Hey all,

I'm new to this site...and very glad to have finally found a reliable Protege Forum!

I have a 2001 ES (manual), and have been wondering about shortening my throws between gears. How much could it run me to get a whole short-throw kit? And have it installed? And will this screw up my car?

Are there other ways of shortening the throws (e.g., simply shortening the stick itself), or are options like these just wastes of time?

Any thoughts on the subject would be welcome...thanks in advance!

 

I have installed a kartboy short shifter as well as bushings. I'm pleased with the results over the stock setup. Basically it takes the loose side to side play out of the shifter and also reduces the throws by somewhere around 30% so you no longer feel like your shifting a big rig. Plus the shifts feel more precise like a gated shifter.
Basically it's not for everyone, but I would highly recommend one. As far as which brand is the best...I would say do a search on what other members have said about B&M, TMW and Kartboy.

 

ive got the b and m and i am very pleased as well.

 

Okay...I know the short-throw kits are out there, and I know people use them. But people do alot of things to their rides that I don't want to do...

How expensive are these kits? How much of a pain are they to install? Even if I have one installed by a "pro," does it require all kinds of sketchy things like sawing off a piece of my oil-pan cover or something?

 

its basically a bolt on. Its simple. 30-60mins and a first timer can do it!

 

It's a pretty install to do yourself. The only special tool you will need is a pair of snap ring pliers. Other than that you will just need a couple sockets and a wrench. Here is link for TMW http://www.twmperformance.com/shortshifters/ that shows the install step by step. As for the price, in Canada the most reasonably priced is the Kartboy and then the TMW since there are distributors for these brands locally. Originally I wanted to buy a B&M until I looked into the price.
No, there is no special alterations to do other than bending the heat shield about an inch or so. That just prevents the shift linkage from rubbing.

 

I put a B&M in mne. It ran me about 150 dollars....just get some snap ring pliers. Its not a bad install, took about 45 minutes...plus finding tools which took like a half hour.

 

HI FLUTIE and Welcome to our happy little corner of the net, and to our Club. There are TWO BIG fridge'S in the corner with anything you can think of in them...help yourself...of course only take what you can LEGALLY have.

make yourself at home on one of the big fluffy couches, kick your shoes off, put your feet up on one of the tables, yes we are allowed to do that, mom don't care....and take it easy.

oh...btw....every once in a while a food fight breaks out...so you may not want to wear nice clothes here.

Welcome!!

 

how hard is it to change the shifter?

 

On a scale out of 1 - 10, I would say it's about a 2. If you're replacing the bushings as well I would say a three. The only frustrating part is removing the "C" clip even with the snap ring pliers. The bushing is a little ackward removing the stock bushing depending how high you have the front of the car off the ground.

 

Thanks everyone...this is all really helpful. I'm sold on the idea now, and can't wait to shorten my throws!

And thanks for the tour, Sir Nuke. I especially like the bars covering the windows...nice touch. I just HAVE to get your decorator's name!