GT500 trans issue in perspective

[6.1hemi]

Bought my 2010 GT500 last January. Apart from the trans grind on the 1st to 2nd it has had no other issues. I consider the Trans issue a major issue because this is supposed to be a Max performance auto. I hope the SVT folks read this forum. I am forced to drive this car in sub par fashion.

 

In 1986 I bought a Buick Regal Grand National. I have accumulated over 750 drag strip time slips over the last 24 years. (I sold the car to buy my 2010 GT500). In 24 years the only issue was the PowerMaster brake cylinder. I had to replace it twice. It was much like the GT500 in some respects. The mod fever was intense. It started it's drag strip life running 14.0's with 10 lbs of boost stock. 24 Years later I was running 11.30's at will at the track. By then I was running a bigger turbo, injectors,intercooler, bla bla bla.

After 24 yrs and 750 + drag runs, I was still running with the original factory u-joints on the original drive shaft. I never as so much even removed the valve covers. The engine and trans were still kicking without not a single failure or issue @ 28lbs of boost.

 

In 2003 I bought a BMW Z4 3.0 with SMG trans. I was personaly responsible for the TSB for the SMG. It was a software fix but before I escalated the issue it was a real danger to drive. The car also had the entire steering column replaced (electronic sterring like the 2011 GT500). It would freeze up and you would not have any control. Luckily it only happend 2 times in parking lots.

The CD player self destructed and so did the heater system. This car cost me 50K+. That was seven years ago. That is about 60K in today's dollars. I would never own another BMW again.

 

My Ford 2008 4.6 F-150 was trouble free.

 

My 2009 Ford 4.6 F-150 had an intermittent secondary intake runner problem that would come and go and it was never fixed. I traded it in on my 2010 F-150.

My 2010 4.6 F-150 has been trouble free so far.

 

My 2009 Hemi Orange 6.1 liter Challenger SRT-8 now has 10,000 miles and 75 time slips from the drag strips. Not a single issue. Not one. It is the 5 speed auto. Almost bone stock with minor performance mods(Canned tune, homemade cold air and DR's) it runs 12.7's at the strip @ 111+ MPH. (4300+ lbs with me driving). It is one of the most comfortable road cars I have ever owned. It's a keeper.

 

The GT500 would be my dream come true if not for the trans issue. I always wanted a Mustang and this is my first and last one. If Ford doesn't take care of this issue. This will be My last Ford purchase. I waited 41 years for this car. And It is a major disappointment because I can't drive it like muscle car.

Other than the trans issue This car is the nicest auto I have ever owned. Not the most expensive but the nicest.

[BLUE 2010 SHELBY GT 500]

Bought my 2010 GT500 last January. Apart from the trans grind on the 1st to 2nd it has had no other issues. I consider the Trans issue a major issue because this is supposed to be a Max performance auto. I hope the SVT folks read this forum. I am forced to drive this car in sub par fashion.

 

In 1986 I bought a Buick Regal Grand National. I have accumulated over 750 drag strip time slips over the last 24 years. (I sold the car to buy my 2010 GT500). In 24 years the only issue was the PowerMaster brake cylinder. I had to replace it twice. It was much like the GT500 in some respects. The mod fever was intense. It started it's drag strip life running 14.0's with 10 lbs of boost stock. 24 Years later I was running 11.30's at will at the track. By then I was running a bigger turbo, injectors,intercooler, bla bla bla.

After 24 yrs and 750 + drag runs, I was still running with the original factory u-joints on the original drive shaft. I never as so much even removed the valve covers. The engine and trans were still kicking without not a single failure or issue @ 28lbs of boost.

 

In 2003 I bought a BMW Z4 3.0 with SMG trans. I was personaly responsible for the TSB for the SMG. It was a software fix but before I escalated the issue it was a real danger to drive. The car also had the entire steering column replaced (electronic sterring like the 2011 GT500). It would freeze up and you would not have any control. Luckily it only happend 2 times in parking lots.

The CD player self destructed and so did the heater system. This car cost me 50K+. That was seven years ago. That is about 60K in today's dollars. I would never own another BMW again.

