Going from Gen 1 MGW to MGW race spec worth it?
- Thread starter 01slowbra46
- Start date
I track my car often and have never had a missed shift with the Gen 2 MGW. The stocker was a mess. Stick with the cheaper option. Easier install and will be more than enough.
Can anyone post the price on this? Or is MGW keeping it under wraps unless you call?
-Pierce
-Pierce
The RACE SPEC is a mechanical marvel. It TOTALLY transforms the shifting of these MT-82 transmissions by allowing precise gear to gear shifting with ZERO slop. Reverse is a breeze to find as well. This shifter will revolutionize the stigma associated with the crappy MT-82 I assure you.
George and the MGW team KNOW how to run a business with the absolute best customer service in the business bar none!!!!!!!
George and the MGW team KNOW how to run a business with the absolute best customer service in the business bar none!!!!!!!
This ^^^ says it all. If the Canadian dollar dropped to $0.50 US I still would have bought it. I have a mint Gen 1 version going up for sale soon.
Bold statements but with what ive read so far seem to be on point.
My trans shifts perfect and i have not missed a shift yet... 100% stock.
Im thinking about buying just to make the manual experience that much more enjoyable.
the race spec is $487 plus shipping, which is normally $12 so figure, just under $500 and worth every penny
I would love a race spec but will probably just pair a blowfish bracket with my MGW.
That will work well too. On the other hand selling your shifter and not buying the Blowfish bracket and stepping up to the race spec would be a better option IMHO.
jp1seattle,
.. and add the stainless bushings for the shifter support rod. They're only $25 and they stiffen up the shifter box significantly.
Not trying to spend your money for you, just a friendly reminder about a great MGW product that helps the old transmission quite a lot.
Chris
Well for what its worth I installed the regular 2014 edition MGW over the weekend. I can say with confidence I'm glad I saved $200 for other mods by opting out of race spec because the difference truly is remarkable over the stock shifter and I can't fathom the RaceSpec being THAT much better over the 2014 version as you guys are claiming it to be. You can NOT mess up shifting with this MGW piece, its just that good and it should be number 1 on anyone's mod list.
Also like nyuk98GT said, if you did want to eliminate the minimal slack movement in linkage rod then they have the steel bushing you can buy for cheap to stiffen that up completely & might give a tiny bit more precision... but I highly doubt you'd even need that.
Race Spec IS titled like that for a reason. The regular version is more than good enough for DD or occasional street racing / super aggressive driving and even track use. If you are fully racing out you're car and tracking a lot you would maybe consider the race spec over regular version and if you're really serious enough you'll be swapping out the MT82 tranny completely for something else thats superior.
Also, if you are just a DD and don't drive aggressively I'd highly recommend just getting a new shifter bracket / bushing & I bet that will solve most problems you have and you'll also save a lot of money.
Also like nyuk98GT said, if you did want to eliminate the minimal slack movement in linkage rod then they have the steel bushing you can buy for cheap to stiffen that up completely & might give a tiny bit more precision... but I highly doubt you'd even need that.
Race Spec IS titled like that for a reason. The regular version is more than good enough for DD or occasional street racing / super aggressive driving and even track use. If you are fully racing out you're car and tracking a lot you would maybe consider the race spec over regular version and if you're really serious enough you'll be swapping out the MT82 tranny completely for something else thats superior.
Also, if you are just a DD and don't drive aggressively I'd highly recommend just getting a new shifter bracket / bushing & I bet that will solve most problems you have and you'll also save a lot of money.
The regular MGW is $385 plus shipping, not a heckuva lot less.
