Shifter: Higher up for easy access or Lower for....??

[mikejungle]

It seems like everyone goes for the shorter shifter (because it looks cooler?), but it makes sense that for quick access, a shifter that's closer to the steering wheel would be more sensible. So what's going on? Is the lower knob purely for looks or does it serve a purpose too?

I thought this topic would fit better here than in the "interior" forum.

[nosignal]

Short shifters are meant to provide a shorter throw between gears, enabling you to shift from gear to gear quicker. It's not purely for looks, though the shorter rod does look a bit better I think.

I agree with you though, the positive effects of a STS would probably be lost if you had to reach way down to grab it.

[ldsbeaker]

To be totally honest, I really like the aesthetics, and "feel" of the shorter stick rather than the function.
Although, my first experience with a "short shifter" was in an Eclipse (which was heavenly: snick, snick) pretty much sold me. I'm a huge person, though, so it's no big deal for me to reach down a little farther. I'm happy with my Z4 stick in both of the cars I've done it in. While I can understand the concept of having a longer stick to be closer to the wheel... I don't think more than 1% of drivers on the road are in a situation where this matters.

(I guess the same could be said for the short shifter, too)

[E30_fiend]

Well there is a guy on here that used to sell these shift levers and he made them in some pretty crazy lengths. I think his longest one was 10 inches. I bought a 7 inch one and it was sleight. It seems to make the shift feel close but ultimately it made it feel sloppy. So that is no longer on, I am very happy with my z4 3.0 lever.

For reference, the 10 inch I believe in first was about a half inch from the top of the radio or CD player!!


E30Fiend

[DoriftuEvo]

I installed an E53 X5 shift lever because, to me, the term "short shifter" means short throw shifter. As you can see in the picture below, the lever arm below the pivot point is longer than on the stock lever which means the throw is shorter. The throw is less than stock, but I've gained a couple inches of height on the lever.

On another note, I replaced all the bushings in the shifter linkage with stock rubber and I still have some slop. I don't think this is related to the longer shift lever, but I have not looked into it yet.

[FredK]

Holy smokes that shifter is loooong!

You're definitely right, the throw won't be long at all because of the elongated section beneath the pivot ball.

Do you have a part number on that thing?

[DoriftuEvo]

That's the X5 shifter and all the parts for a linkage rebuild. The blue numbers correspond to the realoem.com diagram.



Edit: ^ E30 linkage.

[AndrewBird]

It's amazing how little has changed over the years. The X5 even has a bitch clip!

I guess don't fix something that ain't broke.

[DoriftuEvo]

Just so there's no confusion, the above linkage image is for the E30. The following image is the E53 linkage:



...but yes, the E53 X5 does appear to have a bitch clip.

[netcsk]

Did you straighten the rod out? Custom shit boot to cover the whole thing?

[AndrewBird]

I was going to say, that looks UNCANNILY familiar.

[AlarmedBread]

I have this, I can touch the steering wheel while in reverse.

z3 something that has the longest bottom portion.

[mikejungle]

well, i was using the term "short shifter" to describe a shifter that is short in length, not a short throw shifter.

[nando]

yes, a "short" shitfter reffering to the length of the rod is just for looks. it doesn't do you any good to have the lever further from the wheel, and making it more difficult to move the lever isn't helpful either.

[DoriftuEvo]

Did you straighten the rod out? Custom shift boot to cover the whole thing?

I straightened the rod to approximately the same angle as the original shifter. My car is track dedicated, so I don't have a console or shift boot. I did however, have those parts when I installed the shift lever, and the original boot did not fit well.



I also removed the drive shaft vibration dampener to avoid contacting the lowered shift rod (part 10 in the diagram). Contrary to immediate intuition, removal of the "vibration dampener" did not cause extra vibration or any other drivetrain issues.