Teej on short throw shifters
01-23-2011, 10:39 AM
#11
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: KY, was MA
Posts: 2,797
^^^thats exactly what I'm saying here people!!! Wannabe, you had a t45. Those shifters stock were crap. I had a stock shifter in my 98 gt and it was terribly sloppy! But if you ever drive a t3650 car, you'll realize the shifter is worlds better stock. I even put that in the post if you read it completely.
T45 require overall shifter assembly change.
T3650 require just a handle to achieve the sts feel.
And I could tell a slight difference in the shifting from stock base to tri ax base. Not enough to warrant paying retail for a new one without the handle by far though for a t3650 car. For a t45 car, without a doubt. But for a t3650 I find no real reason to buy the base. Buy the handle of your choice first. If that doesn't satisfy you, then buy the base. But first hand, the biggest difference is felt from the handle, not the base on a t3650.
T45 require overall shifter assembly change.
T3650 require just a handle to achieve the sts feel.
And I could tell a slight difference in the shifting from stock base to tri ax base. Not enough to warrant paying retail for a new one without the handle by far though for a t3650 car. For a t45 car, without a doubt. But for a t3650 I find no real reason to buy the base. Buy the handle of your choice first. If that doesn't satisfy you, then buy the base. But first hand, the biggest difference is felt from the handle, not the base on a t3650.
Have you driven a car with an MGW? The shifters in a 3650 suck, if you can only tell a slight diff to a tri-ax...then a tri-ax sucks too. When I bought my mach it came with a tri-ax....used it for a week and ripped it out to put my MGW in.
01-23-2011, 11:12 AM
#14
Haha smitty, been saying that for a while. I've driven a couple cars with mgw's, particularly cobras. They are awesome shifters. But honestly, now that I have the tri ax base WITH the pro 5.0 shift handle, it's every bit as good as the mgw cars I've driven.
Just so we're clear here...my setup is tri ax base with pro 5.0 handle and hurst black ball shift ****. not stock with a handle. But you cannot really tell much of a difference from stock t3650 shift base to tri ax base.
Just so we're clear here...my setup is tri ax base with pro 5.0 handle and hurst black ball shift ****. not stock with a handle. But you cannot really tell much of a difference from stock t3650 shift base to tri ax base.
01-23-2011, 11:32 AM
#16
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: NC
Posts: 1,481
The new shifter bases do change the pivot ratio (the length of the shift arm below the pivot bearing). Therefore, the length of shift is then reduced by a percentage of travel. Adding a shorter handle just reduces the length of the top lever arm. The combination of both is where a real short throw comes from. The springs in my MGW are MUCH stiffer than those in my stock 3650. The soft springs and rubber bushings in the stock shifter arm make the factory units feel extremely soft and mushy.
Bottom line... changing either the base or the handle will reduce the length of throw, but the best result comes from replacing the whole unit.
The accuracy of my MGW is great, but you do have to push or pull it out of the central 3-4 slot because the springs are pretty strong. Thus NO missed 2-3 shifts (just push it forward and it goes every time!!! Only downside to the MGW, is that other shifter arms don't bolt on to it.
Bottom line... changing either the base or the handle will reduce the length of throw, but the best result comes from replacing the whole unit.
The accuracy of my MGW is great, but you do have to push or pull it out of the central 3-4 slot because the springs are pretty strong. Thus NO missed 2-3 shifts (just push it forward and it goes every time!!! Only downside to the MGW, is that other shifter arms don't bolt on to it.
01-23-2011, 01:09 PM
#17
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,826
Wow Teej, I hate to disagree with somebody as knowledgeable as yourself but I can't help it this time.
Regarding the base, my stock 3650 and Tri-Ax are worlds apart. The stock base was sloppier than slop, as I recall before ****canning it 4 years ago it did not have any sort of return to center spring mechanism like the Tri-Ax (or any other aftermarket sts I'm sure), and the stock base was/is the main reason for missed shifts due to this difference. The only springing that the stock shifter uses is whatever is inside the trans itself to return it to center when not in gear, which at least on my trans is pretty soft or maybe just doesn't have the leverage to do it well. With just the bases only in my hand and no shift handles attatched, I could freely wiggle the stock shaft around with pretty much zero resistance, whereas the Tri-Ax base was very tight due to the springs and required bolting the handle onto it to get the leverage needed to move it.
Everything else about the great sts debate is pretty much subjective and about what better suits one driver to the next. But based on my experience and your experience as noted in this thread, either something was wrong with my stock shifter base or something's wrong with your Tri-Ax base.
Regarding the base, my stock 3650 and Tri-Ax are worlds apart. The stock base was sloppier than slop, as I recall before ****canning it 4 years ago it did not have any sort of return to center spring mechanism like the Tri-Ax (or any other aftermarket sts I'm sure), and the stock base was/is the main reason for missed shifts due to this difference. The only springing that the stock shifter uses is whatever is inside the trans itself to return it to center when not in gear, which at least on my trans is pretty soft or maybe just doesn't have the leverage to do it well. With just the bases only in my hand and no shift handles attatched, I could freely wiggle the stock shaft around with pretty much zero resistance, whereas the Tri-Ax base was very tight due to the springs and required bolting the handle onto it to get the leverage needed to move it.
Everything else about the great sts debate is pretty much subjective and about what better suits one driver to the next. But based on my experience and your experience as noted in this thread, either something was wrong with my stock shifter base or something's wrong with your Tri-Ax base.
01-23-2011, 01:12 PM
#18
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: South FL
Posts: 8,540
A good aftermarket base is still better that stock due to the adjustable stop points (for those owners who slam gears). Less worry of snapping one off in your hand.
Last edited by LilRoush; 01-23-2011 at 01:14 PM.
01-23-2011, 01:42 PM
#19
T3650's have internal stops...
Anyways, I'm just posting this as a notion that you dont "need" to pay the full $180 or whatever for an aftermarket shifter if your base's alignment spring is still intact. The one I pulled off was a little weaker than the tri-ax but it still did its job a hell of a lot better than the stock shifter on my T45 did.
My point through all this is that if you have a stock shifter that still has a functioning alignment spring, then all you would need to wake up your shifter is just a handle. As many have said, removing the rubber surrounding the handle and shortening the length of the handle will make shifts much more responsive than with the stock handle.
Anyways, I'm just posting this as a notion that you dont "need" to pay the full $180 or whatever for an aftermarket shifter if your base's alignment spring is still intact. The one I pulled off was a little weaker than the tri-ax but it still did its job a hell of a lot better than the stock shifter on my T45 did.
My point through all this is that if you have a stock shifter that still has a functioning alignment spring, then all you would need to wake up your shifter is just a handle. As many have said, removing the rubber surrounding the handle and shortening the length of the handle will make shifts much more responsive than with the stock handle.
