# Review: B&M Short Throw Shifter



## SONET (Mar 1, 2002)

Just thought I would do a little write-up on the B&M SSK that HACK installed in my 330Ci on Saturday. This unit (B&M p/n 45126) works on the following cars: E30/E36/E46//E39 and M3.

When I first picked up my car in April, the throw felt short compared to what I was used to (Toyota Supra). After a couple months, my perception changed and I was longing for a shorter throw (corny?). At the same time the stock shifter felt kind of mushy. The best way I can explain this is when you put it into gear, if you applied pressure towards the gate stop when it was in a gear it felt like you were pressing against spongy rubber (in fact it is - the stock isolator is composed of thick, soft and spongy rubber). It didn't have a positive feel to it like I thought a BMW should. Another thing was that the knob seemed too high to me. I know a shorter knob could have fixed that though.

After HACK installed the B&M SSK, the first thing that I noticed was how precise it felt. It has a much more 'solid' feel to it than the stock shifter. The throw is reduced considerably, and although shifting requires more effort (simple physics at work), it doesn't require as much effort as I anticipated. The shifter also transmits a little bit of transmission noise into the cabin at times (although there doesn't seem to be any vibration), which I suspect is from the use of a more dense material for the isolator. This is probably part of what attributes to the 'solid' feel of the shifter. I could care less about the noise though - if silent transportation was my highest priority I would have bought a S-Class (if I could afford it anyway heh).

Compared to the stock unit, the B&M SSK sets the shift knob lower. It seems to reduce the throw in such a way that the knob starts off in the same place as it did before in 1st, 3rd & 5th, but it is further forward in 2nd and 4th. I like this because it seems to encourage me to use a proper seating position.

I also want to mention the quality of this unit. It really seems to be overbuilt. I wish everything was made this way! The parts are machined from aluminum and heat-treated stainless steel - unlike the stock unit, which appears to be constructed of chromed steel and cast aluminum.

Overall, I'm really happy with this SSK in my car and would highly recommend it. Rev-matching has become easier and shifting is even more enjoyable than before! :thumbup:









B&M SSK (top) vs. Stock 330Ci shifter. There are two positions to set it, and for the 330Ci it should actually be set the same way as a M3 despite what the instructions say (printing error).

--SONET


----------



## doeboy (Sep 20, 2002)

:thumbup: 

Ditto what he said.

With the exception of the rattling that we discovered in my car. No fault of the B&M shifter though.... the kit just amplified the vibrations that were already there but I never noticed with the plastic parts of the stock shifter. In a way this is good that it brought the noise to my attention as I probably would not have even noticed it otherwise with the stock shifter.

So... that said, I agree that the kit is pretty darn good. The shift knob height was reduced slightly, which makes the throw feel about the same as a UUC kit that I tried in Kaz's car.

Shifting instantly felt more notchy and "sportier", but still is a little smoother than the UUC.

Enjoy the shifter man! I know I do...  
Must resist urge to buy sways until I can save some $$$ :eeps:


----------



## Kartman (Dec 20, 2002)

*Cost?*

Just inquiring the cost of the B&M and where you may have purchased it. I'm down to two finalists:

Rogue 
B&M

Thx,
Kartman


----------



## tgravo2 (Dec 7, 2002)

doeboy said:


> *:thumbup:
> 
> Ditto what he said.
> 
> ...


So you would recommend it over the UUC? Anyone have thoughts on the Rogue, I have never heard about this one.


----------



## Chris330Ci (Jan 23, 2002)

Yea, price and where you got it would be good. Also, if someone could maybe give comparo between UUC, Rogue, and this one. ACS is too much.


----------



## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

Chris330Ci said:


> *Yea, price and where you got it would be good. Also, if someone could maybe give comparo between UUC, Rogue, and this one. ACS is too much. *


You can buy the B&M shifter direct or through Bavarian Auto. I "helped" develope the shifter by offering them my vehicle for Beta Test...The basic unit and principle behind the design was the work of the geniuses at B&M.

Steve has not released pricing to us but all of us with B&M units got them in exchange for feedback on the unit. This is their first generation SSK for the BMW and like SONET stated above, there are still some minor bugs to work out in the instruction. In fact, I think their production unit just started shipping recently.

Anyway, from what I gathered the B&M unit should cost in between the UUC Competition EVO II kit and the Street EVO II kit.

As someone who's had experience with three different kits, I can offer this advice: Rogue, UUC and B&M all offer top notch kits just a hair below the quality of AC Schnitzer. Rogue seems to be just a hair above UUC and B&M in build quality, but cost the most out of the three you mentioned. B&M is a lot easier to install than the other units, and the build quality is on par, if not better than UUC. UUC Competition EVO II kit does offer the shortest throw of all three kits.

They're all about equal I think, each having their specific strong suits. I personally am running B&M right now, but have strong ties with Rob Levinson of UUC so I can not recommend one over another.


----------



## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

Having driven stock, UUC StreetEVO (for a year), B&M (in 325 for a month and a short drive in 'M3' config on a 330) and having done and assisted in installs of the above, like HACK, I can't make a single recommendation, either.

The only clear advantage any configuration has is the B&M over a CompEVO (with ERK) in a 330. Not only is there a cost and installation advantage, you do away with the potentially troublesome (and rather kludgy) ERK which seems like a big plus. And for some reason the B&M in a 330 is VERY smooth; much moreso than the same kit (with a configuration change) in a 325.

In a 325, however, things are as clear as mud. If pricing indications are correct, there's no winner there. Installationwise, the UUC might have a slight nod, as long as you're not doing the delrin carrier bushing (which can be installed on top of the B&M kit as in my car; this applies to the Rogue WSR as well). I like my knob to be at stock height so the B&M's nonadjustable lower height is a small points-off, though it's not by very much, but as a consequence there are less bits to potentially come loose (this has happened on my UUC) The other minor annoyance in its current iteration is that the lever isn't perfectly centered in the gate.

But if the two kits (for a 323/5 application) were placed in front of me with the same pricetag on them, I wouldn't be able to decide. I still debate every other day whether I want to keep my B&M in or or put my UUC back.


----------



## tgravo2 (Dec 7, 2002)

The HACK said:


> *...I personally am running B&M right now... *


Why does your sig say UUC then?


----------



## doeboy (Sep 20, 2002)

tgravo2 said:


> *Why does your sig say UUC then? *


Quoting his sig:



> *Back for the time being, until I can find some time to update it.*


----------



## Chris330Ci (Jan 23, 2002)

Thanks Kaz and HACK for your comments. I guess I'm still in the same boat, but at least now I know some pros and cons of each.


----------



## tgravo2 (Dec 7, 2002)

doeboy said:


> *Quoting his sig:
> 
> *


Oops :eeps:


----------

