MX-3.com

I just have the stock shift stick and sometimes i feel like i need to reach, so whats the point of a shorter shifter, its gotta be harder to reach, no?

it shorten the shift time between gears. Less effort. what do you mean by reach? The shifter will a lot shorter.

Thats what i thought but i guess everyone has there own preference, am planning on lowering that dam console so i can reach my shifter..

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by monstar-mx-3:
it shorten the shift time between gears. Less effort. what do you mean by reach? The shifter will a lot shorter.<hr></blockquote><p>exactly, if its shorter, its farther away from your body, me thinks

The B&M Short shifter is not really all that shorter. I think it might be 2 inchs shorter maybe.. The way short shifters work is by changing the angles of the shifter, not just hacking the top off.. I love my short shifter.. Try it you will be gald you did...

For now I only lengthened the bottom of the shifter, reducing the throw distance. It's actually less of a reach now. I am debating wether or not to take some off the top side.
Andy P. 93 GS

I lengthened the bottom, and cut the top bend out of the upper part, so the knob sits further back and lower. See the pic in this thread, http://www.mx-3.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=15&t=002518

On a true short shifter because the throw is shorter, getting to 5th and reverse is easier for those of us with short arms. It doesn't really sit lower however. I believe it is shortened off the bottom end not the top.
I also had bronziol bushings installed at the same time as my B&M shifter and even though the throw is shorter, it takes a lot more force (strength) to shift. But, because they were both done at the same time I couldn't tell you how much of that was caused by the shifter and how much was caused by the bushings.
Steve

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Matrix733:
Thats what i thought but i guess everyone has there own preference, am planning on lowering that dam console so i can reach my shifter.. <hr></blockquote><p>Unless you are a dwarf (no insult intended to the "little people" on the board), the stock shifter length shold practically hit you in the nose every time you reach for the radio! <p>Even with my Pacesetter short shifter adjusted all the way down, it is still too high for my tastes.
Then again, I have a Miata also which gives me a taste for how short a shifter should be.

The term "short shifter" makes no reference to how high the shift knob sits from the shift gate. It refers to the distance your hand has to travel between opposing gears. SO a short shifter actually makes the shaft below the pivot point longer so that the shift knob has to travel a lesser distance to shift gears. A.K.A. the angle between 3rd gear and 4th gear is less than it would be with a standard shifter. This is also why it's called a "short THROW shifter." The throws between gears are shorter, in essence making shift times shorter. Cutting the upper part will also perform similarly by making the distance your hand has to travel smaller. Although the angle will remain the same, which will cause you to provide more force to shift gears. This isn't usually a problem for most people. But usually people lengthen the lower section of the shift lever to provide the short throw effect.<p>I went back and re-read my post and I came off as somewhat of a jerk. I appologize to anyone that took my post in the wrong context<p>[ April 25, 2003: Message edited by: VizualXTC ]</p>

i was thinking about getting a short shifter...is this something that can be installed yourself? or is it better to let someone that knows what their doing do it?

i always though that short shifter was a shorter stick, which quick shifter was for shifting faster

Yep I too have the B&M short shifter, The top is just about the same size. Guys that cut of there top end just do that for the looks it really doenst do anything

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Mnemonic:
Guys that cut of there top end just do that for the looks it really doenst do anything<hr></blockquote>
It does exactly the same as lengthening the bottom - (as Visual said 4 posts up) - its just simple Class 1 levers theory.

I took a hacksaw to my stock shifter and took ~2 inches off the top. However, since im like 6"5...i have no problem shifting. It's a bit stiffer than it was, but nothing to complain about. Im happy