short throw shifter

[xrw]

how much of a difference does a short throw shifter do compared to the regular stock shifter. in my wrx its just a regular shifter but i was thinking about adding in a shorth throw shfiter but i dont' really understand what it does besides you don't have to move your hand that much. i was planning on buying the shifter from subaru but are there better ones out there?

thank you

[jomotopia]

i have answers!

a short shifter is wonderful. it changes the distance between the pivot point and the point where the linkage bolts on. a longer distance means the stick moves a shorter distance to move the linkage the same distance and engage the gear. the shorter the throw goes, the more effort is required to move it because you are reducing your mechanical advantage by reducing the length of your lever.

i definitely recommend getting a short shifter. it's the first mod i did to my STi and i love it. i got the double adjustable Cobb short shifter for the STi. Here is Cobb's shifter for the regular WRX, also double adjustable. i like it b/c you can adjust the throw length and knob height independently. also there are rave reviews about the Karboy short shifter for the WRX.

don't get the Subaru one. it is way over priced and from what i've read only reduces the throw a little bit. from what i read the Kartboy reduces throw quite a bit. and the Cobb one reduces the throw as much as you want since it's adjustable. from just a tiny bit shorter to as short as it will go before it will no longer engage.

i also recommend replacing the stock shifter bushings (under the car) with stiffer polyurethane ones. i did that as well and it really got rid of the slop and made the shifts much crisper.

if you haven't already check out http://www.nasioc.com and http://www.clubwrx.net

[xrw]

do you know if i upgrade to a cobb short throw shifter would it void my warranty? so basically a short throw shifter to just to change the length of the stick shaft? or theres more to it?

[jomotopia]

do you know if i upgrade to a cobb short throw shifter would it void my warranty? so basically a short throw shifter to just to change the length of the stick shaft? or theres more to it?

firstly, your warranty can't be voided. what happens is if they can prove that the modification lead to the failure, they can deny that warranty claim, but your warranty is still intact. for instance, they can't deny warranty work on electronics b/c of a shifter, they're totally unrelated. the only thing a short shifter might cause problems with concerning warranty is if your synchros go bad, but even then i would doubt they could show the shifter caused it. it's also going to depend on the dealership. i wouldn't be worried about it though b/c a short shifter isn't going to hurt anything.

length of stick shaft: there's more to it than that. shortening the shaft reduces the movement your hand has to make, but doesn't reduce the distance the linkage travels. a real short throw shifter lengthens the distance between the pivot point and the linkage bolt point. here is an illustration:

1 = shifter pivot point (bottom of shifter)
2 = where the linkage bolts to the shifter
3 = shift knob

Regular shifter:
1--2----3

Short shifter:
1---2---3

the beauty of the Cobb one is that you can adjust the distance between 1&2 and 2&3 independently to suit your taste.

i have some pics that i will search out and i'll edit this post to include them

//edit for pics
here is the short shifter installed, the gold bar bolted onto it is the linkage


here is a side by side of the short shifter and the stock shifter. this was before i adjusted the shifter so you can't really tell the difference in distance between the pivot point (ball at the bottom) and the linkage bolt location (hole in the middle), but increasing the distance between the 2 decreases the throw

[Brakefade]

Self installation not recommended. LOL

[jomotopia]

Self installation not recommended. LOL

actually self installation highly recommended. everything about it is very easy except dealing with the reverse lockout cable, which xrw won't have to worry about b/c he's got the 5 speed.

[subzero]

lol i remember when you posted your troubles with that reverse lock out cable. sounded pretty frustrating

[JHamilton]

I'll tell you on Monday, I'm putting mine in on Saturday!

[PureLife]

Is it true that installing a SS can wear on the synchros more since you are shifting faster (LOL I originally wrote fasting shifter)?

Maybe, but even over the course of a million miles, I doubt the wear would be something that would hinder the cars performance.

As for the installation, yes, do it yourself. It's 1 bolt and nut and you have to pop it into that socket (rubber mallet highly recommended as means of whacking the shifter into it).

btw, Get the kartboy shifter.

[xrw]

cool i want to buy my short throw shifter now, but does it come with installation instructions?

[jomotopia]

cool i want to buy my short throw shifter now, but does it come with installation instructions?

the cobb one didn't, don't know about the karboy, but you can find instructions online. try http://www.scoobymods.com

it's very easy though:

1> unscrew the shift knob
2> pop off the center console and shift boot
3> unbolt the linkage
4> use needle nose pliars (get the finest point you can) to take off the c-clamp where the ball at the bottom of the shifter goes into the car
5> pull out shifter
6> transfer parts from old shifter to new shifter
7> pop it back in
8> replace c-clamp
9> rebolt linkage
10> center console back on
11> knobb back on
12> done

this is assuming it's very similar to the STi which i would imagine it would be. i'm sure there's more detailed instructions and probably pics at scoobymods.

[xrw]

what is a C clamp. there is actually instructions on the cobb website and i am planning to buy that one. but i have NO idea what it was talking about when it told me to take out the four screws that holds in the metal sround. it says " remove the metal surround that holds down the rubber gasket. remove the four 10mm bolts and maneuver it out of the car. trim the upper left edge where the linkage goes by to allow more clearance for the linkage as it will be slightly higher to get the geometry for a shorter throw." i have no idea what to remove. lol but i guess i can buy it and see what it means.

[xrw]

oh yeah jomo where did you buy your bushings, from cobb also?

[jomotopia]

in the picture i posted above with the shifter installed, the metal piece surrounding the big hole in the car is what they're talking about. it's upper left has a corner jutting out. it has 4 10mm bolts and 4 metal "rods" sticking up. when you adjust to a short throw, the linkage will bump that corner on the front left. in the 04s you can just spin that metal plate around and screw it back on, but i think in any of the years after that you will need to cut out that corner. i didn't do the cutting, that piece is pretty thick so make sure you have something that can cut it well if it won't fit spun around 180 degrees. you definitely need to get that corner out of the way or you won't be able to get really short throws (they should still be shorter than stock though), and your shifter will sit at a weird angle with the center console on.

a c-clamp is a little C shaped piece of metal with 2 little holes on each end, you squeeze it together to pull it out, when you put it in it presses outwards to hold the thing together.

i got the bushings from Cobb as well but it's only 1 set of bushings, there is another set in a different location on the car you can replace as well and i think kartboy has those. i didn't install the bushings myself, i had the dealership do it when i had to get them to finish up the reverse cable that was a pain, so unfortunately i can't really help you with that, but you will need to get the car in the air.

here's a video showing the install for the STi shifter, most of it should be the same for yours except the reverse cable and maybe the trim pieces:
http://videos.hspn.com/?videoid=30 <- it should certainly at least get you familiar with the parts.

[BREX888]

Jomo,

Do the bushings make a big difference?