Ron Stygar Short Shift

Cost: ~$190 incl. nylon cup removal tool and shipping
Pros: Much shorter shift. Available in different lengths for desired effects. All BMW parts
Cons: Increased shift effort
Time Req.: ~2 hours the first time. ~1 hour for subsequent installations

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I could end this article with the picture above. However, in this case, there is even more than meets the eye...so I will continue with this article.

A short shift kit is not a new thing...and it doesn't take a professional driver to know that shortening the shift length means a faster shift. There are any number of kits available for the Z3 that will shorten the shift length. Most of these kits involve replacement of shift linkage setup with aftermarket parts that promise extraordinary things. Given the reviews I have read on the Z3 Message Board about installations other members have done, there appears to be lot more marketing hype and over engineering (and price) put into these kits than thought about how to make the shift length shorter. Problems range from incorrect parts included with the kit to loose linkages once the kit is installed.

Enter Ron Stygar. As an engineer (and a good one by the looks of things), it seemed a simple problem...with a simply solution. Because the basic mechanics of the shift linkage works like a lever, if you want a shorter shift length, you simply shorten the shifter. Of course, Ron hasn't spent the last year tinkering with shifters just trying to find the best hacksaw blade to use on these things. Being an engineer, he apparently felt the need to really understand (and measure) every aspect of these shifters...and then document these findings. Because he had installed the kit on a couple other cars before I received my kit, and the proud recipients did a very fine job of documenting most everything you would want to know about these shortened shifters and shifters in general, I won't repeat it here (this is the thousand words the picture above represents).

When I received my kit from Ron in the mail, it included all of the hardware necessary.

One of the (many) attractive features of Ron's kit is that they are all BMW parts. Although the length of the shifter has been modified (did you read the link above?), it is nevertheless a BMW part...as are all the other components. This alone gives it the benefit of not affecting the vehicles warranty (or at least being more acceptable).

The other thing that is immediately evident is the amount of attention to detail and workmanship that goes into the product. The stock shifter appears unfinished and surprising utilitarian for a BMW part. However, in BMWs defense, you must remember this is a part that is never seen except when being removed. It truly is not a matter of BMW cutting corners, but a matter of Ron putting more workmanship into his item.

You will also notice in the above picture that the two shifters do not quite match up - besides the obvious fact that the top of one shifter is considerably lower than the other, the shift ball is also in a slightly higher location on Ron's kit. This is because the shifter in Ron's kit for the 2.8l Z3 is actually a modified ///MZ3 shifter. This overall shortens the throw even more than if he had used a 2.8 shifter modified to the same length.

As with most good things (and basic engineering principles), when you gain in one area, you must give in another...as it is with everything in the world...the whole "equal and opposite reaction" stuff. In this case, the reason the 2.8l has a shift length that would throw out the arm of a Major League pitcher is to allow less effort in shifting. While Ron's kit greatly reduces the throw length, the shift effort does increase. During initial road testing, I felt it was very difficult and seemed almost "notchy" in that it was easy to get it out of 1 gear into neutral, but difficult to get in into the next gear. I don't know if I have just gotten used to it after a couple weeks of driving it, or if the parts have just become broken in and are now smoother - but it now feels as smooth, albeit much shorter, than the shock shifter

Even as a daily driver, I don't mind the extra effort. I like to "drive" the car, not just sit in it as almost a spectator.

Another of Ron's little engineering projects (the challenge mentioned in the other review referenced above) was to build a tool that would allow removal of the nylon cup from the top of the shifter assembly rather than from below as with the BMW tool.

When I received the kit, I decided I would find a way to perform the whole project from above. In my case this was almost necessary as I live in a condo complex that frowns on a car (even a Z3) up on jackstands being worked on. Plus, it is far more comfortable to change the shifter from the comfort of the sport seats than flat on my back under the car.

Throughout these instructions, we will refer to various parts of the shifter assembly. The image below lists shows the parts and the nomenclature.

