Im putting in a new WC T-5 in my 87 Trans Am cuz i blew up the NWC that was in it. I figured that because im putting the new tranny that i should get a new stick shift. I was looking at the Pro 5.0 Power Tower and the B&M Sport Shifter. If any of you have had experience with these or others that you think are awesome i'd like to know. I'd like the shortest throw with the smoothest shift. I know that the Pro 5.0 has some shift mechanism that allows it to have a real smooth 2-3 shift but i want something that will be smooth through all of the gears. I just dont want to spend another 150-200 bucks and then find that i dont like it. well thanks

 

Pro 5.0 all the way. They are the toughest, highest quality shifters I've ever seen.

 

What he said....but I may be partial.

 

im more than happy with my hurst billit plus..its half the length of the stock shifter and can be rebuilt if things every break...ive been beating on it for 3 months and it feels brand new.

 

Another vote for the Pro 5.0. It is awesome in everyway shape and form.

 

Only wish I could provide you with some comparison of my own - would be more objective - but not too many people buy more than one just to try them out. My Hurst Billet Plus is a huge improvement over stock (as one might expect) and it's a pretty smooth operator too. I like it because it has a nice tension to it helping the 2-3 shift; helps return the stick to the center gates - very little chance of a miss-shift in my opinion. And, if it means anything at all, the fiance who does not drive manual on a daily basis but it pretty adept at it, thought it was great and she did really well with it her first time driving the B/P shifter.
Just my two-pennies..........

Oh, one draw back might be the **** that comes with it - a pretty generic 5-spd ****. Hurst has some others you can use and I wrote a little blurb on the message boards about how I installed a NOS Leather-covered GM **** onto this shifter as well - here's the link, FYI:
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...highlight=****

Thought the admins might want it as a "How-To" also but I don't have any pics unfortunately......

Good Luck
K

 

ok well i get that alot of people like the pro 5.0 here a question. when i look it up under google i get a return for a "gold" version but when i looked farther into it i found that the "gold" version is cheaper than the normal version. Any reason for that? the gold looks pretty but is it worth it to spend the extra 10-20 bucks for the non-gold version?

 

The Pro 5.0 is not gold for the T5. There is only one type. Check out thunder racings link and you will see.

 

Interesting....I didn't know there was a gold and non-gold version.

I know the handle has a goldish tint to it, but it's a real thin coat and you can tell it's really steel. AFAIK - they're all the same as mine.....

 

Wow - Shifty and i responded at the same time!!! Mine looks like the one above....

See, the handle's gold tinted. Not the base. Can't see that anyway once it's installed w/the boot..

 

Yea you can't see it but it is so much beafier than the other ones out there on the market. It does have a goldesh hue to the shaft but the rest is billet aluminum. This is the way it only comes for the T5.

 

where to get the pro 5.0?

thunder racing=$179.99
thirdgen resource=$189.00
hawks=$199.99
https://acorn.he.net/~pro50/enter.html=$209.99

who else has em?

 

www.lmperformance.com $175

 

Jegs and summit sell them as well. I think they sell them for right around the dsame prices as listed above. I would wait till thunder racing has a sale. They are a site sponser and I got mine for $150 brand new.

 

It has to be "beefier" to support the stops. The stops are a big plus BTW...Hurst is pretty darn simular. Forget the B&M - doesn't have stops anymore, although the older ones did.

G Force only carried the Pro 5.0 shifters because they deal with Mustangs alot. That's how I ended up with mine.

But I'd say you can't go wrong between the Hurst and 5.0.....

 

Well I had a B&M Ripper for the t-5 when it was in and now I have the Pro 5.0 for the t-56 trans and I have to say I liked the B&M much better. Lets just say I never missed a shift with the B&M even power shifting and now with the Pro 5.0 I don't do so well, of course this is on two completely different transmissions but hey take it for what's it worth. Also don't let that shift mechanism talk fool you like it did me, there's no difference between that and any other good shifter. One other thing you might want to think about is the stick on the B&M is a nice aluminum that is made to be seen compared to the ugly gold stick that's on the Pro 5.0 that they want you to cover up with the boot like they do in the mustangs.

