I've been reading about all of the different shifters and ways to make my stock 914 shift like a Honda Accord. I would love to have a better shifting car for a reasonable amount of money. There appears to be a huge range in cost and appearance between all of these products. I would assume that more cost = better performance?

I'm really confused about all of the different products out there. I've never driven a car with any of these i.e. Rennshift or Weltmeister so my ignorance is showing loud and clear.

Is is smoother shifting? better performance? no more missed shifts? or the opportunity to put some cool looking machined parts on my car?

Can anyone put it into plain and simple english what the differences between these things are?

thanks

Do a search on shifters....there is even an active thread on one going on right now.

QUOTE (ratrustle @ Jun 26 2005, 08:20 PM)

make my stock 914 shift like a Honda Accord

I prefer a 901 shifter to a honda any day. You may think about replacing the shifter bushings, adjusting the shifter and clutch, and take it for a spin and reevaluate.

agree....it's like wearing a sweat-soaked T-shirt outside in the hot backyard and stepping inside to get a drink of water....it's that cool.

i have an awesome shifting 901. new bushings and a good adjustment make a world of difference. a rennshifter is supposed to be the cream of the crop, and give an awesome, shorter gated feel.

cant wait to try it
AA

The only thing the short shifter kits do is change the length of the lever and the fulcrum point on the shift lever itself.

The kits reduce the length of the lever above the fulcrum point, and increase the length below the fulcrum. This makes not only the forward and aft movement shorter, but it reduces the side to side movement. It will not help you learn to shift the tranny, or make it easier to get into first gear.

All new bushings in the linkage will help the most. There is a nuckle joint on the engine side of the firewall. It has two plastic bushings in it. They wear out and need to be replaced. If they are worn, nothing short of replacing them will take slop out of your shift linkage. There is, in addition, two bushings on the rod between the lever and the firewall, and one in the sideshifter housing. All three of these should be replaced as well.

If you have a sideshift tranny, before you spend a ton of money on a "short shift kit", remove your shift knob on your stock setup, and cut about three inches off of the top end of your shift rod. (Do this one inch at a time, and try it after each trial). You will need a big tubing cutter ($10 at a good hardware store), install a shift knob and try it. It will significantly reduce the "length of the throw". If you really like that and want more, I found the weltmeister unit to be okay.

If you have a "tail shifter" I have had NO experience with them and the above may not work at all.

I used to drive a 300ZX twin turbo and no 914 I have ever seen even came close to the crispness of its shifting. I have always assumed that a 914 would only be competitive at speed and not off the line because of the lousy shifting. Is this not the case? I haven't even thought about how I will approach the shifting system of my car but I do watch these posts with great interest. A tight shifting 914 would be a great thing!

Bob

Well, don't take me to literally! I don't really want it to shift like a Honda Accord -- just better than the "901 search-o-matic" that I have now.

QUOTE (Bob Wolcott @ Jun 26 2005, 10:25 PM)

I used to drive a 300ZX twin turbo and no 914 I have ever seen even came close to the crispness of its shifting. I have always assumed that a 914 would only be competitive at speed and not off the line because of the lousy shifting. Is this not the case? I haven't even thought about how I will approach the shifting system of my car but I do watch these posts with great interest. A tight shifting 914 would be a great thing! Bob

the gearing would be the main issue off the line (really quick in 1st, then a pretty good drop in RPMs once in second), a well maintained shifting assembly works wonders...most people have worn out bushings and do not understand the mechanics of how the shifting works...I recommend that newbies lay down on the ground (with car off ) and have a buddy shift the car into different gears, follow the linkage and see what it does and why......then figure out if you have loose bushings......

the "odd" 1 to 2 pattern does not help in the "speed" catagory

back to the original Q's:

it's a 30 year old car, it cannot be compared to a newer Honda that has years of refinement

Welt. parts just attach to your original shifterand are just for changing the feel of the shifting and the percieved time it takes to shift.....it will not fix sloopy bushings or worn out shifting rods....

the Rennshifter is a 100% brand new shifter that has some cool user adjustable features...the stock shifter is built with a ball and socket for it's pivot, things wear out and get old and sloopy...remember, it's an old car.....

you cannot compare the Welt. parts with the Rennshifter, one does not replace the other

i got all new shift bushings and a rennshifter (side-shifter tranny) ...
the shifting is crisp & precise, no problem shifting "fast" even from 1st to 2nd (just takes some practice).
the rennshifter is spring-loaded for the 2nd/3rd plane and works very much like a modern shifter.

good shift bushings make all the difference on our cars. on most modern cars, the shifter sits right on top of the tranny.
on our cars, you have six feet of linkage before you reach the tranny. any slightly worn bushing along the way will greatly amplify the error ...

the whole stock mechanism works very well if in good condition.
a rennshifter just adds a more modern feel the the shifter itself. and for those who have trouble shifting fast from 1st to 2nd, you can even get it with a reverse-lockout ...
Andy

QUOTE (Bob Wolcott @ Jun 26 2005, 09:25 PM)

I used to drive a 300ZX twin turbo and no 914 I have ever seen even came close to the crispness of its shifting. I have always assumed that a 914 would only be competitive at speed and not off the line because of the lousy shifting. Is this not the case? I haven't even thought about how I will approach the shifting system of my car but I do watch these posts with great interest. A tight shifting 914 would be a great thing! Bob

Come up to the PCA AX next Sunday and you can take my car for a short ride. I'll try the set up a 3rd gear course.

i have no experience w/ the rennshifter, and man would i love to have one, but...the guy i got my weltmeister shifter from said that after he bought his rennshifter, the difference really wasnt enough-for him- to warrant spending the extra money. I love the welt. shifter. I think the main difference between the welt unit and stock besides the shortened throw is how tight it feels compared to the old worn out shifter itself. My bushings are all new as well. I think my shifter unit itself was kinda loosy goosy.