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FWIW, for anyone having trouble getting the chrome ring off, installed this **** on my 2014 Z51 and had a heck of a time getting the chrome ring off. There is a bit of a trick about pulling up before you press down but the two pins in mine were very tight and even when I finally got it off it was hard to get back on as well, the pins were a tight fit!
Put a pic below to show why it needs to be pulled up first as well as turned.
Loved the ****, fits my fat hand better. Better grip for the 1st to 2nd shift and shift over to 7th from 4th or 5th.
Installed on my recently purchased Grand Sport. Two issues! It turned real easy, thought great! Until I realized it was the leather pulled away from the chrome ring! Others have posted that problem. I fixed that issue.
Then could not get the screw out. It has Loctite. In fact some recommend driving an hour to get the shift handle hot! I did several things but bottom line, the screw head sheared from the threads! After some effort fixed that. It looks and works fine now. In addition to the pic below, this is a PDF of both installs, lots of pics: http://netwelding.com/Shift_Knob.pdf
Cue Ball size shift **** works great, reduces stroke ~12% since it sits lower on shaft.
This is the grove shape in the OEM ****. You must pull up for the first part of the CCW turn.
Thanks. Yes, it was a piece of cake. Once I put the channel locks with a microfiber towel around the ring it turned and dropped immediately with no damage to the ring. The boot stayed attached to the ring.
The #20 Torx screw which some have said was a bear to get out was not. I used a Torx bit in a small ratchet and it released immediately.
10 minutes later, and my new TWM Performance, brushed billet, solid aluminum, weighted shift **** is in place. It weighs 1.32 lbs., and height is adjustable. I have it considerably lower than the stock shifter for a shorter throw.
I haven't test-driven, but did test shifts in the garage, and it seems like a lot less effort with the shorter throw and weighted shifter. I think it's a nice compliment to, and matches, the brushed aluminum on the console.
It doesn't have the shift pattern etched into it, how on earth do remember which gear to go into next?
In all seriousness I like it. Looks more appropriate than an "old school" **** on a completely modern vehicle.
It's quite a bit lower than yours right now, but could be adjusted much higher with the collar design that can be tightened almost anywhere on the OEM shaft. I tried to duplicate your picture.
I did test drive it tonight, and the shifts are very precise with a much shorter throw and a resultant less effort. The weighted **** does make a difference, and the shorter shifts make me happier.
Yep, that's pretty dang short.
I am surprised that you can get into 6th and 7th without a lot of effort, but if you never really use them, it does not matter.
I think even MGW reached a point where they thought the throw was getting too short and backed off a bit. I have seen some comments about the Hinson shifter being too short, and the increased shift effort was not worth it... Let us know where you settle out....
I did a rough calculation a couple of years ago that shows if you decrease the throw from 3" to 2", the shift effort increases by about 1-1/2 times.
Last edited by TEXHAWK0; Jul 18, 2017 at 09:59 AM.
Thanks . . . I think it's awesome without the shift pattern.
so you and the other lad only changed the ****, not the shifter itself, is what i understand. the cue ball would shorten it that much. hmm. so if i put that on my mgw shifter it would be really short toss. but maybe too short.
thanks for posting.
Al
I am surprised that you can get into 6th and 7th without a lot of effort, but if you never really use them, it does not matter.
I think even MGW reached a point where they thought the throw was getting too short and backed off a bit. I have seen some comments about the Hinson shifter being too short, and the increased shift effort was not worth it... Let us know where you settle out....
I did a rough calculation a couple of years ago that shows if you decrease the throw from 3" to 2", the shift effort increases by about 1-1/2 times.
The Hinson was to short for my taste, after a year of it I went with the MGW. Far better then stock and the Hinson IMO.
^^^
Just measured my cue ball height and it's 3 3/4 inches from the console. But went a step further as outlined in my PDF and measured the actual stroke reduction=~12%.
But as you note, there is no free lunch! Decreased stroke creates an equal percentage increase in force. Then you could always grab the OEM **** from the side, below the top. I'm reminded when I had a "Three on the Tree" in my '50 Ford and grabbed the shift lever at the column! Took more force but we thought that was cool!
Archimedes is quoted as saying in 300 BC, "Give me a long enough level and a place to stand I shall move the earth!" Considering his height and weight the most he could move it with an infinity ridged lever- it would not have move very far!
I am surprised that you can get into 6th and 7th without a lot of effort, but if you never really use them, it does not matter.
I think even MGW reached a point where they thought the throw was getting too short and backed off a bit. I have seen some comments about the Hinson shifter being too short, and the increased shift effort was not worth it... Let us know where you settle out....
I did a rough calculation a couple of years ago that shows if you decrease the throw from 3" to 2", the shift effort increases by about 1-1/2 times.
Drove it 30 miles to work today in DC, which is a combination of twisty, country roads close to my home, highway, and stop-and-go city. Thus, I shifted frequently, upshifts and many downshifts, and frequently used all gears. Shift effort was very light, throw was much shorter, very precise, and I never missed the gear I was selecting, but then again, I never do. If anything, 6 and 7 are easier to get into without the long throws of the OEM set-up. Reverse is easier as well.
The shift action is definitely smoother, and I perceive it to be lighter and more precise, but that's tough to quantify. I think the inertia generated by the weighted 1.3 lb **** helps lighten the effort.
For comparison purposes I've always loved the OEM shifter, so have never seen any reason to change. The shorter shifts, without losing any of previous precision and light effort is a definite enhancement. There is definitely no extra effort. If anything it's less.
^^^ I'm sold. Gonna order one up. Do recall the thread size? I see on their website they don't have the C7 listed but you can order based on the size and pitch.
Just call the phone number in the link above, and tell them you want one for a C7. They'll know exactly what to send you. That's what I did. I wouldn't order off the website since C7 isn't listed.
More than likely the C6 version fits, but I'd recommend playing it safe.
No, but I did wonder if it would get hot, which it did not this morning. I think it will stay close to the ambient temp of the cabin.
I do drive my car in cold winter temps, but it's always indoors both at home and work.
Getting hot may be the main disadvantage of a metal ****... I have had a metal ball and it did get hot when the car sat out in the sun...
One reason I went with the plastic ball which not only does not get hot from the sun but reduces the heat transmitted by the stick.
When I drive mine in the summer, I can definitely tell the stick is heated up, while the **** still stays comfortable. There is still quite a bit of heat generated in the tunnel.
Last edited by TEXHAWK0; Jul 18, 2017 at 03:07 PM.
Well, it was plenty hot today, in a 30-mile (45 minute) commute where my oil temps were above 225 degrees, and the **** wasn't even warm, just cabin temp. On the twisties I do have "bad" habit of keeping the revs high . . . simply can't help myself.
The way the **** mounts is on a relatively small metal collar, which is attached to the shifter shaft. The **** then screws on the threaded part of the collar. That small collar doesn't present much surface area for heat transmission from the shaft. The area above the threaded part of the **** is hollowed out such that it doesn't touch the shaft.
I could see a metal **** getting hot if it was directly screwed onto the shifter shaft, but in this case it's far more isolated from the heat source.
Yes, sitting in direct sun it would get hot, but so do black seats, the black stock shifter, as would a black plastic ****. At any rate, I think the primary reason this thing works so well is because it's a weighted ****. That's the whole idea, and the only ones on the market are metal. It's also incredibly attractive, and a beautifully machined, stainless steel piece.
