I received my M Performance short shift kit in the mail on Thursday and went to work on the car Friday before dinner. First off, this wasn’t nearly as hard as I feared. Maybe the 128i is easier. I was slow and cautious, but I could easily do a second one in under an hour if I tried. Removing the old shifter is a snap. The only trick is rotating the shift cup so it will pop out of the metal support. I had plenty of clearance with the car on ramps to remove the center underpanel and reach the shifter assembly. I didn’t need to move the heat shield or anything else. There was plenty of room to work. I lubed everything up with white lithium grease (don’t use regular grease because it can make plastic brittle) and put it all back together.
Driving impressions: wow, a 25% throw reduction may not sound like a lot, but you will notice it instantly. There is a very distinct snick-snick rifle bolt action when you shift gears. My gearbox is a little worn from the previous owner so the 1-2 shift requires a bit of effort, but the rest of the shifts feel amazing now. It can definitely reduce the time it takes to shift gears which is good since our engines lose revs so quickly. You need to be sensible though and not speed shift your synchros into oblivion.
Improvements: the BMW SSK uses a bushing (probably delrin) instead of bearings like I have seen on some SSKs. Bushings will eventually wear and cause more slop, but the original had 68k miles on it and the wear was negligible. On one hand bearings are more precise, but they do rust up if not maintained. My ideal shifter would use ceramic bearings for the best of both worlds. Still, the BMW unit was easy to install and I like the weight of the shift knob, but I know the alcantara will eventually wear off and look grubby. I may switch to the old discontinued leather knob.
