Vellios Side Shift 915 conversion kit, anybody know anything about it? Options

[naro914]

I bought a shorter geared, limited slip, 915 trans with a Vellios side shift conversion. Owner of the shop I bought it from I trust implicitly, and he said it was the best conversion out there - better than WEVO because it makes it a side shift instead of converting tail shift to use in a 914. The customer that had it ran it in his race 914 and loved it.

Anyone here know anything about the conversion kit? Do I need to change the shifter? I currently have a Rennshift for my current 901...

Thanks for any comments.

[RON S.]

Bob,

I've been running a Vellios unit on my 3.6l/915 trans combo for years.

Basically because back in 2000, when I began the conversion, that was all that was available.

I've put about 3k miles on the car since, so heres what I can tell you what to expect.
To me, the shift quality is really Vague. Meaning I have to know WHERE the gear is as I begin to shift from one gear to the next. It's easy to miss third if I wasn't sure where it was. Downshift is the same. Easy to miss 4th coming out of 5th.

In my case, and my case only, driving around town and highways is ok, but I'd be concerned about track events. I've driven my car enough to learn the quirks of the Vellios unit. It will take some adjustment to set it up before the trans goes back in the car.
Don't expect an OEM shift quality from the Vellios, but it is acceptable.
I currently run a JWest shifter, and the shift rod is nothing more than a 5/8'' dia. tube w/a Apex joint on one end. No big deal there.

I recently purchased and have received Martin Bott's 916 kit. I'll install it in my 915 box later this summer, and the Vellios will be put up for sale.
I'm hoping that the 916 kit will give me the OEM shift feel that the Vellios lacks.