B&M shortshifter question

[SilviaSR20DET]

Im really considering about purchasing the shortshifter from phase2motortrend. But one concern i have is i heard that it has some noise problems at high rpms. Is this true? I also heard that B&M made a newer version to get rid of the noise. Does phase2motortrend carry the new version? Any help would be great. thanks

[hookedup240]

i have just installed my b&m and i have not experienced any noise at high rpms at all, I guess that i have bought the new one. I purchased mine from titan motorsports.

btw how much is it on Phase2Motortrend. I paid 225.

[240 2NR]

I have the revised one, though I can't compare it to the original since I haven't driven both.

The noise is still there, though I would conisder it a non issue. It's very faint at low rpm's and is only "apparent" above 5k or so, at which point it's competeing with your engine and exhaust notes which drown it out.

My gf actually bought the shifter for me for a christmas/ birthday present and I had to point out the noise and it still took her a good ten minutes to figure out what I was talking about. With the windows down now that summer has arrived I don't hear it at all.

I suppose in a Lexus or something it might be an issue since the car is so quiet, but in a sports car, I wouldn't worry. If that's your only concern I would have no reservations about recomending it to you.

You may also want to check the reviews section as I know there are at least two there.

[Chew Slice]

Yeah that vibration noise is basically non-existent for me. In my mind, it's noisiest in reverse, but I wouldn't call it that much of a problem. Get the shifter, you wont be disappointed

[knightrider]

ive driven both the unrevised and the new revised edition b&m shifters, even the old version the noise wasnt a problem for me. it was in my friends car, and didnt really bother me, with the exhaust, and the stereo you could barely tell it was there, unless you were listening for it. the new revised edition is way quieter, but its still there, you hear it most when coasting in gear in my car, but its still not an issue of being annoying or noticable, i ussually have to point it out to ppl when they ask about the noise.

[DuffMan]

I have the old one, and it is lound and violent. Even at idle it makes this slight noise which doesnt bother me too much, except when other people ride in my car they coment how cheap it sounds.

[orange-grey]

My B&M buzzes pretty loud over 6000 rpm. Luckily, there's little point in revving a stock KA past 6 grand anyway. On an SR it would be rather annoying.

[pinoydrifter]

This has been talked about alot lately! Is it that loud of a noise o that it drownes out the engine noise? Also if your revving your car up to 7k rpm's why do you care if you shortshifter is making noise?

[thx247]

I guess if you drive daily you might care about the noise, but ****. the shifter is soo good I have never ever really cared how much noise it makes when it makes noise.

Some thread tape would probably fix it.

[kandyflip445]

Has anyone thought about/tried to put some sound deadening on the shaft of the shifter? Maybe that would make it less aparent. When I get mine I'm gonna try without the deadening and if it's even a little loud I'll try it with the deadening.(I got some layin around)

[SilviaSR20DET]

How does the shifting feel? My stock shifter feels kinda harsh when shifting through gears, would the B&M get rid of that? Is phase2motortrend a good place to buy this product?

[Chew Slice]

What exactly do you mean by harsh? is your shifter sloppy? does it grind? need a little bit more info

[pinoydrifter]

I just felt my friend's (s14) c's shifter... and I love it! it is so precise and accurate! I really want one now.

btw - do you guys think the b&m is alot shorter than the c's to the point that you will notice it?

[masta]

Man I just got one and waiting for it to come in the mail. How do you know which one you got and what are the differences.

Yes I searched... :)

[old_s13]

I cant beleive there is so much speculation on this topic, you would think out of all these people running B&M shifters that SOMEONE would figure it out.

I remember when I was looking to get my B&M shifter, I did a bit of research searching throughout the forums trying to answer some of the questions that you guys have asked. NO ONE had an answer.. no one.

Well anyway, after sitting in a friend's car.. I was *sure* I wanted the B&M. I have felt other shifters, hands down, the B&M was my absolute most favorite.

At a bit over $200 dollars, it was INDEED pricey.. and I was expecting a quality product. Sure, it came in a nice box, sticker, so-so instructions, etc. The instructions were pointless, who reads this stuff anyway? Well I installed the shifter in 20-30 minutes.. drove the car and loved the feel. Over 5500rpms in `90 S13 it sounded like ****. I have never hated a shifter MORE than the B&M.

Its interesting how you can praise a product for having such a nice design, and at the same time, talk **** because its such a piece of junk. Maybe the designers there are deaf and cannot hear, I dont know. But the type of buzzing/rattling the shifter was doing is simply UNACCEPTABLE.

