How do you know if you have a short shift kit? What i mean is when i bought my car the previous owner said it had one, but i doubt it coz it doesn't really feel that short. i've got my centre console apart right now, so how do i know for sure by looking at it, if it is or not?

 

Correct me if im wrong but i believe that the short shifter would be chrome or something of the sort.

 

What color is the stick? The stock one is black, and I think most aftermarket ones are silver (metal). Also, the stock one has an S shaped bend in it, and of course, the stock shift knob fits without any modifications.

 

this pic may help?

 

I dont have a stock shift knob, plus an inch or so has been sawed off the top of the stick so a stock one wont fit anymore, The stick is chrome, but remember im talking bout an aussie delivered car so it may not be the same, dunno bout the S bend, don't remember there been one, i'll have to check after work.

 

judging by those pics i'd say it must be stock.

 

The S-Bend is the biggest tell tail... Also - the aftermarket ones have signs of machining more heavily than the stock, cast and turned ones...

 

so how big of an improvment are short shifts over stock?

 

I don't know a "percentage" but I'll say this much - you put that shifter with a set of energy bushings, and it becomes very mechanical... much less sponge.

 

SS is a BIG improvement over stock. I just replaced mine with the megan racing SS this weekend. Its MUCH shorted and the throws inbetween gears are much shorter. Gives me a much more "sporty" feel to shifting. You'll definately enjoy it!

dig

 

alright, thanks guys

 

honestly, I don't feel that the SS gives me any more speed in racing. It just feels better. The SS gives you a faster shift, while a longer stick makes less distance to reach from the steering wheel to the knob, so it's a preference. I am seriously considering just cutting down my stock stick and seeing how that works, then selling the B&M one to get more $ towards other mods.

 

The 04 Raliart lancer/Evo 8 short shift kit fits nice too, rhats what I have on my 03 OZ.....

 

The SS wasn't a great improvement at all. I feel sorry for everyone who bought the B&M because they got ripped off. I can't see spending $135 for almost no difference at all. Maybe I'm biased though. In my Civic I bought a knockoff SS which copied the DC Sports shifter. I'd have to say the throw was shortened by about 75%, because it was about 1/2 an inch with the SS. I got kind of spoiled with it, so I was expecting the same with the B&M and their knockoffs for the Lancer.

To get back on topic, the S-bend is the best way to tell. The stock Lancer shifter is pretty close to the driver, and if you run your hand down the shifter you will feel a bend around the point where it goes into the console. The Lancer SS will be farther from the driver, and will be lacking this S-bend.

 

livelyjay, I agree with you. The SS kit for the Lancer/Evo is nothing more than a shorter piece of metal. Other kits actually alter the pivot point or linkage so that the actual throw of the shift is changed. I have to say, though, that the weight and length of the B&M kit makes shifting much smoother. Whether that is worth $150 or not is up for debate.