Gated shifer? Options

[HAM Inc]

I do not think I could drive a 914 that had a really good shifter in it.

Blake you can drive anything! You've already proven that. And if you did drive one with the upgrades I think you'd hate going back!

The single most important part of the equation is having a well built gearbox with lots of expensive new parts. Blake built mine, and combined with the afore mentioned upgrades my 914 shifts better than my E30 BMW, which was the best shifting car I'd ever driven.

[grantsfo]

Stock mounts and shifter work great in my race car. No missed shifts ever. I do not think I could drive a 914 that had a really good shifter in it.

Put over 200 HP and race slicks on your car and I think you might have a differnt opinion. My car shifted great with DOT tires and 100 HP too. LOL!

And best shifting car is MX5 with six speed. Short positive shifts. I didnt mishift that car over 30K miles over mountain roads, AX and track days.

This post has been edited by grantsfo: Sep 3 2009, 09:20 PM

[bam914]

Stock mounts and shifter work great in my race car. No missed shifts ever. I do not think I could drive a 914 that had a really good shifter in it.

Put over 200 HP and race slicks on your car and I think you might have a differnt opinion. My car shifted great with DOT tires and 100 HP too. LOL!

And best shifting car is MX5 with six speed. Short positive shifts. I didnt mishift that car over 30K miles over mountain roads, AX and track days.

I have. My first race car was an EP 914. I had about 170hp and slicks. Never missed a shift.

[grantsfo]

I have. My first race car was an EP 914. I had about 170hp and slicks. Never missed a shift.

Put that car config through enough load and unload senarios and I think you might find a few little issues with a 200 HP plus car with a a stock shifter. Like I said I never expereinced issues at Laguna Seca or really anything at Infineon with my stock setup. However going into tight uphill turns at a Hillclimb and Infirneon T2 is one of those uphill turns that just misaligned things enough to force misshift.

Remeber I'm a guy with 200K miles and 32 years of shifting 914's too so I thought I was losing it as I have never touched reverse going into 2nd gear. My co-driver expereinced same issues and he was pretty agile shifter who rarely mishifted his 914.

But alas it all went away when I upgraded linkage from tunnel back. Perhaps it was due to fact rear of my car was not rienforced in anyway.

[neilca]

Hey Len and Blake try shifting left handed!

neil

[bam914]

Hey Len and Blake try shifting left handed!

neil

I have seen your car before but it was when it was being built. I have since seen pictures of it. I am sure it was not easy at first.

[J P Stein]

I will say that in my experience with JWest that there is no "maybe" with his products, or his character. He sells first class goodies and if something doesn't work as advertised (it will) I would bet money that James will make it right to your satisfaction.

Too many reports of his 1st gen shifter coming apart......he may have made that right, I never heard. I don't like outfits that have customers do the R&D on a product.....There are a few fellas that do the customer R&D trick. I got no truck with it. Even if it is made right, it wastes time & effort.

[HAM Inc]

I don't like outfits that have customers do the R&D on a product....

You need to get over that! Every company with a great track record in motorsports does it. From the top auto manufacturers down to the after market parts suppliers. Some rely on it more than others, but the truth is the best ones make improvements based on user feedback.

I can't say much about the early JWest goodies (never used any), but everything I have personally used from them has been top-notch.

I still say that if you have to guide your shfter to make an accurate shift, then you are not shifting as fast as possible. If you have to think about it then it will be a distraction, and slower. Thinking about guiding the shifter on down shifts while braking and pointing the car puts you at a disadvantage to the competitor who can concentrate solely on braking and turning. Just my .02 cents.

[SirAndy]

Too many reports of his 1st gen shifter coming apart......

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

I have one of the "1st gen" JW shifters. Been using it for 5 years or so.
Never had a problem with it.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif) Andy

[J P Stein]

I don't like outfits that have customers do the R&D on a product....

You need to get over that!

No, I don't.
When I pay money for a bit, it should work as advertised for a reasonable length of time. If I fuck it up, I acknowledge it.....which is much more than can be said of too many vendors. Maybe that is why my car don't break and it's about at the top of "it's " game. How's yours? . I use "proven" parts....I'll take a shot in the dark once in a while, but not often....but not those made from a sow's ear & priced like a silk purse.

My shifter has been workin' fine for 35 years, Andy. Get back to me when you can say the same.

[Randal]

Too many reports of his 1st gen shifter coming apart......

