So I really want to pick up a short shifter. After driving Mustangs and Cobras for years with short throw shifters in them, I don't like the "truck" feel of the MINI shifter.

So my question is, I read that a lot of them can't be used with a lot of aftermarket exhausts. So, what exhausts CAN you use with a short throw shifter?

Also, I've read that some just change the throw, not the actual height of the shaft. Which ones also reduce the height of the shaft?

 

I'm running the Helix SSK which retains the factory shifter height, and I run a Milltek exhaust with no fitment issues whatsoever. The Helix SSK is the best forty bucks you can spend on your mini as fas as I'm concerned.

 

I agree that it DOES feel good, but I'd like to find one that makes the shaft shorter...but worry about exhaust fitment.

 

The Alta SS lever.. is a shorter shift lever in the cabin and is adjustable throw (below the pivot ball).. And it all fits within the stock shift box (so no clearance problems with exhaust)..

For what it is worth..
After having done my own Alta lever install, I see it hard for the shift lever to interfeer with the exhaust at all.. It would be above the heat shield (and the exhaust below)...

Not sure where you concern for exhaust & short shifter interference comes from..But I don't think it can happen on a MINI..

Enjoy

 

The MINI is the only place I've heard about it, people saying that when you isntall one you can't have any aftermarket exhaust that has a resonator.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...esonator+shift

Looks like ALTA is probably the way to go

 

FWIW: after driving a miata with a SSK, the Helix SSK on my MINI makes me very happy. and, at $40, it is a steal.

 

its only gonna hit something when you have the alta as low as it can go. you can only go so low until you hit the heat sheild. the exhaust doesnt really have much to do with it.

maybe on other systems. i have a magnaflow. when installing my alta ssk. i just took the dust cover off and left it off. then i dented in the exhuast heat sheild so i could get the alta to its lowest reduction witout scraping on the heat sheild. i really like the alta, havent tried any others but its very tight.

only thing i dont like about those types of kits is that they make the shifter so low. why make the throw shorter but then have to reach way down to get to it. its kinda going in the wrong direction. thats why thanks to onasled i had an extension made to bring it back up higher then stock. but the tthrow was still way shorter. its damn near perfect now. thank you onasled!!!

 

i like my pilo shift kit, a lot shorter (though not as short as the alta), and despite what everyone said about pilo's quality, i have had it now for about 2 and a half years, and it still feels as good as it ever did!

 

How about the Craven? The people I know with it think it's great, it's short like the Alta but easier to adjust in height (can even be done whilst driving....scary!)
cheers,

 

I've been thinking about that Cravenspeed shifter, and the trick shift well cover they sell too, for quite a long time. I'm hoping that I'll get one for Christmas.

Has anyone used the Cravenspeed shifter? If so, please comment on how you like it, ease of install, etc. Thanks!

 

I have the magnaflow and B&M shifter. The B&M Is basically the same height but in the mini I think thats a good thing. The shifters height is perfectly in my arm range atleast.

The B&M has a bigger black box that everyonce in a while touches the exhaust and makes a funny noise. But its rare and not a big deal.

 

I have sold several CravenSpeed shifters, and they are awesome... I always try to keep 1 of each in stock.
Here is a pic of one installed with the cover.. They work with all shift ***** too.
--Dan

 

Ok, so now we've concluded that if they are at their lowest setting, it will hit the exhaust.

I understand that these shift kits basically lower the lever by extending it down under the car. Call me stupid but why don't they make one that just has a shorter shaft...not one that can be adjusted. I don't care to adjust mine, ever. No need. Set it and leave it. Couldn't you just like cut 3 inches out of the stock lever, and weld it back together? Woudln't that be a shorter lever (throw would be the same). I don't get why they all make this "adjustable" when it then hits the exhaust when it's down at the lowest setting.

So, why do they keep the lever so long?

 

It does not hit the exhaust, it helps to make an small indention in the heat shield

 

OK, you're stupid!

You could just take a hack saw and chop off a few inches, but that would through off the entire weight balance of the shifter. To illustrate, think of a seesaw that you'd see in a play ground.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Seesaw-aa.jpg

If you wanted to lift a person sitting on the one side where would you apply your weight? Obviously, you'd sit on the other end. But what if you sat halfway between the other end and the pivot point? You may still lift the other side, but it would be much more difficult because you lose a lot of leverage when you move closer to the pivot point.

