bit of a notchy feel, but I personally prefer that feel. One of my favorite shifter feels to date is that of my STI - and while the MGW does feel different (as it should, it's an entirely different setup), it is still a solid, positive feel I don't have any lack of confidence.

The only negative thing I can say - and I suspect this has more to do with the T5 tranny than the shifter, is that I can't be in too much of a hurry to shift. If I was trying to power shift or something, not sure how that would work out. Smooth is the word here - as long as I'm smooth, it's all good. If I force it, it can be tough. BUt then, that's the T5 for you. Not really shifters fault. The "slowness" is offset by the very short throw of the race handle. So the shifts are still relatively quick.

Not sure if that helps?
 

ReplicaR

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Yeah, that helps. I guess I was looking to see if MGW isn't as notchy as Pro5.0, but it seems that a transmission issue, rather than the actual shifter. I'm currently bidding on an MGW on ebay, so if I win that, I'll get to try it myself. My Pro 5.0 didn't have any spring issues at all, felt pretty good going both ways. The only thing that I didn't like about it was that it rattled under acceleration, and that came from the play in the pivot ball. Pro 5.0 masks it by using a lot of grease, but once that's gone, it rattles pretty good. At speed it sounds like detonation, which is a bit concerning.
 

mcglsr2

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Yeah, that helps. I guess I was looking to see if MGW isn't as notchy as Pro5.0, but it seems that a transmission issue, rather than the actual shifter. I'm currently bidding on an MGW on ebay, so if I win that, I'll get to try it myself. My Pro 5.0 didn't have any spring issues at all, felt pretty good going both ways. The only thing that I didn't like about it was that it rattled under acceleration, and that came from the play in the pivot ball. Pro 5.0 masks it by using a lot of grease, but once that's gone, it rattles pretty good. At speed it sounds like detonation, which is a bit concerning.

Yah I can see that causing concern - of all the noises to sound like :( The MGW makes no noise at all - I am using a brass cup for the ball though, not sure if that matters. The fit is really tight between the ball and cup and cup to transmission.

For me, the T5 just isn't as smooth as I would like; even after I rebuilt it with upgraded syncro's and all. Felt a lot better than before the rebuild, but still not "ideal." But it works well enough for me to not be able to justify a 6 speed conversion :( I'll be really curious to hear about your impressions of the MGW over the Pro 5.0. What handle are you going to use with the MGW? Race I assume?
 

ReplicaR

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It's an older style shifter handle, so I don't know how it would compare to the new styles. Looks like a Race handle. I cancelled my bid btw. If you are saying that it's notchy, and shorter handle will not give leverage that I'd get from my Roush handle, I don't see the point in changing over.
 

mcglsr2

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It's an older style shifter handle, so I don't know how it would compare to the new styles. Looks like a Race handle. I cancelled my bid btw. If you are saying that it's notchy, and shorter handle will not give leverage that I'd get from my Roush handle, I don't see the point in changing over.

I didn't mean notchy in a bad way - to me it feels better than the knockoff Pro 5.0 and the Hurst. And I use the race handle, I don't think I need any additional leverage. Too bad you aren't closer, you could just check it out for yourself. For me, I would get the MGW and not look back, but it's a tough call because it's a subjective feel, and what one person likes another may not. Personally, I like it better than the other options.
 

g36 monkey

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I'd actually say it's smoother than the other options, but more direct. Hard to explain I suppose.
[MENTION=20382]ZakMay09[/MENTION] if you wanted to make the trip up to Orlando one day I could basically get you free shipping. My discount isn't huge but it helps :)
 

ReplicaR

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Yeah, I guess I'd have to try it. It's not the top of my list however right now, next big item is safety.
 

chris91

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I had the MGW Orange Handle and now the Pro50 on my TR3650 and honestly I didnt notice much difference. The throw on the Pro50 is shorter and thats about it.
 

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