The anticipation levels have been rather high for some time. After months of design and development, anyone looking for precision and refinement in a shifter can now cross it off the bucket list. You are no longer beholden to the Camaro inspired factory compromise that sits atop the TR3160 in every GT350 Mustang. Thanks to George Ciamillo, the man behind the magic at MGW, you can now control every ounce of Voodoo with a flick of the wrist.
CONCEPT
The idea from the beginning was simple - to start over and do a clean sheet design that incorporated George's "single axis" design and completely eliminated the factory "pendulum" design. The TR3160 posed some unique challenges beyond what the MT82 or TR6060 did in GT/Boss and GT500 models. For one, the rotation of the actuation rod is in the opposite direction of the MT82. George and I spoke at length about this as soon as he had a Tremec TR3160 in his possession. There was no way he was going to give up and just create a redone version of the factory shifter (which is exactly what you'll see from everyone else down the road - unless they copy this badboy:nono
.After a few conceptual iterations, the dust settled and the direction was clear. The bolt-action, single axis mechanism he sought to create was becoming a reality. Similar in some respects to his current Race Spec but very different in others.
If you're really good, you'll note the differentiation between the Race Spec in the background and the GT350 shifter in the foreground.
TESTING
George picked up an early production GT350 and drove it for awhile to familiarize himself with it in completely stock form. Once he had all the pieces necessary to complete his new shift mechanism, in it went. Now this wasn't just about being able to execute a perfect shift, as many are aware of, this car poses some "unique" NVH challenges never seen before in a Mustang chassis. Gone unchecked, you could quickly exacerbate the vibration issues that the factory worked so hard at taming. Suffice it to say, George identified and eliminated the challenge that lay before him.
So after months of road testing, the MGW equipped GT350 went off to VIR for track testing, as detailed here. The design got the green light.
READY TO GO
With ~46 miles on the clock I made the 1,000 mile trek (each way) to visit George, remove the factory Camaro inspiration, and install some weapons grade hardware. This allowed me the perfect opportunity to become very familiar with the factory design and its inherent faults. I couldn't get to Georgia fast enough (then again, I did;-)).
Travis Hill, the man behind our beloved SVTP site, was there as well to document the installation as well as to update the MGW shifter in his Ecomonster. It was the first time I didn't install my own shifter and it was a joy watching those two work together as the new shifter went in.
THE VERDICT
Gone is the rubbery feeling I noted at the north south extreme. In it's place, scalpel-like exactness. George's design eliminates the reverse gear "pull up" and replaces it with his tried and true "push down" design (while also providing for reverse gate adjustment if you happen to need it). I noted zero additional NVH. No humming/buzzing and the knob wouldn't vibrate in gear no longer how long I stared at it. The many months of design and testing offers up huge dividends here, and it was greatly appreciated on the long but speedy trip home. The car now shifts on a level commensurate with the SHW and Brembo rotors and binders, the mag dampers, and Michelin rubber. The 1-2 and 2-3 shifts are absolutely seamless now and will take the hardest punch you can throw - if you so desire. Around town it is as if your mind is plugged in directly to the car and it simply begs you to take a swing at it.
Take my advice. Make the call to MGW and give your GT350 the shifter it should have come with. You won't be able to wipe the grin off your face for some time.
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