,
 |
| This optional shifter base gives a lot of shifter mounting flexibility. |
The T56 is known for its stiff and notchy shifting and its propensity to jam up in speed shifting. The shift forks in the T56 are known to flex and contribute to sloppy shifting. Tremec found that the shift link keyway in the fork would wear and contribute to free play making shifting iffy. The new shift forks have cast in place shift links for zero play. The shift pads on the Magnum shift forks are much larger for better wear resistance and more positive contact with the gears.
 |
| The T56 shift key on the right fits into this machined slot in the shift fork. This slot can develop slop which screws up shifting. The Magnum has the key cast in place so it cannot move. The shift fork also has much bigger shift pads for better support against the gear. |
The syncros of the Magnum transmission are quite different from the T56. The syncros slide on spring loaded ball type inserts to greatly reduce shifting friction. This is way better than the easily broken and jammed stamped steel keys of the T56. Ball sliders are being used more and more by many different OEM manufacturers to reduce shift friction. Sintered bronze triple cone syncros used on the 1-2 and 3-4 syncros replace the dual cone carbon syncros found on the T56 aiding positive shifting.
 |
| The Magnum’s shift keys slide on spring loaded balls to give much lower friction shifts. (see arrow) This gets rid of the flimsy stamped sheet metal parts on the old T56. |
The Magnum transmission has wider gears and to fit them in the T56 case, the syncro sliders must be much thinner. To make the slider assembly narrower the balk rings have shorter and finer teeth with a higher tooth count. The shorter teeth contribute to a shorter shift due to their shorter engagement travel. The clutch teeth on the wider driven gears are also shorter with a finer pitch with positive stops in-between them.
 |
| The Magnum shift slider has to be much thinner to make room for the Magnum’s thicker gears. The balk ring teeth are thinner with a finer pitch making the shift throw shorter. |
