Geo

Installing meaningless stuff for looks isn't rice?

There is no performance to be gained. It's just to get the look of some other car. In this case a Ferrari. Purely an image mod. Sounds like rice to me.

I don't see how it's any different from installing blue headlight bulbs trying to imitate HIDS.

FSTPRSH

Not tryin to be a dick in any way, but what about the 968 mirrors and handles? What abou the Euro Fog/Driving lights for the 951 that allow both lights to work? Polished or painted wheels? Chrome exhaust tip, 993 steering wheel? These all have no relavent (meaningless) affect on performance, but they look so much better.

Not necissarily some other car, but the overall appearence.

kevin Dubois

by that logic, i should strip the paint off of my car? it doesn't improve performance at all, and i think it is only there for aestetics.

i don't think gated shifters are rice. some people are just overly paranoid about changing the looks of there car.

i think we should make a set of rules that defines what makes a car rice or not. i will start:

1. giant rear wing on a FWD car
2. stickers/badges for products not on the car
3. any neon lights (underbody, interior, washer squirters)
4. muffler louder then my VW (it has an exhaust, but it is broken off after the cat, and is surprisingly quiet still)
5. any interior that i decide is rice (yes, i will be the final authority=) usually includes a giant tac with shift light on automatic cars, to much spray paint on trim pieces, more tv screens then people that can fit in the car.)
more to come...

FSAEracer03

I think "rice" isn't the addition of meaningless mods for looks, but rather the addition of distasteful and/or gaudy changes for looks. Enen though all that is subjective to say the least, so many changes to cars are made for better looks, but certainly don't classify "rice." Brad had good examples of such modifications. Gated shifters, though are counter-productive for a track car, as they take away the shifters diagonal movement, are a classical touch to a car IMHO. I'm not sure whether one might look good in a '44, but I'm open to the idea! It also adds something to the drive, does it not? Being forced to thoughtfully place the shifter into each gate and hearing each "snikt" would sure put a smile on my face!

But like I said, as with many things in the car world, this is pure conjecture and is just IMO.

-Kevin

red9four4

lets start a poll and see who thinks its rice or not

hacker-pschorr

#1 problem with a gated shifter on a porshe is the shift lever itself. Look at any Ferrari/Lamborghini. They have a nice round chrome shift lever. You would have to make a custome shift lever and **** to get the whole effect of the look. The gold color rectangle that is under our shift boots would look like hell with a gated shifter and no shift boot.

Real Ferrari gated shifter:




Rice "addon" gated shifter on a honda:

theedge

On the plasma table where I work that would take < a minute to cut I bet...

sweanders

Imagine all of the vibrations you'd get if you get one of those things in a 944/968.

Yabo

just to add to the non - rice statement.. i want to get a conversion front spoiler for my NA, to give it more the look of a 951, maybe the rear lower valence too. ive seen others do this. i dont think its rice.
goodday!

SeaCay

Screw the shift gates, I want a sequential shifter for my ride...

Blue S2

Ok, picture 1 - Ferrari Gate - Sexy
Pk, picture 2 - Honda w/ gate - EMBARRASING!!!!!!!!!!

I would hide my face if someone saw that in my car! Like...is it plastic????

And if you pay attention, the Italian gates are not that narrow. You could probably shift just fine if you pay any attention at all.

alpenweissisnice

I could have this all wrong, but here's my .02:

My understanding is that originally gated shift plates were necessary to keep the driver from stirring the wrong gear, before synchros became the norm. They were associated with racing cars, and since Ferrari street cars were always derivatives of their racing program (Enzo believed street cars were a necessary evil to keep his racing program alive) gated shifters have become synomous with Ferrari, and those companies that were emulating/competing with them. I imagine today they are not so necessary for keeping the gearbox from grenading but are more about identity and style.

And I agree, there is nothing sexier (in the car world) as a gated Ferrari shifter with that big chrome ****. Even if the F1 tranny with the paddle shifter is faster, I'd have to opt for the 6 speed. In my Maranello 550. Fly yellow with black leather...As they say, dreamin's free.......

hacker-pschorr

Are they realted to the Heaven's Gate Cult?

Sorry.

horsepowerfarm

Sea Cay,

I'm with you. I'm working on a sequential shifter for our cars, might be finished this summer.

Steve Cooper

I owned a 71 deTomaso Pantera for a number of years. It sported a 351ci V8 mated to a five speed ZF transaxle with a gated shifter. The gated shifter was an interesting beast to live with.

If the shift linkage wasn't perfectly adjusted for fore/aft/lateral travel it wouldn't fully engage, could pop out of gears, would vibrate like hell and would even wear a groove in the shaft or wear the gates. Check any older and actually driven ferrari, pantera, maserati or lamborghini with a gated shifter, and you'll see evidence of this wear due to mis-adjustment.

The gate also needed to be adjusted and if not perfectly aligned could make shifting a tough chore, if not impossible.

The guy that bought my pantera found it so difficult to shift and drive that I had to drive it home for him and park it in his ultra-lux garage. When "he" test drove the car prior to purchasing it, he had to ask me to show him what the car could do, 'cause he clearly couldn't get it to do jack ****. Behind the wheel, I could upshift and downshift the thing quickly and cleanly, so he was comfortable that any problems were with him and not the car.

Would I ever want to install a gated shifter in my 951? Hell no. With vibration points at 1800, 2000, 3200 and 4000 rpms, it would drive me crazy. They are interesting to look at, have an exotic quality to them, but are impractical in our cars.