I hate my 128 shift lever.

[KGrGunMan]

I hate my stock shifter mostly because of how extreamly easy it is to get into reverse when going for 1st. It feels like there is practically no resistance for the gate into reverse, multiple times at stop lights I've ended up in reverse when I thought I was in 1st. It's like there isn't even a gate there at all, it just slides into reverse like butter.

I also hate that every time I go into 5th gear my hand hits the cup holder, but that's secondary to the reverse gate.

Lastly, my gear knob could be wiggled and rotated about a 1/4in left and right, as if my knob was not attached correctly.

My Ford Mustang had a superior stock shifter to my 128i m-sport.

I thought a short shifter would solve these problems. I've put a short shifter on every car I've ever owned and loved every one of them.

So I bought a Dinan short shifter for my 128.

It solved my reverse issue entirely, now I never to into reverse when going for 1st.
It solved my hand hitting the cup holder in 5th, it's not even close now.
Lastly, the knob doesn't wiggle or spin at all when I shift.

I absolutely love the throw distance, it's the perfect length of throw.

That being said, it's so hard to get into gears 1-6 that my shifts are much slower than the stock shifter, It actually takes longer to shift with my short shifter than with my stock shifter....I hate that immensely.
I bought a short shifter that slows down my shifts and makes them less enjoyable.

It's so hard to get into gear that when trying to shift as fast as I can from 1st to 2nd that often times I end up pulling the knob up and off the shaft entirely. I know Dinan is just using the design BMW came up with to hold the knob in place, but I've never had a shift knob that didn't physically screw onto the lever and this way of connecting the knob to the lever is stupid.


Is there a short shifter on the market that can easly get into gears 1-6 while making it harder than stock to get into reverse?
Preferably one that securely attaches the knob to the shaft.

My transmission fluid was changed 8k miles ago, but with nothing special fluid, I'm thinking of putting in better tranny fluid but I'm doubtful that'll help.

Any advice is appreciated, I don't enjoy driving my 128 as it shifts currently.

[Suhb]

the nature of a short shifter is that you have decreased leverage, making the shifter more notchy. Same thing happened when I put in the BMW SSK. A better trans fluid will help. The D4 atf fluid is good. If you don't mind waiting for the fluid to warm up, the MTL fluid will be notchier at first but smoother than D4 once its warmed up.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by KGrGunMan

I hate my stock shifter mostly because of how extreamly easy it is to get into reverse when going for 1st. It feels like there is practically no resistance for the gate into reverse, multiple times at stop lights I've ended up in reverse when I thought I was in 1st.

As a habit, I always pull back on the shifter to engage 2nd and then go into 1st, that way I know I'm shifting into 1st gear.

It's like there isn't even a gate there at all, it just slides into reverse like butter.

If your shifter allows you to get into reverse THAT easily, there might be something wrong with the reverse gate mechanism.

I also hate that every time I go into 5th gear my hand hits the cup holder, but that's secondary to the reverse gate.

Blame the shitty location of the cup holder, not the shifter.

[Bimmer-Bob]

If you're pulling the knob off of the shifter lever that easily, it is either not secured to the lever properly, or there is something seriously wrong with your technique. When I changed the knob on mine, it took two hands on some elbow grease to pop off the stock knob - I can't imagine pulling it off one-handed by accident.

[KGrGunMan]

My knob pops off incredibly easy. I can place a single finger under the knob and flick my knob up high enough to come off the lever with a single flick.

I bought the car used, but when I removed the stock shift lever the knob came off just as easy, one try, single handed and no effort.

I do realize decreased leverage is to blame for the difficulty shifting, that was part of why I wanted the short shifter, to make it harder to enter reverse.
I've just never had a short shifter effect it this much even on shifters that reduced the throw by an extreme amount. (40+%)

I guess I'm going for a fluid change.

[rowsdower]

My stock shift knob was very difficult to remove when I replaced with the ZHP knob. However once I installed the ZHP, it would occasionally come off when aggressively shifting to 2nd. I ended up putting a small dab of RTV on the shaft and then put the ZHP knob on, and I haven't had any trouble since.

Be very careful doing this - you want as little RTV as possible in case you need to remove the shift knob in the future. You don't want to permanently install it. It may take a few tries slowly using more and more RTV until you no longer have the issue.

No solutions here for the reverse gate... agree with other posters it may be busted. Mine takes a noticeable amount of effort to get past the gate. However mine is a really long throw to the left, even if I am in reverse I can tell it isn't 1st by how far over my hand is. Maybe it takes some time to learn the normal position of reverse/first? How long have you had the car?

[vinylengraver]

Your description of stock shifter behaviour sounds very unusual.
Unless of course you have some monster power in your grip
In every instance, especially when cold, all 1series cars I drove required considerable amount of effort to go past first and engage into reverse.
There is no way you could do it in error... perhaps if your shifter was much taller than stock it would be possible, otherwise, noway.

It has always been second>first for me, on all cars I owned.
Saves first gear synchros and once it becomes a habit, it's hard to do it any other way.

