eBay B&M "style" short shifter

[White Comet]

alright, i'm gonna try not to flame, but i'm getting annoyed with threads like this where the op wants to buy a knock off cuz he/she has no money. why do you need to buy a shifter? is yours broken? if it is get a stock one instead of crap. if you just want to have a short shifter save up and wait til you have money for whats been proven to be quality. I also have no money being a married college student paying bills, rent, car payments, etc. but i save up for whats quality and i'm smart about what i buy.

[BrianHarte]

White Comet - I think you have to consider the American culture. Everybody here wants to have as much as possible, as soon as possible, while spending as little as possible. Instant gratification. Saving for the future doesn't even CLICK with some people. These kids now just want to dump all their money. "all" meaning, not very much, into their little drifter car. They want all the parts, but don't care about what it does or why they should buy it or even if it is quality.

[sjbsuperman1425]

White Comet - I think you have to consider the American culture. Everybody here wants to have as much as possible, as soon as possible, while spending as little as possible. Instant gratification. Saving for the future doesn't even CLICK with some people. These kids now just want to dump all their money. "all" meaning, not very much, into their little drifter car. They want all the parts, but don't care about what it does or why they should buy it or even if it is quality.

ah see heres the REALLY funny part. "I" have bought a FMIC and exhaust off ebay from a company that is reputable (sp?), i didn't cheap out on my fpr, turbo timer, etc. I actually made this thread to see the reviews, as I have an eBay review thread on NICO, and because SOME eBay products are worth the money. I did not want the *****!ng and moaning of others.

[White Comet]

i totally agree, but thats the problem. everyone wants everything now, heaven forbid if you have to save a few months for coilovers, just get megans or godspeeds . it gets under my skin cuz i'm trying to build a clean car on a limited budget and i realize that i'll have to wait a dn save for the nice expensive parts. i'm ok with that since i know it'll be worth it, but to many people think theyre getting good bang for their buck when they can get a shifter, steering wheel and fiberglass body kit all for $600. imo its better to have one nice part for $600 then lots of crappy parts that'll break in a year. hell, i paid $600 for my sideskirts alone! it's like the tortoise and the hare. you may feel like your getting your car built faster by buying cheap parts, but you'll have to go back and redo everything while the smart people will be plodding along slowly purchasing great parts that'll last forever

[ddgsxr504]

I bought my S14 in Dec of 99. Had about 67K on her. The first thing I bought was a C's shifter. I remember when B&M came out with one for the 240's, I thought why so much for a shifter? Mine was about $100 and it worked awesome (I cut it down an inch). That was until I drove my buddies S14 with an SR and a B&M, that shifter made me want to nut in my pants. Took some saving, like $10 here $20 there but after a while I got my B&M, just installed it last Aug.

Quit buying ****ty parts people!!! It's cheap for a reason, I have bought many things off ebay, like a $25 quick release system, and that stuff was the most poorly manufactured crap. Had metal shavings all over it, low end grease for the bearings, poor casting and casting flash, horrible fitment (to the car and itself). Just stop.

[svfd5140]

I bought one it rattled like a mothur. had to make shims to get it to quiet down hated it went back stock.

[Thoughtful_One]

zerothread?id=336440

Nuff' said.

No problems whatsoever if you install it the way I did.

[White Comet]

yeah but have you ever felt a real b&m before? a knock off feels good until you drive a car that has a real b&m in it

[Thoughtful_One]

Yes in fact I have. Didn't feel any different, and I'm very receptive of my cars and how they feel.

[Philipio]

It's better to buy once than to buy the crappy product first then the better one down the line.

[sjbsuperman1425]

so do these short shifters cause the syncros to wear quicker, or is it the driver?

[MTX450]

Actually I own a Ebay C's-replica shifter, had it for four years. There's one problem with it: the plastic bushing at the bottom of it. It did not fit properly into the shift linkage causing it to wobble around IN GEAR, and if given the proper tug/pull it came out quite easily. Of course I was smart and took the bushing off and used a press to get the bushing from the oem shifter onto the short shifter. Now its perfectly safe and functional, and has several years of autocrossing and spirited driving on it.

