Weighted Shifter and Shift Feel - Any Ideas?

I have been using a WC Lathewerks shifter ball for the last few months. Pricey, but a work of art. Its a STi stainless with a 2" extension. I wanted a taller shifter and something to give me a more positive feel when clearing the gates.


The stock shifter felt a little "mushy" coming from a VW. For anyone who knows the feel of a typical manual VW, I'm referring to that light but distinct soft click when you know the gear has shifted. Ya, ya, its a VW. I grew up driving them and learned on a Golf. Got a soft spot for that little car...


I noticed the stock shifter felt like it needed a little more help to move through the gears than I'm used to, hence the weighted ball. The Sti sphere is 465 grams, and with the extension I've easily added about 525 grams or so to the end of the shifter.


So now, the shifter has a tendency to get caught in the gate for reverse when downshifting from 3rd to 2nd, and it otherwise feels a little too heavy. I tend to shift by pushing or pulling the shifter in the direction it needs to go - sort of flicking it with my fingers rather than holding onto the ball with my whole hand...


Before I go re-learning the muscle memory to shift using my whole hand on the shifter and more deliberately guiding it between gears, I'm thinking the WC Lathewerks is too heavy.


Any ideas appreciated



And of course, in case anyone has been looking for one of these, I might end up sellin mine...

 

i use this one: https://anarchy-motive.com/products/6-speed-goliath

733g and it's tall which is my favorite part. i have it combined with the URD short shift kit. super solid!

it's spot on, my thing, would do again for sure. any q's lemme know..

pics not very current but y'know..

 

Well 773 grams is doing it. I think I need somewhere between whatever stock is and about 200 grams. Current weight like I said is somewhere around 500 grams.

By the way though, how do you find the URD shifter? I read on here that some have described it as being a little stiff when moving the shifter...

 

like i said, super solid, would do again.

folks complaining about that kit being too stiff are not using heavy knobs. it's a perfect match with a heavy knob. no issues, not even going into R, which is the main complaint you'll hear about it. what a lighter knob you may need a bit a slap to enter R, but not with that knob.

 

What knobs are those on your stereo?

 

Hondo Garage knobs. I have them too. They are great!

 

I have one of the AJT weighted knobs and it is great. Definitely contributed to a more positive engagement immediately after install.

I paired this with a URD short-shift kit and the truck now shifts as great as you can expect a truck to shift.

 

pm me your address and I'll send you those knobs. i have another head unit now. all is have to do is find them first lol.

 

I see you also have another Hondo Garage accessory on your vent. How's that been holding up?

I just installed mine a coupla weeks ago (full kit for tablet), seems solid so far.

 

Short, weighted shift knobs are the way to go.

Best shift knob I ever used was this weighted one off my ZHP:

 

Now that the URD kit is on sale, maybe I'll take the plunge...

I see a number of people have just gone and snipped some of the metal to get into the tunnel easier - but other than potential rust at that spot, aren't there any concerns cutting the metal?

Also, any instructions on the removing the trim and boot off of the parking brake? Does the handle for the brake twist and release allowing you to remove the whole trim piece (with boots and all). When I did this to mount the boot lower I just lifted the front end of the trim and didn't bother with the brake handle end.

 

i don't use it anymore. i pieced a couple other bits together for my own solution. the Hondo is nice but mine is lower profile and doesn't block the vent.

 

The stock knob for the 5-speed is 181g, I would image the 6 is the same. I made my own knob, it’s slightly taller than stock but also 40g lighter. Shifts great!

 

I would love a custom one where it lights up like the new ones do.

 

Weighted shift knobs for the win...raceseng slammer and their graphite knob matches the interior trim if your into that sorta thing

 

How was the install for the short shifter?

 

Holy shit that's knarly

 

Pic?

 

Fairly annoying. I have a post somewhere on here where I detailed what frustrated me about the install.

Here you go - https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...rations-welcome.406844/page-176#post-14247842

Fortunately it has been great since.

 

Since we're on the topic of the URD kit, what's the consensus on installation?

I know its generally an afternoon or at least a couple hours on average (definitely not 20 minutes). Can a semi tool literate guy hammer this together at home with a standard compliment of tools (I even have tin snips that might do the trick), or should I get my mechanic buddy to look after it for a case of beer?

Funny that, I started off asking about whether I should get a lighter shiftknob, now I'm about to buy a short-shift kit...now to clear this with the CFO...