I took aaron's 914 for a spin around the block today with his rennshifter and wow, what a difference. I know the reviews have been good for this thing, but the improvement is BEYOND good. James should be given a 914er of the year award for this thing. Its a totally different car.

I just thought I'd share my 2 cents for anyone thats not sure about its hefty price tag. This morning I would have NEVER considered a 500 dollar shifter, but now its really got me thinking... of course I cant afford it, but Im still thinking.

yea, i've been thinking. thanks...
i think!

everyone says its great but you can't get one . i have the money,
back log is to next year . good thinks are worth waiting for?

Its back logged???? I just got mine in June. Paid for it and received it a few days later. Did he get swamped suddenly??

QUOTE (736conver @ Aug 6 2005, 07:05 PM)

Its back logged???? I just got mine in June. Paid for it and received it a few days later. Did he get swamped suddenly??

I thought he was not taking orders right now. I would love to have one, once my fund rebuilds a little.

he put people on a wait list going way back, when your number comes up, he said he'd contact you and see if you are ready for it... he's been backlogged since before the new version came out...

Everyone seems to like these things, but I was unimpressed. I drove someone else's car, and they got the car with it already fitted. He's not impressed, either.

Perhaps it's just an adjustment thing, but the way it was set up was it was way overly sprung for the 2/3 gate. Perfect for AX use, but trying to get 4th or 5th was quite difficult, and I never managed to make a single 4->5 upshift without a struggle. I made one 4->3 "upshift" and was fortunate that I was only using light throttle and not many revs.

I don't know which throw-shortening option was set, but I found it too much. Finding any gear other than 2nd or 3rd was difficult.

If the spring rate is adjustable for side-to-side pressure, then this was just a case of a badly adjusted unit. If it's not, then it needs to be made adjustable. Not to sound overly harsh, but my well-set up tailshifter worked better. Granted, I'm rather used to vague, long-throw shifters (perhaps 10 of the last 12 cars I've had), so it could just be my personal taste getting in the way. I actually LIKE a nicely set up tailshifter with the stock throws. I hated the one Weltmeister short-shift kit I've tried, too.

Nicely made product, but it may not be for everyone...

QUOTE (lapuwali @ Aug 6 2005, 04:55 PM)

Everyone seems to like these things, but I was unimpressed. Nicely made product, but it may not be for everyone...

I think I agree. It is a nicely made product, but I have struggled with two different cars that used these and prefered my stock shifter to the Rennshift. JMHO, not trying to diss James or his business.

The springs are fully adjustable.

There are some customers who want more and more spring pressure (there is only so much available in the space as designed), and you can remove completely the springs (one or both sides) in the new unit to mimic the stock shifter if desired (without the high friction and associated wear of the stock spring design).

I tried to sell RennShifts with no throw reduction in the first version, they accounted for about 1% of the sales and some of the 20% reduction customers said they should have gotten 33%.

I have to build and sell what people want, and yours are the only negative feedback I have received except for adjustment errors, lack of reverse lockout (before I added it), and the above spring issue.

I find it hard to agree that a "properly set up" tail shifter is in any way acceptable for these cars - the shifting was maligned by every tester that drove a 914 when they were new (without any wear). 30 years does not make them better, it just makes us put up with them because we think of the cars as old now. These cars have the most direct and precise steering ever put in a vehicle, I think the shifting should match. Sloppy shifting may add character to a land yacht but it is totally at odds with everything else in the 914.

PS: I prefer the 20% throw reduction and lighter spring setting in my own 914, that I drive every single day.

I think the rennshift is a great product..

I also think people think to much about "shifting"

I once tried to teach a friend of mine to drive a 901 box, he just couldnt GET it..he looked at the shift pattern on the knob, and emulated that to the extreme, he never got the idea that feel has alot to do with shifting a 901 box..

Rennshift is great, I never even look at the shifter, its all knowing its waiting to be placed in the correct position...hard to describe

it works for me

My installation required more than a few minute adjustments. Reasons being, I had no benchmark, as the shift rod had to be straightened. The kink was hitting the headers and making the 3/4 shift very problematic. I also replaced the worn bushings at the firewall, shiftknuckle, sideshifter housing and the coupler.

Once the rod and bushings were installed correctly, I still had two, three adjustments that needed to be made at the pinch bolt in the tunnel. Once done the shifting was very smooth. I chose the 20% reduced throw and the 901 shifts as well or better than my WEVO equipped 915 in my 911.

It's good to hear those are adjustable.

We'll have to agree to disagree on the tailshifter. That's my opinion, and I know it's not the generally held view, but it's my view. By tomorrow afternoon, I'll be driving my first newly bushed sideshift car, so we'll see if I change my opinion. I don't find the tailshifter sloppy as long as the bushings aren't too old. I can row up and down through all the gears w/o missing a single shift, including a 5->2 downshift, all day long. This is after lots of practice, though. The first time I drove a 914 (with a side-shifter that was very sloppy from bad bushings), I had trouble finding ANY gear. Now, I don't even have to think about what I'm doing. So, it IS possible to have a good tailshifter, and I think they're unfairly maligned.

