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Thread: CAE vs RTD shifter

  1. #51
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    I'm getting a little annoyed with my RTD shifter purchase. I bought it on Feb 23rd. At the time, Maher was very responsive to my emails and he promised I would receive the shifter before my March 26th track day. Now it's April 4th and I have no shipping confirmation, and it's taking him 2-3 days to respond to my email. I have another track day coming up and I'm getting anxious.

  2. #52
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    I ordered 2/23/17 and told Maher, who was very responsive, that I needed it by the end of March. He shipped it on 3/23/17 and it was delivered 3/27/17. I was shocked at how quick shipping was from Lebanon to DC. Hopefully this makes you less anxious?

  3. #53
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    I'm sure he's really busy. If their shipping is that fast, it does make me feel better about getting it before my next track date.

  4. #54
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    Quote Originally Posted by E36forever View Post
    ^Does that make shifting easier for the gears except 3rd or 4th where the shifter is going off center?
    The stock shifter is designed this way, except the whole lever pivots at the ball/cup. It doesn't rotate enough that you notice it happening, but it's necessary to get into anything other than 3rd/4th gear. The AKG/BW shifters use a spherical bearing at the pivot point which allows the whole lever to rotate.

    The RTD/CAE/Samsonas design uses a fixed pivot (lever actuates on 2 axes instead of 3) which is why the rotating joint at the bottom is needed. It's not a feature as much as it is a required design element to function correctly as BMW originally intended.


    Quote Originally Posted by TXBDan View Post
    VAC has the Samsonas for $599
    https://store.vacmotorsports.com/sam...ons-p2997.aspx

    I like that this version has a replaceable delrin knob instead of it being integrated into the lever.

    Are the bolt patterns on these wide enough so that if i relocated the shift lever an inch rearward, the mounting bolts wouldn't fall into the stock shifter hole?
    You'd probably have to re-drill holes. The mounting bolts are very close to the shifter hole. The baseplate has a very small footprint compared to other shifters of this type.


    I did get this bad boy installed. The centering spring needed adjustment to align with the 3/4 gate. Once I did that, it was phenomenal. I've only drive around a parking lot, and I can tell you that these shifters are in a different league than any other SSK. With the RTD non-locking being within $75 of the AKG, I don't know why anyone would ever buy an AKG. The AKG feels like a stock shifter in comparison.
    Last edited by LAWLence; 04-08-2017 at 03:02 PM.

  5. #55
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    DHL came with a gift today. I'm beyond excited to get this bad boy installed and give it a proper testing at Thunderhill on the 29th!

    4610980378169980694-account_id=1.jpg

  6. #56
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    :O Awesome!

  7. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by LAWLence View Post
    The stock shifter is designed this way, except the whole lever pivots at the ball/cup. It doesn't rotate enough that you notice it happening, but it's necessary to get into anything other than 3rd/4th gear. The AKG/BW shifters use a spherical bearing at the pivot point which allows the whole lever to rotate.

    The RTD/CAE/Samsonas design uses a fixed pivot (lever actuates on 2 axes instead of 3) which is why the rotating joint at the bottom is needed. It's not a feature as much as it is a required design element to function correctly as BMW originally intended.
    Thanks for the explanation. I'm currently using the AKG as I have for many years now but I'm waiting on delivery for the RTD non locking shifter. I felt like the AKG was a big upgrade vs stock but I'm sure the RTD will be yet another big upgrade vs AKG. Agreed about the price point and it could be a game changer vs CAE in the future.

  8. #58
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    Quote Originally Posted by illmatik View Post
    DHL came with a gift today. I'm beyond excited to get this bad boy installed and give it a proper testing at Thunderhill on the 29th!

    4610980378169980694-account_id=1.jpg
    Awesome - what was the total time from payment to delivery? I'm thinking about this or the Samsonas from VAC.
    2002 BMW M Roaster.
    1998 BMW 328is SCCA E Production road racer.

  9. #59
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    47 days from payment to delivery
    Quote Originally Posted by CoMZ302 View Post
    Awesome - what was the total time from payment to delivery? I'm thinking about this or the Samsonas from VAC.

  10. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by illmatik View Post
    DHL came with a gift today. I'm beyond excited to get this bad boy installed and give it a proper testing at Thunderhill on the 29th!

    4610980378169980694-account_id=1.jpg
    I considered the RTD but went with AKG. I'll have to check out yours on the 29th, I just signed up!

  11. #61
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    After a day at the track, with my heim-based 'direct' shifter (like BW and AKG) I just don't like it. In fact I like the stock shifter better and see why people stick with them.

    I'm going Samsonas (for the price and availability). Will report back in a couple weeks after my next test day.

    Please note that there's a different Samsonas for 5speed, vs the 'short shifter' vs the dog box shifters.
    2002 BMW M Roaster.
    1998 BMW 328is SCCA E Production road racer.

  12. #62
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    I'm going Samsonas (for the price and availability). Will report back in a couple weeks after my next test day.
    and what is the impression?

