[Sleeper]

Simply, the sum of all parts in one word - spectacular.

My original issues were -
1. The shift throws were too long, especially going into 2-4-6. It felt awkward to me with my elbow position pulling the gear lever down for 13 minutes to get it into the next gear.
2. The whole shifter assembly felt vague and rubbery. It didn’t feel precise, just overly dampened and soft. If it was my 24/7/365 car, then I’d likely have wanted to keep it as non-intrusive as possible, but not for a fun summer/weekend car.
3. The clutch engagement was weird, like it is on every BMW with the CDV.

The solution -
1. Rogue Engineering short shift kit;
2. Rogue Engineering shifter carrier rear bushing mount; and
3. CDV delete.

Because I did all parts at the same time, it’s impossible to determine what has impacted what (and to what degree), but I can say that these parts in tandem have created such a better driver’s experience, that I can’t recommend it highly enough.

To get one thing out of the way early, these upgrades will not be for everyone. Shift effort is increased, notchyness is increased, and NVH is increased. For me, all three are not trade-offs, but actually contribute to a much more engaging driving experience. Hearing some of the transmission whine come through, in addition to a much more visceral engine noise experience, is a 10/10. All that combined with the much more immediate clutch engagement with the CDV delete, it’s honestly so much better.

That said, for others, it’ll be a non-starter to forgo the very dampened and light shifter movement, and adding the mechanical sounds being transmitted through the lever. OEM is like a gentleman’s shifting experience, whereas my current setup is definitely a bit rougher around the edges. My experience isn’t necessarily going to be yours, but I’d say shift effort is increased 10-20%, and NVH is increased about the same.

One poster mentioned the RE SSK he installed made the shift effort intolerable to the point where he’s pulling it out to replace with a different unit. Given my experience, I would blame that on a faulty unit or something RE sent out poorly setup as I don’t experience any of that. This is OEM+++ (not +) still, definitely not ‘only for race car’ or with the tradeoffs being so extreme for a shorter throw.

To summarize -
- Shift effort increased;
- Gear-to-gear throws are dramatically shorter;
- The gear selection precision is much better than OEM - no vagueness, no rubbery gear engagement, no slop (although slop wasn’t really an OEM issue);
- Notchyness is increased - gear shifts now ‘click’ into place;
- Transmission whine is now present (non-existent with OEM);
- Engine noise is now present (non-existent with OEM);
- CDV delete eliminated all vague clutch engagement when shifting quickly.

100% would recommend for anyone willing to trade some OEM comfort/vagueness/softness (whatever you want to call it) for a notchier, louder, much more precise, and engaging driving experience. I'm usually one to jump on the purchase justification posts, and I usually don't get too excited about my modifications, but this has been the biggest positive change I've had in many a car and many a mod.

I did a before/after video (don’t expect high production quality…) to try to show the difference in shift throw between stock and RE, and to show how much more crisp the gear changes are. I threw a straight ruler in as well but hard to see the throw distance changes from the videos I took. I’ll try to get a driving clip as well to demonstrate some of the mechanical sounds being transmitted through the new shifter assembly.

Stock -








Rogue Engineering -

[71dsp]

I’m very happy with mine as well.

[daddyjaxx]

What shop installed the RE SSK? Were there any problems?

[x622]

Cool, glad yours doesn't suck. Can you take a quick video and show shift effort?

Mine's going up for sale when the CAE gets in.

[Sleeper]

Originally Posted by daddyjaxx

What shop installed the RE SSK? Were there any problems?

Local BMW tech. Zero problems - shifter, carrier mount, and CDV delete, plus a test drive, all done within ~2.5 hours.

Originally Posted by x622

Cool, glad yours doesn't suck. Can you take a quick video and show shift effort?

Mine's going up for sale when the CAE gets in.

Yeah, sounds like you got screwed with whatever RE sent you. This shifter is a 10/10 for driving experience. I have the same RE shifter in my E46 so wasn't expecting a huge difference as the basic approach is the same. It is more user friendly in the E46 though compared to the M2.

My first post has a vid in it - you can see how quickly I can shift without putting much effort into it. Not as easy as the rubberband feeling stock shifter, but definitely not having to muscle it into gear like my track-only car.

[x622]

Originally Posted by Sleeper

Local BMW tech. Zero problems - shifter, carrier mount, and CDV delete, plus a test drive, all done within ~2.5 hours.


Yeah, sounds like you got screwed with whatever RE sent you. This shifter is a 10/10 for driving experience. I have the same RE shifter in my E46 so wasn't expecting a huge difference as the basic approach is the same. It is more user friendly in the E46 though compared to the M2.

My first post has a vid in it - you can see how quickly I can shift without putting much effort into it. Not as easy as the rubberband feeling stock shifter, but definitely not having to muscle it into gear like my track-only car.

Yeah that's not how mine is at all. I requested a refund.

[Geighty7]

Decided against these solutions and getting a custom setup by AutoSolutions.

[Sleeper]

Originally Posted by Geighty7

Decided against these solutions and getting a custom setup by AutoSolutions.

Good stuff. I don’t have the patience. RE is out of the box, and their kits have treated me well in the past, so just went for it. I’m sure there’s many ways to improve on the design though, but the incremental improvements aren’t needed in my application. Looking forward to seeing your results though.

[Geighty7]

Originally Posted by Sleeper

Good stuff. I don’t have the patience. RE is out of the box, and their kits have treated me well in the past, so just went for it. I’m sure there’s many ways to improve on the design though, but the incremental improvements aren’t needed in my application. Looking forward to seeing your results though.

I don’t blame you. I’m not in a rush so i figured why not. I think anything is better than OEM.

I’ll start a new thread once in (whenever that is).

[sacowich]

I have this setup. Agree with your assessment.

[BroDoze]

Originally Posted by Geighty7

I don’t blame you. I’m not in a rush so i figured why not. I think anything is better than OEM.

I’ll start a new thread once in (whenever that is).

So what exactly IS the process for getting an Autsolutions custom SSK?

Does he wait til he has a queue built up for a certain type? Like 5 G87 requests or something?

I’ve heard amazing things about the AS SSKs - especially the bushings he uses with like a 15% reduction.

[Geighty7]

Originally Posted by BroDoze

So what exactly IS the process for getting an Autsolutions custom SSK?

Does he wait til he has a queue built up for a certain type? Like 5 G87 requests or something?

I’ve heard amazing things about the AS SSKs - especially the bushings he uses with like a 15% reduction.

Essentially yes just a queue. Call the owner (his number on website) and inquire about it. It is sort of an interview process he puts you through asking how you drive/what you want/why you want it etc.

From there he gives YOU his opinion on what you need and you get tossed into the list he built up. When he begins manufacturing on yours you will get an email and be able to pay.

[KindaSortaTerrible]

With the ssk,how would you compare the increased shift effort to the effort required to shift into reverse with a stick shifter?

[fanofbmwe46]

Originally Posted by Geighty7

Essentially yes just a queue. Call the owner (his number on website) and inquire about it. It is sort of an interview process he puts you through asking how you drive/what you want/why you want it etc.

From there he gives YOU his opinion on what you need and you get tossed into the list he built up. When he begins manufacturing on yours you will get an email and be able to pay.

Cool. Did you get yours yet? How is it?

[RobM2]

Any sense what part increased the transmission noise into the cabin? That isn't ideal for me as I daily my car.