I purchased and installed the MGW shifter after reading hundreds of forum pages on shifters. Having been out of the Mustang game for nearly a decade, my knowledge was lacking and many of today's players didn't exist when I had my last 5.0. Installation wasn't bad, but in all honesty I don't find the MGW shifter all that great. I hate the way this is going to sound and please understand I don't mean it to sound like I'm "blowing my own horn," but I can shift a manual trans like a lightning bolt. I was struggling really bad with 2-3 shifts on the stock unit and after all that reading, it seemed the MGW would be the answer. I called them and briefly spoke to Debbie who told me to email with my questions. She was really nice, however my email went unanswered. I bought one anyway seeing as everyone seems to love them and they have a pretty good rep. After a few days playing with it, I still have the same issue with the 2-3 shift. I watch his video's saying let the shifter do the work and all, but it's hard to break 20+ years of habit. I'm thinking of adding the blowfish bracket to see if it will alleviate some more of my issues. Also, I read about the "trade in" program they were offering. I find it odd everyone was on board with that for $200 when you can sell it online for closer to $300. Either way, I'm sitting here wondering if the race spec is so great after everyone said the first and second gen were great and I found them, well, mediocre at best. Never getting an email response also left a slight foul taste in my mouth about their service.
You absolutely can not miss 2nd to 3rd after MGW. You are either not doing it right or something is wrong with the install or something wrong with your clutch / transmission. With my 2014 version it's night and day difference over stock and I never miss 2nd to 3rd anymore even at high rpm. I'm still getting that crunch/clunk from 1st to 2nd sometimes but it shifts fine, just loud and sometimes you just gotta push it in hard. I suspect nothing can fix that cept for a transmission swap or maybe a different clutch and flywheel could help..
Like I said before. Get the MGW if you got the money. The 2014 gen was on for a lower price & I'm glad I saved on it over going with the race spec since I don't believe race spec can be much better over gen 2 because the big difference is in the bracket. Stock bracket is held together with zip ties and super soft rubber on a single post. This is what causes all the play in the shifter assembly which will cause deflected shifts when going hard. So if you on a budget get a new bracket for the stock box I'm certain it will solve most issues with stock shifter.
Should also look into a weighted shift know that's over 400g I suspect that would help a lot as well.
After installing the MGW, I still have the exact same issue I had with stock. In his video's, the MGW guy (whose name I can't recall off hand) specifically says that you have to "let the shifter do the work" and that high speed hard shifting will result in missed shifts. Unfortunately for me, I didn't watch all that until after I bought it and was installing it. I don't think any of it is so much the shifter itself, so much as it is a remote mount assembly that I am completely unaccustomed to. I think adding the Blowfish bracket would be the best fix in theory, and I'm about to just buy one to find out. If it does, I might just remove and sell the MGW and get one of the other makers lesser expensive models so I can spend the leftover cash on other addons. Oh and by the way, for the sake of my ability to drive a stick being in question (not in a personal way, but in a way that most found this shifter the greatest thing since the wheel and I haven't) I have driven just about every manual trans power vehicle ever made, From a 1961 Corvette (I learned stick shift driving with my dad in his 61 vet) to a 2011 777HP Viper, and I never have any issues with absolutely hammering through the gears. I've even hammered the hell out of a miata without issue. I'm just not impressed with MGW for the price.
Fair enough,
The MGW isn't the problem its the MT-82 all together. Which is why I opt for the on sale Gen 2 and I think I got 100% of my $300 worth in going that route because for me I can't fail 2nd to 3rd anymore and I've really tried (ask me how I know lol) The Race spec doesn't seem worth the big price tag however.
I agree the Race spec doesn't do much for me either at the price. Fortunately for me I only paid $225 for the gen 2 MGW. I was kinda pissed that they didn't bother to return my emails, because they are in Augusta GA and I am in Alpharetta GA which is about 2-3 hours drive away so I could go down there should I need any real education on the product. I'm slowly getting better on hitting 3rd, but I have to slow my reaction time down significantly in order make it work.
I got the bushings last week. Will probably be a few weeks before I can put them in and then a little longer before I get my car out of the garage. I'll be sure to post my thoughts.
I love my MGW, but as we all know, the MT82 can always stand to be improved.
I love my MGW, but as we all know, the MT82 can always stand to be improved.
I've gotten exponentially better and hitting 2-3 here this week, but it's only because I've lowed my high end rev shift point and slowed the actual action of shifting. I'm going to add a Blowfish bracket and see if that really tidies it up like I want. I want it to feel like an old WC T5 did.
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