Remove the shift knob by pulling straight up on the knob. Careful not to have your head/face in the way when the knob lets loose - it is best to turn your face away when removing the knob.
	Remove the shift boot by pushing in on the sides of the boot where it meets the center console as you lift up. Remove the foam piece inside the work area if one is there.
Carefully loosen the inner dust cover from the body work at the bottom of the tranny channel
	You will want to create a catch net to catch parts that may drop off while working in the small area you have to work in. Cut a hole in each of the 4 corners of the shop cloth. Ensure the holes are not too close to the edges as to tear of some amount of force is applied. Cut a length of twine approximately 5.5 ft long. Cut this length of twine in half. Securely tie each end of the twine to the holes in the corners of the shop cloth as shown at left.
Place your catch net by putting one end (one of the loops) down into the work area. Using the screw driver and straightened paper clip, arrange the catch net so that it is completely under the selector rod. Retrieve the loop from the end of the catch net from under the selector rod using the paper clip. The twine loops of the catch net should be above the body works on each side of the shift lever. Tuck the loops under the cutout carpet area so that they are out of the way and won't fall into the hole (they can be easily retrieved if a loop does fall in).
	Locate the circlip at the left side bottom of the shift lever. This clip is what holds the selector rod to the shift lever. Using the snap ring pliers, position the holes of the clip toward the top.
Adjust the snap ring pliers so that squeezing the handle causes the ends to spread. Using the snap ring pliers, remove the circlip. If all goes as expected, you will soon learn why you have the catch net. Don't worry about retrieving it at this point...you will have time later, and may be retrieving other items. Once the circlip is removed, spray each side of the selector arm where it passes through the bottom of the shift lever with the spray lithium grease. Levering the screw driver against the shift arm, pry the selector rod to the right and out of the bottom of the shift lever. It may help to loosen the selector rod if you shift between 1st and 2nd gear while prying.
	Place the cup removal tool over the shifter so that the handles line up at 45 and 225 degrees. Ensure the tabs and notch of the tool are aligned with the groove and tab of the nylon cup. Make sure the tool rests completely on the top of the nylon cup. On some models, the nylon cup may be angled. Ensure the tool is positioned to a matching angle as that of the nylon cup.
The tool is used to turn the nylon cup 45 degrees so that tabs at 90 and 270 degree positions of the cup are no longer aligned with corresponding slots in the shift arm carrier. Turn the tool clockwise. Typically the first 22.5 degrees will be rather easy. Sometimes the tool cannot be turned the final 22.5 degrees even with some amount of force. In this case, turn the handles of the tool back to 45 and 225 degrees and remove the tool. Liberally apply the spray lithium grease to the inside of the nylon cup and outside of the shift arm carrier at the 90 and 270 degree positions. Position the tool again and work the grease in by turning back and forth the first 22.5 degrees. After working the grease in well, try turning the full 45 degrees.
	Pull the shift lever assembly up and out of the shift arm carrier. Remove the inside washer from the selector arm so that it can be cleaned. If you aren't able to pull it out, let is fall into your catch net. Using a shop rag, clean the shift arm, the carrier, and as much of the selector arm as you can reach of all dirt and old grease.
Apply a liberal amount of lithium grease to the nylon cup and the selector arm hole of the short shifter. Assemble the nylon cup on the shifter as shown.
	Apply enough lithium grease to the sides of the selector arm holes so that the washers will stick.
Insert the shift lever assembly into the shift arm carrier so that one of the tabs on the nylon cup is positioned at 45 degrees and the other at 225 degrees relative to the shift arm carrier.
	Place the cup removal tool over the shifter so that the handles line up at 45 and 225 degrees. Ensure the tabs and notch of the tool are aligned with the groove and tab of the nylon cup. Again, make sure the tool rests completely on the top of the nylon cup. On some models, the nylon cup may be angled. Ensure the tool is positioned to a matching angle as that of the nylon cup. Turn the tool counterclockwise 45 degrees so that the 2 tabs of the nylon cup are positioned at 0 and 180 degrees. Turn the shifter so that the selector arm holes are aligned perpendicular to the length of the car (90 and 270 degrees).
