VF Engineering Short Shifter Impressions

I've only had about ten minutes in the car so far but initial impressions are very good! :thumbup:

The install was very simple and straight forward, although I did managed to snap one side off the white plastic clip holding the secondary arm to the shifter mechanism. Be carefull and make sure you have a good look at it before removing. Thankfully its a pin style clip and still snaps into place so I'm fine until a replacement comes in.

I was on the fence about a short shifter because I only wanted a slight reduction and did not want any gear selection issues etc etc. The VF kit fits the bill perfectly because you have a choice of settings. Mine is set on the longer of the two settings and its exactly what I was looking for. Slightly shorter shift but otherwise smooth as stock with a little bit more of a solid engagement. This is another one of those "should have come like this from the factory" scenario's.

Here is a pic showing the difference in 3rd/4th and Neutral. Clearly nothing drastic on the lower setting but the overall shifting experience while driving is greatly improved.



I'll post a follow up once I've had more time driving but so far I am very happy with the results.

thank you this is very helpful

I assumed your setting 22%, correct? I tried 40%, way too short. Im happy with 22% now.

Loving it every bit of it!

SixZeroFour: How much was the kit and install? Did you do it yourself or have a mechanic do it?
Do you know how the quality of this kit compares to AWE and DG?

thanks

just googled: I see it is $150. Would any mechanic be able to install this thing?

FredF - You can get it for $99 from Eurosport Accessories - http://www.eurosportacc.com/eurosport_shift_kits_weighted_shortshift_short.htm

It's very easy! Took me 30 mins but took some time to wiggle the old shifter by using elbow grease to get it out.

Norsk: thanks. I gather these particular shifters are adjustable as to reach from your post. I see nothing on the site that suggests this and, from what I can see, none of the other brands allow adjustability.

How do these short shifter units compare? In addition to this one there is the AWE and the DieselGeek. The latter is, apparently, a beautifully machined aluminum unit.

How does the VF Engineering unit compare? Or are they pretty much all the same?

Well I've had another half hour or so in the car and everything is working flawlessly. Great little mod that definitly improves overall shifting feel.

endy said:

thank you this is very helpful

Click to expand...

Your welcome!

Norsk said:

I assumed your setting 22%, correct? I tried 40%, way too short. Im happy with 22% now.

Click to expand...

I am on the 22% reduction (or 20% depending on what site your looking at) and think it's perfect. The 40% seems to be for people looking for something fairly extreme.

fredf said:

SixZeroFour: How much was the kit and install? Did you do it yourself or have a mechanic do it?
Do you know how the quality of this kit compares to AWE and DG?

Click to expand...

I was originally going to purchase the Diesel Geek but Eurosport has a great deal on the VF for $100 shipped - could not pass it up.Click here for the link

It did exactly what I wanted it to do so in my case the DG would have been overkill. Most people love the DG and quality looks top notch, but why pay over $100 more if it's going to do the same thing? Yes the DG has the side to side adjustment but I find that on the 22% setting it is not required at all anyways. Either way I don't think you can go wrong.

Quality on the VF piece also looked great so no worries there. It is cast like most other kits other than the DG.

Oops, Norsk beat me to the reply!

Yes, very easy install... if you can install an intake or change brake pads you can easily do this yourself - just take your time.

I'm just 6 weeks into my new 2011 GTI. The only two mods I would consider are Stage I APR and and a short throw shifter.

But I know nothing about these shifters and don't know anyone who has had one so I am unsure as to whether it is worth it (I do NOT want to interfere with the driveability of the car) and which one to get.

To be honest, I will have someone else install it. I just can't see taking a chance on screwing up a car that I am really enjoying.

If you get someone else to do the install don't let them charge you any more than $50 because it's AT MOST a 45 min job.

I am very picky about keeping factory like driveability and have no reservations at all in recommending the VF. If it were installed in the car the very first time you drove it I would bet you could not tell it was aftermarket. VW should offer it as a factory option.

So, this may be dumb, but would this affect warranty in any way that you can think of?

I doubt it. They would have to prove the issue was a direct result of having the SS installed.

SixZeroFour said:

Well I've had another half hour or so in the car and everything is working flawlessly. Great little mod that definitly improves overall shifting feel.

I was originally going to purchase the Diesel Geek but Eurosport has a great deal on the VF for $100 shipped - could not pass it up.Click here for the link

Quality on the VF piece also looked great so no worries there. It is cast like most other kits other than the DG.

Click to expand...

that's great info SixZeroFour--thanks for sharing. i was thinking of going with dieselgeek, given all the positive reviews so far, but your vf review is giving me second thoughts (and the $100 savings doesn't hurt either)...

i have couple of questions for you, if you don't mind:

1) i assume it came with installation instructions. how clear were they? i'm not the most mechanically inclined, but i'm willing to give the installation a shot myself
2) you said you paid $100 shipped for it (to bc i assume). did you have to pay for anything else (eg. duty, etc.)?

dubaid said:

1) i assume it came with installation instructions. how clear were they? i'm not the most mechanically inclined, but i'm willing to give the installation a shot myself
2) you said you paid $100 shipped for it (to bc i assume). did you have to pay for anything else (eg. duty, etc.)?

Click to expand...

Hi Dubaid,

The install instructions provided are decent but the picture differs slightly from what you will see on top of the trans. The proceedure is still the same and I was able to figure it out fairly easily. The little white clip I broke was completely my fault as I should have taken a closer look before removing. There is a secondary arm that connects with the shiter mechanism and this arm is held in place by the white clip. Once you remove the clip you can easily rotate the arm out of the way allowing you to remove the shifter piece. The clip is horseshoe shaped with a pin down the middle with little tabs at the bottom of either end that allow it to clip on. Here is a quick sketch of what it looks like:



On my car I did not use a gear puller to do the install. I used a small/med prybar between the transmission housing and the underside of the stock shifter piece. Then CAREFULLY applying pressure to the underside I wiggled the piece back and forth (you could hear it clicking so I knew it was moving)until it popped off of the spline. This is probably making it sound more difficult than it really is but at least you wont run into any surprises.

I had to pay $17 at the time of pickup which was essentially the taxes - no biggie

OK, So I decided to scan in the instructions so people can see what I am talking about.

Click Here for PDF Version

Essentially the picture on the instructions is flipped on our cars with the secondary arm or "relay lever" (number 3 on the diagram) on the right side. This is also where that little clip lives.