im looking into getting one i wanted to see what everyone liked
Hurst
B&M
Breathless

 

For a $155 the Hurst is hard to beat. But in all honesty there is NO BEST. You need to do some research and find the one best suited to your driving needs.

I have the Hurst and love it.

Tom

 

 

I have had Hurst and B & M. I like the feel of the Hurst slightly over the B & M but I would not change one for the other.

 

I prefer the Hurst, but they all do the same thing, removing the spagetti shifter the factory puts in.

 

B&M Ripper


[Modified by patriot, 2:14 AM 6/7/2004]

 

We have a Hurst in our Z06 and the B&M in the Coupe. I like them both equally.

 

Stock shifter here. An after-market shifter won't make anyone shift faster. What governs the speed of a shift is leg speed. This is because the leg must move in two directions. The shifter moves in only one direction per shift.

If you have your heart set on an after-market shifter, then suggest your personally drive one of each type. Then make up your mind.

I did that. Andconcluded that no after-market shifter would reduce my times compared to the stock shifter.

Ranger

 

An aftermarket shifter is not about speed for me it is more about feel. I do not want the shifter in my vette to feel like it came out of a pickup truck. I have a Hurst and absolutely love it. It felt very stiff when I first got it. I am not sure if it loosened up or if I just got used to it but now it feels perfect.

I do not have any experience with any other shifters and can not say if they are better or worse.

 

I think most people who have bought the Hurst or any of the others didn't buy it too get a faster shift.

 

After purchasing a Breathless unit I am not sure what good it does. Even on the weakest spring settings it makes the shift into 1st or 2nd hard. This last weekend I don't how many times I got into 3rd instead of 1st because I wasn't pulling sideways hard enough. Never had that problem with the stock shifter which has just the right amount of spring tension. I believe all of them require you to turn the stock inner rubber boot upside down to fit over the top. This way it sits on top of the shifter block and gets in the way of shifter movement. Of course if you cut it you can get it to slide down over the block but then it doesn't seal as it should.

One of these days when I want to tear the center console out again the stock shifter will be back in and there will be a used Breathless on the market. I have tried the others in other peoples cars and they are the same way. The other problem I have is the damned shift **** keeps vibrating loose since the aftermarket shifters transmit a lot more vibration up the stick.

I am not sure why some people equate hard to operate as being precise but that is what they seem to do. You constantly see the comment that it seemed stiff at first but maybe the springs got weaker or they got used to it. Why should you need to get used to it?

The shifter that you can replace is nothing more than a stick stuck through a hole. The bottom of the stick fits in a slot in the shift linkage. The aftermarket shifters are the same thing with a different size hole and different fulcrum points with some springs added to give some additional resistance. Each of those changes increases effort but doesn't make the transmission shift any better.

The only way to improve the feel of the stock shifter is to improve the shift linkages going to the transmission and the shift mechanism in the transmission itself.

Bill

 

You will find a lot of people that disagree with you, but you are entitled to your opinon, The aftermarket shifters do shift better in the opinons of many.

 

Well I just replaced my B&M with a Kirban since the B&M was a little too noisy when pressure was applied to the ***. This made the car sound "trashy" when WOT and my hand on the ***. The Kirban was a little more quiet but not enough that I would do the swap again. The B&M is the shortest one on the market which means shifting is a little harder than the others but you get used to it after a few miles. If you let a lot of strangers (especially women) drive your car I would reccomend something other than the B&M. All of the shifters help provide against missed shifts since there really is no "in between" gears like the spongy factory shifter; you are either in gear or not.

 

Me TOO!

 

I agree with some others, I'm not sure there is a BEST. I put in a Breathless shifter in a couple of months ago, and I luv it. It has so many adjustments you can't help but find one you feel confortable with. There's absolutly no noise or rattles from it. Any one you put in will take a little getting use to, but mine is smooth, and you will almost never miss a gear. Good Luck!

 

I just put a hurst in and the redline ATF D4 in the tranny, fantastic improvement, of course I thought the stock shifter was dreadful after having a B&M in my eclipse. There is more force required to move the shifter through the gears, but you did buy a sports car so you'll get over that

I thought the hurst was killer value for money, well made and easy to install, I took pictures of my install so if you need any let me know and I'll host them somewhere.

I also put the UUC billet shift **** on, it gains a little heat after a long drive, but its weighted and I love the feeling when you shift, no mush and very solid. I did modify the stock spring settings once I got it, found the neutral position a little too stiff, backed off the adjustment about 1 turn and re-threadlocked and all was great.

I was considering the same shifters as you about two weeks ago and decided that hurst overall was the best bang for the buck.


[Modified by verbalgsx, 1:47 PM 6/7/2004]

 

Like Ranger, I have no problem w/ my stock shifter! I cut it down an inch or so & like it as is. I have yet to miss a shift at the track (knock wood)! You CAN miss a shift w/ any shifter.

 

I feel as you do. I have been fighting with this BPP thing since I bought it last August. When I am on the track I want to concentrate on the track and not how hard I am pulling on the shifter to get in the correct gear. I never missed a shift with a stock shifter since 97 and now I have this so called short throw shifter that I have to think about all the time. What is interesting is two months ago when I installed my tranny cooler on the Z I also took the chance to change the fluid to Mobil 1 fluid. That change made the single biggest improvement in shifter feel and I have to believe with the stock unit back in the car it would be really slick.

One question I have asked for several months is what people have done with the stock rubber boot when they install one of these shifters. Mine does not fit over the BPP unit and from the pictures I have seen the other shifters look just like the BPP unit.

I tightened the shift **** on Saturday and its loose again today. When loose it rattles loud enough to be heard at full throttle at 140 with the windows open.

Bill

 

 

Anyone who can pull 11's in a stock Z knows WTF they're doin' behind the wheel. I agree. I have seen no need to replace the stock shifter. If I need a shorter throw I just apply the force down a little on the stick. Why spend $180 to worry about rattles and cut tennis ***** and tight springs?