  13. #63
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    I guess this is a good place to post this: I was at Thunderhill on Apr 29, and was having major issues shifting down into 2nd gear under hard braking. After some thought, I'd say it must be because of my motor+trans mounts- I'm running the slightly stiffer E36 M3 mounts and Rogue Engineering trans mounts. The deflection of the gearbox under braking was causing me to hit the gate between 2/4, and caused me to miss the shift about 1/3 of the time when I was really pushing it. I'm most likely going to change to AKG 75D motor and trans mounts. Unfortunately I won't have time before Sonoma this Sunday, but they should be installed by my track day at Laguna Seca on the 29th.

  14. #64
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    Quote Originally Posted by mslevin View Post
    I guess this is a good place to post this: I was at Thunderhill on Apr 29, and was having major issues shifting down into 2nd gear under hard braking. After some thought, I'd say it must be because of my motor+trans mounts- I'm running the slightly stiffer E36 M3 mounts and Rogue Engineering trans mounts. The deflection of the gearbox under braking was causing me to hit the gate between 2/4, and caused me to miss the shift about 1/3 of the time when I was really pushing it. I'm most likely going to change to AKG 75D motor and trans mounts. Unfortunately I won't have time before Sonoma this Sunday, but they should be installed by my track day at Laguna Seca on the 29th.

    Was yours hard to shift after a session into 1st and 2nd? Or just the shift to second under braking?

  15. #65
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    Since these are mounted hard to the body, it makes sense they would work best with very stuff mounts. Of course with very stiff mounts, the trans -- which is sort of like the rear of the engine and trans mounts are sort of like rear engine mounts -- won't move much and a stock shifter should work much better.

  16. #66
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chadrbrewer View Post
    and what is the impression?
    Unfortunately, VAC didn't have these in stock when I tried to order them. I was told that they were on the way and I'd get a notice when they were in stock, but I have not gotten that notice.

    I don't want to bad mouth VAC, but I just never seem to have any luck ordering anything from them. I know others are pleased with VAC; I dread ordering anything from them now.

    Back to our regularly-scheduled fancy shifter love fest.
    2002 BMW M Roaster.
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  17. #67
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    I might be pulling this fancy shifter out for a little bit.
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  18. #68
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    Quote Originally Posted by bjh102 View Post
    Was yours hard to shift after a session into 1st and 2nd? Or just the shift to second under braking?
    Just the shift to second under braking.

  19. #69
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    Good Evening Gentlemen

    I really appreciate all the feedbacks this is all new to me. I have an E92 sedan with the N54 motor and I hate the way it shifts and so this is how I ended up on this thread. I dont see myself shelling out $900 for a CAE but for less than half of that i am willing to take a chance on the RTD shifter. I opt for the shorter 300mm lever, I don't do track so I figured the shorter lever will be ideal. I don't understand why Maher couldn't just make these and keep em in stock, I am sure with proper advertisement and enough buzz in the social media they will sell like hotcakes. I still want to see actual install just curious how long I did hear the CAE was a bit of a challenge. Thanks again

  20. #70
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    I think I'm going to have a CAE 4 sale.
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  21. #71
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    Was talking to someone that supports 2 cars that run the RTD shifter and reports are that it's no where near as nice as the CAE. Materials are thinner so there's flex. Screws all come loose quickly. Build quality just isn't there. Maybe a good street car alternative. Doesn't sound like a great track/racecar alternative.

  22. #72
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    Quote Originally Posted by dmw16 View Post
    Was talking to someone that supports 2 cars that run the RTD shifter and reports are that it's no where near as nice as the CAE. Materials are thinner so there's flex. Screws all come loose quickly. Build quality just isn't there. Maybe a good street car alternative. Doesn't sound like a great track/racecar alternative.
    I can only speak for the non locking version as I just did the install last night. There are some issues that I have noted for Maher and he is going to look into those issues as he is dedicated to making the product the best it can be.

    1. I'm the first one who noted the "C" clip doesn't fully seat into the pivot pin groove. I went with a "snap ring" instead but it was standard size as metric was too thick. I also think the groove could be a tad deeper as well.

    2. The pivot joint is too wide at 21.0 mm and needs to be 20.6 mm so it will fit any DSSR out there already. That's being worked on

    3. The shift lever adjustment from left to right is a pain to re tighten and keep position for 3rd and 4th gear at the same time. That's being worked on

    4. The hardware is just too small and I mentioned using carriage bolts instead with nylon locking nuts and washers. I think he will be going in the direction. Plus it lines up the base left to right nicely.

    As for the base it's made of stainless which is very strong but I do see one weak point as the single slot is too close to the shifter opening at the tunnel. However with the washer it should be good enough.

  23. #73
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    Quote Originally Posted by Butters Stoch View Post
    I think I'm going to have a CAE 4 sale.
    What's the issue?
    Check out the 8legs Racing page: https://www.facebook.com/8legsRacing/


  24. #74
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    Quote Originally Posted by ScotcH View Post

    What's the issue?
    Nothings wrong with the shifter. Its me. My car is 99.9% street car. Daily driven. Its just too much racecar. I went overboard unfortunately and now I really am not enjoying it as much for daily duties. Every dam part of the car has been upgraded to the moon, and now it feels like a racecar. I pulled the shifter out yesterday and tossed in a uuc that I had laying around.
    1996 332IS
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    Technique Tuning 80# tune.
    1/4 mile 10.84 @ 136.72
    Your 1 and only stop for all your BMW performance needs
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  25. #75
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    ^That's a serious down grade. I might be selling my AKG soon.

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