short throw

[TunerMaxima3000]

I can't find much info on short throws, short of buying one. The max is my 1st 5spd, can I not cut the shifter, either cut out a section and weld the thread section back on, or cut it back, bore it down to size and run a die over it for the knob? Is this ill advised? What problems incur if any with cutting the stock shifter?? Any advice or comments appreciated, what do you have set up ??

[gunny11218]

well i just cut mine down about 2 inches and it looks and feels great. you can buy a B&M short throw shifter from www.andysautosport.com

[TunerMaxima3000]

how'd you cut it, I want to keep the stock shifter knob.

[gunny11218]

Originally Posted by TunerMaxima3000

how'd you cut it, I want to keep the stock shifter knob.

oh i dont know what the stock shifter knob looks like but i have a momo one and i just used a haksaw and cut it off and it looks and acts similar but not like a short throw. it has kind of the same notchy feeling of a short throw but its still not a sts.

[ObsidianIce69]

personally i say go with the Short throw. I had a cut shifter in mine and the feel of the STS is much much better. If you have the time replace the shifter bushing as well. I replaced both at the same time the shift feel is 10 times better and i still have yet to miss a shift since installing it. cutting the shifter i believe increases how hard it is to shift since you'e not trully adjusting the shift length ( fulcrum) ...just the length of the lever.

[phenryiv1]

You can cut and rethread it. You can also have someone cut a couple of inches out of the middle and have it welded back together. That is what I am doing for my SpecV.

[maximus_pr]

Originally Posted by ObsidianIce69

cutting the shifter i believe increases how hard it is to shift since you'e not trully adjusting the shift length ( fulcrum) ...just the length of the lever.

exactly thats why i been trying to explain for a long time but seems most people don't get it

please read this thread
Sluggish Maxima requires assistance please

also this one here i posted a pics explaining the difference between ans sts and a cut shifter stick

WIndow Tint - Chicago

[willard00]

you can cut it, but it wont actually be a shorter throw. something to do with the linkage between the tranny and shifter...i was reading about it a few weeks ago, which could be why what i am saying so vague. lol (i have a terrible memory)

[phenryiv1]

Originally Posted by maximus_pr

exactly thats why i been trying to explain for a long time but seems most people don't get it

please read this thread
Sluggish Maxima requires assistance please

also this one here i posted a pics explaining the difference between ans sts and a cut shifter stick

WIndow Tint - Chicago

We are not using the same terminology...

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...5&postcount=16

[maximus_pr]

cutting the stock stick will not make shift shorter it only makes the stick looks shorter it does not improve the shifting ,it does not makes shifting faster ,it does not makes the shifting more precise if you compare the stock and a B&M you realize why, i bough mine for my 240sx just because i got a hell of a deal back then but it wasn't until i compared the 2 that i understood why cutting the stock won't just do the trick

for looks go ahead and cut, it looks way much better but i rather take the rod to a machine shop have it cut and retreaded instead of cutting some on the middle and welding again this is my opinion but if you want to improve your shifting and feel more connected go the whole nine yards and buy a B&M

phenryiv1- have a few friends with specv using the B&M unit and the say the would never go back to stock even a few started cutting the stock one but after trying the B&M the went and bough it

[jkmay01]

Originally Posted by maximus_pr

cutting the stock stick will not make shift shorter it only makes the stick looks shorter it does not improve the shifting ,it does not makes shifting faster ,it does not makes the shifting more precise if you compare the stock and a B&M you realize why, i bough mine for my 240sx just because i got a hell of a deal back then but it wasn't until i compared the 2 that i understood why cutting the stock won't just do the trick

for looks go ahead and cut, it looks way much better but i rather take the rod to a machine shop have it cut and retreaded instead of cutting some on the middle and welding again this is my opinion but if you want to improve your shifting and feel more connected go the whole nine yards and buy a B&M

phenryiv1- have a few friends with specv using the B&M unit and the say the would never go back to stock even a few started cutting the stock one but after trying the B&M the went and bough it

exactly you wont have a STS it may look better for the height, but you haven't changed the pivot fulcrum which is what the STS truelly do. cut if you like but wont be a STS

[phenryiv1]

Originally Posted by maximus_pr

phenryiv1- have a few friends with specv using the B&M unit and the say the would never go back to stock even a few started cutting the stock one but after trying the B&M the went and bough it

I was not implying that a cut stock shifter is anything like an aftermarket SS. All that it does is shorten the throw ABOVE the pivot, not to actually shorten the transmission-side throw.

It does not change the action that the shifter performs, but it TECHNICALLY shortens the distance that the hand moves to change gears- just not by nearly as much as does a true SS.

