MT82 Tech from Grassroots Motorsports

[Boss_302]

Here’s a bit of tech on the MT82 from the August 2011 issue of Grassroots Motorsports http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/; the article follows Anderson Motorsports build-up of a stock ’11 Mustang GT for American Iron.

When they come to the part on choosing which transmission to run in the car………….

…….Road racing can be hard on a stock drivetrain, and apparently it’s the Mustang GT’s weak link on track. Chris discovered this after talking with fellow American Iron racers and some pros, including Pirelli World Challenge driver Paul Brown at Tiger Racing and Dean Martin at Rehagen Racing.

“We were going to use the stock Getrag, but we met George Rockland at Rockland Standard Gear and he said he wanted to be part of the program. The Getrag isn’t really rebuildable – they are pretty much throwaway items – and they don’t carry much oil, so you need a trans cooler. The Rockland Magnum http://www.rsgear.com/products/transmissions/tremec-t56.aspx holds a lot and is a beast, so we don’t have to run a cooler and that saves weight and money,” says Chris. ………

I guess that is why Ford runs the Tremec 6-speed in the Boss 302R and 302S and not the MT82!

I checked the MT82 uses 2.7 quarts and the Tremec T56/TR6060 uses 5 quarts!

So Sports Fans if you are going to track your Boss follow Ford's recommendations and get the transcooler from Ford Racing as outlined in the Boss Owners Supplement.

I’m wondering if Ford’s decision to run the MT82 in the Boss will come back to haunt them from a warranty stand point?

 

[908ssp]

..........
I’m wondering if Ford’s decision to run the MT82 in the Boss will come back to haunt them from a warranty stand point?

I think Ford might be regretting putting the MT82 in any Mustang at all.

 

[PJWANNABE]

Suddenly my TR3650 doesn't seem so bad...

 

[cloud9]

How often are those that track their cars changing the trans fluid?

 

[jimprw]

There is obviously some recurring concern about the durability of the MT82. It has been made very clear that Ford manhandled the engine configuration extensively during development and were satisfied the tweaked 5.0 was a gorilla. I personally find it hard to imagine they neglected the transmission in their development and testing of the Boss drivetrain. It stands to reason that if they recommend a transmission cooler for tracking then that is what must be addressed to ensure the tranny remains reliable.

I'm not going to bet my life on the MT82 being up to the challenge of the Boss demands. But, rather than hearsay, I'd really look to folks like us - real owners using real Bosses to either confirm or dispute that this tranny is lame.

 

[cloud9]

I put my F-150 keys in the console on track days. I went to retrieve them after my first session yesterday and they were pretty warm. I asked my dealership buddy with a 5.0 why they'd be so warm....guessing at the answer. He said from the tranny heating up. This was after one 25 minute session, but the mile-long straightway is what did it. I have the trans cooling scoop, but I hope that's enough. That's why I'm wondering how often fluid needs to be changed. I'm assuming once a year would be adequate?

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

The same thing happens on my 06 (regarding console heating)...I wouldn't necessarily consider this the sign of a problem.

 

[cloud9]

The same thing happens on my 06 (regarding console heating)...I wouldn't necessarily consider this the sign of a problem.

Oh I agree. I just hadn't noticed it before. It must just have been that I grabbed them right after a long session for the first time. Just found it odd until I thought about it. Then it made sense.

 

[Boss_302]

But, rather than hearsay, I'd really look to folks like us - real owners using real Bosses to either confirm or dispute that this tranny is lame.

I wouldn't call advise from Dean Martin at Rehagan Racing hearsay………….

Rehagan was started from Engineers leaving Ford to go racing and they have been pretty successful at that.........

Think Roush in its first decade.

 

[BossJockey]

I have the trans cooling scoop, but I hope that's enough. That's why I'm wondering how often fluid needs to be changed. I'm assuming once a year would be adequate?

I would change it every time you change the rear diff fluid.