No one on the forum had answers. My last resort? I called their customer service up, and as usual, I was under the impression that the customer service rep's were 16 year old children that they pay minimum wage to WASTE our time. The rep told me that it was a solid metal shifter and that it amplifies noises through the transmission, that it was normal. I told him the type of buzzing was so loud I couldnt hear my motor and that my car is not stock, its quite loud. I asked if anyone has every SOLVED this problem. He told me in these exact words "Well, some people have supressed the noise by wrapping the shifter in electrical tape."

-- WHAT THE PHUCK --

I hung up the phone and just shook my head. Later that night, I went for yet another canyon run to make SURE it wasnt JUST ME. Because you know, sometimes as humans, we can just be very picky.. I know I am. I wanted to VERIFY that either this shifter WAS too damn noisy, or I am just being an idiot.

So I go for another drive and what do you know, the shifter was so loud I couldnt focus on my driving.. it sounded like there was a bee's nest in my transmission. The buzzing was so loud that I was flying into the revlimiter because I couldnt concentrate.. I lost all the njoyment of driving my car.

I pulled over in a fit of fury PULLING the shifter part, determined to fix this problem. I removed the shift knob -- PROBLEM #1, SOLVED. I removed the black insert which the lower accordion boot attaches to -- PROBLEM #2, solved.

Interestingly enough, when I INSPECTED the shifter in the box, when I first purchased it, I said to myself "feels sturdy, o-rings on all the attached parts.. very solid feel." Unfortunately, its those 2 parts that have o-rings which are the ones that focking rattle.

SHIFT KNOB: The shift knob is made of aluminum and has 2 pieces: the ball and the cap. The cap uses an o-ring and is pressed onto the shifter -- its an absolutely horrible design. Whats even worse, is they could have made this shifter MUCH better if it was a solid ball - a la Ferrari style. If it was made out of something better than aluminum, something heavier.. that would be PERFECTION. Instead, you have this aluminum knob with a rattling cap, and the inscribed writing is sharp and edgy.. not comfortable at all.

SOLUTION: I epoxied the cap onto the knob and then also filled the B&M logo with a clear epoxy.. now its all nice and smooth. Good enough for now, until I find a nice, heavy, solid ball shifter. I will be getting rid of the B&M knob then. But for now, its good enough.

BOOT INSERT: The black insert that the lower accordion boot attaches to is slid onto the shaft with grease. The only thing that keeps that insert from contacting the metal shaft are 2 small o-rings. Apparently at high rpms, the o-rings get compressed and the insert rattles beyong belief.

SOLUTION: Remove the insert, its absolutely useless.

Now my shifter is quiet.. or, quiet ENOUGH. Sure, around 6500 rpms it rattles but not NEARLY as much as it did before. Now, it rattles in a way that I feel is *acceptable* for a "solid metal shifter assembly." NOW, it makes sense.. and its worth the money. Unfortunately, I had to spend MY time to fix this ****ty design.. 2 simple things, but hey.. what can you do, some companies are just not interested in detail I guess.

Well, I called them up to let them know.. to let them KNOW of my findings.. thinking, maybe they'll be appreciative so OTHER customers wont bitch. The customer service rep basically told me "yeah okay.. great" in very sarcastic tone. He had NO care at all, no THANK YOU.. no nothing.

It was then that I said "FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCK YOUUU" and well, thats why I am bitter. The shifter, rocks.. their customer service, I could care less for. As for everyone else with a B&M shift knob, fix your shiiiet.. quit driving around like rice-boys thinking that a rattling shifter is COOL because its supposed to be like that. Test your damn products before you put them on your car and fix them. :) I cant beleive ANYONE would drive around like that.. its absurd.

OH and for people who say "the KA runs out of power after 6k, why even be in that power range" -- because when your in the canyon, its not about power.. its about having your RPMS up so you can keep your car balanced, load on the rear, and being able to slow down with those high rpms.

[hookedup240]

i hate to tell you but my shifter doesn't rattle at all. Maybe its the new design or something but i've taken my car all the way to redline once or twice with my new b&m and i don't hear any rattling. Maybe I just got a special one.:confused:

[old_s13]

"i've taken my car all the way to redline once or twice with my new b&m and i don't hear any rattling. Maybe I just got a special one."

HA! Dude, my car idles at redline. :) Honestly, I think it has to do with vibration.. I have an SOHC.. that motor is not as smooth as the KA24DE nor is it nearly as smooth as the SR20DET. Besides that, I spend a LOT of time at higher RPMs.. it all depends on the terrain I am driving on. Some of these canyons out here can get pretty wicked, I keep the RPMs up there...

I asked the guys at B&M, they told me there has ONLY been 2 versions: I had the newest version. No biggie, once I found out WHAT was rattling.. it only took a few minutes to remove them.

[s0ldats]

Originally posted by old_s13
I cant beleive there is so much speculation on this topic, you would think out of all these people running B&M shifters that SOMEONE would figure it out.

