[Z06] Shifter questions
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 578
Likes: 1
From: Dallas TX
Shifter questions
I have married a wonderful woman who thinks it is time to stop modding the Z.
After the last time she drove it she came back with another request:
"I wish the shifter sould be a little shorter with a little shorter movement too"
(Have I ever mentioned I love my wife?!?!
)
So the questions are:
1) Are most of the aftermarket shifter also physically shorter?
2) Which is nicest for a daily driver type? While she is a wonderful woman, she doesn't want to have to work a lot harder while cruising...
Thanks in advance
-Ed
After the last time she drove it she came back with another request:
"I wish the shifter sould be a little shorter with a little shorter movement too"
(Have I ever mentioned I love my wife?!?!
)So the questions are:
1) Are most of the aftermarket shifter also physically shorter?
2) Which is nicest for a daily driver type? While she is a wonderful woman, she doesn't want to have to work a lot harder while cruising...
Thanks in advance
-Ed
Pro
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 700
Likes: 0
From: Casa Grande AZ
I have a Breathless Performance shifter. When I got it, it was the same length as the OEM shifter and really didn’t like it that long. So I cut 1.5” off (it’s make of aluminum) install a different **** and really like it. I would recommend the Breathless shifter and shorten it to your liking.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,554
Likes: 33
From: Not on either liberal coast.
Most after market shifters will be stiffer...aka more "precision". Some of them can be adjusted with the bias springs, if so designed. Those stiffer shifters might also yield more vibration/noises, so it's a trade off.
If your wife appreciates the least amount of effort, but wants a shorter shifter w/o vibrations/noise, maybe the C6/Z06 shifter, the MGW shifter or the B&M "Sport" shifter would give you both the results you're looking for.
You can also shorten your oem shifter by 3/4" or so to give it a different feel w/o changing the effort much, if at all. A change of shift ***** also might improve the feel of the shifter...
If your wife appreciates the least amount of effort, but wants a shorter shifter w/o vibrations/noise, maybe the C6/Z06 shifter, the MGW shifter or the B&M "Sport" shifter would give you both the results you're looking for.
You can also shorten your oem shifter by 3/4" or so to give it a different feel w/o changing the effort much, if at all. A change of shift ***** also might improve the feel of the shifter...
Last edited by hotwheels57; Oct 22, 2008 at 03:19 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,186
Likes: 2
From: Woodinville WA
Go with a Kirban
The Kirban shifter usually gets overlooked, but it is the best aftermarket shifter out there for this car. The construction is rock solid and the throw reduction isn't extreem (reducing the throw too much makes it hard to shift, especially to 5th and R.) Kirban is the only aftermarket shifter recommended by Doug Rippie, and Lingenfelter recomends it as well. When I had my C5 Z I tried a couple different shifters and the Kirban was by far the best. The Kirban didn't make noise (rattle) like the other shifters either.
After installing an aftermarket shifter don't try to rip off quick shifts right away. Get used to it and let it break in for a couple hundred miles. If you don't have billet synchro keys in your tranny a missed shift can break them and you'll have to rebuild it.
After installing an aftermarket shifter don't try to rip off quick shifts right away. Get used to it and let it break in for a couple hundred miles. If you don't have billet synchro keys in your tranny a missed shift can break them and you'll have to rebuild it.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,018
Likes: 52
From: Deltona Fl.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,816
Likes: 16
From: Anchorage Alaska
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10
Ed,
My vote is for the C6/C6Z shifter. The shift **** is far more comfortable; the throw is a bit shorter and the shift effort is very low compared to most aftermarket shifters. I've had a few other shifters in the past, and then I tried the C6 shifter. I'm NEVER going back to anything else!
If you go this route, you may want to look into a shorter shift boot, or trimming the stock boot down, because there are some minor fitment issues. The stock boot has too narrow an opening at the top, to fit around the base of the C6 ****. It CAN work without modification but it looks a little weird.
My vote is for the C6/C6Z shifter. The shift **** is far more comfortable; the throw is a bit shorter and the shift effort is very low compared to most aftermarket shifters. I've had a few other shifters in the past, and then I tried the C6 shifter. I'm NEVER going back to anything else!
