well i had my car for 2 weeks now, and i have always felt third gear was kinda tough to get in. i figured i am not used to the car yet it will get better with time. well it`s seems it is not sometimes when i shift from 2nd to third it just wont go. yes i have the clutch fully depressed but i am begining to wonder if it is the ring i can feel on the shaft of the shifter. under the boot that is causing me to have the problem or just a bad shifter. going to take it to the dealer on wednesday to have it looked at . i was just wondering if it was just me and if anyone else feels the same.

 

I was having the same problem and started pushing it further to the right and slides in alot easier. I believe the notch between 1st and 3rd is a little larger so you don't shift into first accidently and hurl yourself forward (making an hiney out of yourself if anyone is watching lol). By going just a bit more to the right the worst that can happen is you might go into 5th and thats not as bad as going into 1st .

 

i agree........ i done that a few times as well

 

no problems for me. The shifter just seems to want to go into 3rd without any guidance. In fact I have been shifting into 3rd my just palming it foreward and not even pushing it right. It just seems to hit the neutral position and automatically slide right as i continue to push. Of course I have the V6 and maybe it is a bit different.

 

I know this sounds basic but is your seating position correct?

for me it is adjusted so my right elbow is just slightly bent when in third gear

don't have seat back reclined to much, you shouldent have to reach for any gear (maybe 5th)

I have had mine since 4-11 and third is fine for me, a little notch before lever fully engages but fine, I have been shifting agressevly for a couple months now with this car and it is better then my Saleen was w/ a hurst shifter

I have plenty of experiance doing full throttle shifts in other cars but have only done it with the '05 into second (good smooth fast shifting sometimes requires less thought and more raw instinct)

also IMHO full throttle shifts are not better all the time for the best time, sometimes part throttle shifts or just quick let off shifts get the traction down better while keeping RPM in the sweet spot (roasting the tires into 2nd is cool though)

 

that could play into it.... i am still trying to find my sweet spot ... i feel good now the way it is... could be better... i will play around and see if it helps some...

 

There was a Hot Rod Magazine article (on the Paul's High Performance Mustang) which talks about this -- sorry I don't have a link to it. The gist of it is that the sloppy rubber mountings and flimsy brace (to the transmission) allow the shifter to be misaligned when the motor/transmission torques over. The car in the article had some addtional bracing welded up to combat this.

 

i may swap out the shifter all together if no problem is found, as my dad felt the same way when he drove the car as well.....

 

Thought the stock shifter was really good but felt the same way. One reason I went for the Tri-Ax which IMO did improve the situation.