RheeRS
11-05-2007, 01:00 PM
Well, this is the first mod I've ever done to my car and it turned out to be relatively good experience and modification.
The reason why I decided on getting a short shifter is that my arm often gets tired from shifting especially because of the sloppy feel of the stock shifter. It would often take two rubbery clicks and notches for it get in gear. 5th is the worst with the throw often hitting my passengers leg. I chose Kartboy because of all the recommendations and Subaru support.
The install went pretty smoothly. I've never worked on my car before and I could figure out most of it by following the directions linked on the Kartboy website and NASIOC. However, there wasn't any directions for the rear bushing, but was easily found. If you are doing the bushings and shifter at the same time, it's probably best to disassemble the shifter, put the bushings in, and then install the new shifter.
The shifter on its own doesn't merit much improvement. Although the shifter sit lower, some of the throws still seem long. 1-2 and 3-4 still felt about the same length. 3rd was slightly notchy.
After installing the bushing, however, everything felt much better. Tighter, more well defined, and positive. I found myself rowing through the gears while sitting at stops for fun.
Conclusions:
Although I appreciate the reduction in throws, they are too little and are somewhat uneven. Also, the Kartboy unit causes the linkage to contact the surrounding plate slightly. If I had better tools, the plate could be readjusted. But it hasn't cause me any serious concern yet. The bushings were the sweetest thing about my install and have made the most improvement.
Overall, I love my new shifter despite the few gripes I have. I highly recommend the Kartboy shifter bushings as an upgrade.
The reason why I decided on getting a short shifter is that my arm often gets tired from shifting especially because of the sloppy feel of the stock shifter. It would often take two rubbery clicks and notches for it get in gear. 5th is the worst with the throw often hitting my passengers leg. I chose Kartboy because of all the recommendations and Subaru support.
The install went pretty smoothly. I've never worked on my car before and I could figure out most of it by following the directions linked on the Kartboy website and NASIOC. However, there wasn't any directions for the rear bushing, but was easily found. If you are doing the bushings and shifter at the same time, it's probably best to disassemble the shifter, put the bushings in, and then install the new shifter.
The shifter on its own doesn't merit much improvement. Although the shifter sit lower, some of the throws still seem long. 1-2 and 3-4 still felt about the same length. 3rd was slightly notchy.
After installing the bushing, however, everything felt much better. Tighter, more well defined, and positive. I found myself rowing through the gears while sitting at stops for fun.
Conclusions:
Although I appreciate the reduction in throws, they are too little and are somewhat uneven. Also, the Kartboy unit causes the linkage to contact the surrounding plate slightly. If I had better tools, the plate could be readjusted. But it hasn't cause me any serious concern yet. The bushings were the sweetest thing about my install and have made the most improvement.
Overall, I love my new shifter despite the few gripes I have. I highly recommend the Kartboy shifter bushings as an upgrade.