[TunerMaxima3000]

Awesome info thanks to everyone. After reading this I think I will wait and buy one, then maybe cut it down for looks, I wish there were a STS that were shorter in length they are only like 1-2" shorter. Anyways thanks again

[nismos14]

If you can find an SRE STS you're golden, best thing around!

[maximus_pr]

i tried a few different sts on different cars and not even the &m clones comes close to th real thing the problems range from stick snapping from the base to the stick braking on a hard shifting while on a 1/4 slam shifting for i would not buy another unit unless it a B&M

[HM_Motorsports]

If you cut the lever half of the shifter you DEFINATELY change the position of the fulcrum. A "sts" is the same exact thing as cutting your shifter. Just to a different length than B&M does. Say the stock shifter is 8" on the top half and 2 " on the bottom half. that's a 4:1 ratio. You have to move roughly 4 times the distance, but at 25% effort. Now if you hack 2" of the top, you now have moved the ratio to 3:1 so you only have to move the stick 3 times the distance of the shifter's travel on the linkage side, but you've increased the effort to 33%. Less distance but also less leverage, the basic purpose of any Short-throw.
But the aftermarket companies have done their research I'm sure and they've found a compromise between distance and effort so you'll almost always get the best of the two if you go with an aftermarket. The pivot DOES change when you cut the stick but it doesn't meant it's the most beneficial amount.
The other things that make a difference in an aftermarket one is the quality or design of the stops and the pivot connection itself.

[nismos14]

Originally Posted by HM_Motorsports

If you cut the lever half of the shifter you DEFINATELY change the position of the fulcrum. A "sts" is the same exact thing as cutting your shifter.

Apparently you fail to mention the change in the length of the bottom of the shifter. There is NOTHING the same about cutting the stock shifter vs putting in a true STS. The ONLY thing that changes is the leverage angle when you cut the stock shifter.

[garyrr]

ok many ppl have said cutting is useless... and that B&M is the way to go... i dint realy feel like paying 200 bucks for shorter throws... so i found something like this

http://www.cosmoracing.com/productin...id=137&pid=294

is this worth the money or should i just keep my stock shifter?

[maximus_pr]

Originally Posted by HM_Motorsports

If you cut the lever half of the shifter you DEFINATELY change the position of the fulcrum. A "sts" is the same exact thing as cutting your shifter. Just to a different length than B&M does. Say the stock shifter is 8" on the top half and 2 " on the bottom half. that's a 4:1 ratio. You have to move roughly 4 times the distance, but at 25% effort. Now if you hack 2" of the top, you now have moved the ratio to 3:1 so you only have to move the stick 3 times the distance of the shifter's travel on the linkage side, but you've increased the effort to 33%. Less distance but also less leverage, the basic purpose of any Short-throw.
But the aftermarket companies have done their research I'm sure and they've found a compromise between distance and effort so you'll almost always get the best of the two if you go with an aftermarket. The pivot DOES change when you cut the stick but it doesn't meant it's the most beneficial amount.
The other things that make a difference in an aftermarket one is the quality or design of the stops and the pivot connection itself.

it shows you never tried a B&M before,i though the same before trying one and comparing one next to the other again i'm not talking about a ebay cheap imitation or a stick sold everywhere the B&M its a whole unit with its own base check the links a posted before maybe you will understand what i'm trying to explain and if cut your stock shifter you will encounter more resistance thats for sure but with a B&M its the same resistance but more thigh ,precise and shorter shift please stop giving opinions on something you have not even tried yourself

no matter how much you cut the stock shifter you never going to change the travel unless you move the pivot ball higher and have the bottom part of the stick(below the pivot) longer thus increasing the travel below that point minimizing travel above that point simple physics

if you go ahead a try a B&M on a 240sx you realize that you barely move your hand no more than 1.75" from 2 gear to 5 gear or 1 gear to reverse which are the farthest 2 points between shifts before that is almost 3.25" i did that measurement on my old 240sx not to mention the precise shifting more solid feel and again many of my friends tried all kinds of shifters before the only other thing that came close was a tomei and a real nismo shifter for same car but not even the nismo shifter was a good as the B&M and it cost $75 more

[99se5speed]

Just so you know you can use your stock shift knob with a B&M it's threaded just like stock. And everything said in the above post is %100 accurate.

I have a b&m, ss clutch line, and poly shifter bushing my mechanic sat into my car to drive it on the lift and said he has never seen such nice, and precise shifts. He loved my set-up, as does everyone that trys it.

