I got a Type R (some knockoff name) short shifter and I was told it was steel, but i'm not so sure I should believe the salesperson, is there anyway to tell just by looking at it if its steel or aluminum?

 

Got a magnet?

 

yeah...
which one should it stick to?
(this is sad, i'm a 2nd year engineer )

 

it should stick to steel right??
damnit, my shifter ain't sticking

 

Yeah it should stick to the steel.

 

whoa lol..

the magnet was a good idea Mattg

So whats the difference between the two materials for a shifter? Difference in quality or feel or is it just weight?

 

Aluminum is a much softer metal and does not exhibit the same magnetic properties as steel.

I've heard stories of people breaking AL short shifters but I find that hard to believe. I've had an AL short shifter in my car for a couple years now and I love it. Never a problem, and I bang the gears hard sometimes.

Oh yeah, the aluminum will be lighter, but if you want a heaver shifter just get a weighted ****.

Adam


[Modified by arw321, 4:30 PM 10/29/2001]

 

Painted rods are usually steel, polished ones are typically aluminum. Of course, then there's stainless (like the B&M Pro Edge). Unfortunately, Higher grades of stainless steel are actually non-magnetic

The other ways to tell (besides weight, which is a dead giveaway when you have a piece of steel in one hand and a piece of aluminum in the other) is color. Go to the hardware store and pick up a stainless steel bolt. It is a dark to medium gray. Put it next to any piece of aluminum, and the aluminum looks much brigher by comparison, almost silver.