Go test drive a 2003 BMW 325i (what I drove for 17 years back to back, 2003 being the more recent), my Z06 shifter feels plenty tight compared to that. Never liked those shifters; sloppy at best. The Z is notchy, but to me, tight and precise.
I'll check when I get home, pretty darn sure it's stock. Everything else was except for black powder coated factory wheels and high end radar detector.

 

Well that's like saying ice cream is healthy because it's not as bad as smoking.

 

LOL, OK, not at all, but sure...
Not sure what I thought I was checking, I removed the stock ****, demon key and all. Its a factory shifter.
I guess the bottom line is I like the feel of the shifter. Would I like a C6 or MGW more? Can't say, never tried...

 

Hey, we all have different tastes. I didn't hate the stock shifter, but I missed how a good snappy one felt so I went to aftermarket and I'm thrilled

 

So lemme ask then, what did you get, what makes it snappy, what specifically is better to you about it?
Seriously, I have owned mostly stick in my 35 years of driving, and never gone aftermarket. Wish I could cop a feel of one...

 

I'm in NC if you're ever near by feel free to come by. This is the first car I've ever gone aftermarket shifter in. I went with the b&m which is pretty stiff if you're used to honda/Toyota but it's not insane, I can shift with one finger.

For me it's just a cleaner shift with less movement front to back as well as side to side. Almost like the shifter knows where I want it to go where as with the old one wasn't crisp from gear to gear.

Hard to explain, it's like it pops or explodes into gear instead of having to be pushed all the way.

 

I'm more used to American (older) and German, and my Z shifter feels better than any of them. Don't want to sound like one of those "my car feels faster than..." guys, but I seriously wonder if maybe they improved it in 04, or tolerances varied from car to car, perhaps the Z was better (it was mounted with steel washers in place of rubber, yes?)...
You have a Z though, yes? What year?
Edit, P.S. A quick 46 hour, 2700 mile drive, I'll be right there!

 

Heaviest ***** I've ever seen and they feel great.

http://www.pdvmotorsports.com/collec...ng-shift-*****

 

Define precise and tight. The only "slop" in my set up is in the transmission itself. There is no slop at all in the shifter mechanism, either fore and aft or side to side. It's the original factory unit which I rebuilt to get rid of the effects of close to 18 years of use.

To me, that's precise. As to tight, if tight means stiffness built into the shifter box, or that I need more that a couple of fingers on the **** to make a shift, no thanks. BTW, I don't have the anti Venom mod - don't see the need.

 

Where ya at in NC? I'm in West Jefferson, close to Boone and Wilkesboro

 

Can't go wrong with a Delrin ****. Here's mine on a shortened MGW shifter with RedlineGoods 1" shorter boot. As much as I like leather, eventually a leather **** will show signs of wear, along with oils from your hand. Delrin doesn't get hot or cold, is easily cleaned, and won't wear unless you have an unforgiving ring on your right hand.

 

I've been all over NC from Gibsonville, to Greenville, to Raleigh, to greensboro (where I'm at now.)

Wilkesboro is no more Than an hour from where I'm at now.

In response to my car, it's an 01 z06, and I didn't hate how the factory shifter felt, but it was nowhere near as good as my old 350z shifter (though the trans is 1,000,000 times better to shift fast). I wouldn't have even gotten a short shifter except that I saw a steal on the one I got and jumped on it. Even if the slop is in the trans, the b&m minimizes it

 

Does it have its own shift gate? Otherwise how does it compensate for looseness in the 'box?

Me? I am an enthusiastic supporter of a $10 thread die and a new shift **** - in my case, less that $50 all up, plus the labor (mine) to take the shifter mechanism apart, and tighten everything up.

 

I like it!

 

I think that was the first thing I bought soon after I bought the car. Black, 2", Que ball. I liked it but the wife never warmed up to it. It's her car so I did the right thing and put the stock **** back on.

 

Curious, do you have a Z? If not, did you install the Z solid mounting bushings or rubber?

 

No, it doesn't have any gates. It changes the pivot and raises up the fulcrum point on the shifter, as well as shortening the shaft itself. This means any play in the trans itself is minimized through the shifter.

Just cutting and rethreading does half the job, but it doesn't move the fulcrum point.

 

I bought a 1 7/8" shifter **** from TwistedShifterz, but the way they worded it I assumed the threading wouldn't be as deep as I wanted; well it is! The way this **** is built is almost identical to what I had planned (only smaller ID at bottom, so harder/impossible? to tuck boot up inside at lowest install option). I have no need to make my own. Ref; upside down red U is shifter boot "at rest".

Pictures of: **** install drawing, bottom side of TS ****, installed with no shaft mod.

Left:
Factory ****/shaft (key/keyway rotated; ignore)

2nd:
TS ****
No shaft changes
~1/4" lower than stock
Some shaft showing

3rd:
TS ****
~13/16" sawn off top of shaft
No threading required
~15/16" lower than stock
**** will push boot down ~1/4" easily

Right:
TS ****
~1 1/4" cut off top of shaft
Must extend thread ~1/2" down
~1 3/8" lower than stock
Boot likely needs to be trimmed or forced up inside (don't think it can be moved down the 3/4" needed)

I'm off for 9 days, will likely do 3rd step only, as I think this will get the **** to the height desired. Will post final picture and actual height measurements.

 

No to both. I dumped the GM Torx bolts for proper hex head bolts, and put machine quality flat washers under them and screwed them down good and hard - no movement at all there. The other thing, which made a considerable difference, was I took the riveted on top plate off of the shifter mechanism, and ground it down a hair, then reassembled with make a gasket goo and nuts and bolts - this got rid of the looseness which had built up over 70k. The same treatment to the joint to the shifter box, and voila, no play anywhere, except in the transmission itself, most noticeable in the 1-2 plane. In 3-4 it's about 1/8" side to side at the shift ****.

Drove it around for a while with the trim out so I could be sure I was seeing no play in the bits I had had apart. BTW, the starter is really loud when there is no trim in place!!

Like your new set up. If you have, or have access to a pillar drill, you could bore out the lower part of the **** a little to fit over the top of the boot. Probably could also do it by hand using a burr on a hand drill or a Dremel.

p.s. how are you locking the **** to the shaft?

 

Good stuff, your bolts and washers = the same effective mounting or better than the Z shifter. And nice job on the further improvements! Including keeping a close watch on things wide open...

If I feel the **** needs to be lower than the 3rd sketch, I'll bore out the bottom, trim the boot, force it up inside... something. I think I'll be happy without threading further down however. Right now the **** feels like an inch lower would be just perfect.

TwistedShifterz includes a small tube of thread locker with the ****; Vibra-tite blue 12102 specifically. I'm more familiar with Loctite products, but I'm sure this will work more than fine. TS mainly recommend not tightening down against the top of the **** inside; thread down lightly to bottom out, back off to align pattern.
For now I'll leave it "loose" until I'm sure I'm happy where it is. Then pull her off and install the blue thread locker.