To the OP: So yes, somebody could quite possibly get in an accident, hurt themselves, etc if the shifter were to fail. Imagine if you couldn't safely shift into neutral if the shifter popped off?

That $79 unit from Phase2Motortrend is CHEAP. If you can't afford that, then save your money and use the stock shifter. If you think 240sx parts are bad, try finding **** for GC-era Imprezas. Not worth it being cheap... "Buyer Beware"

I bought a stock bushing on my shifter and the shifter WOULD NOT fit into the transmission with the bushing in place. It was too thick going into the transmission and I didn't want to jam it in place. I'm thinking the metal joint on the bottom of the shifter is too big and it's flexing the plastic bushing causing it to be very tight.

[CMG]

B&M or Tomei, all else is s***e.

[Klodust]

Im gonna have to agree with BH on this one, f**k im somewhat poor and i would never put a that B&M shifter in a 240 or any car in that case.
Modified by Klodust at 3:21 PM 5/13/2009

[djtomy]

Broke my shorty last night! and didnt crash! anyone have a stock one laying around?

[gumby74]

I am amazed at some of the things people break.I have owned both a B&M and currently a Mookeh short shifter. Considering the $130 price difference, the cheap Ebay shifter is not just a value, but so far, a superior product. Shift feel is not discernable between the 2, even had a couple of friends drive the car without knowing I switched shifters. What makes the Ebay shifter superior in my mind? It does not RATTLE.Some of you kids bring up r&d and engineering, so tell me, why did the great B&M have to revise the original product? Oh that's right somewhere along the research and development stage no one actually drove the car with the product installed. And to my understanding some of the gen 2 shifters still rattle a bit.That being said, the B&M is a quality product, but no way is it the greatest shifter ever. Buy it if you can afford it, but don't be afraid to compare it to something else. Hell you just may learn something from the experience.On a different note, I also recomend the Monster Knob shift knob. Better than anything Nismo offers, and comparable to the best weighted knobs from Greddy. I have gone through no less than 6 different shift knobs.

[Chingon]

Actually I own a Ebay C's-replica shifter, had it for four years. There's one problem with it: the plastic bushing at the bottom of it. It did not fit properly into the shift linkage causing it to wobble around IN GEAR, and if given the proper tug/pull it came out quite easily. Of course I was smart and took the bushing off and used a press to get the bushing from the oem shifter onto the short shifter. Now its perfectly safe and functional, and has several years of autocrossing and spirited driving on it.

To the OP: So yes, somebody could quite possibly get in an accident, hurt themselves, etc if the shifter were to fail. Imagine if you couldn't safely shift into neutral if the shifter popped off?

That $79 unit from Phase2Motortrend is CHEAP. If you can't afford that, then save your money and use the stock shifter. If you think 240sx parts are bad, try finding **** for GC-era Imprezas. Not worth it being cheap... "Buyer Beware"

I was going through some old thread I made, and stumbled across my c's clone review zerothread?id=155687 pretty much spot on w/everything you said.

On my review, I preferred mine to the b&m clone my brother got, but that is no longer the case. After driving on the b&m clone for a while, it's sweet to have that mechanical clunk. The shifter is great in my opinion, and has seen 3+ years of rough daily driving (my brother shifts like a maniac) and some track days. I really don't understand how ppl are snapping these things (my guess it's that is sintered stock and not billet?). I've got to see a picture of one just to figure it out (i took failure analysis, so a pic may also tell me other things).

It rattles just like the b&m did years ago (don't know if they've fixed it). I do know how to get rid of the rattle altogether, but i've been lazy and haven't modded it (besides, it's my brother's car after all).

PS: the boot that comes w/the b&m shifter is rubber and the grease that's in the shifter eats through it like butter. Getting a oil compatible boot would be an upgrade.

[Chingon]

so do these short shifters cause the syncros to wear quicker, or is it the driver?

it's the driver and phosphorous rich gl-5 transmission fluids.
Modified by Chingon at 4:25 AM 6/28/2009