Mingstock

With all the ongoing discussion about gearshift quality or lack thereof, short shifters etc, I decided to add my 0.02c worth:

- I have a UUC @ 30% & the throw length is fine for me. Weighting is naturally increased due to the simple physics of leverage, but I prefer it to the almost overly light stock shifter.

- The all-metal construction of the UUC with needle roller bearings transmits more vibration & impact than the stock (plastic & elastomeric combination with considerable slop). This could be taken as increasing the "notchy" feel but is just due to having solid metal all the way through (much like spherical joints vs stock rubber in suspension). The lack of slop & play is welcomed, however the reluctant synchros can more easily be felt, leading to the increased perception of "notchiness".

- In reality, no shifter really fixes the synchro reluctance since the problem lies inside the transmission, not the change mechanism.

- Toy Guy's design (excellent innovation btw) retains some plastic in the actual lever which transmits less mechanical vibration & impact. Plus it has slippery lateral thrust bushes which I would guess reduces fore-aft friction compared with the UUC, which has large metal-metal surfaces & depends entirely on the lubricant. I also guess there is a tad less weight in the moving assembly, whose reduced friction also results in less frictional force when shifting.

- I don't have either an aftermarket snub mount or DTS & transmission windup under moderate acceleration is noticeable. It can be most felt through the gearstick as resistance to "pulling out" of 1st gear when changing to 2nd. This force increases with harder acceleration & increases the amount of force needed to change. I found backing off the accelerator a frag just before pulling out of 1st greatly improves the smoothness of the gearchange & reduces graunching.
I'm guessing this allows the transmission mounts to return to their unloaded position & puts the linkage in better alignment(?)

-Performing the above action quickly & pushing lightly against the 2nd gear synchros just before fully engaging tends to aid the change smoothness too. Graunching is reduced or eliminated. Full clutch disengagement before pulling into 2nd is also essential.

- The weight of discussion about the S4 gearchange tends to indicate it's pretty ordinary by overall standards. I've owned 3 x BMW's & a B5 A4Q which all had smooth shifters & never even made me think about the change quality. Having to employ the above techniques reallly shouldn't be necessary in a modern car. Glad to see the B6 has addressed the problem.

Anyone else experienced these points or have other comments?

Andy Hedin

<ul><li><a href="http://www.awe-tuning.com/pages/shared/part_detail.cfm?PMaI=1&amp;PMoI=4&amp;PEI=6&amp;PP =s4_27t_interior.cfm&amp;PPT=Interior&amp;IL=UUCSS ">Cartridge Bearings for UUC Shortshifter</a></li></ul>

GrandPaJohn

posted about a few days back. Thanks

Andy Hedin

<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/wheel/msgs/65162.phtml">SSR GT 7 Wheels from Tire Rack</a></li></ul>

GrandPaJohn

Thinking about going to 18's in the spring since I'll need new summer tires by then. Want something easy on the eyes and the back. (Cleaning the RC's is a PITA)