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Rule Change Requests for 2016 (1 viewing) (1) Guest
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FDJeremy
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Moderator
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Guys, I received a reply from Kyle at only944.com. Here is what he had to say:
Hi Jeremy,
Wow, I'm very honored to hear how much you like our short shifter. I think they are really nice, but I'm a little bias. lol.
That would be great if you could change the rules to allow short shifter, they are really needed on the 944. The stock shifter has to move SO far to shift. I'm not sure what they were thinking.
I believe there is someone that already makes the OEM linkage out of metal. The part on the top of the linkage that's plastic. But I think it still has the same issues as the OEM part, I think it's still metal on metal, but I can't really remember.
Thanks for the suggestion for converting the short shifter to OEM specs. It's something I've already thought about. It was actually the original goal when I started making them. The idea was to be able to have both options on one part, but it didn't work. I had a taller block of aluminum that attaches to the transmission shaft, and that caused problems, so it had to go. The problem is that it raises up the whole linkage assembly, this in turn raises up the black tube that it attaches to. That tube travels through a cutout in the transmission case, and also through a cutout in the body of the car before it reaches the shifter. This caused the black rod to bind on the transmission case and the body of the car, obviously not working right. lol. So I just turned it into a short shifter only. I was actually thinking about removing the bottom slot on the short shifter the next time I order the parts(very soon). People get confused as to what slot to install the bolt, and I don't think anyone really uses the bottom slot. But, there could be a need for it again.
But you got me thinking again about this. I think I have a solution, but it would require making another part for the short shifter, which would also raise the price. Hmmm, I will have to think about this more and make some drawings. That linkage moves in some really weird ways.
Please let me know if you don't get the rules changes and I will see what I can do for you guys.
I'm always happy to help out if possible. Also, if you guys need anything else please let me know, I'm always open to new idea. I have also made a few custom leather shifter cover for other 944 racers, so if you guys need anything like that, I'm open to helping out(normally no extra charge for custom covers).
Thanks,
-Kyle
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If you're not first, you're last!
-Abraham Lincoln
2014 944 Spec Regional Champion
2015 944 Spec Regional Champion
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RacerX
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Endurance Racer
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FDJeremy wrote:
I personally think decreasing the fore and aft throw would be a great thing. I mean these are racecars, what's the big deal? There's even a free solution if you want to modify the stock part to do the same thing. Just allow a full on short shifter and we can just use the tried and true design if we are so inclined.
The throw on the shifter is the worst part of driving a 944 and it seems to me that we should take steps to fix the problem instead of worrying about not changing the rulebook. The $90 isn't going to break anyone's racing budget and you don't have to have one to stay competitive. It's mostly a reliability mod.
It's not like someone with a short shifter is going to beat someone without just because they shifted a few milliseconds faster than the other guy. What they might do is keep their motor under the hood for a bit longer than the other guy.
I've beat and been beatin' by a bumper. I know of others that were as close. And yes, a short throw shifter is a performance advantage. I don't care if it's "only" a $90 part, it all adds up in the end. A few bucks for this part and a few for that one. Let's not forget, this is the least expensive class to race in and I think we need to keep it that way. Yes our cars are old and maybe they don't shift like new but it's equal for everyone without spending money!
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The following user(s) said Thank You: cbuzzetti
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FDJeremy
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Moderator
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RacerX wrote:
FDJeremy wrote:
I personally think decreasing the fore and aft throw would be a great thing. I mean these are racecars, what's the big deal? There's even a free solution if you want to modify the stock part to do the same thing. Just allow a full on short shifter and we can just use the tried and true design if we are so inclined.
The throw on the shifter is the worst part of driving a 944 and it seems to me that we should take steps to fix the problem instead of worrying about not changing the rulebook. The $90 isn't going to break anyone's racing budget and you don't have to have one to stay competitive. It's mostly a reliability mod.
It's not like someone with a short shifter is going to beat someone without just because they shifted a few milliseconds faster than the other guy. What they might do is keep their motor under the hood for a bit longer than the other guy.
I've beat and been beatin' by a bumper. I know of others that were as close. And yes, a short throw shifter is a performance advantage. I don't care if it's "only" a $90 part, it all adds up in the end. A few bucks for this part and a few for that one. Let's not forget, this is the least expensive class to race in and I think we need to keep it that way. Yes our cars are old and maybe they don't shift like new but it's equal for everyone without spending money!
I'm not trying to be a dick but apparently your stance on any rule will tend toward the ultra conservative never change or improve anything stance. If that's the case, why even have a rules discussion? According to this point of view the rules should be fine just like this forever and there's never any reason to improve the cars. If a change costs $1 that's just too much and puts us on a slippery slope to Super Unlimited. Obviously I don't feel like this hard-line approach is the best way to ensure that we can all enjoy racing these cars for many years to come.
I think that we can improve the most obvious flaw with the 944 without spending any money as several people have stated so your argument about driving the cost up is invalid.
I'm also not saying it doesn't provide an advantage, it does. What I am saying is that the advantage is so miniscule that 99% of the time it won't even come into play and the benefits of the improved design to the longevity of our motors far outweighs the slight performance increase.
If you're worried about being beaten by a bumper, modify the linkage into a short shifter, you can do it for .10 apparently.
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If you're not first, you're last!
-Abraham Lincoln
2014 944 Spec Regional Champion
2015 944 Spec Regional Champion
Last Edit: 8 years, 9 months ago by FDJeremy.
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BritRacer
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Seasoned Racer
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cgktexas wrote:
The only944 rear shifter piece changes the fore/aft throw 30%, the side/side throw is unchanged using the lower slot and 30% decrease of throw in the top slot.
I believe the piece in the link I posted is covered, but the issue is that this currently available "direct replacement" piece is still plastic and as such, in a hard use scenario, probably only temporarily addresses the sloppiness issue. I believe that finding and using a direct replacement made of more suitable material requires no change in rules.
Sorry, I looked at the instructions rather than just the product page and it shows 2 holes in the piece affecting fore/aft throw. So I was working off that but it would seem this was a prototype and he unfortunately had to remove the hole that maintain the stock fore/aft throw.
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Last Edit: 8 years, 9 months ago by BritRacer.
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danl4444
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Comp School
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I vote for Kyle's shortshifter
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ChuckS
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Seasoned Racer
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I vote for Kyle's only944 short shifter as well.
Even if we have to use the closer to stock hole, I don't care.
I wore out two new stock shift levers before buying his, and they did not cure all of the front shift related problems due to the wear in the arm that goes front to rear. His did! NO more problem.
I have a pile of these rear arms. Each time I change a trans (all too often!) I go through them trying to find the best one. Good ones are gone, now I am working on the "not completely worn out" ones. I have even worked on them to try to tighten them up. I works for awhile, but the stresses are too much for plastic.
If we allow this, the cost is a once in a lifetime price. Even if I buy the one mentioned on FleaBay, $30 + $8 ship, I will probably have to replace it every year or two. Low cost = over the long haul.
PLEASE can we allow it?
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Chuck Sharp
San Diego, CA
1986 Spec 944 #58
Red / Twin White Stripes
Last Edit: 8 years, 9 months ago by ChuckS.
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