94tbird

I am gonig either the Steeda Tri Ax or the Hurst Shifter. which do you guys prefer or is there another i should consider?

eighty6gt

Go with the B&M! Fully isolated stick, no stops that you don't need!

Zc527

I would go w/ the hurst

dustindu4

The steeda Tri-Ax is a sweet shifter, but it's design does not allow the shifter to slide back and forth like the stock one does, hence a ton of vibration with the Steeda. The Hurst design allows the shifter to move back and forth. I have the Tri-Ax and if I had to do it again I think I would get the Hurst. It's a lot easier to put in. My Tri-Ax had to be tweaked about 10 times before I was happy with it.

edited to add: what I mean by sliding back and forth is when you slam on the gas under hard acceleration, the transmission itself slides backwards about 1/4 to 1/2 inch or so. The front end of the shifter itself is hard mounted to the transmission and the rear end is attached to the body. The stock and Hurst shifters have a sliding mechanism on the back end which allows this movement. The Steeda shifter is hard mounted to the body.

Get the Hurst and try some Steeda stock shifter replacement urethane bushings. Try it with and without and see what you like better.

That's the best advice I can give. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Tri-Ax shifter, but I had some major issues to solve before I got it working right. Click on the link in my sig for details. Lots of people don't have the problems I do though. I kind of got a lemon shifter.

FYI a lot of people say the Hurst shifter vibrates a lot too. It's a no win situation. I've never tried the Hurst shifter myself, so I can't give a comparison. The stock shifter is sloppy for a reason, it transfers a lot less vibration. When you start tightening tolerances on performance shifters, you're introducing new vibration/noise pathways.

As a mechanical design engineer, the Steeda is good because it has the stop bolts on it, which really sounds cool when you shift and gives it a more racier feel to it. But the Hurst shifter is more like the stock design and doesn't try to fight transmission movement. I wish there was a shifter out there that incorporated the strong points of both, but there isn't one. BTW the Ford Racing shifter is the same as the Hurst but doesn't have the white ball and chrome handle, it looks like the stock one.

To compensate for the fixed back end of the shifter, and to reduce vibration, I put padding between the shifter and the body and I left the nuts loose about 1/2 turn and threadlocked it. The back end holes of the Steeda mount are slotted, so my shifter does slide back and forth now. This does make me a little bit nervous because the driveshaft yoke is located directly below the shifter and if those mounting bolts snapped and the shifter fell into the yoke, well let me tell you I don't want to be in the car if that happens. My center console with probably grenade.

Oh and in case you were wondering, the Pro 5.0 shifter is an exact copy from what I can tell from pictures of the Steeda Tri-Ax

MaverickMLFD371

2nd Vote for B&M!!!

GRAYPNY

I have the Hurst~

A. Short throw +
B. Vibrates under WOT -
C. Easy install +
D. Impossible to power shift -
E. Looks fairly 'old school' +

tech

Regarding D. I just installed the Hurst and I love it, but there is no linear movement between gears. When shifting from one gear to the other it stops at neutral first. I noticed it does not really do this when the car is stopped. I am assuming this is due to the tranny movement under acceleration. So when shifting there is a "clunk, clunk" not a "clunk". Bad description, but the only way I can describe it.

Is this what you are referring to?

If so, I am going to replace the rear urithane bushing (attached to the studs) with the stock rubber one to see if it will free it up a little. I'll let you all know how it goes.

wsmatau

I'm holding out until the MGW comes out in February. then it's a contest between them and the Hurst Billet. But, I'm thinking MGW will win, just going on thier reputation.

subzero05

Another vote for the B&M

dustindu4

all shifters do that, what you are referring to is the transmission design which causes what you are describing

tech

But it actually stops there first, slowing the shifting process. That sucks, so much for quick shifts.

pjdami

tech,
Definitely let us know how that works out. If I remember correctly you shouldn't have to pull out the entire shifter to do that mod. Just the rear bushing and the two long bolt nuts.

I like my Hurst better than the mushy stock feel. It could be better though but I like the firm positive shifts. No issues with mine just the slight hesitation in neutral that has been described. "thunk" or "clunk" is a good way to describe the sound.

300HPGT

I have that slow shifting process with my steeda! I have also found out when I took the whole shifter appart that the design of the shifter is good but there is room for improvement. I have to get stiffer springs for the neutral spring back part because its loosened up after 35000 miles on the shifter. Plus it make a rattling noise under hard acceleration and the rear bushing causes the whole car to vibrate since it is practicaly hard mounted to the body of the car from the stiff urithane bushing. I would have got a different shifter if I had known all of these things sooner.

MaverickMLFD371

wsmatau

Your going to be waiting till next spring for MGW's shifter. They are finishing the interior accessories first, then moving onto the shifter since it take much more time to develop, so you wont see that till next spring, per George @ MGW, got off the phone with him 5 min ago.

adnlyn

hey ron...Hurst is coming out with a 2nd generation shifter it is alot beefier than the present one. i think i saw it on either stang net or all fordmustang .com try doing a search on either of those sites. i am going to wait and see what that one looks like

ncblack

B&M!

pjdami

Actually, it was also on this forum:

http://forums.bradbarnett.net/index.php?showtopic=39883

Another shifter to add to the mix of choices out there! That billet Hurst looks more like the Steeda or the Pro-5.0.

Regardless of any aftermarket shifter, it just appears that they might not be for everyone. If one enjoys the very quiet and smooth / effortless shifting that the stock shifter has then stick with it. I have the 1st gen Hurst and from what I've read about all other aftermarket shifters they all have their strengths/weaknesses. Weaknesses being a little more shift effort due to the shorter throw and the clunking sound which the stock shifter doesn't have. It all comes down to personal choice.

I wish there was some performance store one could go to that had all these shifters in a "pseudo" car environment so we could check them all out one after the other but unfortunately for enthusiasts like us we have to resort to trying them out in our own cars or in the cars of other Mustang enthusiasts that we meet.

tech

Agreed. It's definately an acquired taste. This is my second aftermarket shifter (1st was B&M) and they seem to behave similarly. I like the quietness of the hurst, but the shifting action of the B&M. Ultimately the ideal shifter would be the base and linkage design of the hurst with the isolated stick design of the B&M (with a shorter stick for god's sake).

I believe once I swap out the rear urithane bushing on the Hurst for the stock rubber one I will be happy. The hard neutral pausing action in the middle of my shifts is driving me nuts.

38special

I have the Hurst and I may have got lucky. I do not get any vibration noise. It does sound like sliding a metal box over a metal cube, designed to fit, when I shift. A better description to "clunk", I think.

The short throw is wierd for about the first 30 minutes, but now I appreciate it.

My hand is also higher and does not bump into my drink in the cup holder!

AND IT LOOKS COOL TOO!

94tbird

I think im gonig to go with the B&M after all of your opinions and the reviews that ive read online. I thank you all for your responses.