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Manual trans shifting any issues shifting

MaddSkillzzz

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I am in chip heck with my build, so I am waiting until they are available. Since I have time I thought I would ask about shifting with the manual trans. I drive old school long shifter vehicles (1965 109 Land Rover) and have no problem finding gears. The Bronco looks like it is a short shifter, short throw trans and I am worried I may go from 1st to 4th missing 2nd all together. How is the shifting and how easy is it to hit the wrong gear?
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kodiakisland

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If you have issues it won't be the MT's fault.
 

zombie

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Hated the getrag in my S197 Mustang, it was horrible, but so far I've been pleasantly surprised with the transmission in the Bronco.
 

BOLD Renegade93

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No issues at all. I’ve got 4000 miles on it now and haven’t missed a gear yet. It shifts accurately and even tells you what gear you’re in on the instrument cluster. First manual I’ve owned that did that.
 

Dads_bronze_bronco

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I’ve driven the 7MT a few times (dealer mannequin). It is fine, and like my JK shifter if you are shifting straight from 1 to 2 no problem. It is a cable shifter and does not have the feel of a linkage shifter, but it is crisp enough for a cable shifter that you don’t feel lost.

To me the super light clutch feel with a very early release is a much bigger problem. Works great for regular driving. I am not sure about those trail situations where you are feathering the release a little.
 

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zombie

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To me the super light clutch feel with a very early release is a much bigger problem. Works great for regular driving. I am not sure about those trail situations where you are feathering the release a little.
I'm no trail driver, but isn't that the point of having the crawler gear?
 

Dads_bronze_bronco

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I'm no trail driver, but isn't that the point of having the crawler gear?
Crawl gear there I would think
It has the “crank in gear” feature for this situation.
It is - and I haven’t tried the crawler gear on a rock - but there are times you need to slip a little to get started without stalling - after coming to a stop halfway up a rock for example. Another example is backing a trailer up a driveway.

This might be something that comes with experience, but it will be nuanced.

Net - in my view the shifter is fine and easy to adapt to. It is the clutch that is going to take some getting used to because it is a short distance to full engage and doesn’t have a lot of feel.
 
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bronco2drga

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What I have found is that you don't pull down and left to go into second because if you do then you're going towards where the crawl gear would be, granted you can't get into crawl gear without pulling up on the shifter, to get the second you have to go straight back. I've also found that using lighter pressure is better on this transmission.

I have a handful of old manual vehicles and going from one to the next is always a little bit different, but I have found that this newer car gives me a little bit of a challenge just because I'm used to driving old manual transmissions.

It took me a couple days and now I'm good to go, no issues at all, but like somebody else stated it's definitely on your driving style not the transmission. If you know somebody else that has a manual Bronco maybe have them test drive it and see.

I guess I should have there's no issues with missing years, they seem to all go exactly where they should minus the second gear if you're trying to drive it like a traditional old transmission.
 

ryridesmotox

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I daily my 7MT. It has a pretty standard linkage shifter feel. So it's going to feel sloppy compared to a top loader that is not a clapped out piece of garbage. The gates are easy to find, you won't miss gears if you have any competency in driving a manual.

As far as if you are offroading, I have found that it is a pain to get from crawl to 1st. Usually if I am trying to grab 1st quick, I end up in 3rd. I have not found the clutch to be an issue in offroading. It's kind of like driving a freight truck. If you can't idle it out in a gear, go lower, if you can't go lower and get your momentum, you need a new line.

As far as the clutch, I am more used to a pucked race clutch in my last couple cars, this clutch feels really light. And my last car had a hydraulic run clutch but it was still very heavy. The clutch in the bronco is a bit vague and very light.
 
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annieVonBebop

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I've had mine for a week and love it so far. Hadn't had a vehicle with a manual in 10+ years but got right back into the hang of it.

Random question tho, anyone else noticing that sometimes the shift to second, the shifter feels like it catches twice, once when you're in gear but also before then? Like an extra clunk in the shifter, it's hard for to describe. Definitely isn't as smooth as between other gears. Drives absolutely fine, just a shifter feedback thing
 

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SPITmadFIRE

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Honestly the 7MT in the bronco is extremely similar in consistency to the 6MT in the Focus RS — the bronco 7MT is actually a shorter throw, but it’s very easy to drive and find gears. Satisfying clunk, very little slop. Sometimes it’s a bit sticky getting into first or second but nothing bad.
 

Tricky Dick

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Agree with a lot said. There is a little slop and disconnected feeling compared to a great feeling trans like a Miata, but it's not bad for a 4x4. The Focus comparison is decent.

It's kind of odd how resting neutral is between 1-2 instead of 3-4 like most 5 speeds. Super easy to drive though and haven't missed a shift yet. Most of my driving since getting it home has been city.
 

BigBendBW

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I’ve driven the 7MT a few times (dealer mannequin). It is fine, and like my JK shifter if you are shifting straight from 1 to 2 no problem. It is a cable shifter and does not have the feel of a linkage shifter, but it is crisp enough for a cable shifter that you don’t feel lost.

To me the super light clutch feel with a very early release is a much bigger problem. Works great for regular driving. I am not sure about those trail situations where you are feathering the release a little.
Crawl gear there I would think
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