Hi all,

I am looking at getting a short-throw shifter for my BA2 6-speed manual Phoon.

The reason is that they are advertised to be far more accurate and reduce gear changing times (obviously), and generally make the current gearbox less notchy.

I was hoping to get someone who has experience with either Herrod's Suresix version or Mal Woods short-throw shifter kits, to shed some light on how much difference they REALLY do make to the driving experience for the money.

Herrod's Suresix reduces throw by 40% and cost $425.

I am unsure as to how much Mal Wood's shifter reduces throw, but costs $375.

Herrod Motorsport charge $100 to install (if you have a hoist you can do it yourself). I would be getting Nizpro to do it when I go in for the next service.

Which one is better guys?

Also, FYI, according to Mal Wood himself:

The shifter is quite straight forward to fit but you will need to use a hoist to get the car up so you can work on it. You will have to separate the exhaust just after the cat, lower the transmission and loosen the centre bearing bolts this way you can reach up and remove the existing shifter and then fit the new one.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Venom

I have a Mal Woods shifter in mine... Does the job well!

Unfortunately I havent tried a herrod shifter so cannot comment on how good they are or tell you which one is better.

Have you looked at a Billet shifter at all? I havent used on in an XR6T but I have driven a friends VX SS with a Billet shifter and its really really nice...

Not sure what they cost but I would consider that as another option if I were you...

From what I've heard the Billet shifters are very poor in the XR6T's but I don't have any first hand experience so don't take it as gospel.

Had a MW unit in my 6 speed for about 18 months along with his shortened stick. Reduced the throw a little, but the major benifit is you never miss the 2nd to 3rd change which happens quite easily with the standard shifter. Was a little notchy but nothing that I couldn't put up with.

Again, no experience with Herrod but I've heard good & bad about them.

My money would be on MW as he is a site sponsor, they're proven to yield the desired results & they're priced better than the others

I have no experience with the Herrod one so I can't compare but I can give my opinion on the MW one...

I have had it for around 2-3 months now and have had no issues at all. I'm not sure of the exact percentage of throw decrease either, but it does feel very good.

Sometimes these kind of kits can go a bit overboard. They reduce the throw too much and they become hard to drive in the heat of battle, you’re constantly getting confused and missing/selecting wrong gears because the shift pattern is just too short and annoying – no such issues with the MW kit. IMO it is just about perfect decrease to be very functional and quick to swap cogs. Anyone can smash gears going down the tree (ie. 1-2, 3-4, 5-6) but this comes into its own going across the tree (2-3, 4-5) It is very quick, but accurate as well. It has definitely improved my driving experience….

There's only one shifter you should be looking at, and you're not even looking at it.

RipShift is far and away the best on the market.

Thanks for the quick replies. My car is getting serviced with other upgrades next wednesday, so I might see if I can get MW to send me one.

but first, care to elaborate on your opinion about RipShift, ExAreSix? Why do you consider them the best?

Cause there more expensive then the rest.

What about a B&M ripper? any experience???

Mal said that he would do a group buy for $330 for more than 10 people. If any on is interested we can set up a group buy!

Kym

but first, care to elaborate on your opinion about RipShift, ExAreSix? Why do you consider them the best?

I know a few guys who have used both Ripshift and the others you have mentioned. They all choose the Ripshift over anything else. Do a quick search of previous threads to see this.

And Ripshift have the runs on the board so to speak. A few years experience with the Late model camira T56 before the Ford's.

Anyone who has driven both will stick with the RipShift.

After hours of finding and reading posts on the forums about ripshifts that I couldn't find before creating this thread, it seems to be split opinion between Ripshift and MW. a bit of negative feedback about Herrod's Suresix though.

alot of people who have tried both say that they are different, but neither is 'better' than the other. It seems the ripshift is a bit stiffer to use, but gates perfectly, while the MW is a bit smoother - both selects as well as one another, and allow for as quick a gear change - depends on what sort of feel you like in the shifter.

Given the opinions on this forums are divided, ill save my money and go the MW option - especially considering he is a site sponsor.

I was still unsure as to how much it is worth doing - but no one who has ever bought a short-shifter on these forums has regretted it, and all say it is a great mod for the money - makes the car seem alot more 'racey'.

so in it will go. ill give my own feedback on the product n a couple of weeks.

Thanks for all your help.

Venom

P.S> if you want more info just search 'ripshift'. I was searching 'short shift' and it didn't return many relevant posts.