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.