Gearbox Munching

[bennyBear]

Here's my story, hope someone can help!!!

So i had a B&M short shift stick installed in my car, shifted too hard and spat gearbox everywhere!

Had a full box re-build and forge but the mechanic still reckons i should get rid of the shifter and put the original stick back in caus the shorter stick can change gears too quickly??!! (I thought this was the idea!)

Is there anything i can do to my box to save it from being chewed again!!

Oh... My bad, 96' Gsi teg. W/ Exedy hyper-plate clutch <-- i have been told this clutch will put more load on my box also!

Help me O-b Wan, Help me!

[spetz]

I always thought that quickshifters just cause more wear and tear. Didn't think they could "ruin" a gearbox from 1 shift?

[aStRooo]

initially my b&m short shifter made shifting a bit harder. but after a while u get used to it, get the right angle and its shift is smooth. have missed a gear on the odd occasion, but i havent heard of the box going like that. what condition was ur gearbox in prior to installation.

[Limbo]

The short shifters put more pressure in the box as they make you push the gears in deeper and fast. So long as you shift properly you should be fine. Maybe your gears are not all that good afterall? i've not had any problems and i've had the short shifter in the car for more than 10mths

[NTR16N]

dunno about short shifter as i have experienced from many different friends and only recieved positive results... wat woz ur condition of the gearbox before it was installed??

[wynode]

The short shifters put more pressure in the box as they make you push the gears in deeper and fast. So long as you shift properly you should be fine. Maybe your gears are not all that good afterall? i've not had any problems and i've had the short shifter in the car for more than 10mths
Short shifter will only put 'pressure on the box' if you shift too fast. Shifting too fast = more work for your synchros.

[Limbo]

Short shifter will only put 'pressure on the box' if you shift too fast. Shifting too fast = more work for your synchros.

Of course you will shift faster! it defeats the purpose of having a short shifter :D

[aaronng]

There is a limit to how fast you shift, and that depends on your synchros. If you shift too fast, the synchros can't match the speed of the next gear fast enough. I read a review of the DC5R that said that during the review they shifted fast and the synchros could not match speeds quick enough. I guess the short shifter would make this worse! One way to make your box last longer is when shifting (from 1-2 for example), you pull out of 1st, let the revs drop a bit and then move it into 2nd. Usually the habit is to shift fast 1-2, then wait for the revs to drop before letting the clutch go. I noticed the Honda mechanics shifted this way, pull out from 1st, wait 0.5-1 second and then into 2nd. This was when I complained of a 2nd gear grind to them and they couldn't reproduce it (even with me in the car). I told him to shift faster, and he did. He still left the box 0.5 seconds in between gears, and while he DID perform the entire shift quicker, the box was not being worked hard. So, I am now trying to change my shifting style.

[wynode]

Of course you will shift faster! it defeats the purpose of having a short shifter :D

Funny that.......given that the short shifter reduces the distance you have to move the leaver to disengage/engage a gear if you shifted at the same speed you shifted before the short shifter.......your overall shift speed will still be quicker.

If the above doesn't make sense to you then read it again.

Time = Distance / Speed

So to reduce the shift time you can (other things held constant)
a) reduce the distance
b) inrease the speed

Now I wonder which one the short shifter does?

[aaronng]

The short shifter doesn't change the distance the gearbox has to move to change gears. It changes the distance the shifters have to move at the linkages.

Time at shifter = Distance at shifter/Speed at shifter.

Time at shifter is shortened because Distance at shifter is shortened.

And Time at gearbox = Distance at gearbox/Speed at gearbox.

Since Time at shifter = Time at gearbox, and Distance at gearbox is fixed, that means the speed at gearbox is increased.

[wynode]

My reply was in relation to Limbo's post. If you shift at the same speed with the short shifter as you would with your stock shifter you WILL technically be shifting faster than with a stock shifter.

EDIT: I like your avatar aarong!

[aaronng]

Ooooh... okok... Hehhe My mistake :)
I like penguins... especially naughty ones!

[SKREMN]

I found when i put mine in it took alot of getting used to but now shifts fine, i can flat clutch it in all gears and goes great, i've just got a heavy duty dakin clutch and i find the faster i shift the better it goes
i think you must of had a combination of a too heavy duty clutch and a worn out box

[narcoleptic]

Correct me if I'm wrong... my naive thoughts about short shifters; isn't it all about the time of clutch releasing? Practice + Practice? Well, of cos in combination with the accelerator.

[Andi]

Hmm I've installed (modifyed my stock shifter) a quick shifter and its abit rougher but the linkages to change the gears aren't affected I don't htink? It's only the movement of the gearstick itself that has now shortened.

Anyways its pretty simple to save your box I think, just change your driving method. Instead of slamming gears think of it as a 2 motion change. I.E. 1st to neutral, then neutral to 2nd. Slamming and snapping gears all the time is definately going to chew your synchros.

[bennyBear]

Yup, I've changed my driving style a fair bit, it must have been the $1500 that helped me re-think the way i shift, thanks!!!

Benny.

[e240]

At the time, were you up-shifting or down-shifting

[bennyBear]

Yeah i suppose i should have gone into more detail, lol!!

Was shifting from 1-2, heard a very loud crunch and a bit of a popping sound, lost drive gears.



mind you i was being a dick head (new mod, over-enthusiastic) i think i set the world record for 1-2 change, probably hadn't clutched enough.

mechanic reckons it caught somewhere into second gear and over-loaded the box, he reckons the box had a fair bit of general wear also, for it's age ( just over 100, 000ks)
and told me to stop thrashing it!

thankfully i have since pulled my head out of my arse and pushed the cluch ALL the way in before i shift and havn't had any problems since!

Thanks for your comments though guys!

Benny.