Well, the Race version of the Steeda Tri-Ax should appeal to the S550 GT and EcoBoost
owners out there looking to improve his or her shifting experience, using a premium option
on the site and one that will help you achieve one of the biggest reduction in throws out
of all of the shifters in the category.
Now, in addition to that, prospective buyers will also get some flexibility out of the
shifter as well, as Steeda does set you up with a few different options to customize
the shifter depending on your liking.
I did mention that "premium" word earlier, guys, and the low $400 price point certainly
does reflect that.
In fact, only the Barton Hybrid 3 will be a little bit more dough than the Steeda Race
version that we have in this video.
Installation, you're looking at a healthy two out of three wrenches on the difficulty
meter here, gang.
A lot of work both inside and underneath the car, but we will have a little bit more detail
on that later on.
Now, if I could briefly talk about the brand Steeda here, more specifically, that Tri-Ax,
I'm sure any of my fellow Mustang owners out there have probably at least heard of the
Tri-Ax, or maybe even had one installed in their Mustang at one point or another, and
for good reason.
The Tri-Ax is Steeda's bread and butter when it comes to shifting products.
They've been doing it ever since the Fox Body days, and it continues to be a top choice
here on the site for owners looking to improve the shifting experience in their five or six-speed
Mustang.
But let's get to the Race version that we do have here in this video, guys.
The Race is going to be the standard Tri-Ax's big brother, if you will.
Steeda does have a standard Tri-Ax lever kit available on the site for your S550.
It's a little simpler.
It's definitely a little bit less expensive, as well.
Check that out if you're interested.
But the Race just takes things up a notch.
It takes what the standard Tri-Ax did well and just added some more goodies, improving
the shifting feel, reducing the throw in the process.
So what are going to be some of your big benefits when checking out the Steeda?
Well, for most owners who have driven the MT-82 in the EcoBoost or GT S550 cars knows
that the stock shifter, yes, it's a little bit better than previous generations.
But it can still use a little bit of help.
Those throws are a tad long from the factory and the action, at least in my opinion, tends
to be a little bit more on the sloppy side.
Now, the Steeda, on the other hand, is going to help completely eliminate that slop, thanks
to using a superior design, while also helping to deliver a much shorter throw.
Again, that's the big story here, guys, 30% reduction in throw using the Race version
of the Tri-Ax, one of the biggest in the category.
Compare that to the Barton, which is only going to deliver a 25% reduction in throw,
or the Ford Performance option, on the other hand, which is only a 15% reduction in throw.
In fact, the only thing that's going to beat the Steeda Tri-Ax, the Race version, when
it comes to reduction in throw is the Hurst Shifter offering you a 40% reduction.
So moral of the story here, guys, if you're looking for a shifter solely based on reducing
the throw overall, the Steeda Tri-Ax, the Race version, and that Hurst shifter will
be your two best bets currently on the site.
So how does Steeda go about achieving such a big reduction in throw here with their Race
version of the Tri-Ax?
Honestly, guys, it all starts with the signature Tri-Ax lever.
There you go, 4140 nickel-plated steel.
Besides being a big reduction in throw, it's actually going to sit a little bit lower when
installed in the car as well.
I actually think that's cool for a couple of different reasons.
First and foremost, it makes just leaving your hand on the console a little bit easier
to bang gears that way, in addition to just looking a little bit better as well, at least
in my opinion.
From there, the Race version of the Steeda Tri-Ax does add the lower bucket here, in
addition to the mount itself, along with that two-post bracket which we will talk a little
bit more about in a second.
Overall, guys, I like this.
This is a bit of a hybrid design here.
You're getting part remote mount and part direct mount, so you're getting the best of
both worlds.
You're eliminating some of the sloppiness that tends to come along with the remote mounting
system, but you're also helping to eliminate some of the extra NVH that comes with a direct
or trans-mounted system.
So again, best of both worlds is the best way to sum this thing up.
Now, in addition to that kind of hybrid mounting style here with the Steeda, you're also getting
that lower bucket portion, which is now loaded with a wider, low-friction, high-quality machine
bushing in place of those softer rubber factory bushings.
