I know thst some of this was dicussed in other treads, but I am really intrested about what is really truth and what is mith concerning short shifters. I was told that a true short shifter is not only a shift rod with diffrent arm proportions but also with modified links to the transmission proper like in real racing cars.
If this is true then the commercially available bolt in short shifters differ from the stock version only by their different arm length proportions, i.e. the upper arm getting shorter and the lower arm getting longer (relative to their original lengths) respectively, thereby altering the arm travel length and making the shift "shorter". If all this is true, then just shortening the stock shift rod's upper arm i.e. cutting it shorter would accoplish the same? Making this a poor man's short shifter?
Am I wrong?

 

I can only speak for the B&M I had installed.Yes , it is both of what you said shorter above the floor, and longer below.HOWEVER it is also a completely new mounting system.Stock mounts are hard rubber,and the replacements are anodized aluminum, making for alot less slop in the feel of the shifter,both during shifting and once in gear.All in all a very different and positive feel .My only complaints are that you have to be very aware of shifting from 4th to 5th , putting alot more side force on the shift ball than with the original, and getting into reverse is similarly different(harder). Hope this helps.Maybe some one with an alta will speak up. Jock

 

This describes my experience with the B&M kit exactly. Overall fabulous, but so hard to shift into 5th that my shoulder sometimes protests - it's a very awkward motion to try to do quickly and forcefully.

 

Cutting it shorter-
http://www.v6z24.com/howto/shortshifter
It's been done.

You can replace the **** as well-
Many like the Whalen **** (it's heavy and fits well)

Or consider the Helix13 short shift kit- it's cheap, does feel more positive when shifting, takes an hour to install, No cutting. Leaves the **** at stock height.

 

I shift the stock one faster than I have traction for, and it's cake. I don't know why anyone would 'need' a shorter throw. Sure seems like it creates more problems that it solves.

 

I installed the Ultrik Short Shift kit from Mini Mania;

http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NM.../InvDetail.cfm

It works wonderfully. As advertised it shortens the throw about 20% without lowering the shift **** inside the vehicle. One of the reasons that I chose this type of kit is that I did not want to have to move my hand further from the steering wheel for each shift.

If anyone is familiar with WRC (World Rally) it is obvious when they show shots of the inside of the drivers office that they have gone to great lengths to keep the shift **** close to the steering wheel. This is inspite of the fact that most use paddle shifters under normal conditions and only resort to the use of the manual shifter after a system failure. It is so important to have them keep their hands close to the wheel that even the backup system is designed that way.

There is no problem with excessive pressure required to engage reverse or 5th gear. The shifting is precise, short, and positive. The car retains an absolutely stock appearence inside. It has been installed for 2 years with no problems.

I will be installing the same kit on my new '05 when it arrives.

 

I currently have the Rogue/Mini-Madness short shifter, which employs the same technology as Mini Mania by adding extension in the lower portion of the shifter. The end result is 20% reduction in throw. When I drove my friend's car with the Alta short shifter, I totally loved it. Moreover, it offers 0-40% reduction adjustability that are not available on the other short shifter designs. I've already purchased an Alta SS to be installed when I pick up the 05 MCSC later this month. :smile:

Alta Short Shifter


It also comes with a nice polish shift **** or an adaptor for original shift ****.

 

Chest sore from all that thumping? Nobody really cares how fast you shift.

Very few "need" any of the mods we pay for. Very few race these cars for money do they?
You have 2 guys that thinks the 4-5 shift is stiff and you get "more problems that it solves" from that??

17" wheels tramline more tha 16s...why bother
Lightweight clutch/flywheel engages more violently...why bother
Urethane or delrin bushings transmit more vibration.....why bother

Need I go on??

 

Exactly

 

So what is the advantage of the shortshifter? Simply that you don't want to move your arm the extra few inches?

 

see post #17

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t=40675&page=1

 

I've used the Alta since it was first offered. No problems at all, and the performance of the unit is fantastic. Vast improvement over stock, providing a very short, crisp throw with no slop. I have considered it one of the best mods on the car, as it is appreciated with every shift. I highly reccommend it.

 

Oh, so people want to eliminate the 'slop' in each gear position as well. OK, I can see that. It's never bothered me, probably because all my other gearboxes have been in American cars, and this one feels wonderfully stiff to me as-is! LOL I'd like to feel one of these kits one day, to see what firm is REALLY like That sounds bad...

Thanks for the education.

