Tech Forum : WHo makes the best short shift kit?

	Posted Thursday, Feb 15th 3:46am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 1236	Who makes the best short shift kit for the money?

	Posted Thursday, Feb 15th 4:17am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 184	I believe that short throw shifters for e21's are not a huge improvement. The best I've seen only reduces throw on late model e21's by 15%. They feel so much better after the installation due to the new bushings and mounts, which are easily purchased at the dealer, and alot cheaper as well. I installed all new shift components in my current 320i, and I can't tell a noticeable difference with my old 323i, which had a UUC short shifter installed. Many other BMW's benefit greatly from shift kits, not so much the e21's. In fact, I once made a short throw shifter for an e12 528i/3.3 (I can't leave ANYTHING alone!!) using an e21 shifter components. --Dennis

	Posted Thursday, Feb 15th 5:51am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 192	The PO of my '82 installed a UUC short shifter and it's much shorter than my stock '78 that has good bushings. I use a short shift knob as well, not a stock BMW knob. e21parts.net has a short shifter that makes the throw as short as is physically possible (length below the pivot is as long as possible) without interfearing with the trans and mount. I'm sure it's not cheap but neither is the UUC... ken

	Posted Thursday, Feb 15th 6:59am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 9	A company in Australia called Solo-T make an adjustable short shift kit, I think you can get up to 50% less throw. I believe the shifter position is adjustable also. EDIT - 15% to 55% throw reduction. It costs 260AUD

	Posted Thursday, Feb 15th 8:58am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 477	Who has details on using the z3 rod?

	Posted Thursday, Feb 15th 10:14am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 10	You need the Z3 2.5/3.0 shift lever: part number 25 11 1 222 884 I think the Z3 1.9 is shorter than standard e21 but not by much.

	Posted Thursday, Feb 15th 8:05pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 106	I'm working on a 3.0 Z3 shifter right now. I'm replacing all of the wear items so once the parts get here I'll take some pics as everything gets installed. ****update I got to tinkering and before I knew it the shifter was installed. I realized my stock parts were not in bad shape so I figured now was as good a time as any. Unless I missed something, the Z3 shifter does not come apart. In order to get the upper cup on the ball assy, I had to cut the nylon cup itself so as to allow it to fit over the shifter handle and down on top of the ball. Once it was in place I installed it as a normal e21 shifter would go, utilizing the circlip with the spring underneath. This was perhaps a 10 minute job and the difference is amazing. The only issue is the lever seems to be canted a bit towards the passenger side but I think a bit of tweaking will take care of that.

	Posted Friday, Feb 16th 12:50am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 1237	Hmmm.......lots of info. Hard to make a decision.

	Posted Friday, Feb 16th 1:01am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 761	by the looks of the Z3 2.8/3.0 shifter, and from experience from driving them, It has a very short shift, and it would probably be the cheapest alternative to an aftermarket item. I remember being surprised by the shifter the first time I drove one

	Posted Friday, Feb 16th 2:39am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 107	I've got $35 into mine. The only mod it looks like I'll be making is a slight twist to the shaft between the lever and the tranny in order to get the lever vertical. It now shifts with the "snick-snick" of a new car and is very tight. I'd guess the throw is about 30% less than stock.

	Posted Friday, Feb 16th 5:02am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 479	My former mechanic's (was an avid racer) advice regarding short shift kits was simple: "Don't bbother. Just change the bushings and use the z3 rod. Cheaper, identical if not better results, and still using reliable OEM quality parts."

	Posted Friday, Feb 16th 3:04pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 380	I have the e21parts.net shifter kit in my 320i & I absolutely love it! the throws are pretty short, but it's not too short (it doesn't leave me guessing or worrying about which gear i'm putting it into...unlike some of my friend's import cars w/ rediculously short shifter kits) My car had the bavauto short shift kit A and that made a huge improvement over stock...not only better feel & shorter throw, but it got rid of a lot of that slop/play in the shift-lever. The E21parts.net shifter kit get's rid of 99% of that slop/play...and I actually like the feel of it better than my friend's UUC Evo 3 shifter in his E36 M3 [however the E21's Getrag is a bit more 'notchy' compared to the E36's newer ZF]. By complementing a short shifter kit with items to limit the drivetrain from twisting (like urethane tranny mount, urethane engine dampener, etc...), it makes the shift gates very precise & consistant (especially under hard accel & deccel). I actually used to have problems downshifting & finding 2nd gear while diving into a certain hairpin @ a local track (I had the bavauto kit but stock drivetrain mounts/dampener) I was originally a bit skeptical & doubted how effective a short shift kit could be. But once I got that first kit installed, I was wondering why I didn't do this upgrade sooner. It's one of the top upgrades I'd recommend for the E21 (after suspension & wheels/tires).

	Posted Monday, Feb 19th 10:28am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 119	I threw the bavauto kit in my car and the difference is unbelievable. However, These other guys are saying you can do better go for it...

	Posted Monday, Feb 19th 12:01pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car]
Post nr. 264	So a cheap mod is to take the stock 323 shifter, cut it below pivot and weld in 1" or so of tube to extend the throw? that should take about an hour and cost Â£2. Thats gotta be the best cheap mod there is?