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11K views 20 replies 7 participants last post by  deadsp0t 
#1 ·
I think I know why it takes me so long to make a decision on which product to buy, it's because I've been married for a long time. I am just not use to the freedom to decide what I want anymore. Anyway, after looking at each of the name brand shifters for a long time, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered the Steeda. I had a Tri-ax on my 03 Cobra, but hated it. In fact, it was only on the car a day before I pulled it out and shot it with a 44 msg. That said, I decided to go with the shifter based on reviews and comparisons from this site. Thanks to all of you, I was able to make a decision. It didn't hurt that it is on sale too.
In addition to the shifter. I bought the bracket, but chose JHR for that. It looks like a quality piece and is $30 cheaper. Lastly, I have been running the Lund tune, but I'm tired of the cammed idle. I talked to the guys at JMS and they hooked me up with a tune for $50. I uploaded it earlier this morning, but no road test yet. I chose JMS do to their experience with Mustangs, their close ties with SCT, and their customer service. Again, thanks to all of you and this car for making me a man again.

Sam
 
#4 ·
There's a really good discussion going on over at S197 about this that you may want to look up. I'm going to go with Amsoil MTG. It's a bit better, but runs a higher risk of hearing some gear noise. I'm not overly concerned about NVH, not nearly as much as I am about the ching-chong-tranny blowing itself up. The Redline MTL is a good choice as well, but it's a bit more viscous from what I understand.

Either would be a good choice as both are 100% synthetic and in the range that this trans needs to operate properly.
 
#5 ·
Let us know how you like the shifter.I am waiting to do MGW.Only other one I would consider is Barton.Unless you have good review for us on Steeda. Did not realize the Steeda was being used much in these 2011-2012 GT's.Good to know.Your opinion will be valuable so be sure to let us know.On another note........Whats the dealy on that Lund tune???? What was it you did not like?? Whats wrong with the lope ?? Was the performance part of the tune good?? Please give detail info about all this. One thing I see and like about you and your posting is you are straight up and keep it real.I see guys on here sometimes, that whatever they put or got on there car is just wonderful and the best.Everybody,if you do enough moddin,will have something they could say...you know, I probably should have went with such and such.Also after moddin several performance cars over my life I have had a couple regrets.My last car was a Pontiac G8GT.Very nice bad ass car.One Mod I regretted.....Painting the f-ing brakes.They look good and done right but if they are not high-end brakes like Brembo or other bad asses I think it should be left alone.JMO thats all. Anyway,Keep us up on whats up man.
 
#8 ·
Back N A Stang,

I was all about the MGW and placed a call to order it, but they only make a limited run monthly. With the holidays upon us, it was going to be a month or so; that is the only reason I chose to go elsewhere. I personally think the MGW is the best engineered shifter on the market based on the research I’ve done. With their shifter unavailable, and the need to play now, I had to make a decision between the Barton, Steeda, Hurst, or JHR.
The JHR has the best reviews and price over the competition, but I don’t like that the adjustable height causes the shifter boot to be stretched tight. Also, their reverse lockout is some form of plastic, and that was the deal breaker for me. The Barton was next, and I couldn’t find any issues with it other than to say that most loved it and some hated it. All agreed that it is notchy. I love the look of the Hurst the best, but there seemed to be split opinions on the feel of the shifter. Also, fit and finish is really important to me, and the install pictures that a lot of people posted showed a really sloppy shifter boot installation at the shifter handle. I also didn’t like that they simply swap out the rubber zip-tied lower bracket bushing for a poly one that still requires zip-ties. To me, it is a representation of a lack of time spent in development; especially since all others make a superior bracket setup.
I had previously owned a Steeda shifter and hated it. After seeing the video they have on their site of a guy ripping through 4 gears and chirping the tires on all four shifts, I was sold. I spent a lot of time reading reviews and opinions, and it came down to the opinions of several forum members. There are several members who have spent a lot of money trying different setups until they got the right combination. All voted for Steeda over the Barton. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the above mentioned brands, and I will gladly post my opinions after install; I can’t wait to try it out…
Concerning the Lund tune, I bought my SCT through Lethal Performance, and they use Jon Lund tunes; when ordered, I chose the cammed idle option. The car feels a lot stronger with Lund’s tune, but I don’t have any actual dyno numbers for you. I have no complaints on its quality, performance, or the customer service at LP; I would easily recommend the tune. My issues with the tune relates to the cammed idle option, I just don’t care for the attributes of it.
The idle speed is higher than stock at about 1,000 RPM's, and shutting the car off at that RPM just bothers me. Also, there is a strong unburned fuel smell, and I am sure it will shorten the life of your cats if they are retained. The idle speed cycles all over the place and that really prevents the car from sounding choppy; especially when the AC is on. When the idle drops below 1,000 RPM’s it really sounds great, but it doesn’t maintain a steady idle speed. Mainly, it just doesn't sound good on my car with my exhaust setup. I have Heartthrob’s 3" cat-to-axle kit with the H-pipe and Flowmaster 40's. I am happy with how my car sounds in terms of exhaust note, and I’m just not willing to throw money at additional parts to achieve a particular sound with no real benefits; I think it better to spend the money to swap the cams to achieve what I am after.
Many people have wicked sounding cars with the cammed idle, but the best sounding all have off-road X/H pipes, and some with headers too. My advice to anyone wanting the cammed tune is to use Lund’s tune with an off-road H-pipe and axle-backs; that should give you a great sound.
With all that said, I called Lethal and asked for a new tune minus the cammed idle, and they are more than happy to accommodate. The cost is $100, and I was all ready to order it when I read a great post on tunes. Long story short, I decided to try JMS and Monty had the new tune to me just a few hours after ordering it. Tonight I ripped through the streets and I had a grin ear to ear. It is amazing to me what one can do to these cars with a simple tune. Let me get some more seat time to give you specifics, but I really love this tune so far.
I appreciate your words; I really don’t care for the one-sided opinions from many of the posters who feel whatever they have or believe is the best for everyone. Just the facts, I am grown and can make decisions on my own. Most people have some form of mechanical experience on here, but there is always someone quick to bash someone looking for advice or help; I just don’t get that, this is a forum designed for just that.
 
