TRANSMISSION
Manual or automatic? Fast Ford would choose the stick-shift, but the auto is still rated as a driver’s car, and all ‘boxes are ultra-tough.
Manual Mustangs have the Getrag MT-82 six-speed, which received a duff reputation in the S197 Mustang for poor feel and breakages. Thankfully, the S550 version is much better, and few faults have been reported.
Ford issued a TSB (technical service bulletin) after some pre-June 2016 manual-transmission Mustangs wouldn’t crank the engine due to a damaged clutch pedal position switch – not the sort of fault you’ll find when buying used.
A revised manual ‘box (MT82-D4) was fitted for the 2018 facelift, with fresh gear ratios, larger synchro rings and dual-disc clutch. Some harddriven cars exhibit problems with their aluminium shift forks on third and fourth gear snapping off; Ford fixed the problem pretty quickly, but check the gearchange on an early 2018 machine feels smooth.
The gearbox is otherwise strong, and even the stock clutch will handle serious power for a while, but it can be killed by bad drivers – and it’s a fourfigure job to replace. The first sign is a high biting point on the clutch pedal; if there’s any sign of slipping (you’ll be able to tell immediately, with all that V8 torque) it’s already failed.
According to Spencer at Haynes Ford, automatic Mustangs make up around threequarters of UK sales. Early versions had a sixspeed version of Ford’s ZF-based gearbox, the 6R80. The 2018 facelift introduced the ten-speed update, the Ford-GM 10R80, which although not a dual-clutch design, does a damn good job of outdragging its manual counterpart: quoted figures are a standing quarter-mile in 11.8 seconds (a whole second quicker than the manual). Autoboxes are reckoned to be good for 1000bhp.
Check the six-speed auto doesn’t clunk when going from neutral to drive or reverse, which will need the front transmission flange to be replaced.
Listen for vibrations, humming and rumbling from 40 to 60mph, which suggest an imbalanced driveshaft, although could also result from worn wheel bearings or tyres. Robbie from Steeda reckons some Mustangs have noisy differentials (UK cars feature the Torsen T-2R from the American Performance Pack 1), although it’s nothing to worry about. Half-shafts, he says, are the weakest point of the transmission: for street use they’re fine, but have been known to snap on the strip.
“...It’s a thoroughly modern unit, featuring reinforced alloy block, four-valve cylinder heads and twin independent variable cam timing (Ti-VCT). It’s also pretty much bombproof”