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Hurst Billet Plus shifter
Hurst shifters have been on the market for over 40 years now. They come as an option on the Trans Am and Camaro Z28 and are standard on the Firehawk and WS6, as well as the Camaro SS. For those of you who are worried about warranty claims, the Hurst shifter is a General Motors approved part; you can get the GM part number by calling Mr. Gasket.
In performance circles it is a widely accepted fact that the GM factory shifter in the third and fourth generation F-Body is flabby and has a very long throw. The Hurst Billet Plus is much tighter and the throw (distance the shifter has to move between gears) is much shorter, allowing for harder, quicker shifting. Hurst makes two shifters for the Borg-Warner T-5 manual transmission: the Performance Plus (Hurst part number 3910032) and the Billet Plus (Hurst part number 3915032). I got my Billet Plus from a local race shop for $175.
Included with the shifter were detailed installation instructions, though the install was largely self-explanatory. I installed the shifter myself, it took about half an hour. The install consisted of removing the plastic console that surrounds the shifter. Once this is gone access to the factory shifter is easy, as it is hidden just underneath a rubber boot. I noticed a lot of dirt and sand (comes with the territory of living by the beach) on the factory shifter plate, but none had penetrated the seal and entered the transmission box. Removing the factory shift plate was difficult, it was sealed real tight and it took me a while to pry it loose using a flat head screwdriver. Once it was off it was just a matter of screwing the new one in and replacing the paneling. Simple.
At first glance, the shifter is very impressive in terms of performance. It has a very tight feel and takes a while to get used to, but shifts are far more firm. It comes with a cheap plastic ball for a knob (the factory knob will not fit) which I quickly replaced with a B&M long leather shift knob (B&M part number 80743) that I got for $30 from a local race shop. Very comfortable, very smooth looking. The factory casing around it was used (part of the plastic paneling), and apart from the handle and it's excessive length you cannot tell that the shifter is aftermarket.
Overall, the Hurst Billet Plus shifter is an excellent upgrade. Compared to many other high performance parts it's cheap, install is a snap, speed shifting is improved, and you will almost never miss a shift. In addition, it is a lot more comfortable than the stock shifter and greatly improves the feel of driving. I highly reccomend it to anyone with a manual transmission. The only drawback, however, is the excessive length--it is even longer than the stock shifter.
Pros:
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Cons:
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Lou's Short Stick shift handle
Lou's Short Stick Website
As stated above, the major drawback to the Hurst Billet Plus shifter is the excessively long handle. Although I drove with the Hurst handle for over two years and got used to it, I have finally installed my Short Stick and am exceptionally pleased with the results. The Short Stick is just that--a short handle that replaces the Hurst handle. The part number for the T-5 Hurst shifter (fits both Competition Plus and Billet Plus) is 52502-BLK and sells for $47. Doing business with Lou was pure pleasure, I put him through hell taking my time ordering and he was very understanding. Every e-mail question I asked him was replied to promptly and I received my Short Stick seven days after I had sent him my money order. Two thumbs up in the customer service department.
Excited, I opened the box. I had seen many garage-made type of parts in my day and have never been impressed but what I found in the box was a very pleasant surprise. The Short Stick was exceptionally well-made. The steel was perfectly smooth, powder coated black, and just felt sturdy. Packing my toolbox I headed outside for the install. After removing my Hurst handle I compared the two head to head. The Short Stick was noticably heavier and felt much more heavy-duty to handle. In comparison, the Hurst seemed extremely long and flimsy. Pleased, I installed the Short Stick.
The Short Stick came with excellent instructions for installation, though again, to me this was rather self-explanatory. Fortunately, though I had been using the B&M knob on my Hurst handle for two years, I was able to find my old stock shifter knob after a while of rummaging through my closet. Sure enough, the factory knob fit perfectly. The instructions recommended that the Short Stick be bolted to the passenger side of the shifter, though it would work on either side. I went ahead and followed the directions then reassembled the console, finished. At first glance the bend toward the driver side seemed a bit extensive to me--it almost looked like my leg would hit the knob when in first and second gears. Uncertain, I fired her up and took her for a spin.