 

My Ford 2008 4.6 F-150 was trouble free.

 

My 2009 Ford 4.6 F-150 had an intermittent secondary intake runner problem that would come and go and it was never fixed. I traded it in on my 2010 F-150.

My 2010 4.6 F-150 has been trouble free so far.

 

My 2009 Hemi Orange 6.1 liter Challenger SRT-8 now has 10,000 miles and 75 time slips from the drag strips. Not a single issue. Not one. It is the 5 speed auto. Almost bone stock with minor performance mods(Canned tune, homemade cold air and DR's) it runs 12.7's at the strip @ 111+ MPH. (4300+ lbs with me driving). It is one of the most comfortable road cars I have ever owned. It's a keeper.

 

The GT500 would be my dream come true if not for the trans issue. I always wanted a Mustang and this is my first and last one. If Ford doesn't take care of this issue. This will be My last Ford purchase. I waited 41 years for this car. And It is a major disappointment because I can't drive it like muscle car.

Other than the trans issue This car is the nicest auto I have ever owned. Not the most expensive but the nicest.

 

i have the same car as you some mods,headers, mid pipe , tune, lowered, etc ,0nly 2000 miles in year and half of ownership, i dont understand why some have this problem and others dont iwish you luck with ford and hope they help you all they should stand buy there products,dont give up on this company they are the only one that stood on there own two feet when things got tuff ,give them a chance, good luck, and ford if your reading these post , get busy and help out your customers,i have to say ,i do enjoy this car very much and i would not trade it for any of the so called competition,the car looks great, drives great, and its a shelby. guys read new post on driving lessons he might have something for you guys . i am not saying anything about your driving skills ,just that he might have figured out something with trans

[PistolWhip]

I love my 10' as well. I only get the 1-2 grind on power shifts, but I recently installed a CHE engine torque limiter set up and it seems to be doing the trick. I haven't had a chance to really go out and tear into it much since the weather around here has been crap, but hopefully this weekend I'll get a chance to drive it a little and get a better idea of how it works. I also have a couple quarts of RoyalPurple Syncromax sitting in the garage that I might try to see if it has any positive affect on the shifting smoothness.

 

Enjoy the car for what it is man. Ford and SVT are going to have to make this decision on their own, unfortunately I don't think we're going to convince them of anything. The problem for them is that there are now a lot of options out there in terms of high power muscle cars in the price range of the GT500 and I know if I was in the market a very simple Google search would have the GT500 at the bottom of the list. Of course once you drive it, it probably wouldn't be at the bottom anymore, but for anyone that's not a Mustang enthusiast the amount of bad press on the Internet about the tranny could be enough to knock it out of contention all together. As specially when you have so many other options like the Camaro, coming Z28, Corvette, Challenger, Charger, CTS-V and even the Mustang GT that are all performing so well with little in the way of complaints.

[mullens]

Funny you mention the Grand National. At the time it was advertised as the fastest production vehicle in the US. Only problem was it looked like a family sedan, bench seat and all. Those GM V6's were bullet proof and they trounced V8's on a regular basis.

[PistolWhip]

Since I was a kid, the Grand National and Pontiac Turbo TA were my "dream cars." I guess some would say I dreamed small, but if you ask me, those two cars were so far ahead of their time that most people just over look the impact they've had on the performance auto industry. Think about how many V6 performance cars existed prior to those two cars. I mean they may have been around on a small scale, but none of them were worth their weight in paper. Here we are 25 years later and 6 cylinder performance cars are just now getting where the GN and Turbo TA were (relatively speaking of course).

As far as I'm concerned, both of those cars remain at the pinnacle of American Muscle cars. If you think about it, the market for them kind of proves their value to the people that matter (the true automotive enthusiasts). A car that "looks like a family sedan with bench seat and all" that's 25 years old, had a 6 cylinder and only came in one color still fetches $10,000 in poor shape with a ton of miles. They can go for $40k or more with low miles and good condition. It's really kind of amazing if you ask me.