Forge Short Shift Kit - Group Buy

[End User]

Short shifter and 42DD Bushes installed!

Trickiest parts were:
1. Getting the battery cage off. Who ever designed this thing is pure evil.
2. Getting the original shifter mechanism off it's splines. This alone took 45 minutes, and destroyed my lower back.
3. Enlarging one of the holes on one of the 42DD bushes. Would have taken seconds if I had the right tools. The other 3 fit perfectly
4. Putting the battery cage back on.

Initial impressions:
Shifter was set to the shortest throw. The movement is much more precise and confident. Throw is noticably shorter. More effort is required to get into gear, but no where near an amount that will make your arm tired in traffic. And I'm a 60kg weakling.
My only gripe is that there is sometimes some notchiness into 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. Hopefully it gets a bit smoother when things a bed in a little more.
Would have liked to try the short shifter without the bushes first, to gauge what difference each component makes, but two birds with one stone was too tempting.

Greg, I've got pics at home with which bush was used for the vertical link. I will email these to you tonight.

Anyone in Syd that hasn't installed theirs and would like some assistance, let me know.

[Greg Roles]

That's excellent news!!! I am uploading my bush install video to you tube right now, bit late for you Tommy, but may help everyone else.

Sounds like you need to slightly adjust the vertical mech cable length, and I'll have a video on doing that up in the next day or so. Basically making the cable end longer, moves the gearstick away from you, and making it shorter moves the stick to the left. I found just one notch on the cable end shaft made all the difference with notchiness. It's like the rubber OEM bushes have enough slop to allow the gears to "deflect" into place if the alignment isn't quite right, whereas having them tight you need to fine tune the H pattern alignment. BEFORE anyone tries that, mark the steel shaft with a nikko pen so you know where you started from, as just one "tooth" makes a big difference, and the stock setting is always perfect / close to!

Once I find out which bushes you Polo guys need, I'll most likely need to get a special order in, as it sounds like the 2008-2009 Polo kit will be a frankenstein mix of a few bushes from 42DD, and I only have about 4 kits of each model in stock at any point in time. Once Tommy lets me know the hole enlargement, I might be able to get a specific drill etc to prefab them before sending.

Anyone with a 2007 or earlier with the HWY gearbox can just run the MK4 kit, you have it easy, and I have more of them landing next week.

[Greg Roles]

Carformance Australia | Facebook

My new facebook page with the shift bush install video. Please like it!

[kaanage]

2. Getting the original shifter mechanism off it's splines. This alone took 45 minutes, and destroyed my lower back.

Anyone still to install their Forge shifter should get hold of either a cam puller or a heat gun to make this stage a LOT easier.

[Greg Roles]

Here's the two steps I think you have left to do Tommy, the rebuild of the cable end shaft, and the pivot itself, but I understand if you'd prefer not to go cutting things!

http://youtu.be/JHw3eRVASOE


Here's my attempt at explaining how to tweak the cable ends for notchy gears, especially if you do unhook the cable ends.

http://youtu.be/MYrh5989jMU

[noone]

Short Shifter went in today.

Do we need another review? I like it, its notchy, but short. IMO if you find getting the shift into the gates difficult, you may have one of the arms set to the wrong length. The gates make the shift pause, but you can't smash it in anyway, I don't find the shift heavier.

I was able to get the arms off without adjusting their length, I was able to get the old shifter out and new one in without removing the airbox or battery, just removing the intake section and disconnecting the SAI-airbox hose. Still took me most of an hour, but I'm pretty slow and like to admire the engineering and try to absorb some knowledge whilst I have new areas uncovered.

This mod is not for those who want the car soft and OEM, but for the tinkerers who think anything with a GTI badge should be raw.

[Blitzen]

Still waiting for mine to rock up...

[Smead]

Dont worry, You know it shifts sweet

[kaanage]

We don't all drive GTi's...........

[Buller_Scott]

We don't all drive GTi's...........

shhhhh! TDI's are SLOW - especially up over reefton spur (or old road, for sydney siders)...

i dont mind the mindset, though... it's always nice to reminisce over how brutally we both cornholed scott (swift gti driver) on the ocean road after he suggested that we trail at the back of the pack because our diesels "are going to be holding everyone up"....