My Shifter Review – Factory vs Hurst vs MGW

[pnyklr]

Originally Posted by jmlozano7

I have a barton industries short throw and I love it! you should check it out! It has a way shorter shift that either of the two you reviewed and is only $210

That shifter ball is going to get HOT in the El Paso heat this summer. Had one in my 97 TA and you had to be real careful grabbing it before the AC cooled the car down.

I will not own another black solid aluminum shift knob again where only hell is hotter.

-Funk

[ChevyThunder]

Great write up !
My Hurst is not near as loose as yours. It is very positive and for me I still want to feel like I am driving a manual trans so the throw is perfect. Agree it is a bit notchy but I like it. Any shorter of a throw would not feel good to me. I want to feel like I am driving a manual with some action and not a EMCO sequencial box clicking up or down for gear.But that is just me.
I also have a few first gen Camaro's and both my 69 RS Z and 69 9561 COPO 427 Camaro have a console. This is the console the 2010 Camaro console is based on . All Muncie equiped cars had the HURST shift rod and console cars had a chrome shift knob so I took the original from my COPO Camaro and used it .I think it looks killer ! But I am a bit old school.
The MGW you put in looks great too !
I would imagine all three of the kits mentioned here are great . But I would say really pay attention to this write up and other peoples descriptions because just having the shortest throw doesn't mean it is the best one for your driving style. Hopefully you have a friend or fellow C5 owner in the area that will let you take the car for a drive down the road so you can feel what some of the short shift kits are like.
Also I believe the other shift lever in my Hurst package was so you can run the stock shift knob giving a completely stock appearance

[Sawyer]

Great vids and write up. I will be going with the MGW.

[REAPER SS]

Thanks for the write up. I was already leaning toward the mgw, but now which one I want when I get my 2010

[ClaymoreZ28]

Thanks for the write up

I tried some in cars at C5Fest and got the MGW... and I have to say that it is well worth the extra effort to fit

[Viral]

Originally Posted by hair10

Personally, I don't like the looks of the Hurst shifter. I think you made the right choice on looks alone! And I have to agree with your wife... just because it's a "muscle car" doesn't mean it has to look 40 years old.

+3

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I personally think the outrageously long neck and small ball of the hurst looks flat out goofy on this ultramodern Camaro.

[V1c1ous]

Just put my MGW in yesterday. No lift or ramps, just jackstands. Install wasnt bad. I would sugest bolting the arms on first, leave them loose, then install the two pins in the transmission. Drove it to my brothers house in Elsmere. Loved the shifting and the feel of the transmission. I had a bad noise when I got off the interstate, like bad syncros or something. Scared the hell out of me. After I left my brothers never happened again. But you will get a little more noise, but thats why the stock has the 3 lb baseball on the end of it I guess. But I love the look of the racing knob and the shifts are right on, especialy the 2 to 3 power shifts and the 5 to 4 downshifts!!!!

[spacecowby]

Love my MGW with retro

[Gonzo]

Thanks for the great write-up and comparison. Before I got my Camaro, I test drove one that had the Hurst shifter in it on the dealer lot. I really liked it, but not so much the retro look. I have been looking at some other options for shifters and found many good reviews on the MGW. I think your write-up pretty much cinches it for me. I will be ordering the MGW.

Originally Posted by TommyTSquared

Going to be subscribing to the thread. Great job. While the hurst looks better, the MGW just sounds more solid. Then again from a stop the stock shifter shifts really well... but when you get going f'ing third gear. I HATE YOU THIRD GEAR!

I couldn't agree with you more!

[nards444]

heres my opinion on the stock shifter. The shifter is easy and smooth. And really is there to fit everybody's needs and wants. Now for somebody who is into sports cars and doing their own shifting it is sloppy and to loose for me. Ive had a factory hurst in a 01 WS6 and it was way shorter, it was more of an effort to get into gear and definitely was more a metal feel, but i liked it.

[fisherssmoke]

Does anyone have any feedback on the Barton shifter? I like the look of it the most with the flat stick and black ball... and the price is right.

[caverman]

Originally Posted by fisherssmoke

Does anyone have any feedback on the Barton shifter? I like the look of it the most with the flat stick and black ball... and the price is right.

I've heard plenty of good things about thier shifter. If money is an issue they are probably the one to go with.

However, IMO, it's not going to match up with the MGW because you are only replacing the shaft vs the whole shifter mechanism like MGW does. Look at how the MGW springs the shifter back to the center section. I don't see how just replacing the shaft will do that for you.

[ssmike]

Thanks for the excellent write up! I installed a Hurst with the T-handle and put about 3000 miles on it so far. I too had the 2-3 miss shift problem with stock, now I have a 1-2 miss shift problem with the Hurst! 2-3 seems o.k. now but sometimes during spirited power shifts it misses 2nd! The shifter wiggles just like your video and sounds exactly the same. You want to talk about HOT, try the t-handle on a hot day in the sun....YOUCH! I LOVE the looks of the T-handle but I'm not happy with the notchy feel and 1-2 shifts! I may end up with the MGW eventually!

[Weezerj]

does the MGW or any of the aftermarket short throw shifters "click" into gear?