Upgraded 6MT Shifter

[Poffman]

Emailed with Ronald today a bit and ordered my kit, will definitely echo (again lol like it’s needed at this point) the unbelievable quick and thoughtful replies. Can’t wait to get my kit!!

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by Ggeezer

I had asked him the exact same question and got pretty much the exact same answer.

For those interested in Turner's polyurethane shifter arm bushing, here are Ron's thoughts on it:



Based on this feedback, I decided to skip the delrin bushings and the Turner poly arm bushing.

On a separate note, after reading all the positive feedback on this forum (especially SYT_Shadow 's), I placed an order for a shifter 6mm higher than stock for use with ZHP knob (so that the ZHP knob sits 6mm lower than the stock knob) and ~18% reduction - identical to OP's. Can't wait to get my hands on it.

As for shifters for the F8x platform, Ron has told me that he has shipped one to Canada recently so he does produce them, but probably doesn't advertise it.

Yup. That is exactly what's in mine. Glad I did 6mm higher instead of 12mm higher. Now that I have my OEM knob in place, I can barely tell that it is higher. Would have been pretty noticeable had I tried to exactly compensate the lower knob height of the ZHP. Now I just need to figure out what boot to use so I can get my ZHP installed!

Today I drove my car to work for the first time in a week or so and that damn shifter puts a smile on my face every time. The shifter was by far and away my complaint with my car once I got it. Now I hop in and am thoroughly pleased to drive it. Anything else I am going to do to the car is because I want to...this AutoSolutions shifter from Ronald is something that you HAVE to do.

Glad to see this thread is pointing more people his way.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

Today I drove my car to work for the first time in a week or so and that damn shifter puts a smile on my face every time. The shifter was by far and away my complaint with my car once I got it. Now I hop in and am thoroughly pleased to drive it. Anything else I am going to do to the car is because I want to...this AutoSolutions shifter from Ronald is something that you HAVE to do.

Glad to see this thread is pointing more people his way.

Couldn't agree more!

If I finally get an E93 it will stay quite stock, however, the AS shifter if happening no matter what!

[Iyzmi]

Just got my AS shifter installed yesterday. I think I've got the same one as spazzyfry123, 6mm higher and 18% reduction. I also went with a Turner shifter arm bushing.

Just like literally everybody who gets one of these, I like it a lot. My first impression is that it's a bit tougher to get into 1st and 2nd with the shorter throw/less leverage. If I could do it over again, I'd probably go with a more mild reduction, maybe 10-12%. My mechanic also noticed that due to the shape of the shift lever, it does not sit perfectly centered like OEM. So when it's in 1st, the shifter is centered and when it's in 3rd it's off to the right a little bit. I would not have noticed this on my own and don't think it's an issue. So far I'm very satisfied .

[shmad]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

Just got my AS shifter installed yesterday. I think I've got the same one as spazzyfry123, 6mm higher and 18% reduction. I also went with a Turner shifter arm bushing.

Just like literally everybody who gets one of these, I like it a lot. My first impression is that it's a bit tougher to get into 1st and 2nd with the shorter throw/less leverage. If I could do it over again, I'd probably go with a more mild reduction, maybe 10-12%. My mechanic also noticed that due to the shape of the shift lever, it does not sit perfectly centered like OEM. So when it's in 1st, the shifter is centered and when it's in 3rd it's off to the right a little bit. I would not have noticed this on my own and don't think it's an issue. So far I'm very satisfied .

im looking to reduce the notchiness in my 1st and 2nd gear shifting. What is the optimal way to reduce this? from what ive read one aspect is a more weighted shift knob. For that i think i'd go with the m5 knob. Other than that, what is tried and true for reducing the notch? rear arm bushing, according to this thread, is not worth it, it is more for sloppy shifting rather than notch. ive replaced the trans fluid already.
is the autosolutions kit my next step?

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by shmad

im looking to reduce the notchiness in my 1st and 2nd gear shifting. What is the optimal way to reduce this? from what ive read one aspect is a more weighted shift knob. For that i think i'd go with the m5 knob. Other than that, what is tried and true for reducing the notch? rear arm bushing, according to this thread, is not worth it, it is more for sloppy shifting rather than notch. ive replaced the trans fluid already.
is the autosolutions kit my next step?