Use the small hammer or bend screw driver to catch the hole at the end of the selector arm and carefully guide the arm into the selector arm holes of the shifter. Be careful not to knock off either the inside or outside washers stuck to the sides of the selector arm hole.
	Obtain about 2 to 3 feet of fishing line (or small flexible wire). Thread the line through the corner of the circlip and tie the ends. Rather than try to tie the ends together (it won't hold), hold the ends parallel and knot them around the line. Note how the flat part of the circlip curves outward.
Now comes the hardest part...you'll wish you had a third hand. With the fishing line draped over the shifter so that it cannot be lost down below, you need to attach the circlip. The end of the selector arm rod has a small groove in it. The flat part of the circlip must slide into this groove. You may need to push in on the selector arm (from the right side) to fully expose the groove. Remember how the flat part of the circlip curves out. If your hands are small enough and your fingers nimble enough, you can try to slid the circlip over the end of the selector arm rod to the point it will hold in the groove and finish attaching it with the snap ring pliers. You may also try to hold the circlip in the snap ring pliers and attach it that way.
	If you lost anything in the catch net, use the straightened paper clip to fish the line attached to one side of the catch net under the selector arm to the other side. This will wrap anything caught in the net. Pull the catch net out.
Apply some lithium grease around the inside of the dust cover where it slips over the shifter, as well as underneath where it slips over the shift arm carrier.
	Slip the dust cover over the shifter and press completely to the base of the shifter. Tuck the outer lip of the dust cover under the floor of the tranny channel.
Using your finger tips, press around the base of the shifter. You will feel the part of the dust cover that slips over the shift arm carrier bunched up underneath. You need to press this part of the dust cover out and over the shift arm carrier until it is completely covering the shift arm carrier. The first 3/4 or so will be easy...you will need to work at it a bit to get the last part of the dust cover over the shift arm carrier until you can only feel the shift arm carrier itself at the base of the shifter.
	I really like the wood handle that came with my 2.8. However, it was designed very poorly in that the handle does not fit very far down onto the shift and has a fair amount of play between the inside of the knob and the shifter. Consequently, the low lever center tends to stress and break the little tabs at the bottom of the knob causing the knob to come off the shifter very easily. Shortening the shifter will only add to the torque on the bottom of the knob. I had the original knob replaced under warranty, and wanted to find a way to help alleviate the stress. To fill the gap and take the stress off the bottom of the knob, I wrapped Teflon tape around the shifter. The knob no longer simply slides onto the shifter, but has to be screwed on most of the way. As there is a tab inside the knob that fits the slot at the top of the shifter, once the knob was screwed down almost all the way, I straightened the knob out and tapped (actually pounded) it into place.

All that's left to do at this point is clean up your mess and take it out for an hour or two test drive.

Item	Description
A	Lithium grease - Whole
B	Fishing line or other thin, strong line
C	Shop towels Terry towels are shown, but non-terry towels may actually work better. Paper towels are not recommended for the one you will place inside the work area (see instructions).
D	Large paper clip, straightened with a small hook at one end
E	Lithium grease - Spray (Radiator Specialty Company / Gunk p/n L6-16) or other anti-seize spray. I would recommend the lithium as it will be used on parts that will be greased anyway, and thorough clean up of the sprayed parts isn't as necessary as if you used another anti-seize spray
F	Screw driver. Used mostly as a lever...so it should be fairly long and thick. If you have one that is bent at the end, you can eliminate item H.
G	Snap ring pliers (Channellock p/n 970-90 shown). The handle should be adjustable so that you can set it to either open or close when the handles are squeezed. Tips should be bend 90 degrees
H	Small hammer I used this as both a very tough lever and the claw part to handle the shift selector during reassembly. If you have a screw driver with a bent end or other similar item for item F, you can eliminate this item.
I	Nylon twine
J	Optional cooling and lubricating liquid