Shifters

What is a Short Shifter and What Does It Do?

Learning to drive a stick can be both exciting and frightening. But once you have truly mastered the art, you will never turn back. Driving a manual transmission is not only more rewarding than driving an automatic transmission, but there are a number of benefits to manual transmissions. Just to name one, they're a lot less complicated than automatics. Fewer complications and fewer moving parts mean less things to go wrong. If you want to make things even more exciting, you can go the route of the aftermarket short shifter.

Short shift kits are a popular modification that serves two main purposes: firstly, because they shorten the distance that the gear lever needs to travel between the gears-by reducing the angle that the shaft travels-the idea is that faster shifts will result in better performance. This is because less time is wasted on shifting movements. In reality, however, the performance benefits will be negligible for most drivers. The second benefit of short shift kits is how they transform driving experience. Even cars with already super-shifting gearboxes can be made to feel even better, while cars with long manual strokes-which make drivers feel like they are stirring a pot of oats-are instantly given a much sportier, shorter shifting action.

You can upgrade and customize short throw shifters. Depending on your taste, preferences, and vehicle model, you can upgrade your stock shifter to an aftermarket model with little or no effort. Top aftermarket brands offer both faster shifts and a better shifting feel. Upgrading your short throw shifter could also improve the performance of your vehicle and the overall driving experience.

A common misconception in the tuning world is that a short shifter is just a cut off version of the stock shifter. In fact, cutting your shifter has no effect on the angle that your shifter shaft travels through between the gears and therefore does not reduce the angular thrust of the shifter. This kind of shifter is most common among new people with manual transmissions. While this may have a placebo effect on the throw away, and depending on how much material you take out, it increases shifting effort and makes the shifter quite notchy.

The true short shifter reduces the pitch by reducing the angle that the shifter shaft travels through during its stroke between the gears. By reducing the angle that the shaft travels between the gears, the distance that your hand needs to travel between the gears is also reduced. In many cases, the shifter shaft is also re-designed to be shorter than the stock, thus creating a sportier look and feel, as well as helping to reduce the linear throw length when coupled with a reduced angular throw. In layman's terms, this means that you can move faster, so in high-speed situations, it might just give you the edge you need.

Perhaps one of the most fun advantages of having a short shifter is this: short shifters will be slightly more difficult to drive smoothly. Which means that if you live somewhere people drive mostly automatics, your car will be the last one to be stolen. Or not at all.

There are plenty of reasons for switching to a short gear shifter. By doing so, you'll be able to reduce the distance your hand needs to move to change gears. This can make driving your vehicle a lot more fun and convenient. Just remember that long shifters might be better off with some of the vehicles. You can't rush this decision. Make sure your car is working brilliantly with a short shifter. Then, you 're going to want to take steps to choose the best short shifter for your car. Do that, and you'll appreciate the benefits you 're going to get from the new gear shifter.

Vivid Racing carries short shifters from all the top brands like Allstar Performance, B&M, ACT, Agency Power, Perrin, Stillen, Neuspeed, and more! If you don't see what your looking for, please contact us at 1-480-966-3040.