frayed
03-12-2002, 10:52 AM
It's been two weeks now since I've had my Rogue Engineering short shifter kit and weighted selector rod (WSR) installed. Thought I'd give as complete a review as possible.
Usual Disclaimer: I'm a product whore. No affiliation with RE. I call it the way I see it.
Short Review: If you don’t already have a SS, buy this combo now. If you already have a SS, buy the WSR. Both pieces are that good. Really.
Background: My last car was a Honda S2000. This car, the Miata, and perhaps the Type R, have the best shifters on the planet IMHO. Snick snick quick. Short, almost too short of a throw with very positive engagement. When I got my M3, I was disappointed with the shifting. . . Long throws and sort of rubbery. Felt like a truck in comparison to my S2000. If you haven't driven an S2000, do so and you'll know what I mean.+
Kit evaluation: First, I brought the kit to the shop that I use, a shop full of BMW hard core racer types that are active in the BMW CCA. They've done a ton of SS installs, including Stygar and UUC kits. If you are in Austin, this is Terry Sayther's shop. The funny thing is, the tech I talked with is a tinkerer: he had his personal car on a lift and had disassembled his shifter linkage, and was in the process of modifying his current SS kit. While I did not fully understand what he was doing (something about pivot relocation I think), he was proud of his ingenuity. I then stated that I have RE's kit and he wanted to check it out. He said that RE had already done to their kit what he was trying to do! Then, he said that Rogue went beyond what was necessary in terms of component quality, completeness, and aesthetics (after all, one cannot see these parts after installation). He was thoroughly impressed (his words, not mine).
WSR evaluation: I have a first production run unit. Well built, solid. Very heavy, as this is the whole point of the WSR. The same tech that looked over the SS Kit said that in the VW world, most SS kits come with a counterbalance to attenuate notchiness. E36 kits do not b/c of the packaging concerns, just too tight down there. He thought the WSR was a great idea. When you compare the WSR to the OE selector rod, it's clear that the WSR is of superior quality, which is typically not the norm in the aftermarket.
Install: I did not do this myself, after climbing under the car and looking everything over. I was charged one hour ($72). The tech that did the work said that the install went w/o drama.
First Drive: Holy shit, my car felt like my Honda. No kidding. Slightly longer throws, but less notchiness than the S2000. I couldn't have been happier. Engagement is more precise. Resistance to engagement is only slightly higher than stock, thanks to the WSR I believe.
On the track: I got the car to the track the weekend after the install. No drama, just precise shifting all weekend long.
Today: Still happy with the SS and WSR. But now, I'm so used to it, I need to change something else. Argghh.
Other comparisons: The only other car I've driven with a SS kit is a friends with the Stygar parts. The RE kit is quite a bit smoother and more stock-like in the required effort to engage gears. More 'snick snick' if you will. Note, however, that this is not a totally telling comparison since each kit was on different cars.
Usual Disclaimer: I'm a product whore. No affiliation with RE. I call it the way I see it.
Short Review: If you don’t already have a SS, buy this combo now. If you already have a SS, buy the WSR. Both pieces are that good. Really.
Background: My last car was a Honda S2000. This car, the Miata, and perhaps the Type R, have the best shifters on the planet IMHO. Snick snick quick. Short, almost too short of a throw with very positive engagement. When I got my M3, I was disappointed with the shifting. . . Long throws and sort of rubbery. Felt like a truck in comparison to my S2000. If you haven't driven an S2000, do so and you'll know what I mean.+
Kit evaluation: First, I brought the kit to the shop that I use, a shop full of BMW hard core racer types that are active in the BMW CCA. They've done a ton of SS installs, including Stygar and UUC kits. If you are in Austin, this is Terry Sayther's shop. The funny thing is, the tech I talked with is a tinkerer: he had his personal car on a lift and had disassembled his shifter linkage, and was in the process of modifying his current SS kit. While I did not fully understand what he was doing (something about pivot relocation I think), he was proud of his ingenuity. I then stated that I have RE's kit and he wanted to check it out. He said that RE had already done to their kit what he was trying to do! Then, he said that Rogue went beyond what was necessary in terms of component quality, completeness, and aesthetics (after all, one cannot see these parts after installation). He was thoroughly impressed (his words, not mine).
WSR evaluation: I have a first production run unit. Well built, solid. Very heavy, as this is the whole point of the WSR. The same tech that looked over the SS Kit said that in the VW world, most SS kits come with a counterbalance to attenuate notchiness. E36 kits do not b/c of the packaging concerns, just too tight down there. He thought the WSR was a great idea. When you compare the WSR to the OE selector rod, it's clear that the WSR is of superior quality, which is typically not the norm in the aftermarket.
Install: I did not do this myself, after climbing under the car and looking everything over. I was charged one hour ($72). The tech that did the work said that the install went w/o drama.
First Drive: Holy shit, my car felt like my Honda. No kidding. Slightly longer throws, but less notchiness than the S2000. I couldn't have been happier. Engagement is more precise. Resistance to engagement is only slightly higher than stock, thanks to the WSR I believe.
On the track: I got the car to the track the weekend after the install. No drama, just precise shifting all weekend long.
Today: Still happy with the SS and WSR. But now, I'm so used to it, I need to change something else. Argghh.
Other comparisons: The only other car I've driven with a SS kit is a friends with the Stygar parts. The RE kit is quite a bit smoother and more stock-like in the required effort to engage gears. More 'snick snick' if you will. Note, however, that this is not a totally telling comparison since each kit was on different cars.