FT86 Speed Factory Short Shifter Review Thread
 

Sup Y'all. I installed the FT86SF Short shifter on my 17 BRZ PP last weekend. There were a couple of hiccups which is why I waited so long to make this thread.

Here's what happened
When I received the shifter, it looked like there was a set screw missing in the assembly that cause the whole assembly to twist about 15 degrees in either direction. I emailed them about it and they sent me a new one immediately. GREAT SERVICE Y'ALL. The VP of Operations of the company personally responded to my emails and got it all taken care of.

The shifter itself is fantastic. It's direct, not notchy, and feels FANTASTIC. I honestly never planned on buying a short shifter but this was an impulse purchase that I'm happy with. You can definetly tell the ball bearings in the linkage make a difference. There is very little side to side movement, and the feedback is way more defined than the OEM bushing.

The lockout is made out of delrin to avoid rattling, but nothing is perfect. Above 4-5k you can definitely still hear it rattle, but nowhere near as bad as the IRP or Kartboy shifters I've tested out. It looks like there is an Allen bold at the top of the assembly, I'm not sure what thats for but I emailed FT86SF to find out. Maybe thats whats rattling?
The only other complaint I have is that the bottom of the reverse lockout collides with the bolts holding the lockout plate to the carriage. It lifts the lockout ever so slightly. Not enough to significantly affect shift feel but its noticeable. @tehShirt has also noticed that. We both think that flat Allen head or low profile bolts should have been included with the kit, just like the Kartboy kit, especially at the price point.

Other than that, its a solid shifter with a great shift feel. I would highly recommend it, just for the reduction in rattling over some of the other options.


EDIT 2/9: Adding Photos
Shifter during install, its very well made.
https://i.imgur.com/u0K8SoB.jpg
Set Screw that is missing
https://i.imgur.com/X1Zdq5g.jpg
BONUS VIDEO

:needpics:

Nah, I’ll stick to my copied version of the kartboy for $60 lol. 6 months and counting and still working fantastic.

Link for the item pls?

I just installed the same shifter (same BRZ spec as well, good choice) with the MTEC springs and have the issues you described. I also noticed on the ball of the shifter that there were machine steps instead of it being as smooth as OEM. I'm hoping they will just send me a replacement, love the shifter otherwise.

Just ordered this shifter, spent the extra money over the torque solutions shifter due to the ball bearing bushing; but I'm worried now given the issues you guys have had.

Did you manage to get the weird 5th gear throw worked out, or the rattle?

EDIT: Upon rereading the OP's first post, I can see that the set screw was missing which causes the rattle. I'll be on the lookout when my shifter comes in.

Thankfully my set screw was still installed, but very loose. I tightened it down (after ripping up the interior again) and it was finally working well. However, I'm not happy with the overall quality, it rattles noticeably while cruising on the highway, I have about 0.25" of play while in gear from left to right, and the reverse lockout does impact the screws while shifting. Most likely going to talk to them and return it, it's pathetic that no one can design an OEM style short shifter without drawbacks. Hell, they didn't even make the lip on the reverse lockout large enough to hold the shift boot down, keeps popping up and looking sloppy.


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https://i.imgur.com/yS50Ed7.jpg

I'm having the same issues. In emails with them now.

The rattling is also due to the set screw on the top of the shifter that holds pressure against the lockout spring/cotter pin. Mine was so lose from the factory that the cotter pin was backing out. Even if you tighten the screw, the rattling is still present during acceleration and cruising.

My shift boot pops off all the time. Their measurements were off for this part.

The lockout does indeed strike the bolts when shifting to 2nd and 6th. You can see in the picture where the material is being chipped away.

Had to remove the shifter due to all these issues. IMO, the shorter throw is not worth all the compromises this shifter brings. Disappointed to say the least. I should have paid the extra for the STi part.

Thank you for the follow up info! I will be Uninstalling mine tonight. May actually go with the STI version or TRD quick shifter. Hoping my cotter pin will make it home from work tonight....


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FT86 Speed Factory Short Shifter Review Thread
 

Going to try and cancel my order the shifter based on the teething issues you guys have mentioned. Thanks for letting the community know.

EDIT: The shifter is special order from where I ordered it from so I cannot cancel the order... so I’ll be moving forward with the installation, is there any way I can fix the issues you guys have noted? Like the size of some some shorter head bolts for the shifter plate for example, like the Kartboy had.

I'm sure that shorter bolts exist, but I do not know the specs of the factory bolt unfortunately. Another solution would be to remove the excess material on the lockout itself.

The rattling is a no-go for me, even after adjusting the tension on the lockout spring. Reminds me of a coin in a metal cup. Happens too frequently and is audible over music/exhaust/road noise.

At this point should people just go with the TRD short shifter even if it isn't as short as other short shifters?

Hey guys,

Any updates with the shifter whether your issues have been resolved?

I stopped using the shifter because of the issues. Rattling was present on every drive. Shift boot wouldn't stay on. Colliding with the bolts was worrisome. Not worth it IMO.

FT86 SF said they haven't heard complaints of these issues.

The STI shifter can be had for around $330 on some sites. I should have gone that route.

Exactly what tehShirt stated. Rattles wouldn't stop, build quality was questionable, shift boot wouldn't stay put, reverse lockout impacting the bolts, set screw kept backing out. Mine is currently in the mail on the way back to FT86SF. I will go with the STI version in the future or TRD, not worth keeping it with all the issues described above.


