Short throw shifter

One of my friends told me alot of people just cut their shifter to make it smaller and it does about the same thing as buying a short throw?? Now to me this dosent really sound right, i mean why would anyone buy a new shifter when they can just cut their old one...... if there is any what's the difference between a real short throw and just a hacked stock one.

I've never heard of anyone doing that, but I guess it could work. I think it would be best just to buy a new S.S. than hack the stock one.

have you ever had a short shifter break on you. it sucks.

A real short throw isn't shorter in the shaft persay, but they change the pivot point. A short throw that is just shorter does reduce the length between gears and such, but not as dramatically as a real one.

Yeah, there's a difference between short shifter and short throw. There's a tutorial online somewhere on what your friend is talking about, to make a short shifter. You have to cut the shifter to the height you want, and then re-thread it. This is different from a short throw kit however.

I have a friend with a Nissan 360zx Turbo that he cut the shifter on, and it was nice.

I, on the other hand, bought a short-throw shifter for my civic, and installed it when i put in a new clutch. It's not only physically shorter, it also has significantly shorter throws, and (with the addition of some decent bushings) has a significantly more positive "shift feel".

Just my two shiny pennies.

I put a short throw kit in my car, it's great it cleans up the throw into each gear, cutting it will just make it shorter, it's not going to clean any of the throw for you though it'll still feel loose like a stock shifter when shifting.

I have a friend with a Nissan 360zx Turbo

Huh!?! lets see, 240, 280, 300, 350,...

360 is the new one...lol


I had a car that the douche before me did that...it worked, but it was kinda awkward....just get a damn short shifter if you want a short shifter....dont cheap out!!

what about the ebay short throws? does anyone know if they work or will it just end up being a short shifter? also how do you install em?

Huh!?! lets see, 240, 280, 300, 350,...

aack! brain fart :dunno:

i meant "300zx turbo"...

what about the ebay short throws? does anyone know if they work or will it just end up being a short shifter? also how do you install em?

You'll get what you pay for, cheap one's are known to break which could end up being a big pain. Installation depends on the year and model of your car, you most likely just have to get under the car and unhook most of the shift linkage.

install. easy with a little mechanical aptitude. just look at the bottom of your car where the shifter is and see hod it might come off. or just buy a book. i got a 20$ ebay short throw, its nice, i like it. very tight, a lil hard to get into reverse sometime, but may be a problem with tranny. love the tightness though

Making a shifter short is really bad for racing, as you need a lot more time without 2 hands on a steering wheel. A proper shifter should have short throw and be as close to the steering wheel as possible. Throw should be shortened by altering the pivot point, not the hight.

Making a shifter short is really bad for racing, as you need a lot more time without 2 hands on a steering wheel. A proper shifter should have short throw and be as close to the steering wheel as possible. Throw should be shortened by altering the pivot point, not the hight.


uhm... sure.

however, most of us spend 75% of our drivetime, or more, on the street, not the strip. and a short-throw or shorter shifter can be a more comfortable way to drive for that 75% of the time. i lost about 2.5" of height on my shifter when i went aftermarket on it, but it is at a much more comfortable spot to reach, and is more out of the way when i'm adjusting controls in front of it.

aaaaand just so you know, i've noticed i'm usually FASTER to shift, because the shifter doesn't move as much so i don't have to go searching for it with my hand as much.

Making a shifter short is really bad for racing, as you need a lot more time without 2 hands on a steering wheel. A proper shifter should have short throw and be as close to the steering wheel as possible. Throw should be shortened by altering the pivot point, not the hight.
You are right hence the invention of such parts as
http://www.fastlineperformance.com/shifter.htm

I toy with getting one but I LOVE my Hurst.