#7 ·
Maybe the Brembo's, but even doing that it would have to be Powder Coated IMO.One thing for sure it would not be priority
 
#9 ·
I hear ya.... Steeda had some issues in the previous gens shifters but that doesn't mean their new stuff is garbage. As I recall Ford went through a period of absolute crap quality cars, but yet here we all are. I am still on the fence and I may pull the trigger on a Steeda based on your previous experience with Steeda and a new review. I wait anxiously
 
#10 ·
Drivinglesson, Hey man.Thanks for taking the time to give such great feedback.Keep us posted on this new tune you have.When you get the Steeda shifter in post a couple pics and of course your opinion.What was the link you saw the Steeda video?
 
#11 ·
I would be happy to post pics and keep you updated on the new tune. The Steeda link is enclosed below along with what I consider to be the best sounding car running the cammed tune and flowmasters. A third videos shows the added aggressiveness of headers. By the way, I love your grill. Is it a Saleen? How was the install on that?

Steeda video
2011 Mustang GT 5.0L Steeda Shifter Test - YouTube

Cam tune flowmaster’s
2011 5.0 cammed tune o/r H pipe and flowmaster classic - YouTube

Cam tune headers
2011 Mustang GT with Lund cammed tune - YouTube
 
#15 ·
I took out Steeda first day. Straight shift from 2nd to 3rd, like I heard the Hurst is as well. Put it into reverse by accident several times, the gap between 1st and Reverse is too minimal, if you come to a stop u better pray no one is behind you. Had it professionally installed so I asked if the rear locking was down correctly, they said "yes". Ugh, MGW ordered.

---------- Post added at 06:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:38 PM ----------

Oh, and the Steeda behaved differently after a while, or after heating up. Could had spent time learning, but why bother, ya know.
 
#16 ·
Gard,

Man, that really sucks about your experience. I just got my shifter and bracket in, and hope to install them this weekend. I really wanted the MGW, but needed to just make a decision before I could talk myself out of it all together. If it doesn't feel night and day different, I will pull it right back out and return it.
 
#18 ·
Keep us posted man....
 
#17 ·
I kept saying to myself that I bet it just wasn't put in right, or he used the smaller spring, and that it wasn't the shifter. But with all the great reviews on the MGW, I figured it was the safer move.
 
#19 ·
I installed my Steeda shifter and JHR bracket today. The installation was easy, with just two areas requiring a little effort. First, the removal of the bracket under the car is a little difficult due to a retainer clip. After removing both nuts, I pulled the driver’s side down and then twisted the bracket off the shifter housing. From there, I just pulled straight down and the bracket came off. The retainer will need to be unscrewed and it will come off. The second area requiring a little patience is the boot. I started by trying to install the boot around the shifter base and between the reverse lock-out and shifter tab. It became apparent to me that this is the mistake that I think a lot of people are making. The boot needs to go around the base of the shifter and the outside of the reverse lock-out bracket. Those are the two areas that I found one will need to be patient and observant with. It is also important to point out that when installing the shifter, one will need to ensure proper spacing between the reverse lock-out and the tab on the shifter. I used a screwdriver to position the shifter as far to the right as possible while tightening the shifter bolts.
Concerning the quality of the JHR bracket and the Steeda shifter, they are both really nicely constructed, and I am very pleased with their quality. As far as the feel of the new shifter, I really didn’t notice too much of a difference at first, and was a little disappointed. Then I took it on a 20 mile drive and started to feel the difference. The throw is slightly shorter, but it’s not night-and-day different from the stock throw. The reverse lock-out spring requires a lot more effort, and that will take a little time to get use to. I think I was expecting the shifter to decrease the notchey effort to get into gear, but it didn’t. After reading a lot of reviews from other members, I think that will be fixed by changing the transmission fluid. What the shifter did do and I really enjoyed on my test drive was increase my shifting confidence. I knew exactly what gear I was in, and how to get to any of them without thought. I have read others post that reverse and first are too close, and that the 2-3 shift is straight up, but that is not the case with this shifter. I personally heel-and-toe when I drive, and there is no problem with that at all. All-in-all, I am happy and without buyer’s remorse. If I had it to do over, or someone would ask for my opinion, I would suggest waiting for the MGW or choose the Barton. That may sound bad for the Steeda, but it’s not; I was just hoping for a shorter throw. The Steeda is nice, and if it is installed correctly, it will not disappoint. If someone is wanting to save a little money, I would recommend the JHR shifter based on the quality of their bracket’s construction.

---------- Post added at 05:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:23 PM ----------

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n493/drivinglesson/shifter/1.jpg

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n493/drivinglesson/shifter/2.jpg

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n493/drivinglesson/shifter/5.jpg

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n493/drivinglesson/shifter/3.jpg

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n493/drivinglesson/shifter/4.jpg

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n493/drivinglesson/shifter/7.jpg

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n493/drivinglesson/shifter/8.jpg

Oh, I forgot to mention that there is on a slight increase in noise, and no vibration change.
 
#21 ·
M3to5.0 said:
Thanks for the nice write up!! I must give props to those of you that take the effort and time to ensure you use spell check and proper grammar. It certainly makes reading the threads more enjoyable.:rockon:
I completely agree, I'm no spelling champ myself but it does make life a little easier when trying to follow while doing an install based totally off what your reading!
 
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