Anyone Not like the Short Shift kit? - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

2002m5BGM · 4th April 2003, 19:30

I just had the Rogue Engineering, Octane short shift kit installed with the weighted selector rod (WSR) and I am not sure if I like it. The throw is short, but it requires a lot more force. It is not as smooth as the factory set up. This will take some getting used to.

Does this change over time and get any smoother? I had it installed by my local dealer. I also had the stiffer tranny mounts put in as well. It was 1.7 hours of labor.

Hoping it improves....

Bill

TriflowM5+M3 · 4th April 2003, 19:34

Bill,

No worries, mine was very stiff and tight for the first month or so and then gradually loosened up.

I love mine now and I have even tried the UUC one...I like how the uuc is shorter in throw but it requires even more effort than the rogue.

How do those tranny mounts help? Just wondering...

Again, the shifter will loosen up...if you dont like the feeling of the shifter, you wouldnt like the shifter on the m coupe, m roadster...they feel the exact same way.

2002m5BGM · 4th April 2003, 19:43

On the tranny mounts, I got them because they were very little additional cost and the people at Rogue said it would help to prevent a misshift.

They are supposed to prevent the transmission from moving under a hard load. I have no idea on if this was really needed or if I will be able to tell unless I do hard launches.

The mounts themselves are a solid cylinder shape and the factory mounts are hour glass shaped which you would think will allow more movement than the replacements.

It sounds like the SSK just needs to break in. Thanks.

Bill

Greco · 4th April 2003, 21:39

Thanks, you just solved an issue with me. I was contemplating getting the UUC but to make it work properly I would have to added a heavier shift knob. As I have wood trim it would have been awkward to have an aluminum shif knob in the midst of all this Burl stuff.

So I have decided to go the Octane route and the tranny mounts.

Thanks for the expressed opinions.

Need4Spd · 4th April 2003, 22:09

There is some break-in time, so the shifter will get smoother. Since the SSKs all work by changing the leverage, all of them involve more effort. That won't change. What will change is the smoothness of the movement, either that, or you'll just get used to it. If you drive it for a while and then go back to a stock shifter M5, you'll be amazed at how long the throws will seem and how vague and rubbery it feels by comparison.

As to the tranny mounts, you didn't mention whether you notice any additional vibration or other negative side effects. I'm interested in doing that upgrade, too. I have noticed that when accelerating hard, it seems the trans or something is moving around and making it hard to find the next gear. If there's no ill effect, replacing the mounts will be a no-brainer. So, I'm all ears.

2002m5BGM · 4th April 2003, 22:46

So far there are no vibrations, or noises assoviated with the install or the tranny mounts. No negative effects. Maybe the benefit is as you indicate that with the shorter throw, it all needs to be more exact and we are better off with the stiffer transmisson mounts.

Bill

XrayMD · 4th April 2003, 22:49

I have the transmission mounts coming as well. You might want to think about replacing your transmission fluid with Royal Purple Synchromax at the same time that you upgrade your transmission mounts. Check with Zeckhausen Racing about this.

Also, its not just the stiffness of the new mounts (they are 20% stiffer than stock) but the conical shape of the upgraded mounts that's important as well. The stock mounts are hourglass shaped.

4th April 2003, 23:08

I have the UUC (I have used if for 6 months) and really like it, but it is stiffer and a little more notchy than the stock item.

Cheers.

DZeckhausen · 4th April 2003, 23:16

Quote:

Originally posted by XrayMD
I have the transmission mounts coming as well. You might want to think about replacing your transmission fluid with Royal Purple Synchromax at the same time that you upgrade your transmission mounts. Check with Zeckhausen Racing about this.

Also, its not just the stiffness of the new mounts (they are 20% stiff) but the conical shape of the upgraded mounts that's important as well. The stock mounts are hourglass shaped.

Here's a shot of the factory tranny mounts:

And here are the performance tranny mounts:

I've installed them on my wife's 540i/6 and noticed no change in vibration or noise. I did notice crisper shifting, however I also changed the fluid to Royal Purple Synchromax at the same time, so I can't say, with authority, which modification made the most difference. I can tell you that after the installation of the Octane shifter, my wife needed both hands to shift into reverse. Following the Royal Purple fluid and tranny mount swap, she was able to switch back to one-handed reverse. So the tranny mounts and fluid change passed the "wife test" with flying colors.

Installation, by the way, is very easy. This is a DIY job. There's an aluminum cross-brace that holds the mounts which, in turn, support the rear of the tranny. Place a floor jack under the tranny to support it, remove the six bolts from the cross-brace and remove the two nuts at the top of the stock tranny mounts. Then the brace simply drops out. Swap the mounts and reinstall. You may have to bend a heat shield to gain access to one screw, but the heat shield is the same consistance as a disposable aluminum pie plate, so it can be bent back easily without harming it. Installation took me 15 minutes.

2002m5BGM · 5th April 2003, 01:15

Dave

How many liters of the Royal Purple does the M5 take?

Bill

DZeckhausen · 5th April 2003, 01:29

Quote:

Originally posted by 2002m5BGM
Dave

How many liters of the Royal Purple does the M5 take?

They come in quart bottles and the M5 takes less than 2 quarts.

Royal Purple Synchromax techical specifications

Need4Spd · 5th April 2003, 02:20

Quote:

This is a DIY job. There's an aluminum cross-brace that holds the mounts which, in turn, support the rear of the tranny. Place a floor jack under the tranny to support it, remove the six bolts from the cross-brace and remove the two nuts at the top of the stock tranny mounts. Then the brace simply drops out.

OOOhh, another DIY job. First you got me swapping pads and brake lines, now tranny mounts! OK, so one more question: what're the torque spec for the bolts/nuts?