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anyone know the part number for the STI and/or JDM TRD short shifter? i am heading to japan in May and would like to pick one up

C1010CA100 is the part number for the newest STi version in the US.

Just installed the shifter, seems like a high quality piece.

I saw that the set screw was installed, however I forgot to check if it was tight... I may pull the car apart again tomorrow to verify, but everything seems fine.

It does rattle a bit above 4000 rpm like everyone is saying, but it isn't too bad and seems to be getting better over time.

EDIT: Been enjoying the shifter over the weekend and on my commute to work today. The rattle is a bit annoying, but I am going to grease up the reverse lockout (though the allen bolt that is on the top of the shifter below the shift knob) and see if that cures the rattle. Looks to have helped with a lot of people who owned the Kartboy.

As a secondary note, I did not reattach the washer when installing the new shifter as they bearing spacers seemed to do that job, but now I have about 1cm of slop in the shifter, so I will add it back.

thanks! looks to go for $395. Does anyone know how much they go for in Japan (for both TRD and STI short shifter)?

So now that I have had this shifter installed for a month, some impressions:

The shift feel is fantastic. It's a big step up from the stock shifter, I have no regrets here.

However, a few issues: The rattle above 4k RPM is still annoying, and I am going to contact ft86SF in hopes that they have a fix for it. I have tried numerous kartboy fixes like greasing the reverse lockout and spring, and pulling the rubber shifter boot over the reverse lockout (as the two shifters are similar), and they have helped somewhat, but the rattle is still much more noticable than the stock shifter. Does anyone know what I can do to quell this?

Also, the reverse lockout does not have a deep enough lip at the shift boot retainer location, so your shift boot will pop up ALL THE TIME unless you have something there to keep it from doing so. I have an elastic there currently, it does the job however I am thinking I may file down the lower edge of the lip so that the lip is larger, or find an O-ring that would fit.

Since I can't return this shifter, I'd love to help improve it @FT-86 SpeedFactory

When your shifter is rattling, does it help if you lift up on the reverse lockout? If so, tightening the set screw underneath the shift knob can help some. This helped reduce the rattle, but it never went away.

The shift boot issue was very annoying, I think removing some material below the lip could help, but I think the main issue is the outer diameter of the lip itself is too small.

I haven’t had an issue with the shift boot slipping off, but I’m also not using the OEM shift boot so that may be it


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FT86 Speed Factory Short Shifter Review Thread
 

I tightened the Allen bolt under the shift knob a few weeks ago and it helped reduce the rattle like you said, but it has not gone away. Lifting the reverse lockout seems to make a little difference but the rattle is still very much present.

As for the boot issue, I am going to try taking some material off the bottom edge this weekend and seeing if it helps. Honestly it sucks that I can’t return it (due to ordering through ft86motorsports, a Canadian distributor that has a partnership with FT86SF), but I’m hoping that if we can get the attention of FT86SF and I stick it out, we can get them to fix issues with the shifter.

Just get the japanese TRD one and call it a day, as oem as possible with zero drawback.....

STi one that ppl mentioned is really nice, I just think it's not short enough......but everything about is was prefect. You really notice the difference when you rev match down shift, downshifting into second is like fukn magnetic... damn stick got sucked into 2nd gear........ but not so much for normal driving.

Knowing Sti had this the day twins came out... you know the thing is designed with the car, but they are just too cheap to put it in. :thumbdown:


*I just installed the STi short shifter last week.

I thoroughly enjoy the sti shift I put in a couple weeks ago. But yes I would also suggest it or the jdm TRD. The US version was a hassle for me since the bolt backed out a lot.

Another way to get rid of the rattle is to put a french fry shaped foam piece inside of the spring itself. Maybe even try wrapping foam around the spring. This may provide enough insulation to block the rattle coming from the transmission.

What does it have to do with them being cheap? A short shifter costs the same as the OEM shifter to produce.

The reason they don't come with an even shorter shifter stock than they do is because of driveability for average people.

Drive most other manual cars and you'll realize how short the stock shifter already is compared to the average manual car.

In case anyone still has issues with the shifter rubbing the top of the oem bolts. They can be replaced with M6x1.0x16 button head screws/bolts. They should definitely be included with the shifter but it's an easy $2 fix.

@mjanmohammad can you explain the weird 5th gear throw? And did you find a fix for it?

The initial unit I received had a missing set screw. Ft86sf replaced it with a new unit which doesn't have that problem

If its not the irp short shifter, yall are wasting your money on all the $200+ short shifters when you can buy a short shifter for $80 and is an exact copy and feels just as well as the $200 ones. Save the money and buy more parts!

I am looking for a shorter shifter so my shift knob isnt so tall, I am getting a katana handle and want the shifter lower so it isnt so tall.

Have you looked into the STi short shifter?

No but i will check it out i cannot find anything on the internet showing a comparison visually. I just need a "shorter" shifter not a shorter throw, if i get that effect then ok, just want it lower.

Just looked it up....a measley 4mm shorter, sigh �� i guess thats the best i can get unless i shell out for some custom work. Anything can be done for the right amount of money.

The torque solutions one is 9.5mm shorter, thats better but how well is it made tho?

EDIT: the Manzo appears to be shorter, but i havent found anything supporting that.

How hard would it be to get a welder to cut one even shorter? That and the Manzo one is so cheap, i doubt its durability or reccomendations.

I have heard goods things about the STI short shifter and Torque Solution short shifter. I am not familiar with Manzo short shifter. If budget is a problem, I would recommend the Torque Solution short shifter.