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11-20-2012, 12:34 PM | #1 | |
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Vehicle:2002 WRX - 750WHP 9.5s @ 150mph |
08+ WRX 5 Speed Short Shifter Comparison (Stock, SPT, Kartboy)
08+ WRX 5 Speed Short Shifter Comparison (Stock, SPT, Kartboy)
I was curious to try some different shifters, and I managed to get the stock, SPT, and Kartboy all together at the same time, so I decided to take some photos and measurements for anyone who is curious. I didn't see much like this online, so I hope they are interesting/useful to someone. The first thing that I would like to point out is that these photos and measurements are for the 2008-2013 WRX / 2006-2009 Legacy GT / 2006-2008 Forester XT. Other models may have different dimensions. I also wanted to clarify that the SPT shifter is the OEM factory short shifter. It is often called the "STI Short Shifter" and is sold via SPT. I am calling it the SPT shifter to avoid confusion with the 6 Speed STI transmission. As confirmed by Tom at Kartboy, the shifter itself is what creates the shorter throws with the SPT setup. The linkages are exactly like stock. They are only sold as a package because that is how Subaru receives them. Before going any further I'll give a quick rundown on how a short shifter works. It is not a difficult concept, but some people may not be fully aware. Some people think of a short shifter as being physically shorter. Others think of it as having shorter shifts. In most aftermarket shifters both of these things are true. Skip this part if you already understand what a short shifter does. Quote:
You can see that the stock and SPT shifters have the same overall height, but the position of the linkage connection on the SPT shifter is higher up, which creates the shorter shifts. The SPT and Kartboy shifters have similar distances between the pivot point and the linkage connection, but the overall height is much shorter on the Kartboy. Next are some photos of the top and bottom sections (table of measurements below): Stock: SPT: Kartboy: The pictures aren't perfect, but here are the measurements I took: Code:
Shifter Bottom Top Ratio Reduction Stock 2.44" 8.50" 3.48 - SPT 3.00" 8.00" 2.67 23% Kartboy 3.00" 7.00" 2.33 33% After taking the measurements I calculated a ratio of top vs. bottom length. This can be seen to represent how long the throw will be. Because the linkage connection point has to move the same distance for all of the shifters (this is fixed by the transmission's internal design), you can simply use the ratio as a multiplier. Based on the ratio I also calculated the % reduction in throw (both %'s are in relation to the stock shifter). First looking at the Stock vs SPT knob. The first photos showed that the overall height is nearly the same between the two (possibly off by about 1/16"). The measurements show that the difference is that the SPT shifter has a bottom section that is about 1/2" longer, and the top is 1/2" shorter (to maintain the same overall height). Doing the math, this says it will be a 23% reduction in throw (with no change in overall shifter height). The Kartboy lever has a bottom section that is identical in length to the SPT. The top section of the Kartboy is 1" shorter than the SPT (and therefore it is 1" shorter overall). Because of the reduced overall height, the ratio changes, and therefore for the throw is shorter. Based on these measurements/calculations the throw is 33% shorter than stock (an additional 10% shorter than the SPT). In case the ratios and percentages are not meaningful, I also converted them to physical distances: Code:
Shifter Linkage Ratio Shifter Reduction Stock 0.55" 3.48 1.91" - SPT 0.55" 2.67 1.47" 23% Kartboy 0.55" 2.33 1.28" 33% I also wanted to mention that your choice in knobs can affect this as well. Here is an example. Knob Comparison: Due to how different knobs thread on (and bottom out) the effective "top" length can be changed. As you can see in this photo, when the the shorter Kartboy lever is paired with the taller stock knob it is basically the same height as the SPT shifter when paired with a round ball shift knob. Keep this in mind when comparing shifter setups with someone who has a different knob than you do. What conclusions do I draw from this? First is that 3" from the middle of the pivot ball to the middle of the linkage connection is likely the upper limit to how long you would want that section. You can go a little higher if you bend the bracket in the shifter area, but the shifts start to get very notchy beyond this length. The adjustable shifters (COBB/MODE) can definitely be extended longer than that, but you will get notchy shifts. I think SPT and Kartboy use this length because it's significantly shorter than stock, but still feels very good. While I was a bit surprised that the lower section was the same length on the SPT vs. the Kartboy, I was not surprised that the Kartboy was shorter overall. The SPT is a really nice option for someone who does not want to reduce the overall height of the shifter, but for someone that wants the shifts to be a bit shorter and more crisp, the Kartboy is great. I think either can be a good option depending on your preference. Unfortunately I didn't have any other shifters to measure. I have owned the MODE (ie. COBB) double adjustable shifter in the past. It was great quality, but I found that it could make the throws much shorter than I needed. You should be able to set it up identically to a Kartboy if you wanted, but I don't think you can make it as long as stock. From my experience with both, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either, depending on what you want. The COBB is more flexible so you can dial it in exactly how you want (but you can actually set it up to feel pretty bad too). Versus the Kartboy that is just plug and play. No adjustments, but it's really nice out of the box. On a semi-related note, the shifter bushings also make a huge difference. Doing a short shifter a long will make the shifts shorter, but they'll still be very sloppy. The bushings really change the feel of the shifts. For the small price you pay, they make a huge difference in how it feels to dive. I would recommend them to anyone.
