The birth of a short shifter ---- TWM Performance
Mar 28, 2011, 01:33 PM
#17
Part 2: Comparing to the aftermarket
After having improved on the OEM shifter, we wanted to go one step further and improve upon everything currently on the market in terms of aftermarket short shifters. What we found was pretty surprising!
Above is a picture of a well known brand in the Mitsubishi aftermarket industry. The first major flaw we found was that some companies were using either a press fitted center pivot ball, or even a pivot held by one Allen key! From our 10+ years of experience in the short shifter world, press fitted center pivots simply don’t work. With time, they are prone to displacement and some people have even had the experience of the shifter coming apart in their hands.
Having said that, the most flawed design on the market is that of the Allen key secured center pivot. The problem with Allen keys is obvious; they will eventually come loose, which will result in the shifter vibrating, rotating and coming apart. Nevertheless, the competition seems to have used a sturdy material for the Allen key along with a steel thread insert to prevent stripping. However another problem now arises; let’s say you tightened the Allen key so hard that it would never come loose. Now you face the problem that the metal the Allen key is made of is actually harder than the shifter itself. Over time, with the constant vibrations that are sent through shifters, the Allen key will actually dig through the shifters metal, eventually rattling, and possible spinning freely.
Both of these designs are something we wanted to avoid so TWM Performance decided to go with a full TIG welded design that would ensure strength and durability for years to come.
The next major problem we found with all aftermarket short shifters was the odd bends (in some cases, a lack of them) which translated into awkward positioning of the shifter in the car. From the factory, the OEM shifter is offset towards the passenger. Therefore, for both visual and practical purposes, we decided to go with a dual bend design that would keep the shift knob upright while offsetting the shifter towards the driver. After heavy testing in multiple Evo X’s and with a variety of different drivers, this design was the one we decided to go with due to the overwhelming consensus on it being the optimal driving position.
The next major problem we found with all aftermarket short shifters was the poor quality of finishing, both on the machining side and on the coating. To start, let me tell you a little bit about the way we do things at TWM Performance. Our coating is 100% chip proof and also greatly reduces the coefficient of friction on the shifter pivot points. This makes for an even smoother shift than any other coating can offer. Like any product, the secret is also in the preparation. To even further reduce the coefficient of friction on the pivot point of the shifter, every unit is hand polished as soon as it comes off of the CNC lathe to assure the smoothest finish possible. Furthermore, by polishing the shifter before coating, we help prevent any hair line cracks from forming in the metal due to imperfections in the machining, which will result in a faster corrosion of the metal, and could eventually lead to a complete failure of the shifter itself.
It goes without saying that other aftermarket manufacturers’ machining, preparation, and finishing processes don’t even come close to those found on a TWM short shifter. All 3 competitors completely forgo any type of polishing post-machining, and their machining precision and finish is much more crude and basic. In the end, this makes for a shifter that will not pivot as smoothly, notchy to shift, and may eventually fail in the future due to hair line cracks.
Finally we come to the most critical point that we needed to improve upon with our shifter. It’s really where we see the attention to detail that goes into a TWM Performance short shifter.
If we look closely at the bottom part of all of the Evo X short shifter currently on the market, we see a few differences. Some are straight, while others have a rubber coating. So we started to look into why, and the result was very surprising.
After installing the competitor’s short shifters, we noticed that the shifter actually touched at certain places in the shifter console causing rattles and excess vibration. One company made a “Band-aid” fix by applying a rubber dampener on the lower part of the shifter to avoid any rattles. So when designing our shifter, it was a no-brainer that we would do it the proper way. The fix came in the form of a very slight bend in the lower part of the shifter to assure that there would be no contact made with any part upon rowing through the gears. The TWM Performance short shifter is the only shifter on the market to clear all components within the shifter console and cause no rattles or excess vibration.
