short shift or not !
 

I am working on a 83 SC for the guy next door and he has the cheep short shift kit with the spacer block and the stem you glue on the end of your shift lever,and he has problems with the lower gear shifts, 1and 2 are real bad, He is just a easy driver and has no need to shift fast or in need of the short shift performance My thought is to just go back to stock What do any of you guys think that have done this mod? I have a short shift kit in my 66 and don't like it and am going back to stock but have never shifted a 915 with a short shift kit If I go back to stock I am in need of a stock 915 shift lever any on out have a good one laying around???let me Know >>>>>>gregSmileWavy

The factory Short Shift Kit is the ONLY good one, and it does make a difference.

Factory shift kit, or nothing at all.

I went to a shortshift when my stock shifter gave out at the epoxy joint. I am very happy with this "upgrade" and would never go back. I like the shorter throw and the placement of the knob just to the right of my knee. I have the weltmeister and have no complaints.

I had the factory short shift installed in December and it is one of the better things I have done. On a 915, 1st and 2nd are still a little pain but they are easier than stock. I have to slide into 2nd. It seems to work better when the car is warm and at higher RPMs.

All the 914 guys are raving about the Rennshift. I think Pelican even sells it now.

http://www.rennshift.com/mainpage.htm

Get a wevo and that will change your mind about short shifters

Problems with the 1-2 and 2-1 shift probably have more to do with bad synchros/bushings/adjustment than anything else.

Non-Factory short-shift kits put extra pressure on the syncros and gears. I had transmission problems with my 1979 911SC. The reputable shop that totally rebuilt my tranny said that the non-factory kit that was in my car was part of the problem. They change the leverage point TOO much causing undo pressure on the syncros and gears. I had a factory kit installed, tranny shifts up and down, smooth as butter. I think the factory kit is less expensive than the Weltmiester that was in the car when I purchased it.

Another vote for the factory SSK...it is great. Of note is that it does not change the side-to-side distances, unlike many SSKs, so it is not more prone to costly missed shifts (i.e. getting 2nd instead of 4th!). It's also nice to know that it is a factory part, and closely resembles the parts that it replaces. It bolts right up like an OEM part should, and it's downright cheap, to boot. (The SSK for my BMW is close to $400, by comparison.)

Any SSK will trade-off higher effort vs. shorter throw length...

No way around that...laws of physics....

My 85 came stock from the factory with the "semi" SSK. It improves the throw length from previous cars by 10%. Going SSK for my car would reduce this another 10%. Adding a SSK to a (say) 84 and earlier car would reduce it by 20%.

--Wil

The generalization that ALL non-factory short-shifts reduce the throw too much no longer applies.

The RennShift is available with 20% throw reduction just like the factory short-shift (stock and 33% reduced throw are available also). It also adds a bunch of features - see the Pelican catalog for all the options.:)

I got a rebuilt tranny and a factory short shift, and when it goes smoothly into second, that's about a fifty-fifty proposition. Of course, to be fair to the tranny, I have yet to pull the rear tunnel plate and see if there are any bushing parts broken off. Is that what you were referring to, Jack, when you meant the adjustment?

According to calculations by Dickerson and Gagnon (UpFix'in, Vol. 8), here are the percentage decrease in throw distance between the factory shifter and the various short shift kits:

Factory, 1985-86 10%
Weltmeister I 19%
Target 22%
Factory SSK 25%
Weltmeister II 39%

I haven't seen a WM I and II side-by-side, but according to the article, the WM II is identified by a shift lever that measures 19mm (3/4") in the area of the pivot pin (rather than the factory dimension of 20mm).

By increasing the length of the shift lever below the pivot point, you're actually decreasing leverage (while shortening the throws), that's why gear change effort increases as the above percentages increase. The added synchro wear factor appears because of a tendency to hurry shifts because of the decreased distance between throws, especially on downshifts. The cure? When upshifting, don't rush the upshift. When downshifting, double-clutch.

Here's a comparison photo I've shown before.
from the top:
Factory
FSS
WM
Target
Turbo

Bear in mind that the length of the lever above the pivot also determines the throw distance (that's the part connected to your hand). If you shorten the lever, the throw decreases and vice-versa. Note the length of the WM lever below.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1094074792.jpg

Hope this helps,
Sherwood

A lot of tranny wear occurs because peeps are yanking the gear shift before the clutch is disengaged. Particularly 1-2-3.
You're supposed to yank that shifter AFTER your clutch foot is on the floor. Not when it is half way there.
Think about it next time you do that FAST 1-2.

What a bunch of great info I find here. I used to hang around www.falfiles.com until I again got the Porsche bug, seems now I found another group of great folks who help us wanting to know. Thanks guys...

Oh, I also have plans of a SSK for mine, just gotta get my other big bug worked out first.