whats the best short throw shifter out there... what do you guys ahve and like?

 

Check the FAQ:

www.cadillacfaq.com

With that in mind, this is whats available to my knowledge:

1) UUC - Most expensive. Most popular because it was one of first to come out (Mallet was first but was hella expensive)
2) Mallet (Dunno if they still make them or not. They were intiailly $500+. Dunno now).
3) KaTech
4) B&M: Sounds like they dicontinued these. They still seem to pop up on eBay from time to time though
5) TPiS

To my knowledge also, none of these come with replacement shifter bushings. Like nearly all the bushings in this car, they are utter crap. Lindsay Cadillac in Alexandria VA sells some replacement bsuhings for $30, which is a MUST DO, with any shifter install.

I have the UUC shifter. Like I said above, the only real option when I purchsed mine was the Mallet or the UUC. I've had no issues at all with the UUC. If I was to do it now, I'd consider the UUC or the KaTech. KaTech makes some nice stuff.

Whatever you decide, the shifter is a MUST DO mod. The stocker just sucks beyond description. The aftermarket isn't quite going to get you to SNICK-SNICK, but it sure beats the hell out of the OEM SLUDGE-SLUDGE.

-Chris

 

Chris,

B&M is only made for those who order 100 or more at one time. I have had a in detail conversation with them. Atlantic Speed is the one selling them. They did buy 100 but how many they have left.

Katech looks a lot like the UUC and for half the money. There have been some sold and people who bought them say they are great.


The problem with this is there are few who have owned more than one in the V. Some have though. Just do a search.



Hope that helps
Gene

 

I purchased my 2005 V about a year ago and the B&M shifter had recently been installed, by a Cadillac dealer. Within the first 3 months I had to return because the bushings were loose, they "fixed" the problem and within 5 months after that (with a 3 month deployment in between also) I had to have it taken out because the bushings were bad. Can't comment on whether the after market bushings were utilized because I didn't own it when it was orig. installed, but I do know that I will be leary to purchase B&M in the future-Don't know if the will help, and I am not trying to sway your decision one way or the other, just something to chew on.
However, the B&M was a little notchy, and even though it was a shorter throw, I actually like the stock feel better, less "clunky" also.

 

You absolutely need to get the Lindsay Bushings. The OEM ones look like cheap corregated cardboard with very thin plastic, and huge airgaps in them. They deform really quick, and are really bad. The Lindsay ones are Derlin (sp?), and are great, and will not wear out, or make any unwanted noise.

This will be the best $30 you ever spent.

-Chris

 

I have heard a lot about UUC, so I may try that one next. I will definitely get the Lindsay Busings though. I don't know if he used bushings that came with it or what, but I doubt they were made from a reputable company, because I had two problems with them in less than 7 months.
I see in your post about the "Mustang Dyno Tuned and Mamofied Fast90 + NW 90 TB, not to sound too ignorant but what does all that mean? I was thinking about taking my V to a shop that tunes and have it Dyno'd to see what I am pushing, but I don't know about tuning anything. What are your thoughts on that?

All I have now is the K&N cold air intake and Corsa exhaust system.

 

LOL, that's definately Jargon at it's best. No worries, it takes a bit to get indoctrinated. To decifer:

Mustang = The type of dyno used. there are basically 2 main types of dynos. DynoJet, and then the Eddy Current Dyno's. The Dyno Jet usually reads about 10% (ish, and subjective, all dyno's are different) higher than an Eddy current Dyno. An EC dyno, puts a load on the rollers during testing to simulate rolling and air resistance, thus is considered a more practical/real world result. The Mustand dyno (along with superflow, and a few others) are EC dyno's. Most people will list the type of dyno they used when posting thier numbers to give it some context.

Fast 90 = Fuel Air & Spark technologies, 90 MM LSX intake. it replaces the stock LS6 (or LS2, depending on the year V you have) intake.
http://www.fuelairspark.com/Products...ntake_90mm.asp
It allows for more airflow into the engine, as it has better runners than the LS6 or LS2 intake. Also the LS6 intake has a 78mm Throttle Body opening vs. the 90 MM on the FAST 90 (the LS2 also has a 90MM opening). The only downside to the increased airflow, is you need to have better heads/cam to take advantage of it, or else you will loose low end tourqe (while gaining a bit of high end horsepower). This is what happened to me, although I expected it, and hoipe to reap the benefits wonce I install heads and cam.

Mamofied = One of LS1TECH's sponsers is AFR (air flow research), who's main product (of interest to us) is premium aftermarket heads. Their head design engineer, Tony Mamo, is very well respected, and frequents the forums offering advise, etc. He also has a sideline porting Fast intakes. I had him port mine. It's supposed to be good for 10-20 extra HP in heads cam engine. The the Mamo-fied comment.

NW 90 TB = Stands for Nick Williams 90 MM Throttle Body. Becuase I had an LS6 intake (with a 78mm TB), I had to upgrade to a 90 MM. Since we have an ETC TB (Eltectronic Throttle Control), it limits the choices available for a 90MM Throttle Body. I could have used the LS2, however the electronics would need a converter plug, plus it faces the oposite way of the 78mm (not really a big deal). I wanted to go with an aftermarket TB, that I wouldn't have to port, that had a good reputation. The Nick Williams met that criteria. I had to search around a while, becuase NW stopped making ETC TB's a while ago, but I found aused one from a fellow CTS-V owner, and bought it up. It is a very nice Billet aluminum piece.

Regarding the tuning. The first thing I would do is try to pin down your plans and expections. If you aren't exactly sure, there is no problem with that. I would then solicit some feedback from the forum based on your specific requirements. That is the best way to get the 'best' information. Regardless you will have some mis-steps along the way (this leads to wasted money, but it'd bound to happen). Once you have a good idea what you want to do, then you'll need to find a shop/tuner to lend a hand (if needed). Do your homework here, and find one that fits you. This will save you money, time and heartache in the end. Finally once all that is done, if it fits your plans, then get a baseline dyno on the same dyno you plan to use all the time, so you can chart your progress.

Probabaly what will happen though, is you will start small, adding small bolt-on's here and there, untill you decide to go bigger, and you'll have to go back and redo some stuff, it seems to be the path that nearly all of us tread the first go around. Lord knows I did (and still do )

Hope this helps,

Chris

 

Damn Chris I hope you cut and pasted some of that. Great explaination though.


Gene

 

Naw,

just trying to spread the love. I still have a LOT to learn, but I'd like to pass on what I have.

My V was my first LSX vehicle, and all this stuff was greek to me when I started.

-Chris

 

Caliman:

Like Trukk, I've no experience with the B&M shifter, but the UUC shifter from Luke Butler at Lindsay Cadillac (lbutler@LindsayCadillac.com) is second to none. Another friend bought a CTS-V earlier this week and I suggested he make the shifter his first priority.

Good luck and enjoy the V!

Mark "Feff" Pfeffer

 

UUC or BUST

 

what about that new 2 piece katech? want to get a short shifter asap, debating between uuc and the new katech that is much cheaper. does the katech come with new bushings? or would i be better off getting them from the guy at lindsay cadillac? how hard is it to install? have the tools, but rarely have the time. wasn't sure if a dealership would be willing to install it and not void the 100k warranty. any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

No shifter comes with the bushings. You have to buy them from lindsey. They are $30 plus shipping. Im going to also go with the Katech. It looks just like the UUC for half the money.