 

[PJWANNABE]

It looks like the MT82 transmission problems are not imaginary:

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/08/08/nhtsa-investigating-complaints-about-chinese-made-ford-mustang-transmissions/

 

[cloud9]

It looks like the MT82 transmission problems are not imaginary:

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/08/08/nhtsa-investigating-complaints-about-chinese-made-ford-mustang-transmissions/

This only means 32 people registered a complaint about it, and it must have triggered a NTHSA investigation. It does not speak to any conclusions.

 

[PJWANNABE]

It looks like the MT82 transmission problems are not imaginary:

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/08/08/nhtsa-investigating-complaints-about-chinese-made-ford-mustang-transmissions/

This only means 32 people registered a complaint about it, and it must have triggered a NTHSA investigation. It does not speak to any conclusions.

Yeah, just though people would like to know. Half the complaints are probably caused by people not being aware of Skip Shift anyway.

 

[steveespo]

I have done the Dual Clutch fluid swap on my MT 82 and also installed the LS trans scoop and have had no shifting issues on the street or at the 3 track sessions I've done so far. Thinking about using Redline MTL, have another day at Lime Rock on 8/29 and plan on changing after that (~500 track miles).

Does anyone think plumbing a Mishimoto oil cooler and fluid pump in with the inlet coming from the drain plug and pump discharge at the fill plug would work? If so what kind of flow rate would be appropriate for a transmission, don't want to pull the fluid out and not have enough lubrication at the bottom of the trans. If any road racers have a schematic on how to best set up a trans and rear axle cooler I would be interested.
Steve

 

[VoodooBoss]

I've been hesitant to post this but my car now has 700 miles on it and the grinding hasn't gotten any better. When cold my car grinds badly on the first few times I shift into second. It's so bad I usually start driving the car from second when cold. It's also pretty crunchy going into fourth but nothing like second. Once warm the car shifts good with only a light touch needed to shift from first to second and second to third at WOT. I've never missed a shift when warm at WOT. I can still get some crunching going into second or fourth when warm and shiftly slowly but it's not common. I'll be lodging a complaint to the dealer when I take it in for a 1,000 mile oil change.

 

[PTRocks]

Mine can be ever so slightly crunchy when cold. I just avoid doing a 1-2 shift for a couple of minutes, then it's all good after that. If that's the ONLY concession I have to make to own a streetable racecar, then I'll be a very happy man.

 

[VoodooBoss]

Mine can be ever so slightly crunchy when cold. I just avoid doing a 1-2 shift for a couple of minutes, then it's all good after that. If that's the ONLY concession I have to make to own a streetable racecar, then I'll be a very happy man.

The problem is I've never owned another car that was like this including other Ford products. It's not the end of the world but it's not right IMO.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

I've been hesitant to post this but my car now has 700 miles on it and the grinding hasn't gotten any better. When cold my car grinds badly on the first few times I shift into second. It's so bad I usually start driving the car from second when cold. It's also pretty crunchy going into fourth but nothing like second. Once warm the car shifts good with only a light touch needed to shift from first to second and second to third at WOT. I've never missed a shift when warm at WOT. I can still get some crunching going into second or fourth when warm and shiftly slowly but it's not common. I'll be lodging a complaint to the dealer when I take it in for a 1,000 mile oil change.

Ah crap

 

[umsneeze]

"The problem is I've never owned another car that was like this including other Ford products. It's not the end of the world but it's not right IMO."

So far my Boss shifts fine, but I'm pretty easy on it until it's warmed up.

Old Ferraris (mine included) typically won't go easily into second gear until warmed up, maybe 2-3 miles worth of warmup. Also had a 2003 Saab 9-3 that was horrible until warm. It was an issue multiple owners had, and someone on a Saab forum suggested double clutching. The fact that any modern synchromesh car should need double clutching is laughable. The rest of the car was so bad though that you didn't really notice the transmission

 

[STIG302]

Haven't had an issue yet. I know this is hard to see, but my fingers are crossed.