All of this goes to show that you need to be careful about what you buy for your car. When modifying your ride, the goal is to make it better than stock, so why would you want to downgrade to a part that will make shifting hard, awkward and add vibrations and noise to the shifter? Here at TWM Performance, our main goal is to provide pieces for your car that will actually IMPROVE the driving experience
Here’s a little summary:
The TWM Performance short shifter features unique designs in the industry, like a lower shaft bend, our patented black finish, and a unique shifter location designed to suite all drivers! This short shifter features a 30% throw reduction as well as 1.25” overall height reduction.
Specs and Features for the TWM Evo X short shifter:
-30% throw reduction
-1.25” height reduction
-CNC machined of high strength steel
-Optimal gear position relocation
-Lower shaft bend to avoid contact with other shifter components
Here’s a quick comparison of the competition. We’ll do this fast!
-Competition has different gear locations which don’t suite most drivers
-Competition uses poor machining and finishing processes which will lead to hairline cracks, rough shifting, and possible failure of the piece
-Some of the competition shifters are held together with Allen keys which require constant management so they don’t come loose, or press fitted pieces (TWM Performance uses TIG welds to secure all components of the shifter)
-TWM Performance is one of the only companies to include a full detailed installation manual along with an adjustable boot retainer and all of the necessary clips and hardware to install the shifter!
This is IMPORTANT stuff! With TWM Performance, you know you’re getting the best part available for your car. We stop at nothing to bring you guys the highest level of quality and satisfaction!
As always we appreciate any feedback or questions concerning our products and articles. We can be reached 24/7 by email at sales@twmperformance.com or give us a call between 08:00 and 17:30 Eastern Standard time at 1-877-655-0540 and one of our representatives will be happy to answer your questions!
Thanks,
Patrick
Team TWM Performance
After having improved on the OEM shifter, we wanted to go one step further and improve upon everything currently on the market in terms of aftermarket short shifters. What we found was pretty surprising!
Above is a picture of a well known brand in the Mitsubishi aftermarket industry. The first major flaw we found was that some companies were using either a press fitted center pivot ball, or even a pivot held by one Allen key! From our 10+ years of experience in the short shifter world, press fitted center pivots simply don’t work. With time, they are prone to displacement and some people have even had the experience of the shifter coming apart in their hands.
Having said that, the most flawed design on the market is that of the Allen key secured center pivot. The problem with Allen keys is obvious; they will eventually come loose, which will result in the shifter vibrating, rotating and coming apart. Nevertheless, the competition seems to have used a sturdy material for the Allen key along with a steel thread insert to prevent stripping. However another problem now arises; let’s say you tightened the Allen key so hard that it would never come loose. Now you face the problem that the metal the Allen key is made of is actually harder than the shifter itself. Over time, with the constant vibrations that are sent through shifters, the Allen key will actually dig through the shifters metal, eventually rattling, and possible spinning freely.
Both of these designs are something we wanted to avoid so TWM Performance decided to go with a full TIG welded design that would ensure strength and durability for years to come.
The next major problem we found with all aftermarket short shifters was the odd bends (in some cases, a lack of them) which translated into awkward positioning of the shifter in the car. From the factory, the OEM shifter is offset towards the passenger. Therefore, for both visual and practical purposes, we decided to go with a dual bend design that would keep the shift knob upright while offsetting the shifter towards the driver. After heavy testing in multiple Evo X’s and with a variety of different drivers, this design was the one we decided to go with due to the overwhelming consensus on it being the optimal driving position.
The next major problem we found with all aftermarket short shifters was the poor quality of finishing, both on the machining side and on the coating. To start, let me tell you a little bit about the way we do things at TWM Performance. Our coating is 100% chip proof and also greatly reduces the coefficient of friction on the shifter pivot points. This makes for an even smoother shift than any other coating can offer. Like any product, the secret is also in the preparation. To even further reduce the coefficient of friction on the pivot point of the shifter, every unit is hand polished as soon as it comes off of the CNC lathe to assure the smoothest finish possible. Furthermore, by polishing the shifter before coating, we help prevent any hair line cracks from forming in the metal due to imperfections in the machining, which will result in a faster corrosion of the metal, and could eventually lead to a complete failure of the shifter itself.