I completely hear you on making what sells. I'm not the majority view. I think everyone should try a Rennshift. It's a great product. I personally had a lot of trouble with one particular unit, and if it's set up properly (or more properly for ME), I might like it quite a bit. I might still hate it.

Poor performance with a Rennshift would lead me to believe there are OTHER issues, either with the tranny's linkage, or bushings, or both... or with the tranny itself.

I no longer avoid shifts in AX and haven't "missed" a shift in the 2 years I've had the new unit. I find it to be a great product and worth every cent (of course, I got mine before the price increase ).

QUOTE (lapuwali @ Aug 6 2005, 08:57 PM)

We'll have to agree to disagree on the tailshifter. That's my opinion, and I know it's not the generally held view, but it's my view.

Yep, we all like different things and enjoy different compromises in cars, and the range of what we can do with 914s is greatly appealing to many of us.

I'm a satisfied customer! James, I'm having problems hitting 2nd. I'm going to take a pix or two. Perhaps an adjustment? Rgds, Michael

Oh i forgot to add this tidbit...

I removed a Fabcar shifter from my car, and installed a rennshift

I couldnt stand having that friggin tuning fork piece of _&* in the car with me

I know Im different

tuning fork?

With a tailshifter, is not being able to get into first and very hard finding the other gears due to worn out bushing or is it a problem in the transmission itself?

In my sideshift it feels much better but grinds while downshifting into first and feels restricted when going into 4th and 5th, any ideas on that problem?
Hopefully one day I can get a renshift new or old.

told ya you wouldnt look back matt....

thanks AGAIN james for an awesome product.

matt - the rennshifter, coupled with NEW bushings is "New honda good" ™

I double clutch most of the time

figure a clutch is WAY cheaper than a tranny.

A properly adjusted stock rig, with all the right angles and that's easy with a good transaxle on the other end, shifts like a dragster. I have had a couple tail shifters, with bad parts.... sorry for ya!

:brewstirring:

Many times, the rod needs to be welded up, and ground, and the hardest part for us peeps to understand/translate/get the hang of, is the angles of the rod at rest vs the shifter position.

Don't hold 1st against your knee, and set it. Put it in second, place the shifter at NEAR the top middle of throw, and set it, then check for the down gears, and REV..

The shifter base needs as much consideration, as your pref'rence does, don't be a dick! Give your shifter base a little slack, YO!!!!

I am a shifter setup God. (big G... I am thee God of shifter setup.

Downshift grind says bad synchro, 99%. If in more gears, dragging clutch.. or R-2-4/1-3-5 grinds are misadjusted shifters.. or outside pairs.. how is REV?

I know about this!



M

QUOTE (jgiroux67 @ Aug 6 2005, 08:16 PM)

With a tailshifter, is not being able to get into first and very hard finding the other gears due to worn out bushing or is it a problem in the transmission itself? In my sideshift it feels much better but grinds while downshifting into first and feels restricted when going into 4th and 5th, any ideas on that problem? Hopefully one day I can get a renshift new or old.

It can be linkage or internal problems. It's difficult to adjust a tail-shifter to work correctly, and if it's not adjusted correctly, you can have "missing" gears, usually first or fifth.

Shot dog rings can also make getting into gear difficult, and this is very common with first and second. The problem with grinding into first can be synchros, but can also be clutch adjustment. The 4th/5th problems can easily be linkage adjustment. The side-shifter is much easier to adjust than the tail shifter, but it does require adjustment to work properly.

Note that a Rennshift isn't going to help you if you have shot synchros or dog rings, or a badly adjusted linkage, so you need to fix all of those things before you can expect good shifting. The Rennshift's primary job is to provide some lateral springing in the 4/5 plane, just as there should be in the R/1 place on the stock shifter, so providing your hand with more feedback as you move through the gears, helping you select the one you want. But the rest of the system has to be in good shape, too, or you'll end up disappointed.

I have the first generation in the Turbo with the 33 % reduction and I can't stop recommending it to people.

Everyone I know who has bought said it was the best!!!!!!!

James, thanks a million for a great product !!!

QUOTE (lapuwali @ Aug 6 2005, 05:57 PM)

We'll have to agree to disagree on the tailshifter. That's my opinion, and I know it's not the generally held view, but it's my view. By tomorrow afternoon, I'll be driving my first newly bushed sideshift car, so we'll see if I change my opinion.

I did everything you could do to a tailshift 6 to make it shift well, and it did. Then, during one of my tech sessions, someone let me drive their really well set up side shift with a strong 2.0l engine. I was very very impressed and did a sideshift conversion to my 6 tranny at the first chance.

The 6 tranny has 2 less linkage points than the tailshift 4.

The there are internal differences as well. The rake assembly is far more precise internally than the single finger in the tailshift units.

The sideshifter is also far easier to adjust the shift linkage, since you don't have to loosen an almost impossible collar behind the driver's seat.