Shifter Mods

[xyrth]

I'm all about inexpensive, DIY mods to cars. I have several < $20 performance mods I've done, but I'm going to start with this one, which is mostly free.

First off, this was the best spot to pry from because it had the most pliable spot to stick my screwdriver in without marking:




the rest pops right off. here is how it looks :



Lots of plastic, but a very solid steel base. See those top 2 nuts? They're the top connection for the gear shifter.

There is quite a bit of play in them :



There are 3 ways to deal with this, 1 - Replace the rubber bushing with machined bushings to cut down on movement, 2 - pull the rubber out, add washers, call it good enough, or 3 - crush the rubber by tightening the crap out of it and hope it makes a difference.

I didn't have time to expose the lower connection point, so I went with #3. I torqued the nuts back on to 20 ft-lbs -- ended up being pretty damn tight.

The difference is incredible. I've always liked "feeling" the gears, and having some sense of what is going on, instead of just jamming it into gear. You get more feedback, and the whole assembly feels more precise.

Which brings me to mod #2 - The shift knob. I bought one of these:

https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)

I offered the seller $20, and they took it. The knob is smooth, which is odd, but roughly 40% of the weight. This is personal preference -- I've never liked heavy shift knobs, I don't want to lose any feeling. This knob made a big difference for me, to get a rough idea of what it is like, try driving without a knob at all.

In summary, for less than 15 minutes and $20, my 2 went from limp noodle to precise shifter.

 

[Racebrewer]

Nice. Thank you for the info.

What do you think about popping out the rubber bushings and filling the holes with a thick epoxy (JB Weld)?

I can also machine some aluminum bushings pretty easily after I take some dimensions. The epoxy seemed quick and dirty though. Don't need no stinkin' measurements with epoxy.<LOL>

How many studs and nuts did you see? Looks like 4 to me.

John

 

[Pat1usmc]

Thanks for the info! This looks like a decent modification that anyone can easily try and I like that shift knob.

 

[skullsroad]

I like delrin shift knobs too. I changed my stock one out for a *gasp* nismo unit that came out of my old car. Feels so much better. Like you, I want to feel the shifts, not have them watered down by a heavy shift knob. The stock one was surprisingly heavy.

 

[xyrth]

I'm a big fan of reversible mods, epoxy would scare me here that it could glue the shifter base on.

Aluminum bushings would be awesome, i may rip the whole thing apart this weekend and find the bottom two. I can pop out the rubber bushings and mic. the holes, if you want.

My only complaint about the shift knob is that it is a little slick. Not bad, just different.

 

[dgm1979]

I really like this idea! I do have a question. I tried tightening them and they just seemed really tight already. Did you tighten them 20 ft/lbs more than they already were or 20 ft/lbs total?

 

[ngd298]

This is neat. I might give it a shot.

 

[PassivAggressor]

Mine were already tight. As hell.

 

[skullsroad]

My only complaint about the shift knob is that it is a little slick. Not bad, just different.

I know what you mean. It was really cold and foggy this morning and the delrin knob almost felt wet. On the other hand the stock shift knob always felt sticky/rubbery.

 

[ngd298]

Hey xyrth, how tight were the nuts when you removed them? I was going to tighten the crap out of mine today but they were already tight as crap (like seriously tight).

 

[xyrth]

I think there is some confusion here, mine were not loose, they were snug. I tightened THE **** out of them.

I was using an older torque wrench (but still snap-on) and went to 20 ft-lbs, I just got my electronic (Techwrench) back from a friend, and will check it with that -- but I probably did 2ish complete rotations and crushed the s*** out of the rubber.

 

[ngd298]

Gotcha. I was expecting them to turn easily. I'll take it back apart and maybe tighten it 1 turn or so.

 

[CRG Racer24]

If you want a more mechanical feel, literally twist/tighten the shift knob. The more you tighten it, the more "mechanical" it feels. The looser it is, the easier, and more weighted feel it has.

 

[eyeballs]

If you want a more mechanical feel, literally twist/tighten the shift knob. The more you tighten it, the more "mechanical" it feels. The looser it is, the easier, and more weighted feel it has.

I'll have to try that and see if I can tell a difference, though with the stock knob I'm limited to full rotations only. Sounds like something fun to play around with, and we all know everybody loves to play.

 

[CRG Racer24]

I only have the stock knob too right now, and honestly, if you just turn it clockwise/tighten it, you will feel a difference.

 

[algoesfast]

I only have the stock knob too right now, and honestly, if you just turn it clockwise/tighten it, you will feel a difference.

Well what do you know. I turned my stocker 2 revs and I believe it feels better. At least coupled with the cs short shift plate.

 

[xyrth]

Interesting, my 2013's knob came tightened all the way down.

 

[eyeballs]

I made mine one full turn tighter while sitting at a light on the way home yesterday, and other than making it a tad lower I didn't notice any difference. Maybe if I had gone two turns I would have noticed more change, though getting the boot to line up is annoying when its tight since it wants to turn with the knob.

 

[xyrth]

I made mine one full turn tighter while sitting at a light on the way home yesterday, and other than making it a tad lower I didn't notice any difference. Maybe if I had gone two turns I would have noticed more change, though getting the boot to line up is annoying when its tight since it wants to turn with the knob.

the trick is to turn the shifter boot counter clockwise about 1/2 a turn and let the knob turn it as it tightens.