The birth of a short shifter ---- TWM Performance
10-18-2010, 12:28 PM
#1
The birth of a short shifter ---- TWM Performance
TWM Performance and the Nissan 350Z/370Z and G35/G37 short shifter
As many of you may now know, we released our Nissan 350Z/370Z and Infiniti G35/G37 short shifter a little over 3 months ago. It’s a great product with awesome features that have never been seen before in the world of Nissan short shifters! So I just wanted to make this thread to give you all a little background on how this awesome piece came to be, and why we designed it the way we did.
Like many of our designs, we started by doing research on the 350Z to see exactly what people wanted from their shifter and if there were any weak points to the construction of the OEM shifter and short shifters already on the market. What we found was quite surprising; there didn’t seem to be 1 shifter that the Nissan community as a whole liked. So we started to look at why!
Basically we noticed 3 major problems with the OEM shifter. The first was that the lower pivot on the shifter was of very low quality. Made from nylon bushings with a rotating metal sleeve, the bushings are prone to crack and compress which make for a loose fit as time goes by. Furthermore, these types of bushings systems allow dirt and grime to enter which speeds up the deterioration process of the bushing, and will eventually make for a rough and imprecise shifting action. With the earliest 350Z’s now starting to reach 7-8 years of age, it’s very common to see Z’s with over 80 000 miles on them. At these types of mileage, you can bet that your shifter sleeve and bushing are begging to be changed.
The second flaw with the OEM shifter is the OEM vibration dampener. Made from a very flimsy rubber, while it may function well to reduce rattle, it adds to the imprecision of the stock shifter. Seeing as everyone always likes a tight shifter, we knew we had to improve on this design.
Finally, while the stock Z shifter is fairly short for an OEM shifter, you can always go shorter! Many people AutoX with their Z’s and loosing time in between shifts is never a good thing. Also with shifter extensions becoming more and more popular in the racing world, a short shifter is always welcome to bring those shifts back to a reasonable throw.
Next we looked at the aftermarket short shifters currently on the market and we notice two major problems. The first issue was that nearly every aftermarket short shifter would rattle and buzz making an incredibly annoying sound at certain RPMs. The second major issue was the notchyness and stiff feeling of the short shifters on the market already. In some cases there were other issues like parts simply not fitting, bad clips, pins, and even shifter shafts breaking.
With all of this information, off to work we went!
Part 1: OEM vs TWM
First of all, we addressed the issues with the stock shifter. The nylon bushing design was something we needed to improve upon therefore we decided to go with a high quality ball bearing and metal sleeve system. With this ball bearing system, we would assure the smoothest possible shift with the minimum resistance. Furthermore, the ball bearings we used were sealed which would prevent any dirt from entering the rotating assembly and causing rough shifts over time! That means with a TWM short shifter, you’re guaranteed a smooth and tight shift for the rest of your days!
After addressing the lower pivot point issue, we tackled the next problem with the OEM shifter; the vibration dampening system. We needed to find a material that would be soft enough to absorb the vibrations from the shifter, but solid enough to make for precise and solid shifts. After many months of R&D, we developed a bushing made of an industrial grade rubber that would meet these requirements. Even after nearly 1 year of testing, our shifters have not had one rattle and provide a clean, solid, and precise shift, every time!
Now for one of the most important parts; the throw! The throw of the 350Z needed a bit of improvement so we provided a 35% throw reduction for the 370Z and G37, and a 37% reduction for the 350Z and G35. How did we come to this number you ask? Well we didn’t pick it out of a hat as some of you may be thinking! This specific short shifter underwent heavy testing since it had so many new features. We developed many prototypes and with the prototypes we also tried different throw reductions ranging from 25% to 45%. Right in the middle is where our test car drivers and customers felt it was perfect!
Finally, we included a few more details in the short shifter kit that we developed for the Z to make it go above and beyond the call of duty. With every short shifter kit, we include a stainless steel spacer, new extended bolts, and two solid stainless steel bushings for the lower pivot point to replace the soft nylon OEM ones. This means that the stainless steel bushings will never corrode which will assure you a smooth shift forever!
350Z/G35 short shifter
370Z/G37 Short Shifter
www.twmperformance.com
PART 2 COMING SOON!!! Stay tuned!
PART 2 on PAGE 3!
Patrick
Team TWM Performance
As many of you may now know, we released our Nissan 350Z/370Z and Infiniti G35/G37 short shifter a little over 3 months ago. It’s a great product with awesome features that have never been seen before in the world of Nissan short shifters! So I just wanted to make this thread to give you all a little background on how this awesome piece came to be, and why we designed it the way we did.
Like many of our designs, we started by doing research on the 350Z to see exactly what people wanted from their shifter and if there were any weak points to the construction of the OEM shifter and short shifters already on the market. What we found was quite surprising; there didn’t seem to be 1 shifter that the Nissan community as a whole liked. So we started to look at why!
