cut and rethread the shifter ? it will be shorter, wouldnt that make it a SHort SHIFTER??? or is this completly stupid and wont work?

 

it wont change the distance of throw on the shifter. same distance less leverage to shift. not a good idea.

 

Agreed... just go spend a little money and get a cheap short shifter... they are all pretty much the same

 

not true, it shortens it a little bit. But it also can make the driving position un comfortable, depending on the car and your build.

 

LEVERAGE IS YOUR GOAL AND WEIGHT IS ONE KEY! MORE NOT LESS! THROW A GREDDY SHIFT **** ON THE STOCK STIK AND YOULL LOSE AN INCH AND GAIN A OUNCE

 

If you or a buddy can weld, you can extend the lower portion of the shifter by .5-1" (depending on exh size). I have done this on several Hondas and it works just as well as anyother, less the sparkles.....You could cut/rethread, or just cut off a little and no need to rethread. I found the extending of the lower portion more comfortable.......

 

the reason i asked was i know somone who got a shortshifter and it stuck like crazy, people on here i have seen say that short shifters rattle and they rip them out the next day
if you kept stock it would be correct than cuttin an inch or 2 off the top would make it shorter.

 

Physically shorter - YES

Short Shifter - NO


Just go buy a $40 Tenzo or OBX short shifter. Don't be cheap.

 

TomTom, yes you can do it. I have made a bunch of them for me and friends. You have to take about 2" off to get a decent reduction, but it works beautifully. I made my first one by cutting and rethreading, but its a lot faster and cleaner to just cut a section out and reweld it back together. I have a CRX, and i have used aftermarket short shifters, and was unhappy with them. For 1], they DO hit on most aftermarket exhausts, and 2] the shifter still sticks 3 feet in the air. Doing it this way will sit the shifter nice and low, and get rid of the goofy look.
For you people saying that shorting the shifter will not reduce throw, you obviously have no idea what your talking about, and have never tried this.


[Modified by RioNinja, 1:50 PM 11/26/2001]

 

the idea is to shorten the throw, not the shifter itself. the way a short shifter works is by raising the pivot point, not just shortening a stock shifter.

 

DragIIcivic, think about it and you'll get it.
When you move the shift **** about 4", halfway down the shifter shaft it will only move about 2". So shorten the shifter shaft down about half way, and you have a 50% reduction in throw.
Basically you only have to move the shifter about half the distance to achieve the same shift, which is the definition of a short shifter (these are all just aproximations, but you get the idea). I'm not trying to **** anyone off, but i despise mis-information. Please look at the picture below and you can clearly see what i'm talking about.

 

yeah, but you will be bangin your knuckles on the console...it may accomplish the same thing, but it is a horrible Idea.....
just to add something, all race cars have the gearshift High as possible. so you have less time that your hand is off of the wheel. a taller shifter with a short throw is more efficient.

 

On some cars, your right you would have a problem. However on cars like EF civic/crxs the shifter is -way- high off the console so i dissagree that its a horrible idea. I guess it all comes down to what car your driving, and how high the shifter is.
Also, i know what your saying about race cars but come on, how much difference is 2" gonna make? I'd rather not have a shifter that looks like a hat rack (i dont know what you drive, but CRX/civic owners know what i'm talking about ).

All i was trying to do was show that a] yes it works, and b] why it works.
Lets just leave this thread as it is, as its now come down just an 'opinion argument'.

BTW, spaceghost kicks *** nice avy.

 

Hat rack LOL

we are in agreement

 

its the length of the shifter i dont like
i dont care if it has shorter throw i dont even know what that means and am reading on here it eats the teath alot faster

 

i have a dc shortshifter and it sits pretty low, lower then stock, so you get the nice low look and a shorter throw, go buy a dc sports shortshifter. My friend cut his stock shifter, it looked shorter but it was a bitch to get in gears, espeacially 5th. Dont do it, just go buy one. its not that expensive. and trust me, driving with the shortshifter is way better then driving with a stock shifter.

 

I just put in my B&M Racing short shifter. I also have a Apexi WS exhaust on my 99 Civic Ex. My shifter does not hit the exhaust. I had a little rattling in the beginning and then I fixed it by putting the stock o-rings back in. I got it for $55 and it took me 30-45min to put the thing in. Probably would have been shorter if I had a lift or at least a good jack. I pulled my car onto a curb. If only the height of the shifter is bothering you then yes you probably could cut it. I would not recomend it and it would be pretty uncomfortable to shift. With an aftermarket short shifter not only is the distance from the floor of the car to where you hand is, shorter, but the distance from the floor of the car to the bottom of the shifter is longer. This allows for a lot less movement in the car and more movement of the shifter linkage. This, I feel is the best way to go... I understand that by cutting the top of the shifter off a bit will make the throw a little bit shorter, but it is not short enough to either be comfortable or have any benefit. With my B&M shifter, my hand sits a bit lower, and now I can shift without even moving my arm, (if I want) all I need is my hand.

Good luck

-matt

 

Hey guys, check this out.......


Go to http://www.nrg-racing.com

on the pull down menu, go to the TECH section, and then check out SHORTSHIFTERS EXPLAINED...

Sorry I can't get the URL for it, but this is a good explination of short shifters.