Shift Lever and Short Shifters

[psyber_0ptix]

i'm encountering problems fitting my mz3 shifter with an e36 driveshaft. I'll be using the UUC Effort Reducing Kit (raised shifter cup) to help gain clearance and eliminate notchyness. The throw is absolutely perfect.

[DmcL]

Z3M shifter here.. fit right in tho car has no balancer. not sure if i was given a support arm for the stick that was too short or what the deal was but i had to get someone to weld a peice of 1 inch length aluminum in the support arm to be able to get into reverse and 5th without hitting the trans tunnel. FWIW the support arm was ordered from BMW (dontremember part num off hand) and when i compared it to the arm that was on the gearbox previously it was about an inch or so shorter.. gives uber short shifting but it is notchy. notchyness doesnt bother me tho, hardly notice it when ur ramming it into the next gear anyway. i did also install a UUC RK2 to add a little weight to the shifter. it kept pulling off with that weeny grub screw so i put in a small bolt and tightened it... alot... lol

[evil_twin]

So who has modded a z3 1.9L shifter? I want to shorten the height. I have an aluminum welder.

[Schwarz325]

bringing it up to the top, can you use the m coupe or m z3 roadster shifter? i heard the m coupe one is alot shorter and notchier. I kinda like notchy shifters

[slo325i]

Just letting the world know, i got one of those ebay Ralco kits, and they are awesome. It dropped right in and made a huge difference. I recommend it to anyone.

If you like a bit notchy feel and VERY short shifting, give Ralco a try.

[evilnickwong]

Yes the Z4s are straight without the bend. This causes it to sit a little bit forward compared to the normal bent levers.
Annoying at first, but you'll get used to it eventually. :D

* If you look at the picture of my shifter above, that's in N and you can see it's sitting a little forward.

[AbsorbantNut]

Is the Z4 2.5 bent?

No, its straight like the z4 3.0

Its a straight line up and down

[phenryiv1]

nope. i dont think the 2.5 is bent. ppl say it sits streight up and kinda weird. but that they get used to it.

Thanks for the info.

im pritty sure you can bend it.

eh, for the ~0.3" taller, I'll wuss out with the 1.9 shifter.

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

This thread is now 46 pages, an dI read through 11 of them and still caon't find this basic answer.

It seens that bent rods keep the shifter in a more natural position as far as being centered in the shift gate.

The Z3 1.9 is bent.

Is the Z4 2.5 bent?

nope. i dont think the 2.5 is bent. ppl say it sits streight up and kinda weird. but that they get used to it. but im pritty sure you can bend it.

[phenryiv1]

This thread is now 46 pages, an dI read through 11 of them and still caon't find this basic answer.

It seens that bent rods keep the shifter in a more natural position as far as being centered in the shift gate.

The Z3 1.9 is bent.

Is the Z4 2.5 bent?

[jakkerd]

I ordered the e36 lever. The height is the same, keeps it looking stock, but throw is noticeably shorter.

Comparison:

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

you could go for the z4 3.0. you'll like it if you like really short, notchy throws.

the z3 levers are a favorite too, but i don't have experience with those.

i didn't want a notchy shift for my daily driver, so i went with the z4 2.5 :)


Also, this site has a comparison picture of throw lengths for the 2.5 and 3.0:
http://www.msportster.co.uk/faq.asp?FAQ=2

thanks that explained so much!!!

but damn i dont know if i want it as short as the 3.0 since its my DD. i Think that the 2.5 is a perfect short shifter in this case.

[evilnickwong]

you could go for the z4 3.0. you'll like it if you like really short, notchy throws.

the z3 levers are a favorite too, but i don't have experience with those.

i didn't want a notchy shift for my daily driver, so i went with the z4 2.5 :)


Also, this site has a comparison picture of throw lengths for the 2.5 and 3.0:

http://www.msportster.co.uk/faq.asp?FAQ=2

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

Well the spacer rings are cheap, so no harm getting a few in case you do need it, but as mentioned, you probably won't need to.
And yeah, selector rod won't need to be bent with a 2.5.

so i was told that the 2.5 is the shortest up top but dosent have the shortest throw. If i wante the shortest throw i would need the???

[evilnickwong]

Well the spacer rings are cheap, so no harm getting a few in case you do need it, but as mentioned, you probably won't need to.
And yeah, selector rod won't need to be bent with a 2.5.