Read in several mags that the 2002 shifter feels better...shorter throws and less rubbery feel. Has Nissan in fact put a different shifter in the 2002? I realize that the tranny is different for 6 speed, but did not think the shifter hardware itself needed to be changed. Any of you 2k or 2k1 owners drive a 2k2 6 speed?

Also, you guys that have the Stillen or SMC shifters, your thoughts. Live in Northeast and the shifting gets tight in cold weather as it is ...don't want to exacerbate....appreciate everyones' thoughts and input. Thanks in advance.

 

The '02 shifter is cable operated, the '01 isn't.

Initially I wasn't all that impressed with my '02 shifter but it seems as the car has gotten a few miles on it that it's getting to feel much nicer to me, either that or I'm just getting used to it. I feel the same way about how the clutch is working.

 

Paul, do you have reservations about your clutch? Don't like mine, its not a smooth engagement...sort of choppy to a small degree, but enough that it bothers me. Difficult to describe accurately...

 

Well initially I thought I did, but since I was coming from spending 5 years with an automatic I thought it may have just been me. BUT, in the last couple weeks I think it's been working smoother, like I said it may just be me getting used to it, or it might actually be going through some sort of breakin, the car now has just over 1700km. What's kinda nice is that as time passes I'm getting to like the car better as opposed to getting more ****ed off with little stuff which I noticed at the outset.

 

Glad to hear the car is growing on you. Best of luck with it Paul.

 

I have the Stillen short throw in my 97, and it is by far my favorite mod. I have had the shifter in since the car was new, and enjoyed every shift. There is a bit more effort than the stock shifter, but if you add some redline oil to your transaxle you won't notice it that much even in the cold.

Oh yea, I test drove a new BMW 3 series the other day and the shifter in it felt sloppy compared to my five year old Stillen short throw.

 

I hated the clutch and shifter in the 2k2 when I first bought it. Especially without the car running, it felt and sounded horrible. The clutch travel was excessive and you couldn't feel the sweet spot at all. Now after 1500 kms, everything is coming together. The shifter is much smoother and naturally hits the next gear that I want (with the exception of 6th, but who cares up there). The clutch has finally developed some feel and I can feather it quite well to control wheel spin. With the extra torque in the VQ35DE, I should learn how to drive the throttle better and lay off the clutch some. Overall, I am now quite happy with the drive-by-wire throttle, cable shifter and light clutch.

 

Did you install the shifter yourself or have a shop do it? How much did it end up costing?

Just curious...I have a list of mods that I want to do...ONCE I GET THE FREAKING CAR!!

 

Does anybody live in the Northeast or in cold climates with the SMC or Stillen short shifters? Do either aftermarket shifter have cold weather shifting issues which might match or exceed problems encounters by the stock shifting?

There's a no big words policy on the ORG

 

I did it myself. It only took me about 45 minutes or so. I can't recall how much I paid for it now. Check with Stillen.

As far as shifting in the cold, I live in Holland, and it has been between 20 and thirty degrees the last couple of weeks. No problem with the Redline Oil, but it was stiff shifting with the regular tranny oil.