Yeah go for the AS shifter and F10 knob. I'm not sure how you define notchy though. To me notchy means firm and precise with no slop when in gear, which I like. This setup is quite stiff/firm/"notchy", it almost feels like a gated shifter. I think a slightly longer throw would make it feel a little less notchy if that makes sense, hence my recommendation of keeping it around 12%. Shorter throws leave less room for error.

My mechanic recommended the Turner rear arm bushing and said he has personally noticed the difference from it (though this depends on how worn the stock bushing is). It costs basically the same as an OEM bushing so I went with it. I can tell you there is SLIGHTLY more vibration with this setup than stock, but I don't know if that's due to that bushing or the stiffer AS shifter. I can't overemphasize how slight the added NVH is, I only noticed because I was specifically feeling for it.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

Just got my AS shifter installed yesterday. I think I've got the same one as spazzyfry123, 6mm higher and 18% reduction. I also went with a Turner shifter arm bushing.

Just like literally everybody who gets one of these, I like it a lot. My first impression is that it's a bit tougher to get into 1st and 2nd with the shorter throw/less leverage. If I could do it over again, I'd probably go with a more mild reduction, maybe 10-12%. My mechanic also noticed that due to the shape of the shift lever, it does not sit perfectly centered like OEM. So when it's in 1st, the shifter is centered and when it's in 3rd it's off to the right a little bit. I would not have noticed this on my own and don't think it's an issue. So far I'm very satisfied .

Glad you got it installed and are enjoying it!

I absolutely love the kit and will definitely have it in any manual BMW I ever own.

I went with 10-12% reduction on the E9X and feel it's perfect with shorter shift knobs like the F10 M5 one that I have.
The 30% reduction I used in the E46M3 was best paired with the stock 'broomhandle' one or the Jaffster

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

Glad you got it installed and are enjoying it!

I absolutely love the kit and will definitely have it in any manual BMW I ever own.

I went with 10-12% reduction on the E9X and feel it's perfect with shorter shift knobs like the F10 M5 one that I have.
The 30% reduction I used in the E46M3 was best paired with the stock 'broomhandle' one or the Jaffster

I originally wanted the 10-12% but Ronald changed my mind by saying 14-18% was the sweet spot. I told him to build me whatever he would put in his own car. The % reduction is not exact, it's just an estimate. My invoice said 16-20% so I'm calling it 18%. It's not what I'd call "too short" but I just like having a little bit of extra room for error.

[shmad]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

Yeah go for the AS shifter and F10 knob. I'm not sure how you define notchy though. To me notchy means firm and precise with no slop when in gear, which I like. This setup is quite stiff/firm/"notchy", it almost feels like a gated shifter. I think a slightly longer throw would make it feel a little less notchy if that makes sense, hence my recommendation of keeping it around 12%. Shorter throws leave less room for error.

My mechanic recommended the Turner rear arm bushing and said he has personally noticed the difference from it (though this depends on how worn the stock bushing is). It costs basically the same as an OEM bushing so I went with it. I can tell you there is SLIGHTLY more vibration with this setup than stock, but I don't know if that's due to that bushing or the stiffer AS shifter. I can't overemphasize how slight the added NVH is, I only noticed because I was specifically feeling for it.

I define notchy pretty much as resistance of getting into gear. my shifter is firm and precise and i have minimal to no play when in gear. im trying to reduce the amount of resistance encountered to put the car into 1st/2nd gear. i agree with the slightly longer throw, as it would give me more leverage on the throw.
i think i read earlier in the thread that Ronald said rear arm bushings rarely deteriorate and dont need to be replaced? maybe i misunderstood.

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by shmad

I define notchy pretty much as resistance of getting into gear. my shifter is firm and precise and i have minimal to no play when in gear. im trying to reduce the amount of resistance encountered to put the car into 1st/2nd gear. i agree with the slightly longer throw, as it would give me more leverage on the throw.
i think i read earlier in the thread that Ronald said rear arm bushings rarely deteriorate and dont need to be replaced? maybe i misunderstood.

