cheap ebay short shifters... any good? (ED Civic)

[jawbreaker]

hey guys.

are these ebay short shifters any good? would be for a '90 ED 5spd

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HONDA-CIVIC-INTEGRA-CRX-EF-EG-EG2-EG6-EG9-EK-EK4-EK9-DC2-SHORT-THROW-SHIFTER-KIT-/150928876282?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item23240fe2fa&_uhb=1#ht_3168wt_1165

[ivseenwars]

$43 from Malaysia. I wouldn't be counting on it.

[Daveho1]

realisticly not many enjoy day to day use of a short shifter, they tend to make gear changes more clunky and shifting becomes more difficult as they theororetical gains by reduced throw are lost by needing to put more force into the change because of the shorter fulcrum and there for loss of mechanical advantage.

[jawbreaker]

$43 from Malaysia. I wouldn't be counting on it.

i know exactly what you mean. ordinarily i wouldnt consider something so nasty but theres not much to go wrong with something so simple.


realisticly not many enjoy day to day use of a short shifter, they tend to make gear changes more clunky and shifting becomes more difficult as they theororetical gains by reduced throw are lost by needing to put more force into the change because of the shorter fulcrum and there for loss of mechanical advantage.

i shouldve mentioned, im going to get a taller shift knob (mugen) and maybe a shift extension (2"?).
plus its 5mins work to change.

[e240]

Avoid the aluminium ones. They snap.

Short shifts are fine for day to day use.

Simply adding a taller shift kknob / extension without a short shift will elongate the throw

[jawbreaker]

...i realise that

[connorling]

are these short shifter simply just shorten the gear stick like the picture below?
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/hks071/IMG_3772.jpg

if the distance between the ball joint to the bottom is the same, the short shifter only shorten the throw by reducing the length of the stick, and you gonna add a 2" extender will defend the purpose.

get a proper short shifter which lengthen the distance between the ball joint to the bottom where the gear linkage attach to

[jawbreaker]

thanks but im asking about a product not the philosophy behind short shifters

i understand how and why a short throw shifter would and wouldnt work. just asking about cheap ebay ones because i feel the honda community is synonimous with cheap/nasty.
otherwise the skunk2 one looks good but is 3x the price.

[salman_m5]

i was planning to buy for my eg from ebay..someone selling for $15..thankgod i drove an ek with a short shifter..i won't go for it any more..

[connorling]

thanks but im asking about a product not the philosophy behind short shifters

i understand how and why a short throw shifter would and wouldnt work. just asking about cheap ebay ones because i feel the honda community is synonimous with cheap/nasty.
otherwise the skunk2 one looks good but is 3x the price.


LOL?
get cheap sh!t ebay one then? since you drive a honda?

[EKVTIR-T]

as long as its steel and not alloy as stated above then will be fine

only problem that sometimes occurs is due to being longer from the pivot ball,sometimes they hit the exhaust heatshield below and rattle

[cihanvtec]

someone correct me i im wrong, but i read somewhere they can stuff up your synchros? purely because it effects the way the gears engage.. not necassarily an ebay one, but short shifters in general?

that being said, i have one in my pulsar and its probably the best mod ive done (besides a t28 :P) it gives the car a nice raw, sporty feeling!

[jawbreaker]

as long as its steel and not alloy as stated above then will be fine

only problem that sometimes occurs is due to being longer from the pivot ball,sometimes they hit the exhaust heatshield below and rattle

steel is an alloy lol.

but yes i'd buy a steel one, not an alluminium one unless 7068 or something lol.

[EKVTIR-T]

steel is an alloy lol.

but yes i'd buy a steel one, not an alluminium one unless 7068 or something lol.
sorry meant the aluminium alloy ones as opposed to steel

they do snap often where the thread begins

[ekslut]

are these short shifter simply just shorten the gear stick like the picture below?

if the distance between the ball joint to the bottom is the same, the short shifter only shorten the throw by reducing the length of the stick, and you gonna add a 2" extender will defend the purpose.

get a proper short shifter which lengthen the distance between the ball joint to the bottom where the gear linkage attach to

Yep, what this guy said. If you plan on extending it and putting a long shift knob on it, then unless the ball joint to bottom distance is actually lower you are just wasting $$ coz the entension and long shift knob will just cancel it out. Note that most cheap ebay ones will just have a shorter length, and not actually a longer ball joint to bottom length.

That would be the most important thing to check first along with making sure it's made from a good quality steel. But as usual, buy cheap ebay stuff and it could be ok or it could be a piece of sh*t...always a gamble, pay a bit more for something branded and usually you know it's been made right. Wost case at least you have a brand name and warranty to fall back on.

[Statikflow]

I might get one lol, maybe skunk2 though.

[davus]

from experience, never buy ebay shifters. the thread is definately bad, because they wont fit normal shift knobs properly and as others said, they might snap.

[Winter]

Aluminum is far more likely to snap than steel and break apart

steel is far more likely to bend than aluminum.

better going off to get a steel one

[VT3C]

as with ANYTHING in life you get what you pay for.

[sebtoombs]

I bought an ebay short shifter. A "proper" one (the length from the centre ball joint to the lower pin joint is longer than the standard shifter), for somewhere round $40 mark. It does make shifting faster, however as someone mentioned, slightly "clunkier". Its made from a cheap steel alloy, however I've had it for ~2 years now no issue. Also it was a perfect fit, thread matched and even came with installation hardware. So I'd say unless its a full-blown track car and you need that extra couple of fractions of sections (as in an actual short shifter mechanism), by all means buy an ebay one. Just make sure its one that actually works.

[jn093]

Ebay stuff arent that bad, its cheaper and in some cases such as the short shifter its actually worth while. just make sure the shifter is straight and thread is fine. me and my mate bought one, mine turned out great, but his shifter was slightly bend ( not really noticeable )

[hoaanguyen]

same, i have an ebay short shifter as well, been using couple of months, everything still works. sits lower and shorter throw, bought an extender and about the same height as stock but way shorter throw compared to stock. feels awesome to use

[PGB]

If you change gears like an ape you'll wear out synchro's no matter what shifter you use. Ive been using them for 7 years, 3 cars and never caused damage to any of them. Personally think its the best bang for buck mod you can do to bring a sloppy 20 year old shift pattern out of the dark ages. With a bit of brain power you dont even need to buy one. Takes 20 minutes to customize a standard shifter into an adjustable short shifter.

[curtis265]

thanks but im asking about a product not the philosophy behind short shifters

i understand how and why a short throw shifter would and wouldnt work. just asking about cheap ebay ones because i feel the honda community is synonimous with cheap/nasty.
otherwise the skunk2 one looks good but is 3x the price.

the issue with the ebay ones is that they often reduce the stick height only and not the throw angle.. soy ou need to confirm with the mannufacturer