Is anyone using a kirban shifter? Any complaints,how about road noise??

 

I drove one and it was too notchy for me....real short click-click throws. It was hard to tell what gear I was in. Going from 5th down to 4th, was afraid I would put it in 2nd. A lot of folks like them..just a personal preference. Didn't notice any noise.

Z06_Bob

 

I don't recommend it. Notchy and noisy -- and why bother with a screw-together shifter arm?

(I had one in my car for 5 minutes before I took it out and sent it back. Not for me at all.)

-Kirk

 

I thank you will like either the B&M or the Hurst better.

 

I love the kirban... no more missed shifts.

 

As you probably realize, shifters are VERY subjective things. What one person LOVES, another HATES. Having said this, I LOVE my Kirban!

The way I see it, here's the low down on the Kirban shifter vs. Stock: I will begin with what I see as positives and then highlight some minor negatives (caveat, I do not have any first hand knowledge of other shifters)

1. Stock shifter is NOT horrible. I drove the car quite happily for over 2 years and 15,000 miles with the stock shifter. Were the throws on the longish side? Yes. Was I ever TOTALLY pleased with the 4-5 up-shift or the 6-5 down-shift? No. (Something about 5th never felt as "solid" as the rest of the gears, I don't know if this is true of all M12 transmissions, or just mine, but mine felt somewhat sloppy or vague). But again, I enjoyed driving the car VERY much.

2. The throws of the Kirban shifter are MUCH shorter then stock.

3. My 5th gear "vagueness" is GONE. The 4-5 shift is a much more positive and rewarding feeling.

4. The 1-2-3 up-shifts are like working the pump action on an Ithica shotgun both in feeling AND in sound. The Kirban's shifts are louder then stock. Too loud? No. But again, this is subjective. I like it, and I'm not a noise junkie at all. For example, I'm not one of those guys looking for a louder exhaust or ANYTHING like that.

5. The down-shift from 5-4 was never bad, but now, it's awesome. Noticable improvement.

Now for what I consider some downsides:

1. There is some noise from the shifter at idle. Is it bad? If I could snap my fingers, sure, I'd make it disappear. Am I over it? TOTALLY. Do I hear ANYTHING once it's in gear and I engage the clutch and drive? NO. Nothing. As soon as I drive even 2 feet, literally, it is GONE. Kirban does now include a "silencing" ring, made of aluminum I think, which I believe that my mechanic installed, but maybe he forgot. I do wonder. Do I care? No.

2. Your girlfriend WILL NOT BE DRIVING YOUR VETTE. The shifter is now sufficently stiffer (both north and south, as well as east to west) from stock, that I really doubt many women would feel comfortable driving it. I'm not trying to be sexist, I'm just telling you chances are good that a woman will no longer find the shifter "easy" to manipulate. You have to shift this thing with intent.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

I think trying to pick a shifter is a leap of faith unless you can actually drive a vehicle so equipped. I took a leap of faith based off my mechanic's recommendation. I'm very glad I did, my car is better for it.

- Max

 

Excellent write-up

 

Thanxs for the replies ..Mad Max what did you pay for it?

 

I purchased it from LPE's website: http://www.lingenfelter.com/store/kir-1315.html

It will be approx. $200 to your door.

- Max