This, guys, is just going to be instrumental in eliminating that sloppy feel that you do
get with the factory shifter when in gear, or even when you're in neutral.
So overall, you're looking for a more rigid, more solid feel here with the Steeda in place.
But aside from all that, I just enjoy the extras that Steeda does include here with
this kit, guys.
We talked about this thing being a little bit customizable earlier on in the vid, thanks
largely in part to the included springs from Steeda.
They do offer you two medium and two high-resistance springs included in the package, and this
will allow you to kind of tweak the side-to-side movement of the shifter when everything is
in neutral.
Now, in addition to those springs, Steeda also includes the tried and true two-post
bracket that we briefly mentioned earlier.
Now, this thing alone should be on every MT-82 owner's short list out there, as it really
is instrumental in helping to improve the MT-82 shifting experience, and the fact that
Steeda just tosses it in with their Race version solidifies this as a very nice, all-inclusive
package to improve your shifting experience.
Finally, last but not least, it's not on the table, but Steeda also includes a sheet of
Dynamat to put around the shifter on the trans tunnel to help further reduce any extra road
noise or NVH that you might otherwise get with the firmer bushings.
Shifting gears, no pun intended, let's get into the construction a little bit further
with the Steeda option.
As far as materials, you're looking at a combination of both billet aluminum and that 4140 nickel-plated
steel, altogether making this one of the lightest shifters in the aftermarket, according to
the guys over at Steeda.
Now, prospective buyers will need to be aware of the fact that the Steeda does not include
a shift knob.
So you can either reuse your factory knob, or buy an aftermarket knob that shares that
same factory thread pitch.
For those that don't know, it's 12 millimeters by 1.25 thread pitch, and you're good to go.
This thing does retain the factory reverse lockout feature, in addition to your backup
camera.
Guys, ultimately, for just north of $400, you're getting a solid shifter with a lot
of extras here, minus that shift knob, that does fall right in line with some of your
other more premier options in the category.
Now, for the installation and, honestly, guys, for a shifter, there are a lot of steps involved
to get this thing installed.
So I'm going to knock it up to a strong two out of three wrenches on the difficulty meter,
maybe a few hours from start to finish to get this thing installed.
Now, even though this is a "top-loaded" shifter, there is a fair amount of worth both inside
and underneath the car, so get your race ramps, jack and jack stands, or lift ready for this
install, in addition to a number of tools.
I'm talking sockets, extensions, a bunch of Allen keys, T20 Torx bit, and a flathead screwdriver,
just to name a few.
Now, a lot of this assembly, inside and underneath the car, but luckily for you guys, Steeda
does include some very detailed instructions that will help you along the way.
First up, guys, remove your shift knob and the factory shifter.
You will need to slightly disassemble that center console area to gain access to the
shifter.
Once you're wrapped up inside the car, move underneath and loosen up the two forward-most
clamps on the exhaust system, letting that hang, in addition to removing the three bolts
on your driveshaft coupler, and letting that hang as well.
Now, you can remove the two bolts at the rear of the shifter, in addition to the factory
bracket.
Here, you will need to support the transmission and remove the 4 18-millimeter bolts holding
the transmission crossmember in place, letting the transmission sag about 3 to 4 inches.
With the transmission crossmember out of the way, now you can completely remove the factory
shifter assembly.
But hang on to those pivot cups and linkage, as they will be reused.
At this point, you can now prep the Steeda shifter for installation.
Install the new Steeda shifter, along with the two-post bracket, and then reassemble
the transmission crossmember, reassemble the exhaust in your driveshaft, and move back
inside the car.
Once inside the car, go ahead and install the shifter lever along with the top plate.
Install your sheet of Dynamat, the rubber boot, and reassemble the console area, and
your installation is complete.
The Race version of Steeda's Tri-Ax is going to deliver one of the biggest reduction in
throws in the category, while giving you some stuff other shifters in the category simply
do not.
So that is my review of the Steeda, which you can grab right here at americanmuscle.com.