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Message: My impressions....

Changed By: Bruce In Philly (2000 S Boxster, now '09 C2S)
Change Date: October 20, 2014 08:54PM

My impressions....
I like it.... it is more precise, mechanical and I can feel the mechanisms more. Is this worth it? I dunno, it was a fun project and I can play with it every day so yea, it was worth it. If these things don't mean much to you, it is not worth it at all.

Pedro, regarding adjustments.... I don't understand how this thing is good or bad for engagement. I really don't. Are you sure that the only change was the shifter and nothing else that could have caused the problem? The reason I say this is simple.... adjusting the cable lengths do nothing for engagement... they only effect the angle of the shifter.

I had big misunderstandings about how these shifters work... for example: I thought that springiness where the shifter goes to neutral between 2nd and 3rd was due to some mechanism in the shifter - wrong, the shifter is just just a floppy lever.. the spring-loading is coming from the transmission pushing and pulling on the two cables. Another thing I assumed, is that the cables are always under tension like bicycle brake and derailleur cables; go one way and pull more on a spring, go the other way, tension is lessened but not released. This is flat wrong. The cables in neutral are totally lax and not under tension. Go one way and a cable is pulled. go the other way and the cable is pushed. Yes pushed. I assumed a cable would go limp but actually it is more like a stiff pole and it pushes a lever on the transmission.

So.. given that the cables are under neutral tension when in neutral, adjusting their length, even their relative length only changes the angle of the lever. When you feel engagement, it is the transmission that is clicking into gear and not the cable shifter stopping at an appropriate place. Said another way, when I removed the cables from the shifter, they didn't retreat... they just sat there as they were not under tension.

Therefore, adjusting the cables does nothing for shift performance. So I don't understand where the adjustments would have any effect.

What am I missing here?
The numeric didn't change shifting performance in any gear. It did, however require just a tad more effort to shift and I suspect this had to do with a minor change to lever length.

The other adjustment on the numeric is the lever length and I really don't care for a short shifter or even shorter option with the numeric. A friend has a Porsche short shifter and I totally don't get it... as it takes more muscle due to the loss of leverage. If you really wanted to change the length of the cables beyond what is in the splined/springy thing, you can move the mounts where the cables terminates... but I really don't understand why you would want to do this. Edjumacate me.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Original Message

Author: Bruce In Philly (2000 S Boxster, now '09 C2S)
Date: October 20, 2014 08:52PM

My impressions....
I like it.... it is more precise, mechanical and I can feel the mechanisms more. Is this worth it? I dunno, it was a fun project and I can play with it every day so yea, it was worth it. If these things don't mean much to you, it is not worth it at all.

Pedro, regarding adjustments.... I don't understand how this thing is good or bad for engagement. I really don't. Are you sure that the only change was the shifter and nothing else that could have caused the problem? The reason I say this is simple.... adjusting the cable lengths do nothing for engagement... they only effect the angle of the shifter.

I had big misunderstandings about how these shifters work... for example: I thought that springiness where the shifter goes to neutral between 2nd and 3rd was due to some mechanism in the shifter - wrong, the shifter is just just a floppy lever.. the spring-loading is coming from the transmission pushing and pulling on the two cables. Another thing I assumed, is that the cables are always under tension like bicycle brake and derailleur cables; go one way and pull more on a spring, go the other way, tension is lessened but not released. This is flat wrong. The cables in neutral are totally lax and not under tension. Go one way and a cable is pulled. go the other way and the cable is pushed. Yes pushed. I assumed a cable would go limp but actually it is more like a stiff pole and it pushes a lever on the transmission.

So.. given that the cables are under neutral tension when in neutral, adjusting their length, even their relative length only changes the angle of the lever. When you feel engagement, it is the transmission that is clicking into gear and not the cable shifter stopping at an appropriate place. Said another way, when I removed the cables from the shifter, they didn't retreat... they just sat there as they were not under tension.

Therefore, adjusting the cables does nothing for shift performance. So I don't understand where the adjustments would have any effect.

What am I missing here?

The other adjustment on the numeric is the lever length and I really don't care for a short shifter or even shorter option with the numeric. A friend has a Porsche short shifter and I totally don't get it... as it takes more muscle due to the loss of leverage. If you really wanted to change the length of the cables beyond what is in the splined/springy thing, you can move the mounts where the cables terminates... but I really don't understand why you would want to do this. Edjumacate me.

Peace
Bruce in Philly