I want to do a short shifter kit, but is it worth doing? I just want to make sure it will take a beating and not break on me. My stock is working fine, but just want some ideas... Whats the best one out there now? Alta, B&M, Pilo, ETC.... Please let me know people... Thanks Spike

Also has anyone seen the CRAVEN short shifter? hows that as well?

 

Yes you need it and Randy Webb's is the best one to get.

You won't believe how bad the stock shifter felt after the change

 

I had the B&M short shifter installed on my '03 MC. I loved it at first, but after about a year it became very hard to shift, so much so that I actually messed up my shoulder for a little while and had to bump the shifter over with my leg to get into reverse. I'm sticking with stock on my '05.

 

Actually, the best I have seen so far is one from Cravenspeed, it is adjustable so you can have it as short shifter or normal shifter, also it is adjustable on the fly. Really quality built, I am installing one in the next few weeks.

 

My Webb Motor Sport shifter is adjustable too. From stock to 45% reduction. Shifts are now more "positive" than before, for a cable shift it almost seems like a mechanical linkage. Lots more fun than the stock shifter.

 

Hmm....these look similar?

WMS shifter:

Craven shifter:

 

i got a alta it is adjustable as well i am actually the second owner of it the previous owner had it for 8 months before i got it and i have had it for a total of 6 months and absolutely no problems. i have it as low as it will go for th most reductionj with out hitting the plate. i highly reccomend it you have to remember in is one the most intimate parts of the car you will ever encounter as you use it all day every time you drive ( next to the shift **** of course and with that i would reccomend a whalen)

 

Fidanza.

Top notch.

 

but the Craven (and the Webb?) are adjustable from in the cabin, after installation. There is a locking collar, rotate it and it unlocks the shaft so you can move it up or down....

Matt

 

Isn't the Alta adjustable in the same way, with a collar accessible from the cabin?

cheers,

 

looks like Webb may be Craven rebadged? either way Randy probably helped a lot in the engineering of it and we all know the kind of testing and abuse he puts through anything with his name on it, so either way i'd feel safe. the Webb/Craven (?) shifter does not use any set screws like the Alta that's the big difference there. i'll eventually go with the Webb just cause i like Randy's style!

 

Craven was just at the MINI-Q on Long Island and from talking to them and checking their products out, I am fairly sure that they do all their designs and machining in house. Very high quality stuff it seemed.

Honestly, how much different can short shifters be?

 

Then again they do look exactly alike.

 

Helix SSK. Keeps the stock height. very crisp shifts. The shifts do require a bit more effort, it's not as relaxed as stock shifts. Great sport feel IMO.

 

How do you get a hold of Craven. Anybody know the price of their short shifter? Rgd, Michael

 

The pic I posted was a link...
http://www.coasttocoastusa.com/zenca...roducts_id=111

They also have their own site, http://www.cravenspeed.com/index.php?productID=18

The price is right around the same, with shift ****.

 

I had the Ultrik Short Shift Kit on my 02MCS and I installed the same thing in my 06MCS. It is fantastic. Never had any problems. Results are what you expect, short, precise, positive shifts.

Any short shift kit that works by shortening the amount of lever inside the vehicle is counter-productive. By lowering the height of the **** it moves it further from the steering wheel meaning that your hand has to travel further to get to the **** for each shift (think, more time). If you watch World Rally or any sports car racing events you will notice that racers try to get the shift **** as close to the steering wheel so that their hands spend as little time off the wheel as possible. You will see levers actually longer that stock in order to get the **** closer to the wheel.

Kits such as the Ultrik ( http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NM.../InvDetail.cfm ) work in the right direction by lenghtening the lower portion of the lever, the portion below the fulcrum. In doing this you get shorter, tighter shifts without lowering the ****.

One of the respondents mentioned problems developing from the installation of a B&M kit, that shortens the lever inside the vehicle, he is not alone with this sort of difficult shift issue. Do some searches on short shift and you should find them. Any kit that offers adjustablity does so by lowering the **** and moving it further from the wheel.

Do your research, ask the length of the lever inside the vehicle and compare it to the stock lever. If theirs is shorter it is not the best direction to go. During preformance driving you want your hands on the wheel as much as possible, not reaching for the shift ****. JOHO

 

I thought the craven company made the alta kits? So what would you think is the best to get? Also how hard are they to install? Hope to hear back from you all. Thanks Spike

 

I have the same opinion of my Alta SSK. Very nice, and you can get an adapter to fit the stock shift **** or a whalen made for a stock ****. You can also get Whalens milled for the Alta SSK threads.

Every time I drive a regular Mini now, I feel like I'm holding an old man's cane, as high as the stock shifter is.

 

helix.

inexpensive, does a great job, doesn't change anything in the cabin aside from the length of the throw....

-jac

 

What's wrong with the stock shifter.. It's smooth and can be shifted with ease very fast.
I put an aftermarket B&M shifter in my Z06. It made for short throws but it never shifted as smoothly as the stock unit. I kept it in for a year and then switched back to the stock unit. Even through the throws were longer, the shifts were smoother and faster. I have not experienced the short shifter in the mini... but just because the aftermarket makes one, doesnt mean its better than the OEM unit...IMHO

 

I had a B&M installed on my 05 S about 3 months ago. It started out a little stiff to shift but has since loosened up (or maybe I'm just used to it). It keeps the stock height but reduces the throws. It is also setup right out of the box to accept a stock ****. It's not adjustable but that doesn't bother me at all.

The nicest things about it is it replaces some of the rubber bushing area where the shift box mates to the underside of the car with aluminum bushings. This really eliminates alot of the sloppiness of the shifts from the stock. It makes things feel more precise. It also replaces the stock shift box cover with an aluminum cover which prevents any problems of the bottom of the shaft rubbing against the housing.

I was initially looking at something like the Rogue Engineering kits (similar to the Helix kit) that just uses a set screw on the bottom of the existing shaft. I talked with the local garage guy about that and he convinced me that wouldn't have been the best path. He's actually had a couple people come in where the little extension came loose. I didn't want that to happen (even if it is unlikely).

 

The B&M short shifter installation instructions say the installation of hard bushings is optional and give better performance, but may cause vibration. Is the vibration transmitted into the chassis or just the shifter? How noticable and obvious is it?

 

I haven't noticed any vibration at all. I'd imagine it would just transmit the vibration to the shifter.

 

It seems that there are two different mods that we are confusing...

Shortening the height of the shift ****.

Shortening the throw distance between gears.

I guess I am interested in a Short THROW shifter.