Deciding on finding the best short shifter
 

Hey everyone. I am a new BRZ owner. But I am not really new to cars. When I purchased this car I was wanting to just leave it stock and use it as my daily driver since I have a 40-45 min commute to work by myself every day to work. I tend to have to weave in and out of traffic but I don't put others or myself in danger. So from the second I got in my BRZ I realized this car wanted to me to push it. I have always put short shifters in my cars first. I had a TWM short shifter in my last car that I loved and everyone that drove my car loved it also and I know that most if not all aftermarket short shifters sit lower then stock shifters but I was curious if anyone knows if the STI short shifter sits lower then the stock shifter and if so by how much. Also if anyone could provide side by side pictures of the stock brz and brz sti shifters for comparison/review. I really want to make the most informed decision on everything I buy for this car. Thanks a bunch.

I hate to do this but... use the search button. This topic has been been to death.

yeah I did and I have searched and all everyone keeps talking about that I can see is the length of the throws which is common sense cause that is the exact thing that makes a short throw shifter. and other non manufacturer short throw shifters. I am asking more about the height or the length of the shifter. does anyone know if it sits at the same height . I am talking about the STI shirt throw shifter.

IIRC it sits slightly lower than stock.

Well, hello Gear813 and welcome to BRZ ownership ...... :clap:

Ol @Mr.ac has his panties all bunched up (again) ...... but, he has a point.

It seems to me that a lot of folks have a lot of trouble with short shifters on this car. A search will show that.

So, what we used to do, back in the day, was just to cut the shift lever down and rethread it ..........;)

OR ....... make it longer!


humfrz

I have the TWM Performance short shift kit and it’s excellent. It sits lower than the OEM unit and also shortens the throw considerably. Overall, it’s a close to a rifle bolt as I’ve ever been able to achieve, and I’ve modified a lot of cars - highly recommended.

I looked up and seems everything is metal, right? Did you bought the entire kit with bushings and such?

Yes, about 95% of the kit is billet aluminum or machined steel and everything included is of very good quality. When ordering, I did choose to go with the optional front and rear metal bushings. I also have installed the other following items that have affected shift quality, some more so than others:

• Whiteline KDT923 (differential outrigger)
• Whiteline KDT925 (differential)
• Whiteline KDT926 (transmission)
• Whiteline KDT922 (crossmember)
• Whiteline KSR210 (steering)
• Perrin engine mount set
• Perrin rear shifter bushing
• Spiegler braided clutch line, custom made-to-order
• MTEC clutch spring
• MTEC shifter springs
• Millers Oils CRX 75W90 NT

@humfrz thanks for the input and yes @Mr.ac does have a point but for the majority that I have been seeing is just specs on the throw reduction. And I honestly don't want to have to cut a brand new shifter down to my preference and rethread if I don't have to. I personally would prefer to stick with STI products with this car but that's just cause I am weird like that. @RJasonKlein Thank you very much for the feedback on the TWM shifter because if I do go with an aftermarket short shifter I was in between the TWM or the Kartboy just because everyone keeps talking about it but I still have to read up more on the Kartboy. Every time I have gone to the TWM website it says the short shifter is unavailable for the BRZ. And I cant seem to find it on any other sites.

Sorry to revive a dead thread but I am currently looking for a short shifter. Would like everyone's opinion on this. I was originally looking at the FT86SF short shifter but read reviews that they rattle compared to the stock shifter, not sure if they fixed this issue or not, or if this only happens to a small batch. Any input is appreciated. Thank you.

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I've had the FT86SF shifter for the past year and a half. Shifter feel itself is excellent, however the rattle is annoying. I've tried many things to fix it, with varying degrees of success, but it still rattles.

If I were to do it again, I'd save the money and look at the Torque Solutions/Kartboy shifter, or spend the extra and get the factory JDM STI or JDM TRD short shifter.

I don't understand why anyone would want a shorter shifter in this car?

Anyone?

:iono:


humfrz

Make one.


https://i.imgur.com/61TcTrZ.jpg

The shifter shouldn’t actually be shorter, it’s the throws that are.

Thanks.

OK, so why would anyone want shorter throws?

;)


humfrz

IRP, broke boy

Quite simple...there are only two choices for best short shifter I'm aware of: CAE Ultra shifter or the IRP shifter. Both are of similar design and entirely replace the factory setup unlike every other shifter out there - no rubber bushings anywhere in them. Direct, solid connections with ZERO play and one of the most satisfying shifting feel you'll ever get. Plus you get short throw with longer lever that puts the shifter at a more ideal height than most factory shifters. Of course with these you are talking $$$$...especially for the CAE Ultra shifter.

Shorter throw+Longer lever=?

Shorter throw than stock even with the longer lever...

https://youtu.be/rfULGBPVVuc

What would be the best shifter that is not like the IRP/CAE? Looking for something that is like stock form but have shorter throw and no rattle. There were other options like the TRD quick shifter but there were reviews where you need to go back and check on it every once in a while because it came come loose which is something that I definitely do not want to do and waste my time on. The FT86SF short shifter option has a rattling noise that people says it has in higher rpm/gears. So it seems like there are always some kind of drawbacks...

