VERY HAPPY with vintage speed shifter.. one week from Taiwan to Boise ID. This is a very high quality part and worth the money. Packaging like opening an iPhone! Install a snap. Reduced throw and precise shifts. Was reluctant and so glad I pulled trigger. Keith
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It's what everyone says.
I love the 2 vintage speed shifters I have bought. One in my Speedster and one in my Puma. I agree with what has been said. I highly recommend them, huge improvement over all other shifters especially a stock shifter. I bought a Sebring exhaust from Vintage Speed as well and it was a work of art.
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Jimmy, if you installed the Sebring exhaust on a speedster, sure would like to see pics of install. Would be concerned about it hanging down too low like so many do... Keith
So any of the one's in the link will work? If so, does anyone have a size they'd recommend. Is it something that is easy to install, or would it be best for a shop to do it?
I have no clue how to do install it, but it doesn't mean I'm not willing to try. (unless this is a job that is known to be tricky). The vague shifter is something I'd like to improve on. Thanks for any advice.
Bill
Sslowshoes: You will want to choose a length shifter as long as the one you have or a tad longer it is all to your taste of how it feels to you when seated in the drivers seat. The shifter isn't all that hard to install, a 15 min or less job for someone that can turn a wrench. If you buy one have someone like me face time you through the install.
Bubbasev: I ordered a 45mm tube size which is a custom build for them. They contacted me to send them measurements and pictures of my Speedster to build the system to fit and have the tip a half inch under the bumper. It fit very nice. I am not sure about buying their in stock sebring exhaust. Mine took 6 weeks to build but it was a wonderfully built product.
Thanks for the reply Jimmy, and the offer of help should I buy one - very much appreciated. (I'm confident I'll at least need advice).
This is probably a dumb question, but I'm curious what makes the standard VS shifter feel so vague. Without knowing a thing about them, it just seems like something that could be adjusted and dialed in by someone who knew what they were doing. What did Vintage Speed do with their shifter to make it more precise?
Bill
The stock shifter is made inexpensively and was designed to shift from one gear to another and not be sporty. It does the job but over the years the ball at the end gets sloppy as well as the bushings of the shift tube and coupler. The Vintage Speed shifter has its own machined base to stabilize the shifter and it is designed to use a raised leverage point to make the distance between gears shorter. It is a very well thought out redesign of the VW shifter and worth every cent of what they cost.
I've been holding out. This post my have gotten be off my arse to buy the shifter. Now I just need to find a cool wooden knob.
@Bubbasev, @Jimmy V., @jncspyder (and anyone else that owns a Vintage Speed shifter)- does any of you remember the landed cost of your shifters once it was in your hands?
Gene Berg Ent. makes a great shifter as well, and it's made in the USA so you're not sending your money overseas-
I have owned both the Berg and the Vintage Speed and the Vintage is in my opinion a better shifter. Of course this is only my humble opinion take it for what it is worth.
@slowshoes @Jimmy V. i have the updated PORSCHE bushing model ...along with having replaced the plastic shift bushing in the hanger with the (EV4U) BRASS one and a brand new SHIFT ROD since john steele/JPS (aka DR JEKYLL/MR HYDE) in his infinite wisdom thought it was OK to leave a 50 year old WORN OUT part in my $40K car....(which is an entirely different OPRAH)....those things have dialed in the shifting of my car for the life of the car
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@thedak posted:
While there's no doubt the wood Porsche knob is a beauty, this is the one I'll be getting. I have the white banjo wheel with ivory knobs on everything else, so this one will look better with my car. That's a beauty Dak, very elegant looking - thanks for posting.
Bill
GASP!!!
I am shocked. SHOCKED, I say, that Mr. Steele would use anything that was not absolutely top-rate in any of his builds.
SHOCKED!!!
I may need another Hot Tody, just to calm down.
And just to be honest here, I have the Berg "T" handle shifter. I like it, having nothing else to compare it to, but if I had my druthers I would opt for something with an ivory ball or mushroom cap. Not that I don't like my "T" (it perfectly fits my hand), but Dak's ivory shift ball is really nice.
Before my Vintage Speed shifter, I had a CSP shifter which is also very nice and worth investigating.
The one thing that bothers me about the Vintage Speed shifter is that the boot is not attached at the bottom. I tried a couple of alternatives - the top part of a 911 boot and part of a generic CV joint boot. Finally, I had a leather boot made by a little shop in Poland. I see that jncspyder also has a leather boot. It bothers me a little bit that the leather boot hides the attractive base of the shifter.
I replace the Vintage knob with a 356A knob. It was an expensive piece of plastic.
I, too, have a Vintage Speed shifter. I can’t compare it to a Berg, or EMPI, or any other aftermarket shifter.
I can, however, say that the short throw and crisp gear selection is hands down FAR superior to the stock one I replaced.