Yup, that's what he told me. I decided to get the rear arm bushing anyway because I felt it couldn't hurt and we were already in there anyways.

I do feel more resistance getting into 1st and 2nd like I mentioned above so you may not like that. Try the F10 knob and see if it gets you where you want to be, and if not get the AS shifter after that. You may find this thread helpful if you haven't already seen it:
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1349745

[shmad]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

Yup, that's what he told me. I decided to get the rear arm bushing anyway because I felt it couldn't hurt and we were already in there anyways.

I do feel more resistance getting into 1st and 2nd like I mentioned above so you may not like that. Try the F10 knob and see if it gets you where you want to be, and if not get the AS shifter after that. You may find this thread helpful if you haven't already seen it:
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1349745

Yup I've read that thread. I will follow that thread as I go along, just wondering in what order I should do it for what I'm trying to achieve. Thanks

[wheresthetrail]

Fantastic info guys! Just getting my first M3 (woohoo!) and came looking here because of the lousy shifter feel. 2 quick questions:

1) what do you do about the interface between the ZHP knob and the boot?
2) cost of the autosolutions shifter?

Thanks!

[x-ricer]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

I originally wanted the 10-12% but Ronald changed my mind by saying 14-18% was the sweet spot. I told him to build me whatever he would put in his own car. The % reduction is not exact, it's just an estimate. My invoice said 16-20% so I'm calling it 18%. It's not what I'd call "too short" but I just like having a little bit of extra room for error.

Had the same exact conversation with Ronald. Took his advice. How do you like it? Haven't installed mine yet

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by x-ricer

Had the same exact conversation with Ronald. Took his advice. How do you like it? Haven't installed mine yet

I love it. Should've done it years ago. Easily the most important mod you can do with a 6MT car.

[shimmy23]

One of these days I'll finally install mine. It's been sitting on the shelf for a year

[Solo_M_Tech]

For the record the Dinan shifter for the 335i fits perfectly in our cars and reduces the throw by 15%. Biggest benefit is the solid metal bushing which gives a very "rifle bolt" like feel when engaging gears. Plus it's a 15 minute install and requires no modifications. And it's cheap.

[strokemycocktus]

Originally Posted by Fubar_M3

For the record the Dinan shifter for the 335i fits perfectly in our cars and reduces the throw by 15%. Biggest benefit is the solid metal bushing which gives a very "rifle bolt" like feel when engaging gears. Plus it's a 15 minute install and requires no modifications. And it's cheap.

Thanks for the info!
To clarify, is this the part?
https://www.dinancars.com/product/d5...-e46-m-e39-m5/

I will have delrin carrier bushings and the turner poly shifter arm bushing installed soon so I will share my thoughts on that as well. This shifter may be the next and final step afterwards

[Solo_M_Tech]

Originally Posted by strokemycocktus

Thanks for the info!
To clarify, is this the part?
https://www.dinancars.com/product/d5...-e46-m-e39-m5/

I will have delrin carrier bushings and the turner poly shifter arm bushing installed soon so I will share my thoughts on that as well. This shifter may be the next and final step afterwards

Yup that's the one. went out to my garage to confirm the part number from the box.

[strokemycocktus]

And you say you have a tight and direct shifter feel with just this part installed?
How does the throw feel and which knob are you using?
I looked at the install instruction, doesn't look like 15 minute job but it isn't rocket science I guess.

[strokemycocktus]

Originally Posted by Fubar_M3

Yup that's the one. went out to my garage to confirm the part number from the box.

Sorry for molesting you with my questions, but I wanted to ask about the throw with this dinan shifter. You say it reduces it by 15%, while they state 20-25% on their website. Are the throws similar to the Autosolutions kit like here (this is probably 7%):

Or are they very short like in this 325i:

?

Thank you!

[Powashiftin]

Originally Posted by Fubar_M3

Yup that's the one. went out to my garage to confirm the part number from the box.

How is this installed? Underneath?

[strokemycocktus]

Originally Posted by Powashiftin

How is this installed? Underneath?

For the bushings you need to remove the shifter carrier under the car, replace them and reinstall the carrier.
For the shifter you just need to remove one clip under the car and the rest is accessed from the cabin.