I remember when I was looking to get my B&M shifter, I did a bit of research searching throughout the forums trying to answer some of the questions that you guys have asked. NO ONE had an answer.. no one.

Well anyway, after sitting in a friend's car.. I was *sure* I wanted the B&M. I have felt other shifters, hands down, the B&M was my absolute most favorite.

At a bit over $200 dollars, it was INDEED pricey.. and I was expecting a quality product. Sure, it came in a nice box, sticker, so-so instructions, etc. The instructions were pointless, who reads this stuff anyway? Well I installed the shifter in 20-30 minutes.. drove the car and loved the feel. Over 5500rpms in `90 S13 it sounded like ****. I have never hated a shifter MORE than the B&M.

Its interesting how you can praise a product for having such a nice design, and at the same time, talk **** because its such a piece of junk. Maybe the designers there are deaf and cannot hear, I dont know. But the type of buzzing/rattling the shifter was doing is simply UNACCEPTABLE.

No one on the forum had answers. My last resort? I called their customer service up, and as usual, I was under the impression that the customer service rep's were 16 year old children that they pay minimum wage to WASTE our time. The rep told me that it was a solid metal shifter and that it amplifies noises through the transmission, that it was normal. I told him the type of buzzing was so loud I couldnt hear my motor and that my car is not stock, its quite loud. I asked if anyone has every SOLVED this problem. He told me in these exact words "Well, some people have supressed the noise by wrapping the shifter in electrical tape."

-- WHAT THE PHUCK --

I hung up the phone and just shook my head. Later that night, I went for yet another canyon run to make SURE it wasnt JUST ME. Because you know, sometimes as humans, we can just be very picky.. I know I am. I wanted to VERIFY that either this shifter WAS too damn noisy, or I am just being an idiot.

So I go for another drive and what do you know, the shifter was so loud I couldnt focus on my driving.. it sounded like there was a bee's nest in my transmission. The buzzing was so loud that I was flying into the revlimiter because I couldnt concentrate.. I lost all the njoyment of driving my car.

I pulled over in a fit of fury PULLING the shifter part, determined to fix this problem. I removed the shift knob -- PROBLEM #1, SOLVED. I removed the black insert which the lower accordion boot attaches to -- PROBLEM #2, solved.

Interestingly enough, when I INSPECTED the shifter in the box, when I first purchased it, I said to myself "feels sturdy, o-rings on all the attached parts.. very solid feel." Unfortunately, its those 2 parts that have o-rings which are the ones that focking rattle.

SHIFT KNOB: The shift knob is made of aluminum and has 2 pieces: the ball and the cap. The cap uses an o-ring and is pressed onto the shifter -- its an absolutely horrible design. Whats even worse, is they could have made this shifter MUCH better if it was a solid ball - a la Ferrari style. If it was made out of something better than aluminum, something heavier.. that would be PERFECTION. Instead, you have this aluminum knob with a rattling cap, and the inscribed writing is sharp and edgy.. not comfortable at all.

SOLUTION: I epoxied the cap onto the knob and then also filled the B&M logo with a clear epoxy.. now its all nice and smooth. Good enough for now, until I find a nice, heavy, solid ball shifter. I will be getting rid of the B&M knob then. But for now, its good enough.

BOOT INSERT: The black insert that the lower accordion boot attaches to is slid onto the shaft with grease. The only thing that keeps that insert from contacting the metal shaft are 2 small o-rings. Apparently at high rpms, the o-rings get compressed and the insert rattles beyong belief.

SOLUTION: Remove the insert, its absolutely useless.

Now my shifter is quiet.. or, quiet ENOUGH. Sure, around 6500 rpms it rattles but not NEARLY as much as it did before. Now, it rattles in a way that I feel is *acceptable* for a "solid metal shifter assembly." NOW, it makes sense.. and its worth the money. Unfortunately, I had to spend MY time to fix this ****ty design.. 2 simple things, but hey.. what can you do, some companies are just not interested in detail I guess.

Well, I called them up to let them know.. to let them KNOW of my findings.. thinking, maybe they'll be appreciative so OTHER customers wont bitch. The customer service rep basically told me "yeah okay.. great" in very sarcastic tone. He had NO care at all, no THANK YOU.. no nothing.

It was then that I said "FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCK YOUUU" and well, thats why I am bitter. The shifter, rocks.. their customer service, I could care less for. As for everyone else with a B&M shift knob, fix your shiiiet.. quit driving around like rice-boys thinking that a rattling shifter is COOL because its supposed to be like that. Test your damn products before you put them on your car and fix them. :) I cant beleive ANYONE would drive around like that.. its absurd.

