A ratchet shifter for an automatic??

[Alexcarlo12]

Yeah yeah an Automatic so what! Lol
My last mustang was a 04 GT and that was stick I had a great time with that car, but the automatic transmission is actually very good in my 2012 v6.

So I came across this ratchet shifter made by TCI on AM and it looks very interesting.
Has anyone here ever heard of em? Are they worth 500 dollars??

[NicholasP]

Don't do it! It will kill the life of your transmission!

[alrefire]

^are you sure, from what i've heard/seen, it seems like an easier way for you to control your gears. for example, when i want to downshift in my car, i just romp the gas pedal. with this all you have to do is pull the lever back.
mind explaining what the downside to it is, because I'm interested in the ratchet shifter and i want to know the downsides to it.
Also, don't buy a torque converter from TCI, cuz from what i've heard they make crappy torque converters.

[ColeJohnson]

Originally Posted by alrefire

^are you sure, from what i've heard/seen, it seems like an easier way for you to control your gears. for example, when i want to downshift in my car, i just romp the gas pedal. with this all you have to do is pull the lever back.
mind explaining what the downside to it is, because I'm interested in the ratchet shifter and i want to know the downsides to it.
Also, don't buy a torque converter from TCI, cuz from what i've heard they make crappy torque converters.

Just my uneducated and uninformed comment...

But I'd assume it would hurt your auto tranny's life span due to the simple fact that an auto tranny is an auto tranny. It is made to shift at certain RPMs and under certain conditions. It is not made for hard downshifting and constant shifting at high RPMs.

Again that's just my thoughts right off hand.

[ronnie948]

I think you would be much better off just getting a good tuner. With the tuner you can change the shift points and tighten up your shifts.

I don't think wasting $500.00 on a ratchet shifter is really going to hurt your transmission but it sure can be a PITA not knowing exactly what gear you are in.

If your car is like my 2012 Auto there is a black button on the side of the shifter. All it does is stop your transmission from using 6th gear. What it is good for is if you are cruising down the highway and someone comes next to you to get it on a little just push that button. then your passing gear is 4th and not 5th. It works great. Of course this all depends on your speed at the time.

Look to American Muscle and check out the BAMA tuners. If you have questions you can always call them.

Personally I don't think the tuner will affect your warranty half as much as putting in that ratchet shifter.
Ronnie

[JimC]

I didn't realize that TCI had updated their ratchet shifter for the 2011+. A friend has it in his 2005 and it looks really nice. As far as shifting yourself it isn't going to hurt the transmission. Even with the TCI the computer will have control and won't let it downshift if you are going too fast.

The 2013 with the 'sport mode' where I can use the +/- button will hold a gear but the computer will step in and shift if I don't to try to avoid damage. I wouldn't rely upon it since the damage may already be done, but it will hold a gear up or down.

[Alexcarlo12]

I never even noticed a black button on the shifter. I was going to get a bama tune either way I just didn't know if the ratchet shifter would work best with a tuned automatic.

[ronnie948]

It is a small black button that locks out sixth gear. It is right on the handle on the drivers side. It is used if you live in hill country where the car wants to keep going back and forth between 5Th & 6Th. When you push it once the transmission will just stay in 5Th and not shift to 6Th until you push it again.

I was going to get a bama tune either way I just didn't know if the ratchet shifter would work best with a tuned automatic.

This is a good question for American Muscle.

If you want my opinion: Unless you are going to be doing a lot of auto Xing I don't think spending $500.00 on a ratchet linkage would be worth the expense. $500.00 (DUH!!!) It probably would not even help you there. I really can't figure what it would be good for except maybe bragging rights to say you have it on your Mustang. I would put that $$$ toward a tuner or one piece drive shaft.

[Whitelightning]

It just seems pointless to me. I would put the money in a hurst honestly. Or more mods. These auto transmissions are pretty good. Just the 6 gears is a lot for one to manage. Plus wouldn't the rachet shifter still have a delay being an auto. Just a waste of good hard earned money to me

[pwrby4d]

I had one in my 06 GT. I used it all the time and the tranny never had an issue. That said I also had a PA Performance Deep Pan and a Tranny fluid catch can reservoir as well. It was a great shifter and a hella lot of fun. When I got it though it was under 300. The shifter in the 05-09 car was GARBAGE compared to the 10+ car shifters feel wise anyway. The TCI is very nice. A HUGE improvement over the stock shifter for the first generation s197. Not so much for the 11+ cars and the 13 has the select shift too..

I had a bama tune with my old car and it was set for firm shifts. The ratchet shifter was one of my favorite mods because it was so much fun to bang gears...

Keep in mind at the track I could never do a better job than the computer shifting too... The shifter isnt a needed thing for cars without manual valve bodies and will not react like a F1 car with paddle shifters. Fun though.. Hell ya! It looks menacing too. That said. If I had bought my 13 as an auto I dont think I would have spent 500 on it. uh uh...

---------- Post added at 06:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:14 PM ----------

Originally Posted by JimC

I didn't realize that TCI had updated their ratchet shifter for the 2011+. A friend has it in his 2005 and it looks really nice. As far as shifting yourself it isn't going to hurt the transmission. Even with the TCI the computer will have control and won't let it downshift if you are going too fast.

The 2013 with the 'sport mode' where I can use the +/- button will hold a gear but the computer will step in and shift if I don't to try to avoid damage. I wouldn't rely upon it since the damage may already be done, but it will hold a gear up or down.

The TCI would never up or downshift on the 05-09 cars...Hmmm. I cant remember if the stock shifter would... I dont think so though... Maybe they changed that on the 11+ 6 speed auto... ?

What made it easier to do was to manually shift gears (for the fun of it, again the computer does an excellent job every time with programmed shift points) and the stock shifter in the s197 cars were notorious for the shifter being sloppy and jumping a gear or getting caught inbetween... I dont think the new cars have that problem at all... ESP if you have the 13 you can just push the sport mode button and toggle up and down through the gears... Not the same as manually banging the gear though... Hard to explain.. Once you drive a car with a ratchet shifter you understand and it really makes you feel like you are rowing through the gears.

I would agree with the post above that putting the money towards a driveshaft or tuner would be money better spent. I would put it in the driveshaft if you are hellbent on making your drivetrain better.

If you are not concerned with gas milage than put the money into a nice triple disc stall converter. That will get your car to launch, free up hp and make the car rev quicker.

---------- Post added at 06:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:23 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Alexcarlo12

I never even noticed a black button on the shifter. I was going to get a bama tune either way I just didn't know if the ratchet shifter would work best with a tuned automatic.

2013 Cars now have it.


Also I read an article where the media was asking why no paddle shifter like the Camaro or type of shifter where the shifter kicks out to the side and lets you up and downshift with just a push forward or back like the Challenger has in the Mustang. The Ford rep basically said that the transmission isnt designed to shift like a F1 car and though it is good the computer delay to the trans will not allow for crisp immediate shifting.. If they did put it in (and it was discussed when designing the new shifter) it would be a bad representation of what people expected... They felt the toggle switch on the side would still be a nice added feature and would represent better. Maybe we will see it in the 2015...