What is "Make me reinstall the old stock shifter" for a thou$and Alex...

OK, so it was a lame Jeopardy reference but seriously folks, if you still have the old shifter in your car you can't possibly get more pleasure for your $85 than buying a Short Shifter.
I just switched mine out and it's amazing how different and better it is!
Working the shifter is so tight precise and quick now that it feels like a totally different car.

 

We have 29 in stock ready to ship....today

 

would be an IMPROVEMENT.....

K

 

Am I the only one skeptical about short shifers?
I wont use one because I feel that it will make missed shifts more likely during hard driving. I've always felt that they appeal to non-track types becasue it sounds like a good idea and is easy to install. Am I wrong? Does anyone use one on a racer?

 

After installing and using mine I was thinking just the opposite! It feels like the stick can only go to one place now instead of feeling like I'm rolling the dice to see which gear I hit.
Maybe because mine was so loose before, one of the circlips wasn't even on the stub....
Watching my arm while shifting gears with the old shifter I used to look like Joe Cocker holding the microphone while he sings!
Now its very little movement between gears and it seems like a very controlled transition.

 

I think it's also a case of making sure the stock shifter works 100% as designed. I've driven a few 928's where people complain how bad the sifter is, sure enough something was broken. They just assumed that is how they were since everyone talks about how bad these shifters are.

 

I used to drive Corvair vans, the shifter is several feet long and the pivot point is well rearward. Shifting is like shaking hands very enthusiastically with your arm extended.

 

I have one and i have to be honest i dont think its that great. what it did create was a rattle because you eliminate thesptings which serve as dampers. The rattle i get is from the plastic insert and i had to fix it with a small peice of foam to make it tighter.

Its cool, but i dont think the effect is as dramatic as a SS can be for other cars. It still dosent shift like a honda S2000.

 

Ryan the GT came from the factory with a shorter shifter so yes you would see less "benefit" than most.

 

Great analogy.

V-dub bus here. Flat steering wheel and that LOOONNNNGGG Shifter. That was cool. The thing would flex when you shifted as well, so the throw was really long. I cut down my stock shifter and made a 'shortened' shifter (The lower section has the same hole distance, so the leverage isn't the same) but the difference was huge. I feel like my shifts are much more precise and easier.

One 'lister said it best when he said, "I don't force it into gear, I kind of 'offer it up' and let it slide in" or something like that. It's a feel thing, but I don't think I've missed a shift since I changed it.

 

Jim...ignorant question follows...
On the short shifter is the distance between the front/rear gear shift rods greater than a stock S4 shifter? In other words is the throw shortened? I hacked off 1.25" to shorten the stick but obviously the throw not that much shorter but hey...it looks cooler. Just curious..Thanks!

 

Correct the geometry was changed as you suspected.

 

Then I'm going to need one of these from you soon, Jim.

 

I tried the short shifter for 1 day. Removed it then sold it.
The manual shows yaw and pitch adjustments for the front piviot. If the the linkage is out of adjustment, combined with excessive play in the shifter/linkage/trans rails then shifting is sloppy.

In my opinion, the rave with the short shifter is it masks the root problems mentioned above.

 

What if its fixed? I just did the front and back linkage tightening, plus the plastic bushings. Will it work for me?