 

I like the OEM shifter, works just fine!

Actually I had a Pro 5.0 dident like it shiped it back and got a poly body mount kit for my Malibu.

 

why didnt you like it?

 

Pro 5.0s are overrated in my opinion.

Hurst Comp Plus is the way to go; I had one and it was perfect.

 

The proof is in the reading....do a search. I think you'll find the Pro 5.0 is liked by many here, along with the Hurst.

 

i want to thank everyone for their input. It is greatly appreciated, i guess first ill say is that the only reason i mentioned a gold/ non-gold version is because when i did the search under google it came back with that. It's a mustang site, knowing that both f-body's and stangs use t-5's i decided to check it out. I wanted to read up more about it other than the manufacturers site. This site is hosted by yahoo so i figured there might have been a feedback area but their isnt but it intrigued me to see "gold" within the headlines.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/mustangw...towergold.html

Figures that a mustang website would be ignorant enough to have something like that.(Not to offend any pony loving freaks out there.... ) I double checked the manufacturer's site and it said nothing about a "gold" version. Within their product catalog it's not there. So....... either this mustangweekly site is trying to pull one over on unsuspecting customers or pro-50 doesnt know how to update their site. Personally im gonna go for the "gimmick" vote. Well thanks again ill search around for a good price and check it out considering that alot more of you voted the 5.0 is the best. Well i guess last thing would be is if any of you have had experience with momo ***** and boots and would you recommend them. I want something that is blue leather and that will match my car's color as much as possible. I'm changing the interior around to be a black/blue trim and i didnt know if you guys liked them or not. well thanks again

jon

 

I love my momo carbon fiber ****. There are a few things to to know though. The stock shaft and aftermarket shafts are to big for the momo ***** to go on. I had a maching shop open mine up and then tap it to match the threads on my shaft. Now this is all fine and dandy but the **** was about 4" taller than the stock one and looked goofy. So your best bet if you really want one is to get it hooged out and tapped and then cut the shifter shaft down. I am in the process right now of taking my Pro 5.0 shaft out and cutting it down. They give you a nice pitch of threads so you can cut about an inch off and still have the threads on it. In this picture is my stock shifter with my momo ****. You can see how high it is. it was aboutt his same height with the pro 5.0 but maybe a bit shorter. I took it off and put the sttock **** on ofr noe until i can cut the shaft down.

 

here is another pic with the stock **** back on but this is with the pro 5.0. It is much easier on the eye and feels a lot nicer as well. after I cut the shaft down I can put the momo klnob back on and it will look amazing.

 

Well It just dident do what I expected. The shifts werent much better then a stock shifter well they were better but worth $200, no. I guess If you have no shifter (T5/56 swap) it might be somthing worth looking into but I dont think its worth the extra cost.

 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I can't see anyone not liking the Pro 5.0. I've run them on two different cars now, and can't say enough nice things about them. I have never missed a gear with the Pro 5.0, but I missed plenty with the stock shifter, casuing me to blow 2nd gear in my 5.0 Mustang. When it came time to select a shifter for my T56 swap there was no question about which one to get. I was so pleased that they made one for the T56, because I was afraid that I'd have to run another shifter, thinking that Pro 5.0 was a Mustang only deal.

I drive the snot out of my cars too, and not just fast powershifts through the gears like in drag racing, but also high RPM heel/toe downshifting for autocross. The Pro 5.0 has never let me down.

 

The stick and the shifter base are not splined like the Comp Plus. If the bolts holding the 2 together loosen at all, the shifter stick is loose. Just flat out dumb after driving a Hurst Comp Plus IMO.

