SSK hotness in 2023

[digger]

What is the hotness in SSK and related gubbins (e.g. shift arm front and rear bush) for the e30 these days.

i have had a UUC SSK and DSSR for ages and no complaints.

Is there anything better? not looking added NVH but shorter shift without excessive notchiness or resistance

i have seen auto solutions mentioned but seems pretty hard to find detailed info on their website?

[AWDBOB]

Auto Solutions gets my vote. They are a pretty big jump in quality in the right direction from the rest of the offerings on the market.

moatilliatta did a nice AS setup recently on one of his customer's cars and it came great. Perhaps he can share more.

[e30austin]

installed plenty of Ronald's kits (Autosolutions) over the years with great results. his website is super basic because he's a one man show. i know it's difficult since you're on the other side of the world, but he is always up for a phone call and will tell you whatever you want to know. super nice and knowledgable individual.

[digger]

Anyone got any pics?
any increase in NVH with different bushes on the shift arm ?

[AWDBOB]

I have one of Zachs pics of the AS kit for an e30 (hopefully he doesn’t mind me sharing). Shifter NHV in my experience is increased largely based on the bushing on the shift carrier to the trans. Rubber on the carrier is smooth like buttah, poly+ starts to vibrate. In addition I always stuff the shift selector with foam and run rubber trans mounts to avoid the NHV. I have a poly shift carrier bushing in my car now and it feels fine with rubber trans mounts, but you can tell it’s there.

twright hates poly carrier bushings

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[moatilliatta]

Back to the basics (Autosolutions)

Hands down the best non chassis shifter and 90% of chassis shifters are garbage.

[reelizmpro]

I'm surprised to hear AutoSolutions is still around. I have no experience with their new offerings but I did buy a vehicle with a similar rectangular selector rod that sheared on me while normal driving on the street. Luckily, I was around the corner from my home so I was able to limp it back in the gear I was in. Never have I had it happen to me on any of my cars. I'm surprised to see square/rectangular selector shafts used at all in shift kits since they see a lot of torsion/tension/compression.

"Shafts are typically designed with a circular cross section because this shape is the most efficient and strongest in terms of resisting torsion, which is the twisting force that is applied to the shaft. The circular shape evenly distributes the torsional stress around the circumference of the shaft, preventing any one point from experiencing a higher level of stress. Square or other non-circular cross sections do not distribute torsional stress as evenly, which can lead to increased stress concentrations at certain points on the shaft and ultimately result in failure. Additionally, a circular cross section offers the least surface area for a given volume, which helps to minimize weight and material usage.It is possible to design shafts with square or other non-circular cross sections that can resist torsion, but it would require a thicker and heavier cross section to achieve the same level of strength as a circular shaft. Therefore, circular shafts are typically the most practical and efficient choice for most applications."

[digger]

the factory selector rod is rectangular at the ends where the pin is i dont think it is an issue unless the detail is very poor.

To me the down side apart from cost is potential NVH, I assume if i use the factory rear carrier bush i will be ok?

[reelizmpro]

True and those would be the weakest points but I've never heard of a stock rod breaking. Mine could have failed due to material or inadequate size but having a rectangular shape the full length of the rod isn't ideal as mine sheered right in the middle.