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Last edited by xluben; 11-21-2012 at 11:07 AM. |
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11-20-2012, 12:34 PM | #2 |
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Kartboy Shifter Review
I was very happy with the quality of the Kartboy shifter. The finish is very nice compared to the OEM shifters. The build quality is excellent. Is a very solid piece that I would not expect to ever fail. It looks much more sleek than the chunky OEM shifters. One construction difference from stock is the pivot ball is metal and welded on. I don't think the stock ones fail very often, but it does seem possible. The Kartboy one definitely isn't going anywhere and shouldn't wear out. It could create a little more NVH, but I haven't noticed it. I would gladly take that trade for more solid shifts (although the difference due to the metal ball is basically negligible from what I can tell). The dimensions of the Kartboy make for a 33% reduction in throw vs. stock and I believe the throws and feel will be good for many people. The shifter is also 1" shorter than the stock shifter. Sometimes I like the taller shifter, so I might swap back and forth between the Kartboy and SPT, but I do like how the Kartboy feels when shifting. Overall I really like it. I was actually a bit concerned that the throws would be too short and/or notchy for my liking, but it really is not the case. The shifts feel nice and crisp, and very short. When paired with the Kartboy shifter bushings it really transforms the feel of the car. Here are a few photos: |
11-20-2012, 12:35 PM | #3 |
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Saved.
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11-20-2012, 12:51 PM | #4 |
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11-20-2012, 12:56 PM | #5 |
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Agreed. After I got the Kartboy shifter and bushings installed (all in one go), the feeling changed drastically. Shifts were not as vague and just felt so crisp. I was very pleased with it compared to the stock shifter with stock bushings (which are seriously crappy).
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11-20-2012, 12:59 PM | #6 |
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nice work
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11-20-2012, 01:12 PM | #7 |
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Just ordered the kartboy shifter and bushings yesterday, can't wait to install them, hopefully this weekend.
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11-20-2012, 01:40 PM | #8 | |
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11-20-2012, 01:50 PM | #9 |
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This saved me some money, thank you very much. I wanted to purchase the kartboy to replace my spt but it won't make a difference in my setup. I have a sparco knob that uses the set screws to mount it rather than threading on. the sparco knob allows me to mount it further down on the shift lever which makes it almost identical to the kartboy. Hope that makes sense. According to your write up, one could cut the spt one down a little bit and re-thread it and get the same result if I am understanding right.
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11-20-2012, 02:21 PM | #10 | |||||
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Thanks. Quote:
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11-20-2012, 04:18 PM | #11 |
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Good comparo. Way back when I bought my SPT everyone was saying the linkage geometry was different. In retrospect I should have just saved money and got the Kartboy. But good to see there isn't much reason for me to change it now. I still need to get the bushings. TiC has that great "holy shift kit" or something like that.
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11-20-2012, 04:26 PM | #12 | |
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11-20-2012, 04:33 PM | #13 |
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excellent.
i'm rocking the cobb ss and bushings. the kartboy seems to do the job at a fraction of the cost... not by much. |
11-20-2012, 05:51 PM | #14 |
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Yeah the price is quite close between the two. I think they're both good depending on what you're looking for.
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11-20-2012, 07:50 PM | #15 |
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here is a more lame attempt to show the stock shifter next to cobb.
i like the throw on the cobb. it's um, short. eta: looking at your pics, the cobb is the shortest of all and adjustable. not that i would know because i have it set a medium height and i'm happy with it. |
11-20-2012, 08:28 PM | #16 |
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Nice. I'll have photos of the MODE/COBB next to the ruler in exactly one week.
Did you change the setting of the lower section? If you didn't then it is actually adjusted for longer throws! But if the overall height is short enough then the throws overall may be the same or shorter than stock. |
11-20-2012, 10:39 PM | #17 |
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Yeah I didn't realize at first either, but the longer that bottom bit, the shorter the throw.
I kind of want to dremil out that metal plate above it so it can be shorter. Also, **** snap rings... I have the kartboy bushings and it is irritatingly notchy, my buddy's is stock and it feels like hot butter. Maybe I need new tranny fluid or something. Last edited by _davin; 11-20-2012 at 11:16 PM. |
11-21-2012, 12:28 AM | #18 | |
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Quote:
Your shifter is notchy? I had KB bushings on my RS, but I thought that it was notchy in a good way...like each gear snicked in place perfectly. What are you experiencing? I was looking at adding KB bushings to my SPT until you made your comment. |
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11-21-2012, 04:09 AM | #19 |
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Lol, just ignore me, I don't know what my problem is. My car has over 53,000 miles on it and I'm not the original owner of this one, and I never experienced it with stock bushings. My first 2011 had stock bushings and the SPT STS but I honestly can't even remember how it felt in comparison.
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11-21-2012, 07:48 AM | #20 | |
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11-21-2012, 08:03 AM | #21 |
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[/quote] Anybody else notice that the SPT lever isn't quite parallel above and below the pivot point? I just installed a Kartboy, and when I had them side by side, I noticed that the Kartboy is straight as an arrow, and the SPT bends slightly at the pivot point. You can kind of see it in the second pic of xluben's OP. Any thoughts? |
11-21-2012, 08:18 AM | #22 | |||||
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11-21-2012, 09:51 AM | #23 |
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Excellent post xluben. Thanks for sharing!
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11-21-2012, 10:06 AM | #24 | |
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xluben, Just ordered the bushings. Thanks for the write-up and the advice. |
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11-21-2012, 03:06 PM | #25 | |
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