Just installed my skunk2 short shifter and energy suspension bushings. Took me a while because moving the mid-pipe out of the way was a PIA, because the muffler shop that had installed my rear muffler section had used a damn air gun and overtorqued the nuts. Some were frozen, and the damn nuts got stripped when I tried removing them. Always use anti-seize damn-it!!! Plus, it was pretty tight working under jack stands. Very in-efficient. I am gonna look into buying a hydraulic lift for my garage. I know it isn't the most practical thing to do because with the added expense of a lift, it would likely be cheaper to just to have a shop do all repairs and upgrades and one wouldn't have to get ones hands dirty and spend their time doing something else. But, I enjoy working on my car and it is way easier working under a lift. I am seriously considering a Bend-Pak Ranger Sp7X, which is a full rise scissor hydraulic lift. It is a bit expensive but, that is the only full rise lift that I know that can fit in a typical residential garage. The 4 post lift that they have with built-in scissor lifts on the ramps is way nicier, and way more sturdy/safe, and is only a bit more expensive than the sp-7x lift , but I can't fit it in my garage because I built some shelves in my garage. The two post lifts are cheaper, but not enough height clearance in a typical residential garage. Does anybody on the list have a car lift and have any ideas about an affordable solution?
Sorry to get off topic. So what do I think of the skunk2 short shifter? After driving my car since new, 12 years, it felt a bit un-natural with the shorter throws. The shifting is a bit more notchier with the short shifter, but I will just have to get used to it. I thought that the shifter would vibrate more because of the energy suspension shifter bushings but it wasn't. In fact there was less vibration on the shifter knob. I suppose my original rubber oem bushings were just plain worn out and lost some of its vibration dampening ability. Another thing I noticed was that I was chirping my tires after each gear shift from 1-2-3. I think it may be because with the original shifter, the rpm would drop more between gear shifts and so I would give it a bit more throttle. However, with the short shifter, the rpm doesn't drop as fast between shifts because of the quicker shifting and I am still giving it pretty much the same amount of throttle pressure out of habit and hence chirping the tires after each gear shift. Again, I will just have to get used to it and compensate. You know, I suppose it could potentially save me more fuel?! It makes sense. So far the shifter hasn't popped out of gear when it wasn't suppose to. I tried it driving it under the conditions that Lee had where his short shifter would pop out of gear and I so far it has stayed put. I guess time will tell. I will keep you posted Lee if it does happen. When I compared the oem shifter with the skunk2 shifter, the overall length of the shifter on the skunk2 was actually longer. The length from the threaded end to the ball was the exact length as the oem shifter so the shifter would be at the same height inside cabin of the car. However, the length from the pivot ball to the bearing end was longer hence the shorter throws to get into gear. The skunk2 short shifter is solid allow steel and has sealed bearings. It was definately heavier than the oem shifter but it felt very good. Very good quality construction piece. The only other solid steel shifter that I know of is the B&M shifter but I opted for the skunk2 because it has the oem bend in the shifter while the B&M shifter was a straight shifter. I figured I would be in a more comfortable shifting position with a bend in the shifter as oppose to a straight shifter because it would be more ergonomically correct. Plus B&M short shifter used only teflon bushings as the "bearings", while the skunk2 used sealed ball bearings. I don't really know how how effective the teflon bushing/bearings would be. Both the skunk2 and the B&M shifter was pretty much the same price but I think the skunk2 is overall a better short shifter, and that is why it is priced at a premium compared to other short shifters. The Verdict: For myself, over all I think it was worth spending the money for a short shifter. It would have been nicer if the shifting wasn't as notchy. Ken 90si 168K km
