Short Throw Shift

[Checkers]

Hi guys, I'm looking to replace my shifter. I knew I had a short shifter in my car, but it's not real a short shift kit. Basically what the previous owner did was take a hacksaw to the shift rod, and then hot glued the shift knob back on top. I'm sure you all can see the problem here..... What is a good short throw shift kit, and how had would it be to install? This is basically my first car (I had a beater that I saved from a junkyard) but it was never worth putting money into it, so I bought my Eclipse. Anyways, I don't have a great deal of knowledge working on cars, but I'm trying. Would it be ok to try and do this myself? My only concern is if I do it wrong, I can't take it to a mechanic. Has anyone tried this before? If so, did you use a site? Thanks everyone for all the help!

 

[fourleaf033]

after all that...is there anyone that sells a short throw that reduces the throw alot?

 

[2GbTalonGuy]

get a b&m short throw shift kit.

 

[GIRman67]

STM and Mach V sell a B&M Short Shifter for about $179 + shipping. Mach V says it has 2 different throw settings one reduces throw by 35% other is 50%
here's the link to Mach V
B&M Short Shifter (95-99)
by the way definitely recommend getting the Symborski shift kit they mention on that page I put that kit in my car and it made my shift feel way nicer with no slop in the shift

here's the link to the symborski shift kit they are machined pieces and are a direct fitment took me about 30mins to do I think
Symborski Shifter Kit

 

[fourleaf033]

When i bought my 98 GSX the guy told me it had a B&M set at 50% reduction...it doesnt seem all that short. if it has 50% reduction the regular shifter has a huge throw

 

[2GbTalonGuy]

They do make the throw quite a bit shorter. I wouldnt say 50% though.

 

[Dyesuperman]

I don't think B&M is worth it, the ebay short shifters have improved since the times when they broke a lot. Mine has held up great for 6 months now. You can get one for 40 max

 

[DSM_IKE]

Actually you're wrong. Lowering the pivot point is what reduces the force required to move the shifter. Cutting the shifter down DOES reduce the range of the shifter. Think of it like this- Stock shifter is say 2" (ease of calculations), say we move the shifter 180 degrees between 1st and 2nd (again ease of calculations), since C=pi x D that means that you are moving the shifter 2pi inches from 1st to 2nd. Now lets say you cut 1" off essentially making the radius 1". Now you're range from 1st to 2nd is .5pi, thus cutting your THROW in half.

Actually im not.. If you read my entire post you would see that what i had said was that cutting the shifter does not give you the same effect as a true short shifter.

 

[Tyeler18]

Actually a true short shifter had a lower pivot point witch gives it its short throw, all cutting the top off one really does is lower the point where you hold onto the shifter itself but does not really shorten the range of the shift. So unless you know how to fab one yourself correctly or know someone who can, you might as well do it the right way and buy a decent kit.

Read again. 1st sentence- untrue. The pivot point is lower to reduce the force. It has NOTHING to do with shifter height. Also you said it doesntshorten the range by cutting the shifter down. wrong. Simple geometry proves that it DOES shorten the range. So again, you are wrong.

 

[Clinical]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned yet that short throw shifters are pretty pointless in DSM's...

Our shifters are already very short throw and great from the factory. If you have a 1g just get a 2g shift knob and you're golden.

 

[DSM_IKE]

Well im not going to say anymore on this subject since it is not important anyway.

 

[Checkers]

I appreciate all the answers guys, but what it boils down to is; how hard is it to install a new shifter? Can a newbie to cars do it?

 

[GsXdSmKingGsX]

B&M and Fidanza make great short throw kits! A little less than 50% throw reduction for both!

And yes even a n00b can do it. It was my 3rd mod to my car when I still had it.

 

[1GDSMGreek]

@Checkers:

A word of caution: the Fidanza short shifters require a wee bit of "modification" in order to properly install, meaning some metal cutting may be involved. This may or may not be beyond the skill level of a "n00b" depending on what you're comfortable doing.

If you want to play it safe, you can always grab a spare shifter from the junkyard as a backup, or you can use it to practice on. But either way, you're learning and gaining experience from it. I've only owned my DSM for less than 2 years and I've done more on that car myself than my previous car, which I had for about a decade.

 

[laserspeeddemon]

Hi guys, I'm looking to replace my shifter. I knew I had a short shifter in my car, but it's not real a short shift kit. Basically what the previous owner did was take a hacksaw to the shift rod, and then hot glued the shift knob back on top. I'm sure you all can see the problem here..... What is a good short throw shift kit, and how had would it be to install? This is basically my first car (I had a beater that I saved from a junkyard) but it was never worth putting money into it, so I bought my Eclipse. Anyways, I don't have a great deal of knowledge working on cars, but I'm trying. Would it be ok to try and do this myself? My only concern is if I do it wrong, I can't take it to a mechanic. Has anyone tried this before? If so, did you use a site? Thanks everyone for all the help!

Your car says N/A so I can only assume you are referring to the 2g in your profile. But just in case you're not. I love the factory throw in my 1g. I have ball bearing bushings on the both sides and I wanna say the rubber bushing on the shifter mount has been upgraded. I've never felt a more confident, accurate throw.

 

[KyDSM]

Vfaq has your answer.


Go to the shifter tab. Your answer will be there.


Visual Frequently Answered Questions - Home Page

 

[SpawnedX]

So let me get this straight, people say that getting a short throw shifter is bad because you will be slamming into gears faster and possibly damage your fork. Then in the same breath they say cutting your shifter is ok, because it is the same thing and cheaper? Worthless argument.

The eBay short shifters suck, don't let someone who cheaped out and is looking for confirmation on their purchase trick you. I had one, though it was a Megan Racing, same cheap Chinese crap. It had way too much excessive side to side play and made me feel very unconfident about the accuracy of my shifts. Swapped to a B&M and you can tell the difference, no matter what the eBay jockeys say.

laserspeeddemon, where did you get the ball bearings for the shift?

 

[laserspeeddemon]

laserspeeddemon, where did you get the ball bearings for the shift?

STM SHIFTER CABLE BEARING KIT
Mine are black.
http://www.extremepsi.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=21456&cat=571&page=1

 

[SpawnedX]

Oh, der, I just ordered those, .

 

[Silver99OZ]

So let me get this straight, people say that getting a short throw shifter is bad because you will be slamming into gears faster and possibly damage your fork. Then in the same breath they say cutting your shifter is ok, because it is the same thing and cheaper? Worthless argument.

The eBay short shifters suck, don't let someone who cheaped out and is looking for confirmation on their purchase trick you. I had one, though it was a Megan Racing, same cheap Chinese crap. It had way too much excessive side to side play and made me feel very unconfident about the accuracy of my shifts. Swapped to a B&M and you can tell the difference, no matter what the eBay jockeys say.

laserspeeddemon, where did you get the ball bearings for the shift?

I had a Megan Racing one too, and it was garbage. I got it for xmas like four years ago. Never even got it on the car, the threads were not even the right size for the stud to go into so I sent it back and had no desire to get another one. Stuck with the stock one for a few years, last spring I picked up a used B&M and I love it. I also have brass linkage bushings and the ES base bushings.

 

[KyDSM]

Watch out for the Ebay junk out there.