Norm Peterson

Some do. They don't keep you from slamming the gears too hard; they only limit how far you can throw things before they are stopped - assuming that you get the stop bolts adjusted properly.

If you aren't drag racing and aren't about to try power-shifting on the street, an aftermarket shifter isn't going to extend your tranny life by any measurable amount.

Since you already do like the OE shifter, keep in mind that aftermarket shifters are apt to have a "notchier" feel that you might not like after a while.


I've been driving stick my whole driving career including my learner permit time, my wife for most of hers, our two kids (now 35 and 39) for nearly ALL of their early driving years - and all of our cars have been manual tranny since 1972. With the occasional exception of our son, we don't/haven't drag raced, and none of our cars has ever had a tranny issue caused either by the shifter mechanism whether OE or aftermarket, or by shifting technique with either. You should be fine with the OE shifter.


Norm

mulestang

I'm not a racer. I enjoy a spirited rip through the gears every now an then, put shaving a few tenths off 1/4 mile times isn't my cup of tea. That being said, I had a Hurst shifter in my Stang for about 3 days. I didn't have the 'Hurst Rattle', but the audible 'clunk' i heard every time I shifted gears drove me nuts. I decided I'd stick with stock, so I sold the Hurst and picked up a bullitt **** and boot off eBay. I love it.

Burns

ok, well the reason I was asking was because I do enjoy going through the gears once a week or so, I may go to the drag strip once a year, but for the most part I drive very conservatively.

I'll just stick with the stock shifter, I should be fine, the only way you are going to do some damage is probably drag racing on a regular basis

Thanks for the help

UMich97

Burns, if you're not sure, then and aren't racing, the stock is probably fine. However, with that said, I didn't realize how much I liked having a short throw until I put my '08 into Storage (it has a short throw) and pulled my '99 out (it does not). My '99 is fine, but you do kind of feel like you are rowing a boat compared to the short throw. If I had some extra coin laying around, I'd put a short throw in my '99 too. I just prefer the shorter throw, but I'd suggest you either try to drive someone's stang that has one, or pick up a cheap short throw somewhere to try it, to see if you like it or not. Then you'll know for sure if you want one.

Burns

I've had short throws before. In the older mustangs, a short throw is a necessity. I don't know why everyone dislikes the stock one in a s197. The throw is nothing compared to the old mustangs.

Snakebite64

I am not a fan of row row row your boat so until the Snake every car received a short throw shifter. Third gear stock stuff was less than stellar

Norm Peterson

The amount of arm motion also depends somewhat on just how/where you grab the shift ****. If you grab it with your palm over the top of the ball/****, and your palm maybe isn't really even touching the ball, your elbow needs to move a little further than if you grab the **** more like a pistol-grip (i.e., lower).

I'm willing to bet that this is another little thing that divides along drag race vs road course attitudes, simply because when you downshift across gates (3 - 2, 5 - 4, 5 - 3, 6 - 5, 6 - 4, etc.) it's almost instinctive to grab the shift **** with your palm facing you instead of down at the tunnel.

A long shift throw is something you'd find in an old heavy-duty pickup truck (think 1950's, early 1960's) or in my son's Kenworth.


Norm

Formula

I never bought a short shifter before for a car and was doubting that it would do much. I bought the mgw for my mustang and it made it feel like a much better car! Its shorter and way more solid feeling shift. It completely changes the feel of the car, trust me, you won't go back to an oem shifter.

Riptide

The only thing wrong with the OEM unit is the long throw.

That said, I think it was Americanspeed who mentioned he wished he had kept his stock shifter. And he is one of the best drag racers on here.

I don't intend to replace mine.

UMich97

Burns, I agree that the stock one isn't bad (I actually think it's really good for a stock shifter)....and the stock one in my S197 is better than the stock one in my SN95. However, with that said, I still prefer the short throw. My short throw takes a little more force than the stock one did, but it's also quite a bit shorter, which I really like. Not because it necessarily saves me so much time, just because I prefer the feel of the shorter throw. I could see where others might actually prefer stock. This is simply why I thought if you had the opportunity to drive an S197 with a short throw or find a cheap one to try out, you'd know for sure which was best for you. My two cents.