My fears proved untrue when on the road. Though the knob now sits a lot closer to my leg than my old Hurst did, there is still a good amount of room when in neutral and higher gears. My leg only touches the knob if I am cruising in first or second (i.e. with my foot off the gas) but I never cruise in those two gears. At full throttle when my foot is nailed to the pedal my leg doesn't touch the shifter in any gear. As a further test, I grudgingly allowed Lino to drive my car and (ack!) adjust my seat in the process. The way he sat his leg never touched, so it must have been caused by my unusual seating preference (the rollcage in my car forces me to adopt a strange seating position--I'm 6' 1" and it is NOT fun getting comfortable when the rollcage limits 90% of my seat's adjustment range).
Road test verdict: WOW! And I used to think the throws were short just with the Hurst! Shifting is a dream, not only are the throws much shorter but my arm can now rest more comfortably on the center console without having to move very far to shift (sounds lazy but it becomes a big deal when you shift hundreds of times a day in heavy traffic). The lower stance of the knob allows for even more effortless power shifting. Two thumbs up in the performance department as well!
Final verdict: The Short Stick is made by a F-Body owner just like us. He knows how to run a business, knows how to design a good product, and knows how important product quality is. I was expecting the Short Stick to be a half-decent metal part made in some welder's backyard--but that assumption could not have been farther from the truth. If I did not know who made it I would have guessed it was an OEM part or at least made by one of the big racing shifter companies (Hurst or B&M). For a mere $47 this is an incredible product that dramatically improves the quality of your driving experience. If you have a manual transmission, get a Hurst shifter and a Short Stick! Although the Short Stick does add $47 to the cost of the Hurst, keep in mind that you would have to buy a $30 knob for the Hurst anyway. So in a sense, the Short Stick only costs $17 more than a regular Hurst. For that mere $17 the difference is like night and day. You can order the Short Stick directly from Lou: click here to reach the official Short Stick website.
Pros:
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Cons:
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[ March 06, 2004, 01:07 PM: Message edited by: Stefan ]
Hurst shifters have been on the market for over 40 years now. They come as an option on the Trans Am and Camaro Z28 and are standard on the Firehawk and WS6, as well as the Camaro SS. For those of you who are worried about warranty claims, the Hurst shifter is a General Motors approved part; you can get the GM part number by calling Mr. Gasket.
In performance circles it is a widely accepted fact that the GM factory shifter in the third and fourth generation F-Body is flabby and has a very long throw. The Hurst Billet Plus is much tighter and the throw (distance the shifter has to move between gears) is much shorter, allowing for harder, quicker shifting. Hurst makes two shifters for the Borg-Warner T-5 manual transmission: the Performance Plus (Hurst part number 3910032) and the Billet Plus (Hurst part number 3915032). I got my Billet Plus from a local race shop for $175.
Included with the shifter were detailed installation instructions, though the install was largely self-explanatory. I installed the shifter myself, it took about half an hour. The install consisted of removing the plastic console that surrounds the shifter. Once this is gone access to the factory shifter is easy, as it is hidden just underneath a rubber boot. I noticed a lot of dirt and sand (comes with the territory of living by the beach) on the factory shifter plate, but none had penetrated the seal and entered the transmission box. Removing the factory shift plate was difficult, it was sealed real tight and it took me a while to pry it loose using a flat head screwdriver. Once it was off it was just a matter of screwing the new one in and replacing the paneling. Simple.
At first glance, the shifter is very impressive in terms of performance. It has a very tight feel and takes a while to get used to, but shifts are far more firm. It comes with a cheap plastic ball for a knob (the factory knob will not fit) which I quickly replaced with a B&M long leather shift knob (B&M part number 80743) that I got for $30 from a local race shop. Very comfortable, very smooth looking. The factory casing around it was used (part of the plastic paneling), and apart from the handle and it's excessive length you cannot tell that the shifter is aftermarket.
Overall, the Hurst Billet Plus shifter is an excellent upgrade. Compared to many other high performance parts it's cheap, install is a snap, speed shifting is improved, and you will almost never miss a shift. In addition, it is a lot more comfortable than the stock shifter and greatly improves the feel of driving. I highly reccomend it to anyone with a manual transmission. The only drawback, however, is the excessive length--it is even longer than the stock shifter.
