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Helix Minisports Short Shift Kit

Reviews	Views	Date of last review
6	8243	4/22/2006

Recommended By	Average Price	Average Rating
100% of reviewers	None indicated	9.7

Description:	The Helix short shifter is simplest, shortest kit on the market. Other kits "shorten" the throw by using a short-stalk shift lever, forcing the driver to reach down by their right knee to make shifts. The Helix kit retains the proper shift knob position while providing the shortest throw available for the MC or MCS. The kit comes with complete installation instructions, and can be done with jack stands and typical mechanical tools in about 1 hour.
Keywords:	short shift shifter kit transmission gear box throw
Web site:	www.helix13.com

Author

Veni_Vidi_Vici
5th Gear

Registered: October 2003
Location: Washington, PA
Posts: 632

Review Date: 7/3/2005

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Pros:	inexpensive, effective
Cons:	rusty exhaust can increase install time

A simple an inexpensive part that improves driving performance and enjoyment. It retains shifter length so that there is a much shorter shift without increased work.

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sideburns
1st Gear

Registered: April 2005
Location: Orange County, Calif
Posts: 16

Review Date: 11/30/2005

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Pros:	Great shifting for good price
Cons:	No cover provided, possible contamination

Fairly easy install, harder if you are laying on your back under jack stands. Some other kits provide modified cover but the cost for kit is quite a bit more.

faster,Tobias!
1st Gear

Registered: October 2005
Location: Calgary, Ab
Posts: 47

Review Date: 12/3/2005

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Pros:	Shorter, more precise shifts
Cons:	Feels clunky going into fifth.

A nice mod - shifts are quicker and feel more precise, and as eliminated the habit I had of releasing the clutch before I had finished shifting (KKKrunch!!).

chaincoopers
4th Gear

Registered: June 2005
Location: Princeton, NJ
Posts: 336

Review Date: 12/22/2005

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Pros:	Inexpensive, more precise shifts, better feel
Cons:	none yet

Fantastic and inexpensive mod. Throw between gears is dramatically reduced, stock shifter length retained, so I'm not reaching down to the floor to shift, and the shifter feel is better than stock. Highly recommended.

fishbulb
5th Gear

Registered: September 2005
Posts: 901

Review Date: 3/14/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Pros:	Shorter, more positive shifts - great price - simple solution that leaves car pretty stock looking
Cons:	none that I see

I installed my Helix short shifter this weekend with no problems at all. The install went fairly smooth, and the results are great.

To get the dust cover box thing off i used a small set of picks i picked up a harbor freight. The one with the curve on it was great for hooking those snaps off the nub.

The tricky part was getting the ball off the socket, but i found that if i spun the ball all the way towards the passenger side, i was able to grab the end of it with a pair of vice grips & continue to twist it towards the passenger side until it popped off. Not too bad.

The Helix SSK installed without drama. Pop it on, add lock-tite, tighten set screw. No issue. Since I only had blue lock-tite on hand, I cut a small section of 5/8 heater hose i had on hand to slide over the set screw so it can not back out. Some people have mentioned using heat shrink tubing, but i didn't haven any that size. (plus, i didn't feel like going out to get it!) No interference with anything, and no worries about it going anywhere or the set screw ever backing out.

Bending the heat shield took a few times, but it is not hard. I left the bottom of the box off - read posts where it seems to be no issue. The car was perfectly clean under the heat shield, and the way the heat shield lays, it will stay clean (like shingles on a roof....)

Only issue i have, and I knew i would was that the front part of the heat shield needs a little bending. Slight rattle on start up and in first. I knew it would i just got impatient to get done. I'll tune that up soon.

So...the results: Great! The shifts are noticeably shorter, no more 5th & 6th gear over in the passenger seat. Shifting takes a little more effort, but nothing crazy. It's just a shorter, more solid feel. I really like the shifting with the Helix much better than stock, and I also like the fact that nothing in the car has changed (location of shift knob, etc.) Sure, there may be shifters that get you 5% shorter shifts, or whatever, but the helix SSK works very well for me. I really like the simple solution. Plus, at $50 or so shipped, that leaves me with almost enough dough for my pulley. It was easy to install, and required no major hacking on my MINI.

Overall, very pleased with the product & service offered by Eric & Helix, I would recommend this to anyone.

-jac

MINIotaple
6th Gear

Registered: November 2005
Location: Houston
Posts: 1294

Review Date: 4/22/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Pros:	Shorter, Firmer Shifts; Stock Knob height; Inexpensive
Cons:	The extra effort required takes about a day to get used to...

This is a great, inexpensive mod. It's not too bad to install yourself and it provides a great benefit, shorter firmer shifts while retaining the stock knob height. The effort required is increased, but I got used to it within the day.

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