[2K05GT]

Originally Posted by Royal Tiger

Yeah. I highly doubt the GT350 shifts as good as a 911.

Actually it does, The Tremec 3160 with all it's racing parts is smooth, a co-worked has a 911 and I let him drive my GT350 and he loved how well it shifts.

The new six-speed transmission in the Shelby GT350 is much lighter and stouter than the
gearboxes that are offered. The incredibly strong Tremec TR-3160 six-speed manual transmission
has been heavily revised for Shelby GT350 to handle the high engine speeds as well as the rigors
of long and brutal track duty. The transmission also provides the kind of precision
engagement, smoothness, and reduction in weight and rotating inertia demanded by Ford Performance.

Almost every component received special attention to ensure durability and improved shifting performance
while extreme measures were taken to ensure a positive feel as well as durability. Some of these
measures include power-honed gears, air-to-oil transmission cooler and even carbon-bronze triple-cone synchronizers.

The core of every transmission is its gear set. Each gear in the TR-3160 rides on a gun-drilled main
shaft that reduces weight, and has been power-honed in a post-heat-treating operation for a reduction
in gear lash and enhanced smoothness to reduce noise, vibration and harshness. The sides of the gears
are milled to remove unstressed material and reduce weight – resulting in “I-section” gears. Specially
formulated carbon-bronze triple-cone synchronizers are engineered to deliver the feel of a bronze
synchronizer with the heat capacity of carbon, which is a key attribute in racing situations.

A dual-mass flywheel with a dual-disc clutch mates the engine with the gearbox to get the power to the ground.
The dual-mass flywheel enhances engagement smoothness, reduces noise, vibration and harshness, and
allows for the elimination of damping springs in the hub of the clutch – which in turn means a lighter,
smaller-diameter clutch and reduced rotating mass. These two components are rigidly mounted in a
die-cast clutch housing optimized for compactness and stiffness. This combination allows
for incredibly quick shift times which will no doubt make the GT350 much faster around any track.

Precision gear selection is accomplished via a lightweight shifter mechanism in an aluminum housing.
The mechanism uses low-friction main pivot-ball and shifter-linkage joints, which enable low effort shifts
with very short throws. Aggressive shift rail detents provide the driver with satisfying, positive shift engagement.

The transmission mechanism resides inside a custom clutch housing, and the rear extension housing is
shortened and optimized for stiffness and weight. A 3.2-inch center-to-center distance allows for high torque
capacity with a very small package and footprint. The compact and stiff nature of the transmission reduces
weight and improves the noise, vibration and harshness qualities of the overall driveline.

back to the Oil consumption,

This engine is happier being driven harder than easier. Higher temperatures, more metal expansion, tighter sealing and less oil usage. K.ind of like SR22,s that leaked fuel until they were at full cruising in the air at mach 5.

And there is some anecdotal evidence posted in various threads on other forums that some owners see less oil consumption tracking the car then putzing around town so there may be something to this theory. My own experience seems to point to a similar outcome - it seems the easier I drive this car the more oil it consumes.