mjeagent Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 Is the Shelby GT an easy driver - can it be used as a daily commuter? I have had sports cars in the past that had tiring clutches that left my leg exhausted after an hour long drive. I live outside of Washington, DC and would be faced with occasionally having to drive this vehicle into the City. It is about a 20 mile drive in, but at the height of commuter traffic it could take an hour and a half (at most) - - that is a lot of shifting, and not much of it going past third gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrhugger Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 Get an automatic transmission. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stump_breaker Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 Yeah, you would probably wear out a couple of knee caps but have the biggest left calf muscle you've ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdear Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 Yeah, you would probably wear out a couple of knee caps but have the biggest left calf muscle you've ever seen. Mine is a daily driver..but I don't live in the city ! The stick is a blast.....in any driving conditions IMO. I love having more control of the power when shifting . The car is fun fun fun to drive ...and I will never get tired of it. I had a 04 GT before this , 5 speed. I thought about going to an automatic..but it just wouldn't be the same ! Sue #545 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT1171 Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 mje I think the clutch is very similar to most 5 or six speeds you would buy today. It's not like the 1966 350 that could be like a bear trap. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT#507 Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 I have put over 1500 miles on my Shelby GT 5-speed so far--many of those commuting 40 minutes to work each day in stop and go traffic. The first night I drove the car, my left leg was stiff as I hadn't had a standard in over 6 years, but I quickly got used to it and have since had no issues. The clutch isn't especially heavy. The shifter is very notchy and requires significantly more effort to get it into gear than you will find in a newer Honda, Toyota, etc. I will say though that after I drove the car for a week, it got to where it felt 100% natural and I don't even notice it now. I love it and wouldn't trade it for anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagerart Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 I sat in a GT 500 and that clutch was really stiff. The SGT isn't bad at all. Go drive a regular Mustang GT 5speed and you can judge for yourself. It should be the same clutch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Dye Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 I wouldn't have anything except the 5 speed. Allows you to really drive the car, Hurst Short Throw Shifter, and the Automatic is about $1000 option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShelbyPilot Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 Rich, are you sure the automatic is $1000 option. I seem to remember the manual actually being more exspensive. I remember because I kept thinking how odd that was. But I ordered my car 5 months ago so I may be confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilman Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 Automatic is $645.oo option on the GT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShelbyPilot Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 OK, I found where my confusion was. The 54U Upfitter package is where the automatic cost more. According to the order guide I have the upfitter with automatic is $2040; with manual $2140. I assume that is because Ford installs the 3.55 on the manual and Shelby installs it on the Automatic. Sorry for the confusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07shelbygt109 Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 Is the Shelby GT an easy driver - can it be used as a daily commuter? I have had sports cars in the past that had tiring clutches that left my leg exhausted after an hour long drive. I live outside of Washington, DC and would be faced with occasionally having to drive this vehicle into the City. It is about a 20 mile drive in, but at the height of commuter traffic it could take an hour and a half (at most) - - that is a lot of shifting, and not much of it going past third gear. I'm only 400 miles in on mine, but thus far it seems to be the lightest clutch I have ever driven. I know it is much lighter than my 94 Cobra. I would say go for the 5 speed. It will be much more fun to drive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShelbyGT/SC Posted April 19, 2007 Report Share Posted April 19, 2007 Pagerart, after being in the GT500, what's your thought of the different steering wheel? I like it a lot better than the SGT. In fact, I will have the GT500 steering wheel put in my SGT, I think it feels better and looks better with the leather wrapped all around and the thumb bumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagerart Posted April 19, 2007 Report Share Posted April 19, 2007 Pagerart, after being in the GT500, what's your thought of the different steering wheel? I like it a lot better than the SGT. In fact, I will have the GT500 steering wheel put in my SGT, I think it feels better and looks better with the leather wrapped all around and the thumb bumps. I really didn't pay much attention to the steering wheel. I do wish it had a Shelby center button. The GT500 was in the show room and I was still waiting for my SGT. They were asking $15K over, but the car looked so great in blue. I sat at the drivers seat and played around. The clutch reminded me of a Buick Skyhawk I had in 1975. It was a real turn off since I drive my car in So Cal traffic all the time and that clutch felt like real work. I must admit I prefer an automatic for stop and go traffic, but never on the SGT. The feel of flooring it then shifting from 1st to 2nd is one of my favorite things about the car. You won't get that tire chirp with an automatic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BergShelby_merged Posted April 19, 2007 Report Share Posted April 19, 2007 OK, I found where my confusion was. The 54U Upfitter package is where the automatic cost more. According to the order guide I have the upfitter with automatic is $2040; with manual $2140. I assume that is because Ford installs the 3.55 on the manual and Shelby installs it on the Automatic. Sorry for the confusion. The upfitter manual cost is $100 more due to the hurst shifter from Ford Racing. The automatic of course has no use for the shifter. But the automatic ends up costing more because you still need to pay for the automatic option from Ford which is $645. So an automatic will end up costing you $545 more than a similar equipped manual. You are right that the manual gets the 3.55 from Ford and the automatic gets the 3.55 gear from Shelby. But those $$$ are just included in the SAI conversion cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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