arootbeer
Veteran Member
I finally got the short shifter of my dreams
I went over to Jim's (Dieselgeek/corrado tdi) place a few weeks ago to have him adjust my stock shifter, and ended up getting an Ultra 5 shifter installed. It took Jim about 20 minutes to do the install, and when I got back in I thought "wow...that's pretty short".
He installed it a little too tight, and told me to give it a few days to break in, for the plastic to polish on the aluminum and vice versa. (He actually told me "It'll probably be a little tight; I installed it slightly tighter than I normally would".) It did start out very tight, a bit harder to shift than I would like. So I waited a few days, and took it back and asked him to adjust it. I told him I really didn't think it felt that much different from the stock shifter, and he told me to go back and shift a stock car.
I went over to a friend's house who's got a 20th, and while I was there I asked him if I could wiggle his shifter. Was it ever long...wait...let's start over
I was REALLY impressed with the difference going back and forth between stock and this ultra shifter. If the throw is only reduced by 35%, it's a big 35%; it feels like much more.
The biggest difference from stock is the sloppiness that is no longer available with the Ultra SS. I've literally got 1/4" of play in any direction at the top of the shift knob in any gear. The shifts are quick and direct, just smooth out of gear and click-click past the synchro into the next.
If I have a complaint about this shifter, it would have to be that I can no longer reach the radio with my fingers while my hand is on the shift knob in 1st, 3rd, or 5th gear
Given the choices, I'd take the shifter in a second.
I went over to Jim's (Dieselgeek/corrado tdi) place a few weeks ago to have him adjust my stock shifter, and ended up getting an Ultra 5 shifter installed. It took Jim about 20 minutes to do the install, and when I got back in I thought "wow...that's pretty short".
He installed it a little too tight, and told me to give it a few days to break in, for the plastic to polish on the aluminum and vice versa. (He actually told me "It'll probably be a little tight; I installed it slightly tighter than I normally would".) It did start out very tight, a bit harder to shift than I would like. So I waited a few days, and took it back and asked him to adjust it. I told him I really didn't think it felt that much different from the stock shifter, and he told me to go back and shift a stock car.
I went over to a friend's house who's got a 20th, and while I was there I asked him if I could wiggle his shifter. Was it ever long...wait...let's start over
I was REALLY impressed with the difference going back and forth between stock and this ultra shifter. If the throw is only reduced by 35%, it's a big 35%; it feels like much more.
The biggest difference from stock is the sloppiness that is no longer available with the Ultra SS. I've literally got 1/4" of play in any direction at the top of the shift knob in any gear. The shifts are quick and direct, just smooth out of gear and click-click past the synchro into the next.
If I have a complaint about this shifter, it would have to be that I can no longer reach the radio with my fingers while my hand is on the shift knob in 1st, 3rd, or 5th gear
