V&S Shifter installed - everyone else from GB post

[xburbx]

I love mine. Did it yesterday as soon as it came. I had plans for the day and cancelled them all to put it in. I cut the shaft down and put some more threads on with a die. Its real short now. The throw is awesome - so much better than stock and the DIY one that I made.

[Moops]

Sounds nice xburbx!

Mine is still sitting on my kitchen table. However kitchen table shifts are noticeably shorter!

I'll have mine in my car by Sunday whenever I can squeeze it in...

[sumpsfast]

Still waiting for shipment.

[silva]

"However kitchen table shifts are noticeably shorter!"

That's funny, I can picture it now!

[JMG]

congrats man! Got any pics of the shifter height?

[Moops]

Thanks for the shifter Sergio, it certainly looks great, I can't wait to actually get it in my car. I'm tired of my arm hitting my seat as I try and row the car into second gear...

[xburbx]

ill get some picks up tommorow. I cut it real short, probably another inch off the thread and added 1/4 inch. its perfect

[johny41]

Yeah I just got my B&M in and I love it! Now my armrest has nothing to do with me changing gears. I definately would have gone with V&S if I had known about it when I bought my B&M.

[1.8Titorey]

just got mine today. ill install it over the weekend.

[xburbx]

****, there is no way i could let a mod sit in front of me for 2 days before i put it in. thats some discipline

[OverSpun]

i got the V&S too, i still have a lot of play in the shifter when its in gear, like left to right play. pretty annoying, although the shifter does feel much better.

[JMG]

Originally posted by OverSpun
i got the V&S too, i still have a lot of play in the shifter when its in gear, like left to right play. pretty annoying, although the shifter does feel much better.

I got that too... it's the crappy Audi linkage.

[OverSpun]

Originally posted by JMG
I got that too... it's the crappy Audi linkage.

yea, thats what i figured, its the flex in all that plastic crap thats still in there.

[sumpsfast]

Got it in today, lookin at Saturday for the install.

[DDQ]

Originally posted by xburbx
****, there is no way i could let a mod sit in front of me for 2 days before i put it in. thats some discipline

I hear that. The night I got it I installed it outside in the dark with a flashlight. I couldn't wait. Great mod, one of my favorites for the price.

[xburbx]

so far between this short shifter and chip, im lost on what my next mod will be that will give such a good bang for the buck

[Zodiak]

Originally posted by xburbx
so far between this short shifter and chip, im lost on what my next mod will be that will give such a good bang for the buck

Rear Sway?
HIDs?
unfortunately products like the V&S shifter are very rare (extremely high quality at a low price)

[DDQ]

Well, free mods include the recoding of your remote with the VAG-tool, one-touch-up rear window mod, etc... I think there's a thread on this somewhere.

But personally, next to a chip, the suspension should be the top of the list. I'd save my money for that before I'd do anything else. I wouldn't trade my suspension for a set of wheels anyday. If you think about the cost (shocks/springs/install/alignment) it is on par with a nice set of rims/tires. I'll never understand why people would do rims before suspension, especially given the added performance you get from suspension upgrades, and how silly a car looks when it has sweet rims, but a huge wheel gap.

Even with stock wheels, the car looks 100 times better when lowered, not too mention how much better it handles.

[sumpsfast]

DDQ, I just got an alignment done a couple weeks ago with the new tires. Do I need another one with the coilovers?

[Zodiak]

shouldn't need one with new tires, but I'd definitely suggest one once those springs settle and you set it to the height you want

[DDQ]

Originally posted by sumpsfast
DDQ, I just got an alignment done a couple weeks ago with the new tires. Do I need another one with the coilovers?

IMO, anytime you change the height of you car you should get an alignment done. This is certainly not an urgent issue, but if you drive a lot of highway miles, over time you can seriously wear out your tires. Alignments for our Quattro cars ain't cheap, but compared to 4 new tires, it's well worth it.

I've found that there's a wide range of prices for alignment, and you get what you pay for. They've ranged from $50 to $150. Make sure you go to a reputable AWD shop that knows how to shift the subframe and align it properly. Also make sure you get a printout of the specs and make sure they actually did their job.

I'm too low to ever get a "perfect alignment", so I have to accept the fact that my tires will wear faster. The stock control arm setup just does not allow us to align to spec when lowered (but you can get aftermarket parts to help this). I found a shop that can get me close enough. And if your rotate your tires, you can get nearly full life out of them.

[Moops]

Finished my install of the V&S shifter today. It feels good and definately much shorter shifts.

I previously had a Strat SS on my 98.5. Overall the end results and price between the two are about the same. However the V&S install is much easier lacking spacers that the Strat kit contains and the flexibility they offer with cutting/threading the height to whatever you want is nice.

Overall very happy with it!

[sumpsfast]

I got mine in last night. Had some problems, put the linkage in upside down, and then lost a torx bolt and a nut/washer. Still works. Anyone else have more firmness between first and second gear? It is a much shorter throw but feels like I have to use more force to get into 2nd. I might need to adjust those hex bolts or somethin.

[Zodiak]

The reduction in throw emphasises the crappiness of the second gear synchros

[xburbx]

2nd gear is harder to get into. but it feels so solid