Basically we noticed 3 major problems with the OEM shifter. The first was that the lower pivot on the shifter was of very low quality. Made from nylon bushings with a rotating metal sleeve, the bushings are prone to crack and compress which make for a loose fit as time goes by. Furthermore, these types of bushings systems allow dirt and grime to enter which speeds up the deterioration process of the bushing, and will eventually make for a rough and imprecise shifting action. With the earliest 350Z’s now starting to reach 7-8 years of age, it’s very common to see Z’s with over 80 000 miles on them. At these types of mileage, you can bet that your shifter sleeve and bushing are begging to be changed.
The second flaw with the OEM shifter is the OEM vibration dampener. Made from a very flimsy rubber, while it may function well to reduce rattle, it adds to the imprecision of the stock shifter. Seeing as everyone always likes a tight shifter, we knew we had to improve on this design.
Finally, while the stock Z shifter is fairly short for an OEM shifter, you can always go shorter! Many people AutoX with their Z’s and loosing time in between shifts is never a good thing. Also with shifter extensions becoming more and more popular in the racing world, a short shifter is always welcome to bring those shifts back to a reasonable throw.
Next we looked at the aftermarket short shifters currently on the market and we notice two major problems. The first issue was that nearly every aftermarket short shifter would rattle and buzz making an incredibly annoying sound at certain RPMs. The second major issue was the notchyness and stiff feeling of the short shifters on the market already. In some cases there were other issues like parts simply not fitting, bad clips, pins, and even shifter shafts breaking.
With all of this information, off to work we went!
Part 1: OEM vs TWM
First of all, we addressed the issues with the stock shifter. The nylon bushing design was something we needed to improve upon therefore we decided to go with a high quality ball bearing and metal sleeve system. With this ball bearing system, we would assure the smoothest possible shift with the minimum resistance. Furthermore, the ball bearings we used were sealed which would prevent any dirt from entering the rotating assembly and causing rough shifts over time! That means with a TWM short shifter, you’re guaranteed a smooth and tight shift for the rest of your days!
After addressing the lower pivot point issue, we tackled the next problem with the OEM shifter; the vibration dampening system. We needed to find a material that would be soft enough to absorb the vibrations from the shifter, but solid enough to make for precise and solid shifts. After many months of R&D, we developed a bushing made of an industrial grade rubber that would meet these requirements. Even after nearly 1 year of testing, our shifters have not had one rattle and provide a clean, solid, and precise shift, every time!
Now for one of the most important parts; the throw! The throw of the 350Z needed a bit of improvement so we provided a 35% throw reduction for the 370Z and G37, and a 37% reduction for the 350Z and G35. How did we come to this number you ask? Well we didn’t pick it out of a hat as some of you may be thinking! This specific short shifter underwent heavy testing since it had so many new features. We developed many prototypes and with the prototypes we also tried different throw reductions ranging from 25% to 45%. Right in the middle is where our test car drivers and customers felt it was perfect!
Finally, we included a few more details in the short shifter kit that we developed for the Z to make it go above and beyond the call of duty. With every short shifter kit, we include a stainless steel spacer, new extended bolts, and two solid stainless steel bushings for the lower pivot point to replace the soft nylon OEM ones. This means that the stainless steel bushings will never corrode which will assure you a smooth shift forever!
350Z/G35 short shifter
370Z/G37 Short Shifter
www.twmperformance.com
PART 2 COMING SOON!!! Stay tuned!
PART 2 on PAGE 3!
Patrick
Team TWM Performance
Last edited by TWM Performance; 11-19-2010 at 10:07 AM.
10-18-2010, 03:46 PM
#4
Super Moderator
MY350Z.COM
MY350Z.COM
iTrader: (8)
Interesting , i may look into one for my car before long.
Trending Topics
10-19-2010, 06:01 AM
#8
Hey guys,
This short shifter is currently at regular price and available directly on our site (links on the original post).
We made this informative post because we get a lot of questions about our 350Z/370Z short shifter, how does it compare to the stock unit, how different is it from other shifters that were on the market before ours, etc. We wanted to have all the information gathered in one place so everyone can read about what makes our short shifter a great upgrade for your car and exactly what went on the R&D of the product, some information not enough manufacturers provide about new products!
We'll update this post at the end of the week with even more information!
Thanks,
Frank
Team TWM Performance
This short shifter is currently at regular price and available directly on our site (links on the original post).
We made this informative post because we get a lot of questions about our 350Z/370Z short shifter, how does it compare to the stock unit, how different is it from other shifters that were on the market before ours, etc. We wanted to have all the information gathered in one place so everyone can read about what makes our short shifter a great upgrade for your car and exactly what went on the R&D of the product, some information not enough manufacturers provide about new products!
We'll update this post at the end of the week with even more information!
Thanks,
Frank
Team TWM Performance
...j/k
10-20-2010, 03:25 PM
#20
Hey everyone,
Thanks for all of the interest in the shifter. This piece has been on sale now for about 4 months and we've sold a lot of them; many to people on this forum! We'll try to get somof these people to chime in for you guys.
If anyone has any questions about the product, feel free to ask!
Thanks,
Patrick
TWM Performance
Thanks for all of the interest in the shifter. This piece has been on sale now for about 4 months and we've sold a lot of them; many to people on this forum! We'll try to get somof these people to chime in for you guys.
If anyone has any questions about the product, feel free to ask!
Thanks,
Patrick
TWM Performance