2002/Black/SS

iTrader: (3)

my friend has a 99 ws6 with a B&M ripper shifter and after i shifted with it i noticed that compared to my SS with a stock hurst shifter and short stick, there is a huge difference. i can literally push his into gear with my pinkie finger and with mine i need to use my palms, also mine almost clicks into gears, his just slidesssss, is it because i have a stock hurst?? is a ripper shifter or pro 5.0 that much smoother to shift??? anyone ever notice thissss???

1slowls1

iTrader: (1)

I have a stock hurst with the short stick, and it is quite hard to put mine into gear, i did test a trans am but with the same shifter and it appeared a little easier, but it shouldnt be with the same shifter. so i dont know.

ninetres

iTrader: (35)

I have a stock hurst w/ a UMI stick with an inch cut off of it and it takes some good effort to shift. I kinda like it, feels solid.

I drove my dads 03 boxter the other day and it feels like it doesn't even engauge in a gear....its so smooth. Felt tooooo smooth to me.

Funny you made this thread (just becasue I was thinking the same thing a coule days ago after driving my dads car).

NOBR8KSS

iTrader: (12)

Good luck figuring this out. Some people say it's the fluid choice, some people say it's the synchros, others say its the hydraulics, etc. I personally think most of it has to do with improper bleeding of the hydraulic system. Even a small amount of air makes for nothcy shifting.
Low fluid makes for notchy shifting. Cold weather makes for notchy shifting...even a trans that isn't warmed up completely will shift somewhat notchy. Too many factors to determine which one is causing notchy shifting in your case.
I think the biggest problem is perception...some people will think a particular tranny is notchy, while others will think it is smooth. So while one guy recommends a particular fluid that he thinks smooths out the tranny, you might think it got more notchy. Maybe he lives in warm weather and you in cold....could be anything, really.

SMOKINV8

iTrader: (6)

Just for expirements sake, switch your shortstick onto his shifter if it'll bolt right on. I think you'll see that his isn't quite as easy to shift anymore. It may not be as difficult as yours is now, but it won't be as easy. Its simple lever physics.

My Pro 5.0 and shortstick takes some effort, but it doesn't really bother me. Like ninetres said, it feels solid.

BQTransAm

iTrader: (1)

I have experienced them all. stock hurst with ws6 store short stick, then pro 5.0 on the old ws6. Now I have an ss, and it has the B&M.. the B&M is the best out there IMO.

2002/Black/SS

iTrader: (3)

im going to try that if i have time, but like i said his litarally slides into gear, it really feels like he has a completely diffrent transmission

dug

iTrader: (10)

Your clutch might be draggin when its supposed to be disengaged. That will really make shifting notchy and rough.

BIG BAD BLACKSS

iTrader: (4)

I have what i beleive to be a pro 5 0 and a short stick in my 99 SS and it takes some effort to get it into gear and shift it. I got in my buddies 00 WS6 with the hurst and a short stick on his and it felt like his shifter was sitting in pudding. Incredibally easier to shift. My shifter is really short though the **** is just over the center console, his is a good bit out. Huge difference in feel.

NOIR

iTrader: (3)

lol i just sat in a new z06 the other day at the auto show in nyc and was messin with the shifter and noticed the same thing. how insanely smooth it was. my car requires force and it POPs in to gear. where as the z06 just slid right in. it was nice. haha

ive got the stock shifter still, so im hoping the pro 5.0 w/ LSS will help rid of some of the notchiness. i just changed the fluid to GM synchromesh (the most expensive crap EVER) and it made very little difference... so im hopin the shifter helps. along with taking care of a possible dragging clutch issue.

N3V3RL8T

iTrader: (2)

My hurst was a lot stiffer/notchier than the stocker. I like it, I think of it as not letting you hit the gear too hard.

CamdLs1

iTrader: (2)

You guys are actually driving these cars right? Of course its smooth as hell when you are rowing through the gears with no load on the tranny or car. Also depends, sometimes a car that is easy to shift might mean that the blocker rings or syncros are warn. A freshly built tranny is usually not that easy to shift. And yes clutch disengagement is very important for the tranny to shift smoothly.

Shamson5.7

iTrader: (5)

Cant believe no one has asked...are you guys running the same clutch/hydrolic setup? Your clutch might be more worn out than his as well.

ninetres

iTrader: (35)

My buddies pro 5.0 is notchy in a good way, you know, it sort of clicks from gear to gear oipposed to sliding. I like that opposed to the smooth slide.

Go buy a honda if you want a buttery tranny. Muscle up and throw some gears!!!!

NOIR

iTrader: (3)

haha I CANT AFFORD IT!

lol you tryin 2 say the z06 is comparable to a honda now? thats just mean man!

i just like it because it allows for a quicker shift, i with the stocker it feels like im rowin a boat.

Intragration

iTrader: (1)

When I got my car, I didn't realize the transmission was shot. First time I raced, I went into that weird area between 1st and 3rd where you're not in gear, and it just kinda stuck there...I had to yank it out while coasting mid-track before I could put it into third. (still ended up running 14.7@89 ) Bent forks, I assumed.

Before that it was always really hard to get into first, so I took it in and GM rebuilt it under warranty and they gave me a bunch of new gears and syncros. (took the opportunity to get the Z06 clutch and '01-'02 slave installed for free ) Afterwards, it was still a little hard to get into first sometimes. Then, I replaced the stock Hurst shifter/isolation stick with a Pro 5.0 and an LSS. STILL a little hard to get into first. Rather than push hard to get first now, I'll just sort of unconsciously grab second as I'm sitting there, which I imagine sort of "lines things up", and then push it forward into first, which is then usually a little easier.

My point is, aside from giving a much nicer feel and generally more control over your shifts, I don't think aftermarket shifters have a lot to do with how easy or hard it is to shift into various gears. I think that's more a characteristic of your particular transmission. This would be amplified a bit by a short stick, which would make it maybe a little more noticeable, but not really more of a problem.