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Last week JDM installed and tested the new Whiteline MT82 Transmission Bushing Insert on a 2012 Mustang GT with your typical bolt on parts and tune.
This particular car had consistent issues with the 2-3 up-shift. Third gear was difficult to engage quickly when attempting to shift over 7k RPMs and precious time was wasted on the track.
An after market shifter bracket was added first to try and solve this issue with no avail. Next we tried a braided steal clutch line with some new fluid, but the 2-3 shift was still difficult with the stock clutch.
Finally, we installed the Whiteline KDT928 2011-2014 MUSTANG TRANSMISSION BUSHING INSERT...
I am sure you know this is what the bushing looks like directly from Whiteline by now:
With the bushing installed shifting was greatly improved. I was able to hit all gears at any RPM without a problem on this same car (my car). The car also seemed to feel more stable during high speed lane changes and also felt "faster." These feeling may have be contributed from the added NVH since you feel more connected to the car as a result...
Now the part that everyone seems to be concerned with. There is added added NVH, at least in my case...Note: Reports from other installs will vary. Some have had the same experience as I did, some report little to no added NVH. Results will vary depending on the type of drive shaft utilized, pinion angle and if any NVH was preexisting.
The vibrations did not come from where you would think either. Instead of being felt in the shifter or column area, it was felt through the entire floor pan, seats and even into the steering wheel when accelerating. This did not make the insert appealing for my mildly modified daily driver.
Reasons for this:
The center section of the insert causes the vibrations from the factory transmission mount to be transferred into the mounting plate for the transmission cross member. This is noticed particularly during acceleration when the engine and transmission are being twisted by the torque of the motor. The triangle section of the factory bushing is pressed into the insert transmitting the vibrations and noise into the mounting plate and is then picked up by the transmission crossmember. Since the crossmember is bolted directly to the floor pan, that is where the vibrations end up...
With the help of some fellow forum members and some of my own testing, two solutions were developed.
At my own home I began to uninstall the bushing since it was not ideal on my DD. You can see that this can be easily done with the front on ramps and a small bottle jack to support the transmission. Here is an attached picture for you do it in your driveway guys:
Support the transmission weight slightly before unbolting the the 4 crossmember bolts and two nuts. Be sure to use the marks left by the corssmember as a guide when re-installing to ensure everything lines up correctly)
After poking around the factory bushing I realized what was leading to the added NVH and make a quick modification:
That's right. I hacked off the entire middle section of the insert. I figured the to upper cavities were the most important anyway and did not lead to any of the NVH. After I re-installed the modified bushing I went for a drive. Virtually ALL of the NVH was gone and I was still able to bang gears just as well as before the modification. I was happily surprised myself...
After some thought, I came up with another idea that would possibly help anyone with NVH issues and still be just as effective as an unmodified insert.
Another forum member took my lead and created this version:
A hole saw was used to remove a circular section of the center potion of the bushing. His reports are that this modification drastically reduced the NVH but some was still present. Function of the insert remained the same and he was over all happy with the change.
There was a lot more time spent on testing this small of a part than really necessary, but because the part works as Whiteline advertised, I just thought this research would be very beneficial to those who have one on the way and are patiently waiting. This new part just needed some massaging to be a perfect fit for all vehicles...
For those of you that did not jump on this yet, JDM will modify the insert for you. Level 1 will be with a circular hole cut in the center and Level 2 will be with the entire center section removed. Both will cost $49.99 shipped due to the extra process. The issue here is that they are still on national Back order and by no means will ship right away as of (9/9/13).
I would like to thank those who helped me with testing for the good of the community and Whiteline for making this possible
This particular car had consistent issues with the 2-3 up-shift. Third gear was difficult to engage quickly when attempting to shift over 7k RPMs and precious time was wasted on the track.
An after market shifter bracket was added first to try and solve this issue with no avail. Next we tried a braided steal clutch line with some new fluid, but the 2-3 shift was still difficult with the stock clutch.
Finally, we installed the Whiteline KDT928 2011-2014 MUSTANG TRANSMISSION BUSHING INSERT...
I am sure you know this is what the bushing looks like directly from Whiteline by now:
With the bushing installed shifting was greatly improved. I was able to hit all gears at any RPM without a problem on this same car (my car). The car also seemed to feel more stable during high speed lane changes and also felt "faster." These feeling may have be contributed from the added NVH since you feel more connected to the car as a result...
Now the part that everyone seems to be concerned with. There is added added NVH, at least in my case...Note: Reports from other installs will vary. Some have had the same experience as I did, some report little to no added NVH. Results will vary depending on the type of drive shaft utilized, pinion angle and if any NVH was preexisting.
The vibrations did not come from where you would think either. Instead of being felt in the shifter or column area, it was felt through the entire floor pan, seats and even into the steering wheel when accelerating. This did not make the insert appealing for my mildly modified daily driver.
Reasons for this:
The center section of the insert causes the vibrations from the factory transmission mount to be transferred into the mounting plate for the transmission cross member. This is noticed particularly during acceleration when the engine and transmission are being twisted by the torque of the motor. The triangle section of the factory bushing is pressed into the insert transmitting the vibrations and noise into the mounting plate and is then picked up by the transmission crossmember. Since the crossmember is bolted directly to the floor pan, that is where the vibrations end up...
With the help of some fellow forum members and some of my own testing, two solutions were developed.
At my own home I began to uninstall the bushing since it was not ideal on my DD. You can see that this can be easily done with the front on ramps and a small bottle jack to support the transmission. Here is an attached picture for you do it in your driveway guys:
Support the transmission weight slightly before unbolting the the 4 crossmember bolts and two nuts. Be sure to use the marks left by the corssmember as a guide when re-installing to ensure everything lines up correctly)
After poking around the factory bushing I realized what was leading to the added NVH and make a quick modification:
That's right. I hacked off the entire middle section of the insert. I figured the to upper cavities were the most important anyway and did not lead to any of the NVH. After I re-installed the modified bushing I went for a drive. Virtually ALL of the NVH was gone and I was still able to bang gears just as well as before the modification. I was happily surprised myself...
After some thought, I came up with another idea that would possibly help anyone with NVH issues and still be just as effective as an unmodified insert.
Another forum member took my lead and created this version:
A hole saw was used to remove a circular section of the center potion of the bushing. His reports are that this modification drastically reduced the NVH but some was still present. Function of the insert remained the same and he was over all happy with the change.
There was a lot more time spent on testing this small of a part than really necessary, but because the part works as Whiteline advertised, I just thought this research would be very beneficial to those who have one on the way and are patiently waiting. This new part just needed some massaging to be a perfect fit for all vehicles...
For those of you that did not jump on this yet, JDM will modify the insert for you. Level 1 will be with a circular hole cut in the center and Level 2 will be with the entire center section removed. Both will cost $49.99 shipped due to the extra process. The issue here is that they are still on national Back order and by no means will ship right away as of (9/9/13).
I would like to thank those who helped me with testing for the good of the community and Whiteline for making this possible
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