Any interest in performance cable and base bushings??

[blackbird]

A generalized comment based with experience on quite a few other cars is that in most cases people expect too much and think changing bushings on either one or both sides of the shift cable will suddenly give them a great shifting transmission. If the stock bushings are shot it can help quite a bit, but so would new OEM cable/bushings. Poorly shifting transaxles are usually due to a combination of the shift selector mechanism, internal components like the shift fork design, the shifter assembly, or the cable layout themselves.

I don't know if this would be the case on the IB5, MTX75, or the Getrag 285 transaxles used in the Focus so it may be worth trying. There are some potential downsides as the stock bushings are usually designed to absorb some shock and harsh shift forces that would normally be transmitted to the shift selector. There's also the risk of breaking cables or other shift components by removing some of the play (and just because there's some give in a bushing doesn't mean you can't have crisp shift engagements). If you try solid bushings and it still shifts about the same I'd recommend going back to the stock pieces, but if it does shift better it may be worth the risk.

[FordFociSHO]

^bah, logic, reason and hard to replace parts are not the way of the Focus community. In your 8 years you should have picked up on this by now.

[blackbird]

But you can't always shoot down every idea or the community will stop moving forward. I've seen more than a few long-standing beliefs turn out to be wrong or a better way to do something has been found years after the fact. In this case I was just looking at the cable diagrams in the shop manual for all the manual transaxles and I don't even see a significant bushing that could be replaced so call me a little more than skeptical.

[bringler26]

The image of the cables on pg1 are off a Cougar...
I have no idea if the Focus cables ever changed design.

Ah ok thanks for that's understandable.

[WuNgUn]

Got the tranny out for a clutch/flywheel change, and I already see an easy upgrade for the linkage. Well, probably not easy...some custom work will be needed, but it looks easily doable...

I'll try to get pics and show ya what I mean...

[glowboi87]

please do!!

[BobOfTheFuture]

A generalized comment based with experience on quite a few other cars is that in most cases people expect too much and think changing bushings on either one or both sides of the shift cable will suddenly give them a great shifting transmission. If the stock bushings are shot it can help quite a bit, but so would new OEM cable/bushings. Poorly shifting transaxles are usually due to a combination of the shift selector mechanism, internal components like the shift fork design, the shifter assembly, or the cable layout themselves.

I don't know if this would be the case on the IB5, MTX75, or the Getrag 285 transaxles used in the Focus so it may be worth trying. There are some potential downsides as the stock bushings are usually designed to absorb some shock and harsh shift forces that would normally be transmitted to the shift selector. There's also the risk of breaking cables or other shift components by removing some of the play (and just because there's some give in a bushing doesn't mean you can't have crisp shift engagements). If you try solid bushings and it still shifts about the same I'd recommend going back to the stock pieces, but if it does shift better it may be worth the risk.

Ever shift a MINI S?

Same essential parts inside, and technically identical outside. Its not the trans, its the lever, cables and bushes

[FordFociSHO]

FYI, the Mini S does not have a MTX-75. All the S's are 6 speed cars, who makes it I don't know, Getrag would be my guess though.

The standard Mini's have the MTX-75.

[WuNgUn]

I drive an SVT, so the Getrag is relevant

[Terrible1]

I would be interested

[SoItGoes]

So is this group buy proposal relevant to 05 and up focus?

[WuNgUn]

A POSSIBLE group buy for SVT's only...maybe Zetec's as well.
I haven't had much time to work on this, so I dunno...it might just be something I do for myself...?

[DigitalGT]

Screw Nylon bushes......I'll take mine in Delrin thank you.

[WuNgUn]

I was thinking brass or Oilite

[DigitalGT]

Oilite would be very cool but may be quite pricey. Plus it needs to be machined by someone who understands it's properties. Using a dull cutting tool on stock pretty much eliminates all of it's nifty lubricative properties. It would definitely work well although it may be overkill considering most peeps are just going to pack it full of grease anyways. Delrin on the other hand can be machined by any monkey that can work a lathe and it's cheaper. Plus it boasts fairly decent lubricity for a plastic.

Honestly, it really doesn't matter that much. Delrin, Oilite, Brass, Carbide, Unobtanium....as long as it's hard and not rubber.