My stock knob was pretty hard to pop-off. Not impossible, but hard.
New ZHP knob was a different story - it had to be slammed into place with brute force, otherwise it would not fully click in place and kept coming off at first.
Also, it needs clearance space to fully engage, so if there's anything under it (like the boot fold etc) it will not lock in place.

[KGrGunMan]

Thank you all. The previous owner of the car told me before he sold it he changed out the shift boot because the old one looked bad. I don't think he ever got the knob back on correctly and I just put it back the way he had it.
I've now gotten my knob on correctly and it does not come off.
I wonder if it was sitting a little higher making it a little easier to get into reverse, but it's moot now.
It's a lot more confidence inspiring now that my knob's not moving up and down.

I'm going to drain and refill my tranny with Redline MTL, how many quarts are needed?

I have the perforated M knob currently, I'm thinking about going to a weighted knob, like maybe the ZHP, but I've had weighted knobs before and never really noticed much difference. I might go for that after the fluid change.

[Ginger_Extract]

You'll need just a hair under 2 quarts for the transmission. Very easy to do on this chassis, you can snake a fill tube down the engine bay and let gravity do the work for you.

[asbrr]

The shift lever coming off is not right, sounds like you fixed that. The other issues you describe could be related to many things, including technique. I bought my car used and it took me quite a long time to master how this gearbox likes to be treated.

Having said that, there was a huge improvement in solidity and feel when I replaced / upgraded the stock rubber shift carrier bushings, the shift linkage to the transmission (AKG DSSR - aluminum shift rod). I have a BMW performance shift knob with the stock shift lever (no short shifter), and to me it's absolutely perfect now.

On top of the DSSR and shifter carrier bushings, if you have high mileage replace the other small rubber/plastic wear parts in the shift mechanism, and spring for some bronze self oiling clutch pedal bushings, and a BMS clutch stop.

[KGrGunMan]

The car currently has 68,000 miles and it's a 2011.

Thanks, After some more reading, I think I am going to upgrade to the Turner polyurethane shifter arm carrier bushing and UUC DSSR, unless I can find a superior version of those parts. Both of those parts do sound like they would make my shifter smoother and more precise, that is currently my main goal for my shifter after I've installed the ssk.

I've also been thinking about doing the CDV delete, but have not done it yet. Other than that I don't really have any complaints about my clutch/clutch pedal.

[sprp85]

Stock shifter with ZHP and MTL shifts smooth. Not direct like a miata or s2k but gives you enough feel and slick at the same time.

I had Performance knob for some time as well but that didnt feel right with my hand..... try ZHP and see!

[minirips2]

Originally Posted by KGrGunMan

The car currently has 68,000 miles and it's a 2011.

Thanks, After some more reading, I think I am going to upgrade to the Turner polyurethane shifter arm carrier bushing and UUC DSSR, unless I can find a superior version of those parts. Both of those parts do sound like they would make my shifter smoother and more precise, that is currently my main goal for my shifter after I've installed the ssk.

I've also been thinking about doing the CDV delete, but have not done it yet. Other than that I don't really have any complaints about my clutch/clutch pedal.

Don't hesitate on the CDV delete. 68 thousand miles of normal driving, and your shifter should be fine. Maybe the previous owner wasn't too kind, or it has seen a lot of traffic. At 65 thousand, mine feels great. It's not as tight as some cars I've driven, but it's very smooth and satisfying. If you get a chance, you might want to look into new trans mounts. That might eliminate a little play. In any case, it's not easy to get into reverse by mistake. I concur with those who've said that engaging 2nd gear and then into first gear from a stop is good practice. I've always done that. I have driven non-synchro boxes, and it becomes a habit quickly. Good luck with your shifter. BMW shifters should be a joy to use. I'm not sure changing trans fluid would make a huge difference, but at your mileage, fresh fluid is a good idea.
Edit: FWIW, I installed a ZHP knob, and it's very nice. The shorter height reduces throw a tad, and the extra weight feels nice.

[asbrr]

Originally Posted by minirips2

Don't hesitate on the CDV delete. 68 thousand miles of normal driving, and your shifter should be fine. Maybe the previous owner wasn't too kind, or it has seen a lot of traffic. At 65 thousand, mine feels great. It's not as tight as some cars I've driven, but it's very smooth and satisfying. If you get a chance, you might want to look into new trans mounts. That might eliminate a little play. In any case, it's not easy to get into reverse by mistake. I concur with those who've said that engaging 2nd gear and then into first gear from a stop is good practice. I've always done that. I have driven non-synchro boxes, and it becomes a habit quickly. Good luck with your shifter. BMW shifters should be a joy to use. I'm not sure changing trans fluid would make a huge difference, but at your mileage, fresh fluid is a good idea.
Edit: FWIW, I installed a ZHP knob, and it's very nice. The shorter height reduces throw a tad, and the extra weight feels nice.

Yes - I neglected to mention an upgrade in the trans mounts. I have the rogue mounts, and they do seem to help keep things "in place".

[socaltuner]

Originally Posted by KGrGunMan

My knob pops off incredibly easy. .

My knob gets popped off pretty easily too