kurt white vs. hurst shifters
07-18-2001, 02:53 PM
#2
Drifting
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I have the Kurt White short shifter(or should I say kit) in my 90 ZR-1. It does what is says and the shifts are shortened alot. But for $175 I thought I was getting a shifter not 2 four inch pieces of metal and a couple of zip ties that convert the stock shifter. I shifts are short but take more effort, in fact I have missed a few shifts drag racing because of it.
Jeffy'
Jeffy'
07-18-2001, 06:43 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
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I've installed now (2) Hurst shifters - One on a friends ZR-1, and one on mine, and I have to tell you, man is it SLICK!
I did my friends clutch, so while I had the trans out, he asked me to drop in the shifter. Simple enough.
I did mine this past weekend (along with the help of 2 friends). We did it in 45 minutes, WITHOUT dropping the exhaust. Now in case your thinking "Ya, but I have aftermarket exhaust"... So do I ... I have B&B TriFlo's. The thing went in super smooth, and works VERY well. I even took some extra time in that 45 minutes to sand down the paint on the surfaces that mate to get the smoothest psossible install. Slicked it down with grease, and put 'er in.
Shift VERY nicely - One of the best mods I've done yet!
ps. My shifter was "free" - The friend I did the clutch for had one shipped to me
I did my friends clutch, so while I had the trans out, he asked me to drop in the shifter. Simple enough.
I did mine this past weekend (along with the help of 2 friends). We did it in 45 minutes, WITHOUT dropping the exhaust. Now in case your thinking "Ya, but I have aftermarket exhaust"... So do I ... I have B&B TriFlo's. The thing went in super smooth, and works VERY well. I even took some extra time in that 45 minutes to sand down the paint on the surfaces that mate to get the smoothest psossible install. Slicked it down with grease, and put 'er in.
Shift VERY nicely - One of the best mods I've done yet!
ps. My shifter was "free" - The friend I did the clutch for had one shipped to me
07-19-2001, 10:51 PM
#4
Team Owner
I have a Kurt White shifter installed on my 90.
I installed the shifter while the gearbox was out but if installing it on the car I expect that you will at least need to drop the exhaust. You also have to remove a small section of reinforcement webbing on the extension housing of the gearbox to allow the shift mechanism to work with the revised shift linkage geometry.
The shift throw is greatly reduced (approximately 40-50 percent) and I don't have any more problems with quick second to third shifts anymore. I would have considered a Hurst also but was not prepared to wait for them to release their product at the time. Overall, I'm quite happy with my Kurt White shift kit.
I installed the shifter while the gearbox was out but if installing it on the car I expect that you will at least need to drop the exhaust. You also have to remove a small section of reinforcement webbing on the extension housing of the gearbox to allow the shift mechanism to work with the revised shift linkage geometry.
The shift throw is greatly reduced (approximately 40-50 percent) and I don't have any more problems with quick second to third shifts anymore
. I would have considered a Hurst also but was not prepared to wait for them to release their product at the time. Overall, I'm quite happy with my Kurt White shift kit.
07-20-2001, 04:33 PM
#5
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Read this shifter comparison document for the true facts about the differences between Hurst, B&M, and the KW extension kit:
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/C4shift.doc
The 3 options are quite different, and you really need to examine the details to decide which is right for you. Note that only the KW kit requires permanent alterations. Hurst's requires the least effort of the three.
The Hurst shifter is rapidly approaching delivery. As you can see, Brock and some others are already enjoying pre-production units that I was able to get out the back door. The sanding he spoke of won't be necessary on the production units. The production run is about ready to go. Hardware packs are complete, the shifters are back from E-coat and being reamed, and the instructions are at the printer. I expect final packaging to occur next Tuesday, and delivery by the end of the week, 7/27.
Here are the production installation instructions for the Hurst:
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2011.pdf
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2021.pdf
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2031.pdf
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2041.pdf
You can place orders immediately at most retailers. Summit's price is $125 and Barnett Performance in Atlanta has it for $120 + $5 handling (free shipping). Barnett can be reached at 800-533-1320.
Chris
[This message has been edited by zrchris (edited 07-20-2001).]
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/C4shift.doc
The 3 options are quite different, and you really need to examine the details to decide which is right for you. Note that only the KW kit requires permanent alterations. Hurst's requires the least effort of the three.
The Hurst shifter is rapidly approaching delivery. As you can see, Brock and some others are already enjoying pre-production units that I was able to get out the back door. The sanding he spoke of won't be necessary on the production units. The production run is about ready to go. Hardware packs are complete, the shifters are back from E-coat and being reamed, and the instructions are at the printer. I expect final packaging to occur next Tuesday, and delivery by the end of the week, 7/27.
Here are the production installation instructions for the Hurst:
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2011.pdf
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2021.pdf
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2031.pdf
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2041.pdf
You can place orders immediately at most retailers. Summit's price is $125 and Barnett Performance in Atlanta has it for $120 + $5 handling (free shipping). Barnett can be reached at 800-533-1320.
Chris
[This message has been edited by zrchris (edited 07-20-2001).]
