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Will the SHO ever have a manual gear box again?

7K views 19 replies 13 participants last post by  loudsho92 
#1 ·
I just test drove a demo SHO last weekend. Really nice, and really impressed how far they've come (previously owned gen1 and gen3 taurus', now own gen4).

The major lacking feature tho in the SHO was the manual gearbox. Since the SHO name and SVT department aren't going anywhere, I was wondering if anyone else on here wanted or knew if manual gearboxes would be an option at any point?

personally, I hated the flappy paddle shifters, especially the way that neither one is a true + or true -. Pull forward for +, push back for -
 
#4 ·
Paddle shifters are a "Toy"... A tuned 6 spd Auto will surprise you! Look at what a 5,000 lb EB Wagon can do, and I have front wheel traction issues. Waiting to run my Brick when its cold, with my new Nitto front Drag Slicks!
 
#5 ·
Bob is right, you won't see a manual transmission in the SHO. The paddle shifters are more of a novelty then serious performance. We have discovered that a tuned (livernois) improves shifting and works best leaving the car in drive. Car shifts faster and firmer then using paddle shifters.
 
#6 ·
The new Gen SHO's are pretty phenominal..... for me personally, it is my 1st FMC product I've owned.

The inclusion of an entire slew of creature features, overall design, performance, etc etc kept forcing me back to the showroom and saying "buy me, buy me, buy me".

IMHO it is far more advanced than a lot of other competing products out there at similiar price points.

As far as the manual gearbox(es) I'm pretty confident they won't be making a comeback, at all.

As others have chimed in before me, there just isn't enough volume or demand for them across the board to even invest the time or effort into using them any longer.

Those goofy paddle shifters are a novelty at best. I liked them at 1st, as they provided me with the "feel" of a manual trans, but I so missed mashing that clutch down (as most of my cars i've owned over the years were manual).

But truth be told, I've had a much greater experience just leaving my SHO in Auto mode and relying on the custom tune from LMS to handle the rest.

It seems to me that the shift points and actual transitions between gears are much better than even I can attempt performing by mimicking the manual mode with those paddle shifters.

I suppose the best way for me to sum it up is say that much like the V8's are quickly becoming a dying breed, so soon will be the manual trannies altogether.

Some of us (including me and you) aren't happy about it from the sounds of it, but hey wth, it is what is...... change is inevitable.

Either roll with it, or get left behind.
 
#7 ·
If it goes fast, handles well, and looks good, I'm personally not that picky about the details of how. Plus, actually getting decent fuel economy from any performance car is just gravy on top.
 
#8 ·
With the low production numbers of the SHO, and the fact that Ford does not have an awd manual trans in production, and the fact that less than 7% of cars sold in the US are manual, no we will not see a manual trans in the SHO. But I was wrong in predicting that the Infiniti G37 awd would not get a manual, do who knows.
 
#9 ·
I am still giddy that Ford actually came out with a sedan that had gutz! Had been a lot of years. And to do it in the Flex too!

My "SHO Wagon" in DRAG!



And at it's "Coming OUT party!"

 
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#11 ·
Wait till I get my front Nitto 05R slicks on the front!
 
#12 ·
For me, the novelty of having 4 on the floor would go away the second I went up against the same car in "D" and watching him/her drive away from me which would happen every time with these cars.

No way you could out shift the "brains" on the new SHO's.

I do understand those that yearn nostagicaly back to the manualy shifting cars and going fast days.
 
#13 ·
The only reason I really use the paddle shifters in my Limited is to pass on the highway. I find it annoyingly difficult to get it out of 6th sometimes. By the time it finally comes out of 6th, the system kinda goes "oh ****, he really wants to move" and then downshifts to 4th. I use it to change one gear instead of allowing the auto to mess it up. I do miss an manual tranny, though. 60% of my vehicles have been 5 speeds.
 
#14 ·
My guess is that part of it has to do with the fact that most manual transmissions made for transverse applications (FWD and AWD) can't handle the 350+ lb·ft torque output of the EcoBoost V6. All the cars I can think of that have that kind of power and have manual transmissions have a longitudinal drivetrain.

So for the foreseeable future, if you want great performance and a stick, you're going to have to find it in a smaller car or a car with longitudinal drivetrain. Remember Ford is now selling the Focus ST, which should be a riot with 270 lb·ft and only 3200 lbs.
 
#17 ·
You're hitting the nail on the head. One of the guys over at Ecoboost Owners just got a manual Focus ST and he is having a blast with it. And it looks like a really fun little performance package!
 
#15 ·
Tell me if I'm wrong, but don't cars like the Subaru Impreza and the Lancer Evolution have a transverse layout [Even as all wheel drive] but they still come in manuals, and you see a select few of those pushing 400+HP tuned. I don't know if those are tranny eating monsters though lol.
 
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