 

I guess it just depends on your definition. The design of the shifting mechanism (i.e. cable vs rod) often have something to do with the options you have for designing a replacement. Companies use the shortened shifter method because it's easy and many people like the look of the lower ****.

I can't say that I have any practical experience with them though. I've been a honda person for many years and the feel was always great. Due to the poor feel of the Mini shifter though, I will be changing mine soon to see if I can get an improvement in feel. I'm not really interested in a shorter shift, just a better one. My strategy is to install the Alta shifter along with a shift lever extension I bought from a fellow member. The goal is to keep roughly the same through while raising the **** close to the wheel. I imagine replacing the horribly large stock shift **** will be an improvement in itself.

 

There is another option,

http://www.rogueengineering.com/Merc...gory_Code=MINI

Im using their SS and Im liking it very much. Smooth shifting and no problem engaging the gears. Simple, and easy to install. Half an hour job.

 

I too do not like 'too crisp feel' because it makes it a tad knotchy going into
the gates sometimes, but on the MCS the Helix adapter just made entering
the gates more accurate while reducing the throw. Weighted **** made
it feel much better too. :smile:

 

I have the Alta with a Whalen and really like the feel......no experience with anyting else but stock

 

As far as I can tell, none of the replies in the thread have summarized the options, so I'll try. I'm not an expert, so some of this may be wrong, and it's been a while since I looked into it so I may have "dis-remembered" some of it. (I'm sure others will correct me if I get anything wrong!) But I spent some time looking into this a few months ago, and I think I've got the general picture right...

Picture the shifter as a shaft with a pivot somewhere near the center. At the top of the shaft is the **** and your hand. At the bottom is are the control rods/cables that go to the gearbox. In the middle is the pivot. There are three basic approaches to shortening.

1. Shorten the top of the shaft. The do-it-yourselfers take this approach and saw off the top. I'm not aware of any commercial solutions that take only this approach, but see #3. Pros: cheap, pride of being able to say you did it yourself. Cons: possibility of screwing up, making a mess, etc. Lowers the **** height (which may or may not be a disadvantage, depending on your preference.)
2. Lengthen the bottom of the shaft with an extension. The Helix and Ultrik are examples. Pros: cheaper and easier to do than number #3, **** stays at original height. Cons: (see discussion below)
3. Combined approach - lengthen the bottom and shorten the top by replacing the shift lever entirely. The Alta and B&M are examples. Pros: a complete replacement, some offer adjustability and firmer bushings, etc. Cons: more expensive, more work involved, lowers the **** height(which may or may not be a disadvantage, depending on your preference). Also see the dust cover discussion below.

There is another alternative, which doesn't actually change the geometry, but apparently improves the feel significantly - going to a heavier ****. The Whalen is very popular, but expensive. There are cheaper *****, but I'm not aware of any others that are nearly as heavy as the Whalen.(The Whalen also comes with a custom-design option, which may be a plus for some people.)

Anyway, there are some questions about the second alternative above. At the bottom of the shift lever, there is a ball-joint. (You can see this in dcsmd007's pictures above.) The extenders attach at this point, where the shift lever necks down before the ball joint. Some people have expressed concern that this is a weak point, and the extenders are applying a lot of force right at this point. I have seen one (I repeat, one) report of a shift lever breaking off at this point. (There may be other reports I've missed - anyone? - and of course, there could have been failures that haven't been reported on this board.) So that one case could have been caused by a defective shift lever from BMW that happened to have a flaw at that point, or excessively hard-shifting (I don't remember the details - sorry), or improper installation, or who knows what else? It may very well have been an isolated problem, or it may be symptomatic of a weakness in the whole concept.

Another possible problem is that some of these extend the bottom of the shift lever so far that the "dust cover" that surrounds the bottom of the mechanism has to be discarded. I believe you have to do this with all the #2 options and some of the #3 options. Some people suggest this may be a potential problem, but I have seen reports on this board (once again, anecdotal evidence) saying that people have driven xxx miles without a dust cover, and when they got under the car, they found less dirt and debris than there was trapped inside the dust cover when they removed it. (It occurs to me that a manufacturer may have engineered a deeper replacement dust cover, but I wasn't aware of one when I was looking into this several months ago.)

Not trying to make any recommendations here, just trying to share what my impressions.

What I would recommend is that you try to test drive a few different cars with different setups and see what feels best to you. Are you in a local club? Start asking around!