It goes without saying that other aftermarket manufacturers’ machining, preparation, and finishing processes don’t even come close to those found on a TWM short shifter. All 3 competitors completely forgo any type of polishing post-machining, and their machining precision and finish is much more crude and basic. In the end, this makes for a shifter that will not pivot as smoothly, notchy to shift, and may eventually fail in the future due to hair line cracks.
Finally we come to the most critical point that we needed to improve upon with our shifter. It’s really where we see the attention to detail that goes into a TWM Performance short shifter.
If we look closely at the bottom part of all of the Evo X short shifter currently on the market, we see a few differences. Some are straight, while others have a rubber coating. So we started to look into why, and the result was very surprising.
After installing the competitor’s short shifters, we noticed that the shifter actually touched at certain places in the shifter console causing rattles and excess vibration. One company made a “Band-aid” fix by applying a rubber dampener on the lower part of the shifter to avoid any rattles. So when designing our shifter, it was a no-brainer that we would do it the proper way. The fix came in the form of a very slight bend in the lower part of the shifter to assure that there would be no contact made with any part upon rowing through the gears. The TWM Performance short shifter is the only shifter on the market to clear all components within the shifter console and cause no rattles or excess vibration.
All of this goes to show that you need to be careful about what you buy for your car. When modifying your ride, the goal is to make it better than stock, so why would you want to downgrade to a part that will make shifting hard, awkward and add vibrations and noise to the shifter? Here at TWM Performance, our main goal is to provide pieces for your car that will actually IMPROVE the driving experience
Here’s a little summary:
The TWM Performance short shifter features unique designs in the industry, like a lower shaft bend, our patented black finish, and a unique shifter location designed to suite all drivers! This short shifter features a 30% throw reduction as well as 1.25” overall height reduction.
Specs and Features for the TWM Evo X short shifter:
-30% throw reduction
-1.25” height reduction
-CNC machined of high strength steel
-Optimal gear position relocation
-Lower shaft bend to avoid contact with other shifter components
Here’s a quick comparison of the competition. We’ll do this fast!
-Competition has different gear locations which don’t suite most drivers
-Competition uses poor machining and finishing processes which will lead to hairline cracks, rough shifting, and possible failure of the piece
-Some of the competition shifters are held together with Allen keys which require constant management so they don’t come loose, or press fitted pieces (TWM Performance uses TIG welds to secure all components of the shifter)
-TWM Performance is one of the only companies to include a full detailed installation manual along with an adjustable boot retainer and all of the necessary clips and hardware to install the shifter!
This is IMPORTANT stuff! With TWM Performance, you know you’re getting the best part available for your car. We stop at nothing to bring you guys the highest level of quality and satisfaction!
As always we appreciate any feedback or questions concerning our products and articles. We can be reached 24/7 by email at sales@twmperformance.com or give us a call between 08:00 and 17:30 Eastern Standard time at 1-877-655-0540 and one of our representatives will be happy to answer your questions!
Thanks,
Patrick
Team TWM Performance
Mar 28, 2011, 02:08 PM
#18
As of RIGHT NOW, we're holding a GROUP BUY on our TWM Performance Evo X Short Shifter at the link below! Check it out!
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...ml#post9195138
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...ml#post9195138
Apr 6, 2011, 08:17 AM
#21
Tons of orders shipping out today! Thanks for the orders, and check out our Youtube Channel for video updates!
TWM Performance - YouTube Channel
Thanks,
Patrick
Team TWM Performance
TWM Performance - YouTube Channel
Thanks,
Patrick
Team TWM Performance
Jul 19, 2011, 01:27 PM
#29
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: San Diego, CA
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Hey there, could you guys please PM me the shipped price to 92109 for the short shifter, base bushings, cable arm bushings and transmission arm bushings, plus i'm also considering your big type R shift knob in gun metal with pattern 1. Also, what is the availability and shipping times. Thanks!
Jul 19, 2011, 01:47 PM
#30
Hey there, could you guys please PM me the shipped price to 92109 for the short shifter, base bushings, cable arm bushings and transmission arm bushings, plus i'm also considering your big type R shift knob in gun metal with pattern 1. Also, what is the availability and shipping times. Thanks!