Okay Drivers, I finally got in two real good track days at Laguna Seca with my new Tremec Magnum XL swap. Here's the general parts list:
Tremec Magnum XL
MGW short throw shifter
Driveshaft Shop one piece lightweight driveshaft
Ford Performance Torsen T-2R differential
Ford Performance 4:10 rear gears
JPC driveshaft loop
Braided clutch line
Trans cooler from parts
I sourced the parts as follows:
Got the Tremec, driveshaft and Tremec oil from Joe Dederichs at Dederichs Motorsports, Texas -- (682)-231-3510, and (682)-365-5555 mobile. I dealt with Joe directly. He's a Mustang guy, Ford guy and racer, and Elite Tremec Dealer. He knows this stuff and is very easy to work with. He had in stock a 2.66/1.78/1.3/1.0/.80/.63 box. The overdrives are a swap from the 2.97 box. My mechanic (see below) and I debated over which box to get.... the 2.66 (above) or the 2.97/2.1/1.46/1.0/.80/.63; since I only run road course HPDE, and gears 3 and 4 are the most important. Joe pitched in his opinion as well. And, doing some research I found that:
2008 FR550S car uses Tremec 2.97/1.78/1.3/1.0/.80/.63 (the same as mine, except 1st gear)
2013 Boss S car uses Tremec 2.66/1.82/1.3/1.0/.77/.50
Both of the above have 3:73 rear gears. We liked the progression of gearing in the Tremec XL 2.66 box, even though the gearing is taller than the 2.97 box. To compensate for this, and doing some math on various turns at the tracks I run (Laguna, Sonoma, Thunderhill), we opted for the 4:10 rear gear. This would keep the car in the power band/speed realms I was used to and keep end of straights/corner entry/shifting in a reasonable realm.
As mentioned above, I sourced the parts. MGW shifter directly from MGW website, and the other stuff from either Summit Racing or American Muscle. The car already had a McLeod RXT clutch, so the discs had to be sent back to Mcleod to be resplined to match the Tremec. My mechanic and his shop did the swap -
Michael Thompson at McGee Motorsports, located at Sonoma Raceway. (707) 996-1112. All his shop does is race cars and track cars, and some vintage race cars too. Michael himself races, and Matt his lead mechanic, is superb. They are easy to work with, and Michael and Matt give 120%.
Okay, the on track experience. As expected, first gear is uncomfortable in the paddock (would never work on the street). It takes a lot of clutch work to get the car rolling, but who cares: it's the paddock. (By the way, this is a track car, sees no street time and runs maybe 25 track days/year. Dyno'd 424hp to the wheels, and is not stripped out but no A/C, 4pt roll bar, seats, 6pt harness, Cortex/JRI Track suspension, Apex 18x10 wheels).
The shifting is flawless. A far cry from the OE junk. A good, solid mechanical feel, short and quick. No guessing anymore. Reverse takes some getting used to and is a hard-slow push to the right and up. There's no chance to blow it. The progression 2-3-4 is excellent, although, as expected, the car feels a bit sluggish due to the Tremec gearing. Thank gawd I went for the 4:10 rear. The FR500S and BOSS S are lighter cars; the Boss S with more HP, which is why they get away with the 3:73, I assume. Sluggish noted, the car is very driveable; gear progression right where you'd expect it and **important**, I am shifting less, at least at Laguna. Laguna is all 3-4, except for T11 where I go to 2nd gear now. And the 2-3-4 on the main straight around T1 is a joy. Downshift (DS) to 3 for T2 is smooth (whereas the OE was troublesome, and I had to do a 5-4-3 DS). Exiting T2 in 3rd is a little slow, but 2nd would be a poor choice I think. Then 3rd gear all the way through T4, which also is a joy as I had to 3-4 shift between T3 and T4 with the OE then roll through T4. Exiting T4, shift 3 to 4, then DS to 3 for T5, up the hill in 3rd (pedal to the floor - no sound violation), shift to 4, then back to 3 to enter T6. I can pull through T6 in fourth fine, but get better oompf going uphill to T7 in 3rd. Upshift to 4 after T6, then DS to 3 for the corkscrew. Then downhill through T9, T10 all in 3rd. Being in 3rd here is great because it makes passing a snap (I had to be in 4th with the OE). T10 to T11 in 3rd, then DS to 2nd for T11, and then exit T11 for the straight as mentioned above.
I'm still getting used to it, and it will take some time. I need to improve corner exit because I can't just depend on power to catch me up. Honestly, I think this is a good thing. My driving will improve, and therefore be faster and smoother. My buddy with his FR500S was there for the second day and we ran together some. When we were exiting T11 together and shifting on the front straight, he pulled away from me. Even though his car has about 325hp and 3:73 rear, it's lighter and he's a better driver, and the 3-valve motor has different power. I'll work on getting weight out of the car next, and always am working on my driving.
Bottom line: The Tremec is a great change. After blowing up two OE's, I'd had enough. It's an expensive swap, and there is more inherent vibration. But hey, it's a track car. I'm running two days at Thunderhill soon, and excited about the change for that track.
If you can spend money, get one.