07-22-2001, 06:41 PM
#6
We had 2 prototypes machined 2 years ago, they are still in the cars and the owners really like them; one is a dark red 92 LT1 and the other is a dark red 90 ZR-1. The difference in the 2 is the Hurst does away with the rubber insert that the stock shifter sets in, this is where you get the spongy shifts from. The Hurst has a very positive feel. The only way to get rid of the spongy feel is to get rid of the stock stick. Installation is about an hour, just like avi said (we helped with his). With the stock shifter ****, no one will ever know you have a different shifter unless you tell them. It also eliminates the reverse lock-out, which I like also.
MHO
MHO
07-23-2001, 01:55 AM
#7
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I hope your shifter does well out in the marketplace. About the comparison document, you wrote that, right? I wanted to say that I disagree with your characterization of the feel of the Kurt White shifter as "rubbery" i think it has a direct, mechanical feel which I really like. I don't get your point about permanent alterations. Since all the changes take place out of sight and the stock shifter is retained with the reverse lockout left intact, there is no downside for those who wish to keep their cars "stock" for shows or whatever. DRM installed my KW shifter and didn't report any troubles al all.
Originally Posted by zrchris:
[B
[B
Read this shifter comparison document for the true facts about the differences between Hurst, B&M, and the KW extension kit:
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/C4shift.doc
The 3 options are quite different, and you really need to examine the details to decide which is right for you. Note that only the KW kit requires permanent alterations. Hurst's requires the least effort of the three.
The Hurst shifter is rapidly approaching delivery. As you can see, Brock and some others are already enjoying pre-production units that I was able to get out the back door. The sanding he spoke of won't be necessary on the production units. The production run is about ready to go. Hardware packs are complete, the shifters are back from E-coat and being reamed, and the instructions are at the printer. I expect final packaging to occur next Tuesday, and delivery by the end of the week, 7/27.
Here are the production installation instructions for the Hurst:
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2011.pdf
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2021.pdf
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2031.pdf
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2041.pdf
You can place orders immediately at most retailers. Summit's price is $125 and Barnett Performance in Atlanta has it for $120 + $5 handling (free shipping). Barnett can be reached at 800-533-1320.
Chris
[img]http]//www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/hurst.jpg[/img]
[This message has been edited by zrchris (edited 07-20-2001).][/B][/color]
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/C4shift.doc
The 3 options are quite different, and you really need to examine the details to decide which is right for you. Note that only the KW kit requires permanent alterations. Hurst's requires the least effort of the three.
The Hurst shifter is rapidly approaching delivery. As you can see, Brock and some others are already enjoying pre-production units that I was able to get out the back door. The sanding he spoke of won't be necessary on the production units. The production run is about ready to go. Hardware packs are complete, the shifters are back from E-coat and being reamed, and the instructions are at the printer. I expect final packaging to occur next Tuesday, and delivery by the end of the week, 7/27.
Here are the production installation instructions for the Hurst:
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2011.pdf
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2021.pdf
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2031.pdf
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/Page%2041.pdf
You can place orders immediately at most retailers. Summit's price is $125 and Barnett Performance in Atlanta has it for $120 + $5 handling (free shipping). Barnett can be reached at 800-533-1320.
Chris
[img]http]//www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt1479b/hurst.jpg[/img]
[This message has been edited by zrchris (edited 07-20-2001).][/B][/color]
07-23-2001, 02:12 AM
#9
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put in a KW shifter last fall. one of my cars has the stock and the other the KW. the stock feels like there's something wrong after using the KW. biggest difference is the shift effort - higher in the KW. however, that's cuz of the levering action of the longer stock throw. actually, you won't need to work the shifter as much with KW unit since it gets the gear faster.
07-24-2001, 11:31 AM
#10
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OldZR-1guy- Thanks for your response. The stock shifter's rubber coupling has a very rubbery feel, perhaps varying with the car. The KW kit does nothing to get rid of this. The shorter throw must make you think it's gone. I think if you drove a car with a solid steel stick you would see the difference.
As far as alterations, you are correct it is out of view. But the point is you are permanently modify a piece of the car, and the other two options don't require any permanent mods. So you must decide whether it worth it to you to permanently alter a part of the car to retain the stock look. Many say the cleaner, lower handle looks better than original, and you can always go back to unmodified stock later.
I doubt any car show outside of Bloomington or some severe stock class would care what shifter it has as they can all look like they're stock and appealing. Removal of the reverse lift ring updates the look of the car to '95+ models. The only difference is that the handle is 1" lower. I guess there are other reasons why people want the original stock look, but they're missing a benefit that would help comfort and performance.
Chris
[This message has been edited by zrchris (edited 07-24-2001).]
As far as alterations, you are correct it is out of view. But the point is you are permanently modify a piece of the car, and the other two options don't require any permanent mods. So you must decide whether it worth it to you to permanently alter a part of the car to retain the stock look. Many say the cleaner, lower handle looks better than original, and you can always go back to unmodified stock later.
I doubt any car show outside of Bloomington or some severe stock class would care what shifter it has as they can all look like they're stock and appealing. Removal of the reverse lift ring updates the look of the car to '95+ models. The only difference is that the handle is 1" lower. I guess there are other reasons why people want the original stock look, but they're missing a benefit that would help comfort and performance.
Chris
[This message has been edited by zrchris (edited 07-24-2001).]
