Which Short Throw Shifter Is Best?
Racer
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 382
Likes: 0
From: Arlington VA
Kirban
Pasted from a thread several months ago:
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
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
Drifting
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,822
Likes: 2
From: San Clemente CA
Originally Posted by Honez
Call Fread Beans and get the C6 ZO6 shifter. Best there is for our cars.
Good Question!
Racer
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 310
Likes: 1
From: Sterling Virginia
Hurst
Love my Hurst! Excellent shift feel and throw. I also prefer beating the shifter stops as opposed to the trans stops - course that's still a topic of debate.
At first I thought the springs that came as/is were too stiff, but after a few weeks it was perfect. I think it was a combination of the springs breaking in and my getting used to the feel.
Drop on a Momo, or whatever your choice, and "bang away!"
-Rich
At first I thought the springs that came as/is were too stiff, but after a few weeks it was perfect. I think it was a combination of the springs breaking in and my getting used to the feel.
Drop on a Momo, or whatever your choice, and "bang away!"
-Rich
