Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Install

Last Updated on Saturday, 17 July 2010 08:11 Written by Christopher Ihara Friday, 31 December 1999 20:00

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Drivetrain

ImageSteeda has worked very hard over the past few years to become one of the leaders of Mustang aftermarket performance products.  This mission for excellence has driven them to design one of our favorite shifters.  The Steeda Tri-Ax is as good looking as it is well built.  This is by far one of the nicest shifters we've looked at to date.  Unfortunately when it's installed the shifter boot hides this functional artwork.

One nice thing about the Steeda shifter is the fact that you don't have to cut the shifter boot to install it.  Steeda utilizes a special steel ring that slides over the lower shift lever to integrate the stock rubber shift boot.  This feature helps to dampen transmission noise that is often transmitted through aftermarket shifters into the cockpit.

Another nice feature of the Steeda Tri-Ax shifter is that it allows you to adjust the height of the shift lever.  This can be particularly useful for ensuring that the shifter can be adjusted to your individual driving position.

ImageINSTALLATION

It goes without saying that you'll first need to remove your existing shifter and the trim around the shifter.  You will also need to prep the transmission for installation.  This includes removing the old shifter, scraping off the old sealing material, and applying a fresh bead of silicone . If you need instructions on how to do this please read the removal instructions.

  1. Make sure that the plastic cup is in the shift rail.
  2. Gently set the shifter onto the transmission , being careful not to get the silicone into the threads of the transmission casing.
  3. Install and hand tighten each of the four mounting bolts.
  4. Torque the bolts using a "star" pattern to 15 ft./lbs.
  5. Using an adjustable wrench and an open ended wrench adjust the bolt stops per the included directions.
  6. Slide the shift boot support ring over the shift lever .
  7. Reinstall the factory inner shift boot .
  8. Align the shift lever with the upper or lower holes of the shifter and install.  We chose to start with the lowest setting.
  9. Reinstall the outer shift boot .
  10. Reinstall the shift knob .


POST INSTALLATION IMPRESSIONS

The Steeda Tri-Ax shifter is by far our favorite shifter.  It provides for clean, crisp, positive shifts.  To compare it to the mushy stock shifter is almost an insult.  The crowning touch to this shifter would be the use of hex head type stops like the Mac Racer's Choice shifter.  Otherwise this is an excellent shifter.  Build quality is excellent, the instructions are great, and the finish is fabulous.

The Tri-Ax shifter is somewhat more expensive than most other shifters.  At $189 retail price is about $40 more expensive than the Mac Racer's Choice.  We are firm believers in "you get what you pay for" but some well researched price shopping may yield this shifter at a somewhat lower cost. 

The shifter is very well built and seems reasonably priced for what you get. It fits all T-5 transmissions and T-45 transmissions.  The Steeda Tri-Ax shifter can be purchased either through your favortie vendor or through Steeda's web site. The shifter retails for around $189 which does not include the cost of a shift knob.

Contact Information

Steeda Autosports, Inc.
1351 NW Steeda Way
Pompano Beach, FL 33069
954-960-0774
http://www.steeda.com

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