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Gauging Interest: Fastline Road Racing Performance Shifter
Hello all. Just wanted to see if anyone would be interested in a group buy for these awesome shifters. It would also be a great contribution for those who participate in autoX, and road racing events. As for the price it has not been determined yet. I have spoken to Marcus from Fastline Performance that if we can get a list of people going we can surely have these manufactured for us. Here is the product description along with some photo’s & link to their website.
-Lewis
The problem with short shifters:
1. The aftermarket wants you to believe that the solution to the problem is shifting faster. 'Short shifters' do this by decreasing the shift throw, allowing you to feel like you are shifting faster. In reality, the transmission regulates how fast you can shift, not the shifter. Shifting too fast causes synchro wear ('crunching' between shifts), and forcing the shifter into gear (easy to do on short shifters) bends or breaks the shift forks inside the transmission.
2. 'Short shifters' are all shorter (height wise) than the stock shifter. While this may look 'cool' or give the illusion of 'performance', it is the furthest thing from the truth. The stock shifter is too far away from the steering wheel to provide proper shifting and steering techniques in the first place. So the worst thing to do is move the shifter even farther away from the steering wheel (with a shorter shifter).
3. Most all short shifters are made of aluminum. Aluminum is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, but it is soft and easily broken. There are many cases where even expensive short shifters from reputable companies shear off during shifts, in some cases causing over revving and engine damage. Check out the "big name" short shifter that sheared off at the threads below:
Steel is a better material due to its strength, and won't shear like aluminum short shifters. But steel short shifters still suffer the same basic design flaws as aluminum ones.
4. The other problem with aluminum is weight. Due to their lightness, aluminum short shifters transfer engine and transmission vibration directly to the driver. The stock shifter is made of steel, so its weight helps dampen the annoying vibrations and rattling expected with aluminum short shifters. A few steel short shifters are available, but again, all short shifters suffer the same basic design flaws.
5. Aluminum short shifters upset the counterbalance of the shift linkage. The shifter is connected to the transmission via the shift linkage, so when you shift you are moving both the shifter and the linkage. The stock shifter feels so smooth because its steel construction provides increased weight to counterbalance the weight of the linkage. Aluminum short shifters feel much worse because the weight balance of the shifter and the linkage has been upset. Shifting is now 'bottom-heavy' with a lighter shifter moving a heavier linkage.
6. Short shifters feel notchy, due to a combination of factors (weight, drastically shorter throw, etc). But another reason is the linkage bearings. Most short shifters use the same linkage bearings - metal 'roller blade' bearings that make shifts feel notchy and rough. Shift feel worsens as the bearings wear. The stock shifter uses rubber bushings that help dampen vibrations, but the rubber deforms easily and deteriorates quickly, making shifting very sloppy.
Better control starts with a better shifter:
The problems outlined help explain why many people remove their aftermarket short shifter after breaking them or being unhappy with their performance (or lack of). Most opt just to keep their stock shifter to begin with because of the notchiness and rattling attributed with short shifters.
The stock shifter has an excellent feel and throw, and does not cause transmission damage, but due to its height does not allow your hands to stay on the steering wheel as much as possible. Besides wasting time with every reach for the shifter, you also sacrifice vehicle control on the street and track (where it matters the most).
You do not need a short shifter to shift faster - the stock shifter throw is fast enough (too fast sometimes). And you certainly don't need to reduce steering control with a shorter shifter (height wise).
What you need is a better shifter.
Over 2 years in development, the FLP Road Race Performance Shifter provides just that - better shifting. Designed from scratch to be the best shifter possible, it is designed with features unlike any other aftermarket shifter available. From the ergonomic design that just falls into your hands, to the very first ultra-smooth shift, it is clear that this is not just another short shifter. In fact, this shifter was designed specifically to maintain the exact same ratio as the stock shifter. The shifter certainly does not look stock, but the shift feel and throw is 100% like the stock shifter.
The most striking features are the s-bend and extreme height compared to stock - see the comparison of the Road Race Performance Shifter vs. the stock shifter:
The s-bend places the shift knob in a full upright and ergonomic position, not cocked away from the driver like the stock and short shifters. The extreme height places the shifter right next to and even with the steering wheel, providing the proper position for the driver to concentrate on driving the car, not reaching for the shifter. When you are better able to control the vehicle, and shift more effectively because there is less wasted motion reaching for the shifter, your track times improve. Imagine how many hundreds of times you shift during a race. Now imagine saving valuable time with EVERY shift! This important difference is demonstrated below:
Finally, the Road Race Performance Shifter shifts very smoothly and accurately. That's because we use expensive Delrin bushings, a superior bushing material. Delrin resists abrasion and impacts, has high stiffness and tensile strength, high fatigue endurance, mechanical resilience, wear resistance, and is not affected by temperature or humidity. It also has excellent insulating characteristics, which helps it absorb road and engine vibrations. It will not rattle or cause rpm resonation like the 'roller blade' bearings found in short shifters.
Check out the in-car video of the shifter in action. As you can see, the Road Race Performance Shifter allows the driver to maintain full steering control of the car by keeping his hands on the wheel. The height of the shifter allows fast and accurate shifts, and the Delrin bushings make those shifts crisp and smooth. Whether you are Road Racing, Autocrossing, or driving on the street, you will notice the difference right away. And don't forget about the competition - they too will be sure to notice the difference.
Convincing argument, but since when was aluminum cheaper than steel?
The steel industry has been actively recycling for more than 150 years, in large part because it is economically advantageous to do so. It is cheaper to recycle steel and manipulate it through the production process to form new steel. Steel does not lose any of its inherent physical properties during the recycling process, and has drastically reduced energy and material requirements compared with refinement from iron ore. The energy saved by recycling reduces the annual energy consumption of the industry by about 75%, which is enough to power eighteen million homes for one year. This could be one of the reasons why steel might be slightly cheaper than aluminum.
__________________ AS1 Familia
AIM:SS4Racerx@aol.com
oh. hrm. depends on price. whats the price lookin like?
I haven't gotten an exact price yet from Fastline. I still need a devoted list of 10 people to get this started. Ive just sent them my stock shifter so hopefully they can start on this soon.
__________________ AS1 Familia
AIM:SS4Racerx@aol.com
the faster u can put ur hands on the shift knob the faster u shift...ppl don't understand that...they all think the shorter the shifter is the faster it is...some times they cut them so short that i can shift very easily !
bump for this product..too bad i am AT ..other wise ...........
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One Cool Daily Driver
Honda tuning is a LifeStyle
Nissan tuning is to go stupid FAST !
Are 3 bumps a day really necessary?
In the last 17posts, 13 have been bumps by you, and 2 were bumps from someone else.
I don't think anyone wants to have to look at 17 posts to see 2 of any real value.
__________________
Can't wait to sell my truck, so I can finally buy a fit!
A. The guy at fastline might want to take a look at a Fit shifter before committing. There's not a lot of room under the lever to extend the length, and making something as long as the one shown in the video is going to result in a pretty long throw no matter what. I know this because...
B. ...I already cobbled together a near-equivalent shifter by combining a Mugen lever, H-Fit "short shift" kit, and Circuit Hero lever extender. My rig already requires some tweaks to clear the sheet metal under the shifter assembly, so throws cannot be made any shorter no matter whose name is on the product. Fastline's lever could fo course put the knob higher and closer to the wheel than my rig, but it will come at the expense of some pretty darn long throws.
One Cool Daily Driver 
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