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

I have one of the "1st gen" JW shifters. Been using it for 5 years or so.
Never had a problem with it.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif) Andy

Not my experience, but I was using the shifter in extreme situations. I think if I'd put his "tunnel back" assembly in I might have had a different opinion (fyi it wasn't available then).

And I agree with Len, if you have to think about the upcoming shift the mechanics just aren't right.

I wonder how much time I lost at Infineon in the Beast (fyi with a stock shifter) when I had to double clutch the 4th to 3rd shift - every time very carefully letting out the clutch and testing that I had indeed got the transmission into the correct gear.

[HAM Inc]

Maybe that is why my car don't break and it's about at the top of "it's " game. How's yours? .

Pretty good I'd say. 5 wins a 2nd and a 3rd in FProd competition this year and first in SARRC points (my first full season of road racingBTW). We suffered our first failures Sunday at Barber when our stock fan exploded when taking the checkers in qualifying (first in class, first overall none-the-less). Fixed that and was driving away first overall in the race when an ignition box crapped out.
We had no issues Sat and took the pole in the rain and first overall in the race also in the rain. Not to bad, I think, considering my first lap ever around the joint before qualifying was that morning on a bike.

So yeah, we have our shit together.

[HAM Inc]

I wonder how much time I lost at Infineon in the Beast (fyi with a stock shifter) when I had to double clutch the 4th to 3rd shift - every time very carefully letting out the clutch and testing that I had indeed got the transmission into the correct gear.

Randall that cost you a lot of time. I know, my first race at Rd Atl in a 914 was just like that. I parked the car for a year and fixed it so that non-sence didn't happen anymore. Next, time at Rd Atl I was 3 seconds faster!

[J P Stein]

So yeah, we have our shit together.

One's shit should be all in one place. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) Sounds like you're doing well.

In a couole hundred AXs (2 drivers) I have had 2 electrical failures that caused me to miss passes over 8-9 years. I make no claim for having my shit together. Were I to say that, God would surely punish me. I consider myself lucky and the harder I work at it, the luckier I get so I'll keep skinning cats my way.

[Randal]

So what is the difference between the end to end Rennshift and the Wevo?

[turboman808]

So what is the difference between the end to end Rennshift and the Wevo?

Gonna order the Rennshifter once I get all the other issues sorted out with my transmission. Wevo is fine but for a race car I think the rennshifter is a better choice.

They both have there own versions of the reverse lockout. Rennshifts is very clever while the wevo solution is very flimsy and you hit it a few times coming out of 5th to get 4th and it's gonna be destroyed. Replaced the lockout and it broke again in a few weeks.

Really hope I got this issue solved soon. So tired of dealing with bad shifting.

[grantsfo]

I love it when dedicated AX guys with cars designed to stay in 2nd gear start talking shit about shifting. ...What? ...3rd gear about what once or twice a year? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/poke.gif) And have you ever used 4th or 5th gear? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif)

Track driving that many of us in the Paddock have expereince with subject cars to much more stress. Shfits in one long track weekend easily go over what a typical AX driver in properly setup AX car would see in 2 years of full schedule of events with 2 drivers.

This post has been edited by grantsfo: Sep 8 2009, 04:28 PM

[J P Stein]

I love it when dedicated AX guys with cars designed to stay in 2nd gear start talking shit about shifting. ...What? ...3rd gear about what once or twice a year? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/poke.gif) And have you ever used 4th or 5th gear? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif)

Track driving that many of us in the Paddock have expereince with subject cars to much more stress. Shfits in one long track weekend easily go over what a typical AX driver in properly setup AX car would see in 2 years of full schedule of events with 2 drivers.

Any car is overstressed with your fat ass in it. I've had enuff of your shit to last me a lifetime. In my reamining short time on these lists, my replies to you will not be this cordial.

[grantsfo]

Any car is overstressed with your fat ass in it.

Thats a fact! My biggest failure mode in race cars? Seat mounts cracking. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif)

JUst saying a good AX car like yours sees nothing but 2nd gear 99% of its duty cycle. Bet clutch cables on your car last a long time!

This post has been edited by grantsfo: Sep 8 2009, 07:15 PM

[SirAndy]

My shifter has been workin' fine for 35 years, Andy. Get back to me when you can say the same.

According to that logic (older is better) you should throw away half of the parts on your car NOW ...

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) Andy


PS: So, exactly WHEN is it long enough to be OK? Apparently, 5 years is not, so what is it? 10? 20? 35? WTF?