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Raceseng makes an adapter that connects the reverse lockout to make it longer.

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OK, I watched the movie.

My question still is, why would anyone want shorter throws?

:iono:


humfrz

Well they are designed for racing use... you have to decide on if you want best shifter feel or no added noise but stockish feel. The IRP / CAE feel nothing like stock, everything else is a varation of stockish feel.

Depends on the vehicle... but can shift quicker or same with less effort on the IRP /CAE. Quicker can be a problem though as they can easily shift too fast for the synchros. The stock FR-S throw is fine to me, but the IRP / CAE appeal to me is more about their shift feel and absolute precession with ZERO slop unlike traditional short shifters. Like an HK semiauto pistol versus a Ruger...racking the slides are two very different experiences. German engineers seem to know something about the feel of precision...and it feels just right.

Now on my Nissan Frontier I absolutely want the PRG Racing short throw shifter....way too much movement of entire arm required for stock, a little too much reach for the forward gears - ain't no shifting with the wrist movement.

because the quicker the shifts the less time your hand is off the wheel. And the CAE is even better because the shifter is closer to the steering wheel, so you spend even less time shifting. Plus it justs feels better, and there is no way to screw up or miss shift. Look at how little the shifter actually moves.

Go to 1:15 or so

https://youtu.be/rfULGBPVVuc

OK, so, if one would like less time off the steering wheel, it would seem that an AT with paddle shifters would be even better - ;)

As far as feeling better, maybe that's because many new drivers are used to the feel of the toggle things on game controllers? - :iono:

As far as miss-shifting, it would seem to me that the closer the shift positions are the less margin of error there is, thus more of a chance of miss shifting. Hell, in my old 1937 Chev pickup with a floorboard shifter, second gear was anywhere from pointing the shifter towards the speedometer all the way over to the glovebox - :D

;)


humfrz

Quicker shifting is a myth. The shift speed is limited by the time it takes for the syncro to slow down or speed up the input side of the gearbox. A short-throw lever only decreases the force the operator applies to the syncro clutches.

They feel cooler. That's all.

But just as "drivers car" mostly is about feel, though usually generalized about handling as a whole, shift feel improvement might certainly be one many owners are willing to pay for.
I paid for accel pedal spacer to ease H&T. Steering wheel is relocated closer and of smaller diameter. Braided lines & master cylinder brace. Steering rack lockdown. Different clutch master cylinder, braided line, mtec spring. Heavy shift knob, stiff tranny mount & bushing and non stock gearbox oil. - none of these are required for performance, speed, whatever. But they did improve "feel" and thus - enjoyment i get from driving.

To piggyback this, I'll offer a back-in-the-day story about short shifters.

(yes, Tcoat, I know - I've told this story before - :sigh:)

One hot summer Saturday night, back in small town Ohio, me and several of my buddies, had collected our cars up at Hollon's garage.

Present was a 1937 Chev coupe, a 1937 Chev sedan, my 1948 Chev coupe and several others. When a new car to the group pulled up. Yep, Steve had bought himself a 1937 Hudson Terraplane, coupe. We all gathered around since we had never seen a car like that.

During the subsequent conversations, Steve bragged about why is car was faster than ours. (all the cars were powered by 6 cylinder engines).

When we asked why, he said because he could shift faster and showed us his "short throw" shifter. Yep, we agreed that was neat because one could detach the floorboard shifter, so that your girlfriend could sit closer. :drool:

However, we tried to tell him that his "short" electric shift wasn't any faster.

So off we went out in the country a few miles to our "dragstrip" - :D

(that's how we settled things back then)

The 1937 Chev and my 1948 Chev both beat the Terraplane in a quarter mile, proving that his short shifter was not faster - :D

The end.

humfrz

Must have taken 20 minutes

Just gonna put it out there, I really like my STI short shifter. If I didn't care about subtlety or raced, I'd get the IRP.

The Perrin shifter mount bushing does wonders. Technically doesn't shorten the throw at all, but it feels so much nicer and stiffer to put into gear, without feeling unnecessarily hard and mechanical like the IRP short throw does.

I've driven a car with both the bushing (my car), and a car with the IRP (friend's car), and in traffic, the mechanical sturdiness that the IRP brought was a pain in the butt in day to day traffic. Rowing through gears, it was amazing. Shifting into 1st and 2nd over and over again in traffic was not.

I'd give the bushing a try, it's ~$34 and 20 minutes under the car. Knowing the difference, it'd be one of the first things I'd do to the car if I had to build it again.
Here's a link to it on FT86SF --> https://www.ft86speedfactory.com/per...shing-119.html

That's all good but don't say it shifts quicker.

YIKES! I'll betcha you are loved by the aftermarket folks - :D


humfrz

I'm thinking that some of you folks that have a MT, should have gotten a AT.

humfrz
:scared0016:

Haha, don't get me wrong, I love my manual. I even love it in traffic. Wouldn't have it any other way. But the stiffness of the IRP was just too much on the street for me. I couldn't see the benefit unless you're really on it all the time.

You must be old....

:iono:

:confused0068:


humfrz

I wouldn't call mid 20's old