OH and for people who say "the KA runs out of power after 6k, why even be in that power range" -- because when your in the canyon, its not about power.. its about having your RPMS up so you can keep your car balanced, load on the rear, and being able to slow down with those high rpms.


freakin good writeup. i was thinking about getting this shifter, but i'm concerned about how short the shifting is. is it easy to shift into wrong gears? my shifter is sooo sloppy right now. in neutral it just flops everywhere ;)

[Chew Slice]

Its pretty hard to tell what gear you're in by looking, but I think its stiffens up the travel between each gear so it's harder to miss

[old_s13]

I am the kind of guy who likes to try stock before I upgrade. When converted my car to 5-speed, the only mod I went with was a lightened OEM flywheel, I had a machine shop shave it down, resurface, and balance it. I went with a 240Z clutch and the rest is all stock. I figure its good to experiment with stock (if the prices are right) and then work your way up to higher quality mods. What better way to compare and also learn to appreciate better quality components, than to start with OEM or slightly better.

I replaced all the internal plastic components and bushings for the OEM shifter assembly, no matter.. it was still kinda crappy. The feel of the OEM shifter is VERY loose, I didnt like it. I didnt like how I could sometimes get cought in between 1st and 3rd gear, the shifter would kinda hit a wall. It just didnt feel precise. I ran my car like that for about 2 months before I got the B&M.

I also dont beleive all the hype about short shifters. Yes, I can shift quick.. but I dont think its because of the shifter. I know people who can shift just as quick with OEM shifters, it all comes down to skill.

The thing I like about the B&M is that its solid. There is virtually NO play between gears, and THAT is what I like. The throw between each gear isnt what attracted me to the shifter, its the solid feeling of the product. My 5-speed was used and has over 200k on it, this shifter makes it feel like new.

Now, if only the synchro's would agree.. hehe every once and a while I grind a gear if I shift too quickly.. but hey, the 5-speed was free.. I wont complain. :)

ps: Anyone who shifts into the wrong gears needs to concentrate more.

[s0ldats]

Originally posted by old_s13
I am the kind of guy who likes to try stock before I upgrade. When converted my car to 5-speed, the only mod I went with was a lightened OEM flywheel, I had a machine shop shave it down, resurface, and balance it. I went with a 240Z clutch and the rest is all stock. I figure its good to experiment with stock (if the prices are right) and then work your way up to higher quality mods. What better way to compare and also learn to appreciate better quality components, than to start with OEM or slightly better.

I replaced all the internal plastic components and bushings for the OEM shifter assembly, no matter.. it was still kinda crappy. The feel of the OEM shifter is VERY loose, I didnt like it. I didnt like how I could sometimes get cought in between 1st and 3rd gear, the shifter would kinda hit a wall. It just didnt feel precise. I ran my car like that for about 2 months before I got the B&M.

I also dont beleive all the hype about short shifters. Yes, I can shift quick.. but I dont think its because of the shifter. I know people who can shift just as quick with OEM shifters, it all comes down to skill.

The thing I like about the B&M is that its solid. There is virtually NO play between gears, and THAT is what I like. The throw between each gear isnt what attracted me to the shifter, its the solid feeling of the product. My 5-speed was used and has over 200k on it, this shifter makes it feel like new.

Now, if only the synchro's would agree.. hehe every once and a while I grind a gear if I shift too quickly.. but hey, the 5-speed was free.. I wont complain. :)

ps: Anyone who shifts into the wrong gears needs to concentrate more.


good points... will any of you guys be at D1 this august? maybe i can try your shifter to get a feel for it.

[BioSehnsucht]

So if you had a different knob, and didn't use the boot thing, it'd be fine?

The boot thing.. do you mean its something that holds the top of the boot up so that it comes all the way up the shifter? as opposed to slopping down..

[knightrider]

i dunno about the shift knob rattling, i didnt use it, i gave it to my friend, it doesnt rattle on his shifter, although he doesnt have a b&m he just needed the knob because his broke, i couldnt stand the look and feel of it. the noise that my b&m makes, unnoticable until around redline, and i dont make it there that often, or stay there to long, so its not an issue for me, btw, i have a sohc, if that makes any dif.

[240 2NR]

As for the different styles...


The old version was fully aluminum (like the image in the reviews section), the revised one has a black center section. Without the shift boot covering it the middle section that has the cone shaped top that tapers before the threaded shifter shaft is all aluminum. The revised one has a black center section. They both shift about the same, but the noise is apparently very different (I've only shifter both sitting still, the two I have driven were both the redeisgn on my KA24DE and uiuc240's redtop).

[RedlineRacer]

Yeah, I really hate it that you can hit that "wall" between gears and get stuck and grind. I rarely hit it, but when I do, it really p!sses me off. Whenever my friend's ride with me and if I hit it, they give me crap about how I can't drive a stick.