Shifter Setup

[Bishop]

I have the z4 3.0 in my daily driver and hate it. Way too notchy and short. I put a 97 M3 shifter in my track car, and it feels awesome in comparison. Very smooth and up closer to the wheel, with fairly short throws.

Thanks JGood, like I said, I was gonna go with the z4 3.0 cause that's what everyone seemed to love in the shifter thread, but I came over here cause I wanna know what's good for a street / weekend warrior car. I'm not really concerned with a shorter shift, I just want an overall smoother and more precise shift (I'm already going to replace bushings). Do you have pics of your lever / knob?

I just put the 1st Gen UUC lever in my car yesterday. I really like it so far. Much shorter than stock, but retains the knob height. The top portion of it is adjustable so you can alter the knob height a bit, too.

I'd try to find a used one around if you can.

Do you have a part number? I don't have any idea what the 1st gen UUC lever looks like, let alone any of the others. I'm trying to keep my options open for a little while longer... but I'd like to have a lever in by the 22nd of this month.

I don't think I'd use it in a street car, but an AutoSolutions Race shifter is what I went with in my Spec E30 after trying a several other shifters. The only plastic part is the delrin bushing where the ball of the shift lever rides. Everything else is metal-to-metal. It is only a little bit "shorter" a shifter than stock, but because of its construction it is super precise. The down side of the metal-to-metal construction is that it buzzes, which isn't a concern in a race car but would be objectionable on the street.

Thanks Jim, I'll look it up. I'm not terribly concerned with road noise since the car squeaks and makes ominous noises and has terrible road noise as is (gutted street car for the win, OMG I'M A RACER PRO!!11!!1!!!!)

[StereoInstaller1]

Hey Ben, keep in mind that they do seem to sell pretty quickly on here...since so much is personal preference.

I have the Z3, I think it is perfect. Probably too short for "track" use, but my car is a street car so I don't care.

[Bishop]

Thanks Luke, I know it's personal preference but I don't bother with the FS section really since I'm not on here all day usually and things get bought up way before I even see em. I'll probably post a WTB add and watch the FS section closer though... I also need some other small things.
and which z3 do you have? 1.9?

[StereoInstaller1]

Yeah, the 1.9. Love it. Only feels odd when I get in a stock E30, my car feels "right", stock doesn't.

What I meant was that you can sell one you don't care for, so you won't be out too much if you don't like what you choose.

[Bishop]

Yeah I guess so, I hadn't thought about that. Is install really as everyone was making it sound? Cause it sounds pretty easy.

[lifeiskaos]

I love mine. Bavauto shifter (filled with poly, brass bushing). It's pretty similar to the z3 2.8 though.



With the sheet metal carrier mounted to the body of the car, the pivot point is obviously moved up, and there are no bushings to go bad. The selector rod is horizontal, minimizing "notchyness", and the knob is closer to the wheel.

[Bishop]

What's the deal with the aluminum / sheet metal thing? I read about it in the last thread, but didn't understand what was being talked about...

I have a '90 325i, is it pretty easy to tell which I have? Is one better than the other? And if I have the one that's not so desirable, can I install the better one in it's place?

[JGood]

What's the deal with the aluminum / sheet metal thing? I read about it in the last thread, but didn't understand what was being talked about...

I have a '90 325i, is it pretty easy to tell which I have? Is one better than the other? And if I have the one that's not so desirable, can I install the better one in it's place?

I think the aluminum linkage is generally preferred. Seems like a better design with less slop and wear over time.


Sheet metal shifter:












Aluminum shifter:

[Bishop]

Sweet, thanks Jgood

[SA E30]

I love mine. Bavauto shifter (filled with poly, brass bushing). It's pretty similar to the z3 2.8 though.



With the sheet metal carrier mounted to the body of the car, the pivot point is obviously moved up, and there are no bushings to go bad. The selector rod is horizontal, minimizing "notchyness", and the knob is closer to the wheel.

So now it is solid mounted to the chassis? Sounds like a great idea. Kinda like the DTM shifter but a cheaper solution.

All it needs is a double sheer selector arm.

I wonder if someone can sell me the metal shifter, as we never got them here.

[StereoInstaller1]

I still don't understand why BMW didn't use some kind of double shear setup. Would have added like $10 to the car, and all of use would still be on our original

[16v of E30]

i use a 89 M3 rod in my 325i wagon, with a spacer and orignial knob it sits higher (closer to the wheel) and provides a shorter throw length.

[lifeiskaos]

So now it is solid mounted to the chassis? Sounds like a great idea. Kinda like the DTM shifter but a cheaper solution.

All it needs is a double sheer selector arm.

I wonder if someone can sell me the metal shifter, as we never got them here.

Exactly. It's a lot cheaper than the DTM replica that AKG sells! ~$375

Mine was $3 from a scrap yard. I'd be happy to get you one.

[BlackSpeed66]

Another vote for the Z3 1.9 rod. Combined with rebuilt linkage & bushings, and a ZHP knob, it's heaven for me. Works pretty good at the track too.

[JGood]

I love mine. Bavauto shifter (filled with poly, brass bushing). It's pretty similar to the z3 2.8 though.



With the sheet metal carrier mounted to the body of the car, the pivot point is obviously moved up, and there are no bushings to go bad. The selector rod is horizontal, minimizing "notchyness", and the knob is closer to the wheel.

Wow, I just now caught this. That's an awesome idea. So you just cut down the carrier, mount it on top of the tunnel, and then you don't need anything else underneath except the selector rod going to the trans? any downsides to this setup?