I installed a B&M short-shifter in my 98 Max last week. I promised to give it a week and to put Redline MT-90 in the tranny before deciding, but the MT-90 is going to have to perform some kind of magic in order for me to leave the B&M shifter in there. Besides, the transmission isn't really hard to shift now, and the "issues" I have with the B&M aren't those which can be addressed by gear oil.

I REALLY don't like how far forward the shifter is. Second is where neutral used to be. I will note that my son, who is only 6'0" (4" shorter than me), doesn't find it to be a problem.

It's hard to tell when the car is in neutral, or what gear it's in.

The throw is rediculously short. It might be fine in a Miata, but in a big 4-door sedan, it's just wrong.

I'm seriously considering cutting down the stock shifter 1.5", since one thing I definitely didn't like was how "tall" the stock shifter was. OTOH, I definitely don't want to go any shorter than the B&M. I wish I had measured the two shifters before installing the B&M, because I don't know how much shorter it is. I want to keep the stock shift ****, so I am going to take it someplace that can cut a section out and weld it back together.

If I thought I could bend the B&M, I'd give that a try, because I do like how solid it is, but I'm not even sure how a person would go about doing that, and I'm not sure I want to risk ruining a $100 shifter that I STILL might not like even with some additional bend.

Anywho, that's where I'm at with the B&M shifter.

David

 

i don't know why you feel uncomfortable ... I'm 6'3" and i think it suits me even better then stock for where it sits. before my elbow would be way back on the center console, now it feels just right.

The shorter you are the farther you would have to reach for it, I can't think of why someone shorter then you would find it more comfortable...

I thought about cutting down my B&M before I put it in but I like it too much the way it is, and in retrospect I'm really glad I didn't because if the shifter is cut down (B&M or stock) I can just imagine the upright leaned forward position i would have to sit in to shift normally...

Just my .02

 

Well, it's a pretty consistant complaint among taller drivers, while "shorter" drivers don't ever seem to have a problem with it. I suppose it comes down to each person's individual proportions, but I have relatively long arms (37" sleeves) and drive with my seatback relatively upright, and I still feel as though I am reaching, so it would take someone with REALLY long arms to be able to sit with the seat all the way back in it's track and be comfortable with the forward position of the B&M shifter. The lever is certainly further away than the lever in my BMW, or in any of the other 5 manual transmissioned cars I have owned since 1979.

Whether the throw is too short is a personal preference thing, but there's just no good reason for the shift pattern to have been moved forward, except it's simply a compromise design, to allow the same lever to be used for multiple car models.

 

It just occurred to me that having to reach AND requiring more effort is what makes the B&M uncomfortable to me. I think if I didn't have to reach so far that the short throw would be far more welcome. But having to reach so far, I don't have a lot of "leverage" so shifting seems awkward.

Of course, those of you who love your B&M shifters obviously don't have the same "issues" that I do with this shifter, and that's cool.

 

it does suck really bad after having mine for a week i hated it but give it some time to break in and you will be happy you did, it will never be quite as smoothe as the stock shifter but its a trade off . Shorter shifts just require more effort its simple physics.

give it some time

 

yea give it some breaking in time the littl eearing type gasket thing that connects to the linkage has to be worn in. it will make shifting much eaier after it si broken in. i did not like it at first, but now i am use to it and it is just like second nature.

to me it also makes me feel like i am shifting smoother cause the shifts are so short. give it alittle time, and then if you do not like ti rip it out and take the old saw to the stocker.

 

ehh i decided to just cut my shifter and not even spend money on a STS, i love the throw, its nice and smooth, and it just looks 10 times better

 

I have 5 quarts of Redline MT-90 gear oil (which I think I mentioned) and am going to try that before I make any changes to the shifter.

 

I hated my B&M so much I sent it back in two days. It doesn't match the smooth character of the Maxima's switchgear, the shifting was terribly notchy, and my biggest fear was the lack of confidence is hitting 3rd and 4th gear. It felt like I was having to work against the gearbox way too much. The shifter sat way too low and far forward forcing me to slump forward to shift and I'm 6' 2". I put my 1.5" cut shifter back in and couldn't be happier. All I have to do know is flip my wrist to shift all the while sitting comfortably in my seat.

 

so when you cut stock shifter, you just cut it 1.5" from the top and make treads for the shift **** and it will work ok?

 

Although I have read about people cutting off the top and re-threading, I don't know how you would do this. The 3/4" long threaded portion is 13/32" in diameter. Below the threaded part the diameter is 9/16", which is more than 1/8" larger. I have never used a die to cut threads, but I would think that would be too large to cut new threads onto. If I am wrong about that, I would appreciate a correction. It'd be nice to be able to thread the rod myself, so that I could cut it down a little more if 1" or 1.5" doesn't feel like enough.

 

I found a "How To" for this here

It simply involves using ever smaller dies until the rod is cut down to the desired size. Now, I just need to determine what "size" the existing threads are, and then procure the appropriate size dies. Per the above link, I'll likely need at least three different sizes.

Paying someone to cutting and weld would probably be cheaper than buying these tools, but the dies will allow me to "sneak up" on the shortening process, and get it exactly the length I want.