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I've read lots of earlier posts that praise the performance and ease of installation of the MGW short-throw shifter. My question is: is the stock C7 shifter really that bad? - on a brand new"state of the art 7-speed? Is this something I honestly need to think about budgeting for? (Yeah, obviously I don't have my car yet and haven't test driven a manual.)
My last seven cars spanning 35 years have all been manuals, but my new C7 is an A8. Before buying I did drive an M7 and it shifted better with a much smoother clutch engagement than the M6 in my C6. I hope I can get used to this new slushbox, which so far is fine.
The stock shifter is the exact same one in the c5 and c6 cars as far a linkage and construction...even the box is the same part...
The transmission is different and thats why the C7 feels much better than previous models...BUT..the shifter and box still have a lot of slop..the box will wear out on you in about 15k miles.
Those that want to keep stock will be happy...but i bet if they try the MGW shifter/box combo they will understand the want to upgrade!!
The stock shifter is as good as an aftermarket shifter, and you would not really notice much difference on the street.
I changed to the Core Shifters modified Hurst shifter mainly because I liked the retro-look of the chrome Hurst stick, and did not particularly like the big stock ****.
it's a good shifter but here's a few things I've noticed...
Cold start getting into 1st requires just a little more effort than I'd expect. Once it's put into 1st a few times it's fine the remainder of the drive.
In addition, it can take some getting used to going from 4th to 5th vs 7th. In addition, downshifting from 7th to 6th you may find yourself going into 4th.
Lastly, not a fault of the shifter, but the transmission ratios could have been handled better. Why from 3rd to 4th is there a HUGE gap on Z51? 3rd ends at around 104mph and 4th takes you to almost 150. Should have made 5th 1:1 and a 4th gear less steep.
One thing I have found myself looking at when down shifting is the HUD. The gear you are engaging is displayed before you can let the clutch out. I'ts been a big help.
So CK, Where is you car now? It's should be close.
The C7 shifter is better than the C6 shifter. After having an MGW in my 08 for 6 years, I find the C7 shifter still inferior. As soon as my bonus comes in Mid March, I'm replacing my stock C7 shifter with an MGW. It's not for everyone has the shifts certainly require more effort but they also are better when shifting fast. I love the "bolt action" of the MGW.
One thing I have found myself looking at when down shifting is the HUD. The gear you are engaging is displayed before you can let the clutch out. I'ts been a big help.
So CK, Where is you car now? It's should be close.
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Originally Posted by 4thC4at60
You think the Vette is hard to shift when it's cold?
You should try to shift an old Ferrari when _its_ cold.... most of the time you gotta skip 2nd gear and go into 3rd when its cold.... once warmed up it shifts wonderfully...
As to the shifter on the C7 - as good as anything I've ever shifted and that includes five Porsches and BMWs....
I'd do nothing to the C7....
Funny, I just picked up my C7 on Sat. When I saw the title of this thread I was telling my biz partner over lunch that the C7 was the best shifting car I've ever owned and the worst shifter was on my 04 Ferrari 360.......same as U...I've had the Lambos and Porsches too and of course one of each generation of vette except the C1...ALSO, had 5 C6's.......Having said that IMHO, the 7 Sp tranny on my new C7 is the finest manual I've ever owned...Not notchie....gears are where they belong....Love it!
No. It blows away the previous gens' shifter feel, IMO.
As Kracka said above, it's almost as good as the S2000 shifter's feel, which was widely praised. Having previously tested a C6, and not liking its clutch & shifter, I made sure I test drove a C7 prior to pulling the trigger.
For me... it's great. Nothing to change.
I agree. I had an 00 then an 06 S2000 before I got my 14 C7.
On normal shifting the stock C7 shifter is probably fine. My C6 shifter and my CTS-V shifter were fine when shifting normally. It was only when trying to shift very quickly that I noticed a problem. At least 10-15% of the time I would miss 3rd in my CTS-V and C6 before the MGW. Never missed one in the C6 after the MGW. Still missed a few in the CTS-V as MGW never made one for the Gen 2 V's. No problem catching any other gear quickly. Just third.
With only 125 miles on my 15, I have not had the opportunity to try and shift very quickly. That said, I still like the bolt action feel of the MGW and still plan to get one.
OK, here is my opinion based on experience as I have an MGW Shifter in my C7 and used it both with and without before I installed the MGW...
Yes, I agree, the C7 - 7Spd transmission is a LOT better than the C6 (also had a C6 6Spd) but the shifter is basically the same shifter out of the C6 and is sloppy compared to the feel of the MGW, it feels OK until you compare it to the feel of the MGW...the C7 trans feels better because of better internals, NOT the C7 stock shifter...I was surprised when I removed the stock C7 shifter to replace it with MGW that it was practically identical to the C6 but it is...so much for only X amount of the same parts from C6 to C7...
So IMO you can't go wrong and will love every shift with the MGW compared to stock....not throwing away anything except sloppy shifts....
The stock shifter is good but, there is so much more with the MGW. If you are a hard gear shifting driver you will really appreciate the upgrade. Short very positive shifts and never once guessing what gear you are in. This is extremely important if you are really running at the redline. IMO this is one of the best low costs upgrades to performance driving and a simple install.
The stock C7 shifter is the same as the C5 and C6. I've worked on many and can honestly say the MGW is far superior to the stock.
There is no slop in the MGW. I had trouble shifting from 4th to 5th. Sometimes I hit 7th or got hung up in the neutral gate. Going to 5th always was an adventure.
The stock rubber mounts have vibration bushings that wear out pretty quickly. I you want to replace them, ZIP sells the urethane bushings but I recommend the aftermarket rubber bushings available from West Coast Corvette, JW Motoring, or eBay. They are larger than stock so when you tighten down the mounting bolts, they are stiffer than stock.
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20
My '14 shifts fine to me. Can't compare to other gens. My '04 was an auto as well as my '75. Other cars/trucks I've had shift like log wagons compared to the Vette.
I believe that it is very much improved and pretty close to the MGW that i had in the C6 and i know with mine i feel like it will get better as i get some seat time in the car..you break it in so to speak.
02-16-2015, 09:54 AM