Driving a T56 Pro 5.0 back to back w/ a T5 Hurst Comp Plus, I feel that the Pro is vague, and doesn't give any more accurate shifts. With the Hurst, I knew what gear I was in, with the Pro 5.0, I had to rock it left/right in the gate to be sure.

 

The point about the stick attachment is valid, though I've never had the stick loosen up on me, even after many miles of hard use.

I certainly don't consider the shifter vague at all. The stock shifter was vague. Actually, that's putting it mildly. The stock shifter felt like a twig in a bowl of noodles. The way that the shifter is preloaded to the center gate never has me wondering what gear I'm in.

All things considered it really depends on your driving technique. I find the more I think about what I'm doing the worse my shifts are. I'm a lot better if I just drive intuitively and just do it, rather than thinking about how to do it.

 

Man isnt that the truth. Many many times did i miss the 2-3 shift or even a couple of times it wouldnt go into 2nd. That only happened though when i was power shifting. If i granny shifted it, it would be fine other than that it sucked. I had a friend who was screwin around with me at a set of lights. He was in a 2002 Saturn. The shifter didnt want second and then mis-shifted into 3rd lets just say my friend would let me live it down for the rest of the night....

 

I had the B&M ripper in mine till i swtiched to an auto and i have nothing but good things to say about it. Of course I havent tried any others besides the stock shifter which really sucks *****> i have the B&M for sale if anyones interested, just pm me

 

well Im ready to buy a shifter...I was pretty set on the pro5.0
untill I read this thread now Im seeing people say that the Hurst Comp Plus is the way to go,I know most people have only bought one or the other so its hard for an owner of Hurst to say that Pro 5 is the way to go when they only know the Hurst
and the same with Pro 5 owners but daaaamn this is getting harder to deside,does anyone have a pic of the Hurst Comp shifter??? Id like to compair the two thanks for any help!

 

i just chopped 4" out of my shifter... everyone that has driven my car alwasy asks what shifter is in it... bangs gears no problem for me!

 

cutting 4in off the top of your shifter doesnt make it a short shifter..it just makes it shorter...a short throw shifter actually makes the distance you move your hand from first to second shorter.

 

i don't know why you insist on splitting hairs here- i never said it was better than an aftermarket one, or whatever... i just said i did it, and like it, and am pleased with the way it is. I never made any claims about it being a short shifter, not sure where your getting off on that

secondly i didn't just "cut off the top of the stick" - i took out a center section.

Anyways, for making a throw shorter, shortening the stick also makes the shift shorter... not nearly as much, obviously, as an aftermarket one, but its still a pretty short throw... i drove another camaro with a pro 5.0 in it, and i didn't really like it all that much...

If you remember back to math class, the bigger the radius of a circle, the larger the circumferance...

this applies to arcs as well. so when you reduce the distance to the pivot point, you reduce the distance to trravel the same amount of degree's at the top. Hence, the shifter THROW is shorter than before...



Never time think before you speak... everyone would appreciate a thoughtful responce, not a stupid one to try start and arguement... isn't there enough of that already?


So, cliff notes...

- 84 HO needs to revisit math class

- i didn't make any of the claims 84 HO assumed about calling it a short throw shifter

- It actually does have a shorter throw distance than stock (quite a bit actually) but OBVIOUSLY its not a short or good as a purpose built aftermarket one.

Thanks,

Steve

 

sorry. i was not trying start a argument. thanks for correcting me i just drew an arc and realized i was wrong. i dont need to revisit mathclass just pay more attention.

 

SORRY for all the questions but I want the right shifter for my car

hey guys i got another question... whats the difference between the Hurst "new billet plus" and the old version Hurst "Comp Plus"????

ALSO.....is the Pro5.0 shorter in height than the stock shifter and if so how much shorter is the pro 5.0 than stock????

thanks ....

 

no problem 84...

zdude- i think i can answer the second question you have to some point, anything is shorter than the stock one lol...