Pros:
</font>
- Firm, quick shifts that you'll rarely miss</font>
- Affordable</font>
- Easy to install</font>
Cons:
</font>
- Long handle</font>
- Stock shift knob does not fit</font>
Lou's Short Stick shift handle
Lou's Short Stick Website
As stated above, the major drawback to the Hurst Billet Plus shifter is the excessively long handle. Although I drove with the Hurst handle for over two years and got used to it, I have finally installed my Short Stick and am exceptionally pleased with the results. The Short Stick is just that--a short handle that replaces the Hurst handle. The part number for the T-5 Hurst shifter (fits both Competition Plus and Billet Plus) is 52502-BLK and sells for $47. Doing business with Lou was pure pleasure, I put him through hell taking my time ordering and he was very understanding. Every e-mail question I asked him was replied to promptly and I received my Short Stick seven days after I had sent him my money order. Two thumbs up in the customer service department.
Excited, I opened the box. I had seen many garage-made type of parts in my day and have never been impressed but what I found in the box was a very pleasant surprise. The Short Stick was exceptionally well-made. The steel was perfectly smooth, powder coated black, and just felt sturdy. Packing my toolbox I headed outside for the install. After removing my Hurst handle I compared the two head to head. The Short Stick was noticably heavier and felt much more heavy-duty to handle. In comparison, the Hurst seemed extremely long and flimsy. Pleased, I installed the Short Stick.
The Short Stick came with excellent instructions for installation, though again, to me this was rather self-explanatory. Fortunately, though I had been using the B&M knob on my Hurst handle for two years, I was able to find my old stock shifter knob after a while of rummaging through my closet. Sure enough, the factory knob fit perfectly. The instructions recommended that the Short Stick be bolted to the passenger side of the shifter, though it would work on either side. I went ahead and followed the directions then reassembled the console, finished. At first glance the bend toward the driver side seemed a bit extensive to me--it almost looked like my leg would hit the knob when in first and second gears. Uncertain, I fired her up and took her for a spin.
My fears proved untrue when on the road. Though the knob now sits a lot closer to my leg than my old Hurst did, there is still a good amount of room when in neutral and higher gears. My leg only touches the knob if I am cruising in first or second (i.e. with my foot off the gas) but I never cruise in those two gears. At full throttle when my foot is nailed to the pedal my leg doesn't touch the shifter in any gear. As a further test, I grudgingly allowed Lino to drive my car and (ack!) adjust my seat in the process. The way he sat his leg never touched, so it must have been caused by my unusual seating preference (the rollcage in my car forces me to adopt a strange seating position--I'm 6' 1" and it is NOT fun getting comfortable when the rollcage limits 90% of my seat's adjustment range).
Road test verdict: WOW! And I used to think the throws were short just with the Hurst! Shifting is a dream, not only are the throws much shorter but my arm can now rest more comfortably on the center console without having to move very far to shift (sounds lazy but it becomes a big deal when you shift hundreds of times a day in heavy traffic). The lower stance of the knob allows for even more effortless power shifting. Two thumbs up in the performance department as well!
Final verdict: The Short Stick is made by a F-Body owner just like us. He knows how to run a business, knows how to design a good product, and knows how important product quality is. I was expecting the Short Stick to be a half-decent metal part made in some welder's backyard--but that assumption could not have been farther from the truth. If I did not know who made it I would have guessed it was an OEM part or at least made by one of the big racing shifter companies (Hurst or B&M). For a mere $47 this is an incredible product that dramatically improves the quality of your driving experience. If you have a manual transmission, get a Hurst shifter and a Short Stick! Although the Short Stick does add $47 to the cost of the Hurst, keep in mind that you would have to buy a $30 knob for the Hurst anyway. So in a sense, the Short Stick only costs $17 more than a regular Hurst. For that mere $17 the difference is like night and day. You can order the Short Stick directly from Lou: click here to reach the official Short Stick website.
Pros:
</font>
- Further improves upon the Hurst's firm and quick shifts</font>
- Very affordable</font>
- Very easy to install</font>
Cons:
</font>
- Leather wrapping around the shifter might need to be adjusted (see the picture)</font>
[ March 06, 2004, 01:07 PM: Message edited by: Stefan ]
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