From the searching I’ve done I think I want to get the B&M shorty and the Energy Suspension shift bushings to replace my “stirring the soup” shifter I have now. I’ve read quite a few posts stating that this shifter does not have the factory bend. Does anyone have a picture of just how far forward the stock knob sits in the 1-3-5 gears? I’m just wondering if I’m going to be punching my deck when trying to grab 3rd too quickly. I’m about 6’2" so I’ll be sitting as far back as the seat goes.
I don’t have any pics, but you won’t hit the radio. You can also get the B&M double bend, that is what I have, knob sits at the same height as the straight one, but further back and at a different angle.
http://www.optauto.com/index.htm?stocknumber=BM-45047
This is the B&M im looking at, its got the factory bend, however it does say on the bottom of the pic that the one shown might not be for your specific vehicle. Says it gives a 30% throw reduction on Integras, plus its at a very decent price. Give it a look see.
-Matt
the one in the pic is what I have, I don’t think they make a factory bend (single bend) for our car. I have some pics and video comparing the throw to stock if you want.
Well I got the shifter (B&M 30% reduction) installed no problem, also did the ES bushings. I notice I have to force 5th and reverse more then I used to, is this normal? It’s not to hard but not silky smooth if you know what I mean. 1 through 4 is excellent though. Any idea’s on how to make this better? Did I tighten things up too much? I lubed everything when I put it together so I know nothing is dry…
it might be hitting your exhaust, put it in 5th and jack the car up and see if the bottom of the shifter is hitting anything. did u remove you heatshield?
I removed the heat shield, It’s not hitting the exhaust it just seems more resistant to go into 5th then it used to… Same with reverse. Like I said it’s not that it won’t go it just seems more difficult then it used to. Also there is still a small amount of “play” in the shifter when it’s in gear. Is there anyway to eliminate that completely?
Mine slides easily into 5th and reverse, but I had my Prothane bushings on the car for a few months before I installed the B&M. I think the slight play is in the shift rod in the trans. itself - this isn’t an S2000 trans we are talking about here.
I installed the B&M with eliptical bearing & ES bushings and made 3/4 inch spacers for the heat sheild instead of cutting or removing it. No rattles or buzzing. It doesn’t have the bend so I sometimes have to lean forward a bit to get fast solid shifts. 5th was also a bit tougher at first; I changed the tranny oil and got used to being a bit more aggressive going into 5th so I don’t notice it now.
I have a short shifter in my teg, and it rubs against somthing…Its like a scraping sound…I talked to my cousin, and he said its my heatshield. If i were to take my heatshield off, and it doesnt work…wut else could be the problem?..if the heat shield is the problem, and needs to be removed, is it worth removing?..Will this mess my car up in some unusual way?..Well, wut im trying to say is, “Do i need the heatshield there?..”
no you do not need your heatshield. you shifter might get a little warm as well as the area around it. and if it still hits after you take it off, then you might have to do what i did and cut the bushing holding the whole thing into your car.
Its most likely your heat shield. Some people have removed them but they say it gets hot. Personally I wouldn’t take the risk. More commonly people have cut holes in their heat shields where the shifter was hitting, which seems to work fine. I made little spacers by cutting old aluminum tent poles to 3/4" lengths, added washers and got longer 10mm bolts (for just the two bolts that were closest to the shifter) so I didn’t have to compromise heat protection at all. It requires a bit of experimentation because if you put the heat shield too low it’ll buzz on the exhaust pipe. Its common for short shifters to buzz at certain rpms, even without the heat shield, but it shouldn’t rub against anything else. If it does, put it up on jack stands and look around; everything is pretty obvious down there.
thanx for the advise guys…i appreciate it 
The biggest problem, once you get the car up on jackstands, is loostening the bolts on the cat converter, but since your short shifter was probably done recently, that shouldn’t be a problem. If you’re going to go under there I’d really recommend adding the (2, if I remember correctly) shift rod bushings, (if they’re not already on); they make a big difference. I used an Energy Suspension Master kit; worth it in the long run, but the control arm bushings were a pain in th’ass; particularly in Minnesota. ES sells the shift rod bushings seperately though and I imagine Prothane does too. They take the slop and some, if not all of the buzz out of short shifters.
I dont know about the B&M short shifter but the rest of the short shifters on da cars tend to fuck up third gear. Ive seen it happen to many 90-93 integras. Plus a short shifter wont make a big difference. Even Redzone Performance of San Jose recommends to stay with a stock shifter on all 90-93 integras. What i did to my shifter to look shorter is cut it and bought a shift knob where you tighten if from the bottom, instead of twisting it on. Just my opinion.
I didn’t buy a short shifter for looks.
i have a question that is a bit off topic…
i bought my car two years ago, and it was like this when i got it. it is a stock shifter
Sometimes it is difficult to shift into 1st gear. I have to press and release the clutch few times and eventually it will get in the 1st. Or I give a bit of gas and it will be easier to get in 1st. This happened when the car is in stop position. What is the problem? If I put a short shifter, will it solve that problem?
wow i love when people blame the SS for destroying their transmissions, this has been argued forever and is such BS. its not the SS its driver error, people trying to shift as fast as they can because they have the SS and not engaging the clutch properly and slamming it into gear. also if you think SS are the problem then why would subaru offer it as a DEALER OPTION on their car??? :hmm: i’ve driven on my skunk2 SS for over a year now and still haven’t seen one ill effect of having it on my car. it has seen runs on the drag strip, spirited driving on backroads and the daily grind of traffic and the transmission still shifts smooth as it did 2 years ago when i bought it with the oem shifter.
bobyyoo, try going into second then first whenever you’re at a stop to reset your synchros, works like a charm, sometimes the shift lock that prevents you from going into first doesn’t like to release, the tranny is atleast 12 years old and its a normal thing. my car and alot of cars do it, i just got into the habit of at a stop with the clutch engaged put it in second, first then back to nuetral. then when its time to go it slips into first like normal. the builtin shift lock is a bitch sometimes, somedays ill be rolling at like 2mph and i can shift it into first and sometimes i cant :manual:
thanks, i guess i will try that…
i heard from other people that the reason why it is hard to get in 1st, is the because the previous owner didn’t know how to shift properly… like forcing to get in the 1st when driving at low speed
usually when i try to shift into 1st at low speed 2mph, I give a bit of gas to raise my rpm to around 2-3k
mav3rick478 if you read my reply i never said short shifters fuck up other cars. Im talking about 90-93 integras. Personally if you think buying a short shifter is gonna make you shift quicker or youre gonna get a faster quarter mile time then go ahead and spend your money. Cutting my stock shifter a little and putting a heavier shift knob is gonna be the same shit as your short shifter.