Shift Lever and Short Shifters

[asubimmer]

Oh man oh man the Z4 2.5 lever made a HUGE difference! Not too notchy at all compared to what I've driven, it's nice to have the click-click feel honestly. I did notice one thing I forgot to consider after installation. The stock shift knob will not fit!

Which one have you guys purchased to make up for the shorter lenght of the rod where the shift knob goes?

umm.... mine fits. I'm still looking for a diff (nicer looking) knob

[optimusp517]

umm.... mine fits. I'm still looking for a diff (nicer looking) knob

Mine doesn't, but I surely need to upgrade to a shorter knob.

Any suggestions? If not I'm going to get the bmw one instead.

[optimusp517]

anyone else feel that the z4 2.5 doesn't feel that short at all, or maybe I've just grown used to it, but I don't feel like I've shorten my throws that much.

[KenC]

You posted like three posts above about how "HUGE" of a difference it made...

[Jordan]

I'm really sick of my 1.9L Z3 lever these days. Its time for a full linkage rebuild and a much shorter lever.

[nefarious7907]

I might be in the market for a 1.9 lever if you want something else

[Jordan]

Yeah, after the new year comes I will be swapping it out.

[optimusp517]

You posted like three posts above about how "HUGE" of a difference it made...

I know haha. Sorry.

I need to test out the M lever, might give the Z4 3.0 again, but I'll need to have it bent for me.

[E30 Wagen]

just to recap, disregarding the length of the top, the longer the bottom part of the shifter, the shorter the throw, correct? Also, there seems to be a positive correlation between a shorter throw, and increased notchiness or difficulty finding gears. Is this true? My small brain just can't comprehend this.

I'm thinking I would like the z3 3.0 for a slightly faster throw but still closer to stock height, without the notchiness of a z4 2.5. Or am I contradicting myself?

Edit:
actually i mean z4 3.0

[asubimmer]

I know haha. Sorry.

I need to test out the M lever, might give the Z4 3.0 again, but I'll need to have it bent for me.

the z4 2.5 & 3.0 are the same lengths on the top but the 3.0 is longer on the bottom creating a shorter shift but also a knotchier one also. one way to fix that is to raise the shifter up a bit to level out the selector rod which would make the shift lever fell and look longer. you could always get one of the small ball shift knobs and cut the top of the lever shorter.

[optimusp517]

the z4 2.5 & 3.0 are the same lengths on the top but the 3.0 is longer on the bottom creating a shorter shift but also a knotchier one also. one way to fix that is to raise the shifter up a bit to level out the selector rod which would make the shift lever fell and look longer. you could always get one of the small ball shift knobs and cut the top of the lever shorter.

I'm looking for a shorter throw that you've mentioned. Notchiness isn't an issue at all. The main reason I need to bend it is the linkage will hit the driveshaft (based on experience). Does BMA sell the shift rod pre-bent already so that I can just slip it right in?

[KenC]

Also, there seems to be a positive correlation between a shorter throw, and increased notchiness or difficulty finding gears. Is this true? My small brain just can't comprehend this.

T=F * l

If you decrease the lever arm length (l), then you will decrease the amount of torque you can apply to the transmission if the force applied to the lever remains constant.

[asubimmer]

optimusp517: I don't think BMA sells pre bent selector rods

E30 Wagen: a shorter shifter is not always really knotchy. the levers only become knotchy when the bottom part is lenghtened, this is b/c the selector rod is not horizontal anymore. Bending the selector rod can help some but the best remedy for knotchyness is raising the whole lever up some (I think UUC or someone sells a riser thingy). The lenght of the top part of the lever will not make the shift knotchy but more difficult b/c you have to use more force to push the lever due to the decrease in the length. That is why some people get weighted shift knobs to compensate for the extra force needed to shift w/ a short shifter.

Hopefully that made since b/c sometimes I don't explain stuff well ;)

[optimusp517]

damn, will someone bend the z4 3.0 lever for me :)

[Sean]

damn, will someone bend the z4 3.0 lever for me :)

I'm running the Z4 3.0 lever in my car, and no bending was needed. Just remove that damn harmonic balancer.