Stratmosphere short shifter installed this past Monday
02-04-2004, 06:38 PM
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Stratmosphere short shifter installed this past Monday
Let me just start by saying thanks to Pete and Ben @ RE. Here are some impressions...
<B><U>Installation</U></B>
The new shifter is made out of machined aluminum and is definitely superior in terms of quality to that of the stock shifter. I guess that can be attributed to Audi just trying to save some $$. There are two settings possible with the SS, short and shorter. Being someone who has never owned a car with one I decided that I would go with the less radical reduction. The installation took about an hour and a half (due to the copious pics that had to be taken) but could probably be knocked out in about 45 minutes by a diy'er. Everything comes apart and goes back together pretty easily. The only snag we ran into was reseating the ash tray. And that was just a matter of pushing at the right angle.
<B><U>Driving</U></B>
After 3 days of driving, I am very comfortable with it and have had no issues. The difference is somewhere in the neighborhood of about a 30% reduction. So, the throws are noticeably shorter but the good part is that the effort is pretty much the same. Just for kicks we measured the length of the throws (post install) and found that they were about 5 cm. I didn't have the presence of mind to measure before installation and would like it if someone out there could measure the stock length (in gear and neutral measure from the dash to the center line on the shifter). I digress, with respect to the 'notchiness' that can sometimes accompany short shifters, IMHO it simply isn't present.
<B><U>Bottom Line</U></B>
Personally, I LOVE IT. I know it is just my mind playing tricks with me but the car feels much quicker. Part of that could be due to the fact that I have 3500 miles on the car now and it is loosening up. To be honest, I didn't really believe that the car got faster as the miles rack up but it DOES.
Ok, that's it I hope this was helpful. Thanks again Pete.
<B><U>Installation</U></B>
The new shifter is made out of machined aluminum and is definitely superior in terms of quality to that of the stock shifter. I guess that can be attributed to Audi just trying to save some $$. There are two settings possible with the SS, short and shorter. Being someone who has never owned a car with one I decided that I would go with the less radical reduction. The installation took about an hour and a half (due to the copious pics that had to be taken) but could probably be knocked out in about 45 minutes by a diy'er. Everything comes apart and goes back together pretty easily. The only snag we ran into was reseating the ash tray. And that was just a matter of pushing at the right angle.
<B><U>Driving</U></B>
After 3 days of driving, I am very comfortable with it and have had no issues. The difference is somewhere in the neighborhood of about a 30% reduction. So, the throws are noticeably shorter but the good part is that the effort is pretty much the same. Just for kicks we measured the length of the throws (post install) and found that they were about 5 cm. I didn't have the presence of mind to measure before installation and would like it if someone out there could measure the stock length (in gear and neutral measure from the dash to the center line on the shifter). I digress, with respect to the 'notchiness' that can sometimes accompany short shifters, IMHO it simply isn't present.
<B><U>Bottom Line</U></B>
Personally, I LOVE IT. I know it is just my mind playing tricks with me but the car feels much quicker. Part of that could be due to the fact that I have 3500 miles on the car now and it is loosening up. To be honest, I didn't really believe that the car got faster as the miles rack up but it DOES.
Ok, that's it I hope this was helpful. Thanks again Pete.
02-04-2004, 07:04 PM
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Definitely. The B5 opened up right around 1000-1500 miles for me.
Then a bit more once I threw a little aftermarket programming on that *****... :-D
I didn't even notice a break-in period on my Expedition. :-/
I didn't even notice a break-in period on my Expedition. :-/
02-04-2004, 07:20 PM
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IF PETE WOULD ANSWER AN EMAIL!!
i preordered that from them a month ago..... Hoping that you dont find any issues with it so they can finish machining all of them and send them out!
(Bergx7@aol.com, pete)
IMO: one of the good things about this car is how fast it revs and how close the gear ratios are (the B5 was horrible ratios) However, whereas in the B5 S4, the short shifter was somewhat uneccessary (gave better feel, but didnt help all that much with such long ratios) in this B6 model, a short shifter should be standard in every car off the lot. I can tell from driving that a short shifter in this thing will really help make smoother shifts, because for once, Audi gives us an engine with the right ratios.
(Bergx7@aol.com, pete)
IMO: one of the good things about this car is how fast it revs and how close the gear ratios are (the B5 was horrible ratios) However, whereas in the B5 S4, the short shifter was somewhat uneccessary (gave better feel, but didnt help all that much with such long ratios) in this B6 model, a short shifter should be standard in every car off the lot. I can tell from driving that a short shifter in this thing will really help make smoother shifts, because for once, Audi gives us an engine with the right ratios.