The same principal applies to shifters. If you just hack off a few inches the shifter will require much more effort to shift. To do it properly, you need to either extend the lower part of the shifter and/or add more weigh to the shift **** (which explains why people like Whalen shift ***** so much). The B&M does this very effectively, but in my experience they can have a tendency to virbrate. The adjustable shifters do this also, but allow you to customize it so that you strike the balance between shifter height, length of through and effort required to shift. Why is this important? The shifter preference of a 6 foot tall 200lb guy is going to be MUCH different than a much smaller person. This way they can make and sell a shifter that will appeal to a much larger group of people.

 

Different people are trying to do different things. Making the arc that the shift **** moves, front to back, thru shorter is what some people are trying to accomplish. Others are trying to get the **** as close to the floor/transmission tunnel as possible. Different desires, different methods.

Some people, such as "jammin636", want the **** close to the steering wheel so that they can reach it quickly. They also want the front to back movement of the **** reduced. This is most desirable for sport driving such as rally driving. It allows the driver to keep his hands on the wheel more of the time.

My personal preference is to have the **** up close to the wheel with reduced movement even though I do not rally. I have installed a "Tall Ergonomic ****" from MOMO and the Ultrik SSK from Mini Mania which extends the length of the lever below the pivot point. This maintains the stock shift lever inside the car. The feel is fantastic. Very tight, direct but still easy to move through the gears, even reverse.

jaynicholson says; "The same principal applies to shifters. If you just hack off a few inches the shifter will require much more effort to shift. To do it properly, you need to either extend the lower part of the shifter and/or add more weigh to the shift **** (which explains why people like Whalen shift ***** so much)."

To keep the ratios between the lengths of the shift lever above and below the pivot the same you will actually need to shorten the length below the pivot if you shorten what is above the pivot. This will keep the effort the same. It will also keep the distance the **** moves the same.

I think you are confusing weight on a see-saw with force to move a stick shift. Having a heavy shift **** only forces you to exert more effort to accelerate the **** each and every time you shift. You will have to accelerate the **** from a stationary position as you try to speed it thru the shift pattern. The heavier the **** the more work you do. Lighter is always easier to move. The weight may mask other issues, but it does not make it easier.

The most common complaint that I hear about the SSKs that shorten the lever inside the car is the the force required to get into reverse is very high and makes shifting into reverse a problem. Even more so on a cold winter day.

But each to his own. That is what makes this world so wonderful.

 

I had a batch of bolt on shifters (same as ultrik ssk) made a few years ago, I had installed close to 200 of them. Helix took this design that I sent them and made the ratio even shorter (23%- about 40%). I now purchase these from Helix. They feel great, and retain the stock height at top, which (as mentioned) keeps the leverage to move it. The adjustable shifters, at the shortest throw, have much increased effort...not a bad thing, just personal preference... but that is why there are options.
The exhaust should not be a concern, it will not hit.

 

True, a heavier **** will take more force, but only at the begining of the shift. Once a heavier mass is in motion it has more momentum. There are, of course, limitations to that principle as it applies to shifters, but it does apply. As you said, it's finding the correct balance between everything.

 

I was about to post that. I noticed it took me some getting use to, too actually engage in a gear after I installed my B&M. while its a much shorter throw it took more effort to actually put it in gear. ITs not a big deal anymore but I definatly noticed it

 

Ok, thanks for all the replies. I understand that different strokes for different folks, just that by exending it downward and hitting the exhaust, those of us who want the shorter lever are getting the "short end of the stick" haha. They should just make two types, IMO.

BUT, it's all good. It's not going to be too tight. I ran both a Steeda and a MGW on my 03 Cobra, both were VERY notchy and both were VERY stiff, and that's exactly what I love...so I know it's in gear. I'm not a fan of the sloppiness. I bench press over 365lbs currently twice a week in my routine...I don't think it's going to be "too hard to push" LOL.......but I could be wrong

 

Helix SS and Milltek Exhaust here. Even with the big resonator right off cat, the shifter fits fine. Easy install! BEST $45 spent on the car yet!