GROUP BUY

[Brett Dikeman]

On Jan 25, 2006, at 2:22 PM, Adam Gratz wrote:

> I am pleased to find that Javid @ 034Motorsports is making a  
> solution to rid
> out cars of drivetrain slop.

The only "slop" I know of comes from the center driveshaft U joint,  
worn engine mounts, or worn rear differential mounts....and play that  
comes from the differentials, gearbox, etc.

> I also see a short shift kit, which I think would be a great  
> addition for a
> small investment.

Short shift kits make for a)more effort required to shift and b)less  
precise action.  If the shifter is sloppy, tighten the clamp that  
links to the two halves of the shifter together (sometimes the joint  
seems to get loose, and even a little bit of play = a lot of  
"vagueness" in the shifter side-to-side; inserting a shim of some  
sort would help); if that doesn't fix it, replace the various rubber  
bushings in the shifter assembly.  If the shifter is hard to move,  
grease all the pivot points (they're all reasonably easily  
accessible), although the grease may attract dirt and cause more  
problems.

Speed Racer types are impressed with the "speed" of shifts, except  
that speed doesn't come from how fast you shift, and most people  
don't know how to operate the shift lever.  Stolen from the web:

"The key is to be smooth. Don't act like you're punching bozo. To  
shift from First to Second (or Third to Fourth), cup the palm of your  
hand on top of the gear lever and let your fingers extend down the  
lever to provide guidance. For Second to Third (or Fourth to Fifth),  
just use the heel of your palm to guide it over and up. Again, be  
gentle and smooth. There's no need to slam it, just be consistent.  
Speed shifting won't really help you and a missed shift on an  
autocross course will end any hope of winning."

Ie: don't twist the lever like you're tightening a bolt, and don't  
grip it from the side like a pistol.  PULL back on the front, and  
PUSH with the center of your palm.  There should be zero wrist effort.

I know two people who race-preps cars for a living.  Both laugh when  
they hear about "short shift" kits; one actually turned down a  
customer (non-racer) who wanted him to install one in his 911, saying  
he didn't think the customer would be happy with it.  In fact, in  
many of the cars I've seen- the shifters are completely stock and  
rather long throw.

> I would like to get interest levers for a group buy.

Zero interest here.  I track my 200q20v and it is chipped.  I have  
none of the supposed "problems" these parts are for.  That doesn't  
make me an expert, but I haven't missed a single shift on the track,  
and there is quite a bit of 'slop' in the shifter, too.  I honestly  
don't care- the only time I've had trouble with the car not shifting  
properly is when there was something wrong.

I prefer spending my money on things that actually matter, like tires  
and driver training...

Brett