B&M short throw shifter

[Palerider]

Hi,

Just curious to know if anyone has a B&M shifter in their Cougar? I'm thinking about getting one for my car and would like to know if other owners like/hate the unit.

Thanksi/expressions/smile.gif

[9LIVEZ]

One of my friends has one on his Focus and he loves it. I may consider getting one myself someday.

[Gunmetal]

Just installed it on Saturday. It's nice, but shifting is very odd now, mostly going from 1st to 2nd because you're never sure if 2nd is engaged or not. I already ground the gears on Sunday. It's also kinda difficult to get it out of 5th gear.
Some people like this mod a lot. I think it's "okay". Nothing to write home about. You might be saving time by having a shorter throw between gears, but you've gotta slam the stick into the gear you want, so you usually lose any time you've saved (which is already negligible). Best part is the shift from 4th to 5th which used to be very long. It's actually reasonable now

[reddevil]

I've had mine for 4 months now and I realy like it.

Gunmetal, you will get use to the 2nd gear thing. It took me a couple of weeks to get used to it. The throw between 1st and 2nd is so short that you are never sure if 2nd is engaged or not. As for 5th gear, I haven't noticed any problems with it, but every car and instalation is different I guess.
I like it and recomend it to anyone looking for shorter shift throw. But like Gunmetal said, don't expect a HUGE difference.
The difference is there but it isn't like a Ferrari shifter. i/expressions/smile.gif

[Gunmetal]

As an addendum, I should add that when I originally got my cougar I had a lot of trouble getting out of 5th, but I removed the reverse lock out about 5 months ago, and it went away. I got the B&M in part because I wanted a short shift but didn't want to chop up my shifter AND I wanted the reverse lock out. I suspect the difficulty I have getting out of 5th is probably due to the reverse lock out and/or something I screwed up when installing the shifter.
I'm not taking it apart again, tho, because it's a PITA to install.

[rastaman]

this may be a stupid question, but how does this kit "shorten" your shifts?

[Palerider]

Thanks for your comments,

At the moment I'm guessing that I'll have CTA Motorsports install the shifter for me when I get my clutch replaced. I'm hoping to get the
"Unorthodox Racing" Stage 1 clutch. I hope CTA does that type of work.

I'm also thinking about getting cross drilled plated front rotors with KVR carbon fibre pads. I am on my second set of Ford rotors, I just checked them last week and the rotors are "grooving" again i/expressions/frown.gif

Anyways I hope to get this all done before CougarFest....to test out the new stuff on the drive over i/expressions/wink.gif

[SilVerbulleT]

Palerider,

Email me if you want and if you are considering get new rotors and pads, I may have a couple of options for you and at a very good price (compared to others).


Alessandro
Performance Fords
svtenthusiast@yahoo.com

[Gunmetal]

Rastaman:
It shortens the length of your shifts by simply being a shorter stick than the stock one. It also removes the bend in the stock stick (take off the shift boot to see what I'm talking about). Consider a PCs joystick. Moving a distance at the base of the joystick is equivalent to moving a much greater distance at the top of the joystick.
Also, by simple physics, in increases the effort you need to put into a shift by decreasing the length of the lever (the stick) you use to push into gear

Palerider:
I have very little car knowledge, but as long as you remember EXACTLY where the centering spring of the shifter is, you will have very little trouble installing it yourself. It's not EASY, but you will not damage your car. But, I guess if you're having CTA install the clutch (do they do that?), they could install your shifter for you, even though the two systems are basically seperate.

[9LIVEZ]

Palerider,

CTA does not install clutches. If you're looking for a good tranny shop, one of my best friends owns one. His name is Nelson and the company is called Dynamic Transmissions (905)669-5990. Give him a call and tell him that Dominic sent you. They do amazing work and are very reasonably priced.

[rastaman]

hmmm...see that's what i thought you were gonna say...and while the logic is sound, wouldn't it work the same way if you gripped the stock shifter at a lower point? not that it should stop you from buying one, just wondering if it would work the same way?

[9LIVEZ]

Yes rastaman, that will do the same thing but it isn't very comfortable. I know some others on here have just cut there stock shifter down and removed the reverse lock out instead of buying the B&M. Personally, I'd just get the B&M..........I like the reverse lockout feature.

[Gunmetal]

yeah, I drove around for 5 months or so without the reverse lock out, and I was always a little nervous about shifting into reverse accidentally on the highway.
The B&M removes the bend in the stock shifter as well, which also helps shorten throws, more than you'll get by reducing the stock stick by a couple of inches in length

[Palerider]

SilVerbulleT,

I'll take you up on your offer about the brakes, I'm going to Ford next week to check my rotors. If they're as bad as I think they are, I'll e-mail you right away.

9LIVEZ,

I'll probably change the clutch in June (depending how fast my clutch wears out). Have they done new Cougar clutches??? I hear that its a 10 hour job to do the clutch (have to pull the motor just to get to the tranny.)i/expressions/sick.gif

[9LIVEZ]

Palerider,

I'm not sure if they've done a Cougar but they've worked on just about every car out there. They are good friends of mine and they do excellent work.

BTW, have you registered with our club? If not, click on the link at the bottom of my signature and sign up. That way, we can add your email address to our list for when we have our meetings and stuff. Glad to have another Cougar join the clan!

[Palerider]

I registered on the TCC site on Sunday (I believe). I hope to meet all you guys & gals this summer! i/expressions/glasses.gif

I am really happy to see aftermarket hi-po stuff for the Cougar. About a year after I bought my car in August 1998 (got it new), I couldn't find anything for the Cougar. I'm glad I found you guys. i/expressions/happy.gif

[cawong11]

<< Email me if you want and if you are considering get new rotors and pads, I may have a couple of options for you and at a very good price (compared to others). >>



And who might be the &quot;others&quot;, huh?