Ok, info first. See sig for info and build date is 10/2003. Been researching short shifters and found 2 styles. One that replaces the whole shifter and lowers the shifter some apparently. The other is just adding a little piece the the bottom of the shifter at the linkage.

The whole kit is for an older MSC? Are all the 04 short shift kits going to be the little piece? Or do I have the option of either?

Lots of questions I know, but I am confused I guess. Found 2 kits that say they are for the 2004. 1 from MINI Madness for $60 and the other from Helix for $45.

 

I have no basis for comparison.. but I had the Helix one in my 03 MC - it was fantastic. Kept stock height and stock ****.

Felt awesome.. and for the price... HIGHLY recommend.

 

As far as I know, the only short shifters for 04 cars are the helix-style addition pieces. Neither B&M nor ALTA has finished their replacement shifters for 04 cars.

FWIW I have a B&M and love it. I wanted the shift **** shorter and a shorter throw. Accomplished for a little over $100, installation wasn't so bad.

Marty

 

Cool. I'm wondering now about the price difference between the small piece shift kit from Helix and the one from Mini Madness. The one at Mini Madness has some sleeve looking thing. I assume that goes over the completed linkage?

 

>>As far as I know, the only short shifters for 04 cars are the helix-style addition pieces. Neither B&M nor ALTA has finished their replacement shifters for 04 cars.

If you have the 2004 I'd recommend the Helix SS if you need the SS now.

>>FWIW I have a B&M and love it. I wanted the shift **** shorter and a shorter throw. Accomplished for a little over $100, installation wasn't so bad.

My MCS has the B&M with short aftermarket **** and I have tried the HelixSS in another MINI. I like the HelixSS better (feels more positive and doesn't change the stock **** height) than my B&M and the price was less as well.

 

I agree the price is nice at Helix, but I wonder if the sleeve (or whatever) is worth the extra $15.

Will probably go ahead and order the Helix SS piece this week.

 

>>I agree the price is nice at Helix, but I wonder if the sleeve (or whatever) is worth the extra $15.

I have the Helix, without a sleeve...even though you leave the dust cover off when you install the Helix, you replace the pan that completely covers the linkage.
There were some threads about this a while back, and most people installing the Helix said they were NOT modifying the dust cover, just installing without it.

Nobody has reported any problems, so far, that I know about....

and I LOVE the change in shifting with the Helix, plus I like the stock **** and shift height....but for $15 I'd consider the MM with sleeve if you're at all worried about it...this is a great mod for the money!

 

Thanks for the good info jmoser! Gonna talk to the money holder (wife) tonight about ordering this!

 

I just got the ALTA and I have to say that it is great. If I had to pick it for one reason it would be this:

It is easily adjustable.

Every other shifter is an exact length and that's that. The Alta is variable and takes 3 minutes to adjust. You can even do it at a gas station. Short shifters can be a little hard to shift sometimes and with the Alta you can play around until you find the right balance between throw distance and stiffness.

It's also great if you share your car with a spouse who wants an easier shift - It takes a couple minutes to raise it up.

Alta gets my vote.

 

The one major difference between Helix and Madness/Rogue is the sleeve, which is a large heat shrink that can be purchased from Home Depot or any hardware store. The purpose of that is the heat shrink will prevent the 3 screws to come loose while keep everything in place.

As far as availability for 04 models, bot Helix and Madness are on the market currently. Alta SS will be out in "a couple of weeks," according to Alta when I spoke to them on 4/27. Mini Mania also has a similar design as Madness or Hilex, but comes with an additional "modified" cover for the shifter cable housing. IMO, although Mini Mania's SS costs $20-25 more, it offers extra protection of the cable linkage. With the heat shrink from Home Depot, you have the best of both world.

I couldn't wait for the Mania one, so I purchased the Madness SS a few weeks back for my 04 and I absolutely love it.

Here are a couple of threads on the topic of SS installation on the 04:

Thread 1
Thread 2

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