[HM_Motorsports]

Nismo, I never said that a cut lever was better or even near as good as an aftermarket sts. In fact, I thought I said the opposite. The only point I was trying to make was that the fulcrum, did indeed move. The efficiency of a lever , or balance, or whatever you want to call it is measured by ratios. Not by how long one end is. If you cut a stock shifter, it DOES change the fulcrum relative to the overall length.

if cut your stock shifter you will encounter more resistance thats for sure but with a B&M its the same resistance but more thigh ,precise and shorter shift please stop giving opinions on something you have not even tried yourself

Maximus_pr. Please read posts more carefully before you make assumptions. I've used plenty of B&M shifters as a matter of fact I sell them through my shop. 3 of my personal cars, a t-5 equipped Fox mustang, a 97 Transam t56 and a 98 Cobra have had B&M shifters. All 3 of which I've been very pleased with. There's one sitting in my 5spd swap pile for the Maxima. It would help if you reread my original post. I did NOT give any personal opinion of ANY product. In fact what I did say that a sts from an aftermarket company will in almost every case outperform a cut shifter.
Second. It is mathematically impossible to make a shifter have a shorter travel distance on the shift knob end and not increase the force needed to move it. Take a teeter totter and put someone else on the other end. Now hack your side in half, and assuming you're both the same weight. You won't be able to lift them anymore. the force needed to lift them increases when you shortened your side of the lever.


I'm sorry I apparently upset some people with that, I didn't really think it was a big deal. But the fulcrum moves when you cut the shifter, not physically, but relatively. My whole entire point.

[MorpheusZero]

^the man speaks the truth, you will never decrease throw without increasing resistance with just a different shift rod. That's part of why our trannies suck, you can make the throw as short as you want but it will still be limited by the transmission design, and thus will require more and more effort to shift. This is part of the reason I haven't gotten a short shifter yet.

Still considering it though. If for no other reason, because my shifter sits so high it's like a ski pole.

[maximus_pr]

Originally Posted by HM_Motorsports

Nismo, I never said that a cut lever was better or even near as good as an aftermarket sts. In fact, I thought I said the opposite. The only point I was trying to make was that the fulcrum, did indeed move. The efficiency of a lever , or balance, or whatever you want to call it is measured by ratios. Not by how long one end is. If you cut a stock shifter, it DOES change the fulcrum relative to the overall length.

Maximus_pr. Please read posts more carefully before you make assumptions. I've used plenty of B&M shifters as a matter of fact I sell them through my shop. 3 of my personal cars, a t-5 equipped Fox mustang, a 97 Transam t56 and a 98 Cobra have had B&M shifters. All 3 of which I've been very pleased with. There's one sitting in my 5spd swap pile for the Maxima. It would help if you reread my original post. I did NOT give any personal opinion of ANY product. In fact what I did say that a sts from an aftermarket company will in almost every case outperform a cut shifter.
Second. It is mathematically impossible to make a shifter have a shorter travel distance on the shift knob end and not increase the force needed to move it. Take a teeter totter and put someone else on the other end. Now hack your side in half, and assuming you're both the same weight. You won't be able to lift them anymore. the force needed to lift them increases when you shortened your side of the lever.


I'm sorry I apparently upset some people with that, I didn't really think it was a big deal. But the fulcrum moves when you cut the shifter, not physically, but relatively. My whole entire point.

if you compare the stock vs the B&M for the maxima you realize that both are almost the same lenght but the B&M have the ball shaped pivot higher and the lower part below tha pivot a bit longer thats why resitance don't change with the this shifter but it does if you cut stock one, again my experience with my old 240sx

also i don't get upset i just express my opinion based on my experience don't mean either that i'm always right thats what makes a forum interesting don't you think

also i tried the B&M for the 04 mustang and for some reason it did not felt like it did on my 240sx for some reason it was kind of loose but was much better than stock specially not missing a shift on a 500+whp car your tranny can go to hell

[MorpheusZero]

Originally Posted by maximus_pr

if you compare the stock vs the B&M for the maxima you realize that both are almost the same lenght but the B&M have the ball shaped pivot higher and the lower part below tha pivot a bit longer thats why resitance don't change with the this shifter but it does if you cut stock one, again my experience with my old 240sx

also i don't get upset i just express my opinion based on my experience don't mean either that i'm always right thats what makes a forum interesting don't you think

also i tried the B&M for the 04 mustang and for some reason it did not felt like it did on my 240sx for some reason it was kind of loose but was much better than stock specially not missing a shift on a 500+whp car your tranny can go to hell

We know exactly what the difference between a "true" STS and a cut shifter is. However, simple physics tell us (read: it's a fact) that you cannot decrease the throw using a simple lever without increasing the effort or force required to shift. Work is work is work. Reducing both throw and effort would require a substantial redesign of the transmission.

[99se5speed]

with the setup i mentioned above my resistence changed alot compaired to stock...the first month felt like i was lifting weights by just shifting,once it broke in the shifts are perfect.