According to D&D and several vendors I spoke to at the PRI Show (missed Mike Forte at his booth and never got time to go back and meet him), Tremec is coming out with a 2.95 1st gear TKO some time this year. I talked to a Florida dealer who said that he can supply them now, so if anybody is interested I'll dig through my stack of business cards....
I think a 2.95 TKO will be about the best compromise - at least according to my criteria - a useable first gear, decent torque capacity, lighter (and cheaper) than a Viper T-56, and I'm really interested in the mid-shift installation. And as far as shifters go, I did talk to the guys at Steeda, and they said that the Tri-Ax will work in the mid position.
regards,
JB