I know this is a little off topic, but I know in NJ, it's illegal to put your car (if it's a standard) in neutral at a stop sign, traffic light etc. while you're driving your car. The other thing they will tell you is that when you park the car, always leave the car either in first or reverse and apply the parking brake ESPECIALLY on hills.

Now, that being said, I've heard these stories before and I believe it to be considered normal on Borg Warner/ Tremec transmissions. I don't sit with my car in neutral at lights so it's not an issue.

With reference to your comment regarding German cars and these issues, they normally use Getrag transmissions which are usually butter smooth. The cars they're in are normally quite a bit more $ so of course you'd expect a different feel from them. I've owned both Audi and BMW, both sticks and I will tell you those were both more smooth than the Mustang. They really cannot be compared however due to cost etc. IMO.

 

If the red light is going to take 5 min, I would shift into neutral to prevent the throwout bearing from wearing out due to the grease overheating.

Good point on the Getrag transmissions. I wish Tremec made butter-smooth TR-3650s. There's no excuse for making crude gearboxes on $30k+ cars.

I'm going to order Redline High-Temp ATF. It meets Dexron-III/Mercon ATF spec but is much thicker and is considered a GL-4 gear oil.

 

There's nothing crude about my tranny, shift perfectly every time

 

I think RadBoss's earlier post about depressing the clutch all the way has some merit. I find myself depressing the clutch about halfway when I shift ot he next gear. That is probably an inherent part of my memory based on other clutches I have used. This one is a little touchy.

 

The clutch and tranny may be smoother on other cars,
but they are also lighter and not built for 500hp

Nature of the beast.

 

The TR-3650 and clutch are rated for only 360 ft-lb.

 

lol, you make driving a manual transmission the most complicated operation in the world Every other shift is a new post. Ever thought it may be a (lack of) coordination issue with you?

 

Yes, until I had other people drive it and they all said the same thing: the manual transmission on the new GT is pretty crude. I guess that's what I get for buying another Ford. I have the same 07 shifter as you and do agree that it is pretty solid. I don't see a real need to go with a short throw on mine, but having the 1st gear locked out just got me to pay attention more to the gearbox. I've also heard rattling below 1000 RPM that sounds like it is going to fall apart.

 

There are tolerances built in you can be sure.
Besides, you can grenade any tranny very easily if you're an idiot regardless of how it's rated.

 

The car takes time to learn.
I've had people drive it who are GREAT at driving manuals...and I can drive better than them because I know the car/tranny. Not all manuals drive the same.

YOU CAN MAKE IT SMOOTH... you just have to learn its ins/outs

 

I had it happen with my F-150 (V6) 5 spd manual tranny all the time, and it also happened a couple of times with my Viper's T56, I guess it is?

+1, Amen. this procedure should be taught in driver's ed...the military policeman that taught me to drive taught me to do that always

 

+1 again, and again a technique I was taught by that MP...not to mention the cooling effect on your engine (the downshisting when approaching a light/coming to a stop)

 

It looks like shifting from N->2->1 (or N->2->R) seems to be the accepted "correct" way to shift? I'm pretty new to manuals, so can someone elaborate exactly why this is done? What's going on inside the gears?

Thanks.

 

Why would you put in a thicker fluid? To my way of thinking, it would take longer for the oil to be displaced from between the syncro and gear in order to get the speeds matched for engagment. Usually in the winter it's harder to engage gears because the oil is cold and thick. As the trans warms up the shifting becomes easier.

 

I just got back from lunch and didn't notice I did the 2nd gear thing so much to synchro everything up. Most of the time when stopped I'll do the neutral wiggle, hit second for an instant and wiggle again until the light gets close. BTW-I've had the first gear and reverse get blocked out from time to time in vehicles from Audi/BMW/MB/Toy/Hon/Subaru/Mazda/Hyundai/Porsche/GM/Ford/DCX/Kia/MG/Alfa/Nissan(&Datsun)/Acura and Jaguar-that I recall off the top of my head. Most manuals in cold weather wont even try to get into reverse without hitting 2nd first.

The only ones that consistently do not that I've driven are the multistack Getrag 6-speed used in the SVTF and the Mini which requires you to slightly push down when going up and in, and some of the FWD 5-speeds from them that require lifting a ring to bypass a reverse lockout. Which probably do the same thing as touching into 2nd. But while moving I do not have issues downshifting 2-1 with the 3650 at slow speeds-ever.

 

I've never had a problem shifting into Reverse in the cold or shifting in general (it gets down to -15F here in MI).

Recall that older manuals used to use gear oil in the gearbox, but I heard that changes in synchro and blocker ring materials required a change in the fluid (ATF). The Redline High-Temp ATF is basically gear oil that meets Mercon ATF spec. Since no one here has actually tried it, I'll probably be the guinea pig. The other ATFs like Synchromax, Synchromesh, Mobil 1 ATF, Amsoil, etc... are all 7.5-7.7 cSt whereas the High-Temp ATF is about 10.0 cSt at 100C.

I've never heard about the N-2-N-1 trick at the stoplights. I didn't have to touch 2nd gear to get by the 1st gear lockout. All I did was shift back into Neutral and into 1st again. Since I had this happen in the past, I just reacted faster.

As for being smoother, the gearbox rattle and whirring noises at speed have nothing to do with being smooth. Either the 3650 or the 4.6 3V's VCT makes it sound like a turbine at higher loads and throttle positions.

 

There is no reason for a 500 HP trans to shft any different than a 100 HP one. I have driven race car transmissions w/o syncros (just engagement dogs) from Formula Ford to a Can Am Lola, and they shift slicker than snot.

The TREMEC is notchy because of the blocker ring configuration (IMHO). The blocker ring in there late model TREMEC trans is a composite ring. And its sensitive to the oil being used.

Thicker oil will rob you of rear wheel horsepower (i.e. driveline losses will increase). Slicker oils will degrade the performance of the syncromesh.

Gear box rattle is normal at idle. There is back lash between the gears and the oil is thin. In neutral the input shaft, cluster gear and all the idlers are all rotating. Its not going to grenade.

Sitting in gear at the stop light is tough on the crank shaft thrust bearing. When that wears out, you have got serious problems. If you live in NJ, I suggest not admiting you have the car in neutral at the stop.

 

RadBOSS: My Stang's got enough rwhp for now I'll see how the High Temp ATF pans out.

 

Have you guys ever considered that it isn't quite so much the trans but alot of it the clutch in these cars? Seems my clutch is very very touchy as a couple of you have pointed out. Maybe an engagement/disengagement issue?

 

Speaking of clutch...
...
Because its HydroAssisted, it uses the break fluid right?
Would the clutch be affected by the temp of the brake fluid as far as its ability to compress?

Like say for example, when you have hot break fluid, does your clutch pedal feel different because the fluid being compressed is hot?