I love my Whalen shift ****, but I also miss the size (but not the mass) of the stock Mini shifter.

So Doug told me that he could make a 2.5 inch diameter Whalen shift machine that would weigh 33 ounces (935 grams). The standard Whalen shift machine is 18 ounces (510 grams).

The stock Mini shifter is 2 3/16 inches in diameter, and the Whalen has a 2 inch diameter. So the diameter increase I'm looking at is only 5/16", which is not really that much. Barely noticeable over stock. The far bigger effect would be the weight.

So here are my questions:

1) Would a shift **** that heavy damage the transmission in any way?

2) Would I get even smoother shifts?

 

For "smoother" more positive shifts I'd suggest a short shift kit like those sold by Helix13 or Mini Mania. Doesn't lower the shift **** but does help the shift action feel solid.

A heavier larger shift **** should be OK for a bigger hand. I don't think you would get any damage to other parts of the shifter itself. One note - shifting slowly and precisely is always better than shifting fast and abruptly. To go faster you move slower- same deal with steering. I'd guess that it would take less effort to shift with a heavy ****, especially if it fit your hand better.