If you go this route, you may want to look into a shorter shift boot, or trimming the stock boot down, because there are some minor fitment issues. The stock boot has too narrow an opening at the top, to fit around the base of the C6 ****. It CAN work without modification but it looks a little weird.
Banned Scam/Spammer
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 15,685
Likes: 1,330
From: Machineguns, because I don’t compromise
My $.02
I've experienced every brand of shifter and EVERY one of them are stiff.
The Callaway has the lightest springs inside and that would be the only aftermarket choice for me.
I had a C6Zo6 shifter in my C5Z when I bought the car... went with a Kirban.... and everybody who would drive my car (designated driver) would always pull away from a stop in 3rd gear.... and generally not be able to shift into 5th with regularity.
I myself got tired of it.... so I traded it for another C6Zo6 shifter and it's perfect.
The Callaway has the lightest springs inside and that would be the only aftermarket choice for me.
I had a C6Zo6 shifter in my C5Z when I bought the car... went with a Kirban.... and everybody who would drive my car (designated driver) would always pull away from a stop in 3rd gear.... and generally not be able to shift into 5th with regularity.
I myself got tired of it.... so I traded it for another C6Zo6 shifter and it's perfect.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,937
Likes: 1,925
From: NC
2025 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C7 of the Year Winner - Unmodified
2023 C7 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2019 C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods)
shifters
I had a Kirban and thought it was a very good shifter , but grew tired of the increased effort. Put in a 08 Z06 shifter and will probably never go back. Very easy to shift and the **** is a perfect design.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 245
Likes: 0
From: McKinney Texas
I bought a stock shifter (no ****) from another CF member that came out of his 2008 Z51 MN6 which is the same shifter as the Z06. I'll let you have it for $75 plus shipping.
I was going to put it in the 01 Z06 that I just sold so I don't need it anymore.
Send me a PM if your interested.
Thanks,
Dave
I was going to put it in the 01 Z06 that I just sold so I don't need it anymore.
Send me a PM if your interested.
Thanks,
Dave
Racer
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 404
Likes: 0
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 214
Likes: 0
My wife likes the MGW shifter with the long shaft, and says it's not too stiff. 
But seriously... MGW is a good'un, but I suspect the as-shipped set up is probably too much for most women. My wife still uses two hands to get reverse.
bob
But seriously... MGW is a good'un, but I suspect the as-shipped set up is probably too much for most women. My wife still uses two hands to get reverse.
bob
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,190
Likes: 71
From: St. Jacob Illinois
I've experienced every brand of shifter and EVERY one of them are stiff.
The Callaway has the lightest springs inside and that would be the only aftermarket choice for me.
I had a C6Zo6 shifter in my C5Z when I bought the car... went with a Kirban.... and everybody who would drive my car (designated driver) would always pull away from a stop in 3rd gear.... and generally not be able to shift into 5th with regularity.
I myself got tired of it.... so I traded it for another C6Zo6 shifter and it's perfect.
The Callaway has the lightest springs inside and that would be the only aftermarket choice for me.
I had a C6Zo6 shifter in my C5Z when I bought the car... went with a Kirban.... and everybody who would drive my car (designated driver) would always pull away from a stop in 3rd gear.... and generally not be able to shift into 5th with regularity.
I myself got tired of it.... so I traded it for another C6Zo6 shifter and it's perfect.
i've heard bpp, any thoughts??
Banned Scam/Spammer
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 15,685
Likes: 1,330
From: Machineguns, because I don’t compromise
Not sure if your hawk was a manual, but im trying to find out what the closest shifter is to a Pro 5.0 for the car. I've got teh same shifter you have, its ok, but i still want to know for a fact i wont miss 3rd. I dont care to much for the hurst though. i LOVE my pro 50 in my ol' Z28.
i've heard bpp, any thoughts??
i've heard bpp, any thoughts??
The shaft basically ditches the factory rubber isolated section so it's more direct, and because the rubber part is gone it cuts about 1.25 inches from the total length. The factory Hurst mechanism is good, so I just improved it for $30.
I've driven a Pro-5.0 in a buddy's modded WS6 and the modified Hurst was honestly identical in the solid "click" into gear with about the same effort, slightly lighter.
That being said, the Kirban will feel just like the Pro 5.0 except the springs are a little stiffer in the Kirban.
