JHM Short Shifter Review

[S4-ORCE]

Well, I pulled the trigger on the JHM shifter last week on the holiday sale from Brian @ Avalon. Put it in the other night, got it aligned etc and have put roughly over 100 miles on it and the experience has been very nice.

The shifting is absolutely much better than the sloppy stock shifter I had. I am glad I made the purchase it def. makes the car that much more enjoyable to drive and shift gears.

Although I did miss 3rd gear once because I got too excited =) but that's another story.

Overall, it def. has its spot in the "must haves" for this car IMHO.

That is all

[CONTROL ONE]

Damn, I'm still debating this...

How much was the sale for?

[jm121189]

Damn, I'm still debating this...

How much was the sale for?

Do it, it's worth it at the full price.

[S4-ORCE]

Damn, I'm still debating this...

How much was the sale for?

$15 off

[02alltoad]

i got the full kit but have only installed the short shifter, not the linkage cause im going to pull my tranny for a rebuild and will put it on then. anyway i love the JHM shifter and the knob and also agree its a must have, i was worried that the 30% reduction was going to be too short of a throw but its perfect i cant say enough good things about this or anything that i have gotten from jason!!!!

[rick_chicago]

Although I did miss 3rd gear once because I got too excited =) but that's another story.

Chances are a B6 was nearby, and his 3rd gear pull created a vortex that rendered yours temporarily irrelevant.

[2001S4NY]

i Love my JHM Short Shifter and everyone else who i installed their shifter and aligned it loves it. Even the 1" shorter one is very nice

[ENDEE666]

I love mine too. Shifting feels great. I have the 1" shorter one. Of course I make up that length in other ways

[ChumbaWumba]

^ agreed....except for that last part because that would be homo if i agreed with that...


anyone THINKING about buying one...dont think...just BUY

[jibberjive]

I got the one inch shorter as well and like it, though my new RS4 shift knob is a good bit taller than the UUC I had on there previously. I haven't fully enjoyed a perfectly aligned JHM yet because I was planning on pulling the motor soon anywho and I'll just align it when I reinstall the whole schbang.

[Mooseimage]

Can someone measure the height of their JHM short shifter? I want to see how tall it is once installed from the shifter trim to the top of the shifter. And if you can state whether you have the 1" shorter one or not. I want to have an idea of how low the knob is gonna be, make sure it's in my comfort zone when I shift. Thanks!

[02alltoad]

Yay i finally got the JHM shift knob intalled tonight after work, man is it heavy comparied to the stock one but it really smooths out shifts and.... i dont know how to best describe it it just make it even better. Now i caint wait to get the solid linkage in. heres a comment you wont find in here too offen, YAY today my clutch started to slip lol and what timing the day after i got my car on the dyno for a base line lol. But now the work begins but i think ill try to baby it till i cant hit boost anymore (towing is free for me just incase)

anyone THINKING about buying one...dont think...just BUY

2X

[02alltoad]

Can someone measure the height of their JHM short shifter? I want to see how tall it is once installed from the shifter trim to the top of the shifter. And if you can state whether you have the 1" shorter one or not. I want to have an idea of how low the knob is gonna be, make sure it's in my comfort zone when I shift. Thanks!

i didnt measure it but i can say with the stock knob it feels the same but now with the JHM knob it "feels" a tiny bit lower i dont'know if it actually is or not or if its the different shape of the knob its self.

[Boris]

can you guys tell me, does the short shifter change the way the actual shift gates feel? Or is it just the length of the throw? LIke is it more knotchy now? TIA!

[jibberjive]

can you guys tell me, does the short shifter change the way the actual shift gates feel? Or is it just the length of the throw? LIke is it more knotchy now? TIA!

Changed the feel of the gates to me

[02alltoad]

Changed the feel of the gates to me

it did to me as well, it makes it a more exact feeling for each gear i dont know if that makes any sense.

[BITRBO]

i got the full kit but have only installed the short shifter, not the linkage cause im going to pull my tranny for a rebuild and will put it on then. anyway i love the JHM shifter and the knob and also agree its a must have, i was worried that the 30% reduction was going to be too short of a throw but its perfect i cant say enough good things about this or anything that i have gotten from jason!!!!

yeah, I went with the stock settings too (35% reduction), and now I'd almost like a little more either way, it 100000000% better than before and I daily drive my S.

I will say that I've been grinding 2nd more lately, especially on quick 1-2 shifts or 3-2 downshifting... Guess that's the dreaded "syncro problem", so I try not to exacerbate the problem more than necessary.

[Matt@JHM]

I put this little picture together to show you how a 1" shorter shaft will actually simulate more of a shorter throw on the same reduction percentage.

[BamfiNogaroS4]

Mine is going on Wed Im pretty excited!

[02alltoad]

Mine is going on Wed Im pretty excited!

your not doin it bam?

[Mooseimage]

I put this little picture together to show you how a 1" shorter shaft will actually simulate more of a shorter throw on the same reduction percentage.

Now that really helps me have an idea. Exactly what I needed to see. Thanks!

[Matt@JHM]

Now that really helps me have an idea. Exactly what I needed to see. Thanks!

Glad it helped

[Frizo]

Matt, which of the two do you prefer? I'm looking for an opinion from someone that has tried both. FedEX delivered mine today and now am questioning my decision! I guess it also depends on how the person sits/positioned while driving.

[Matt@JHM]

Matt, which of the two do you prefer? I'm looking for an opinion from someone that has tried both. FedEX delivered mine today and now am questioning my decision! I guess it also depends on how the person sits/positioned while driving.

I run the stock/normal height model. I don't really like the shifter to sit too low - just a personal preference.

If you change your mind we can modify your shifter to a 1" inch shorter model for free. It will just be a $10 charge for shipping it back to you.

[Frizo]

Thanks Matt.. The normal height one is what I ordered and am sure it will be fine. If not I will let yous know. to the customer service!!

[Ianxcom]

I just installed mine a few days ago and it feels pretty notchy. Like it doent go into gear as smooth as the stock did. Maybe I didnt align it right but i must have adjusted it like 10
times already.

Maybe it could be i need to install my DTS and snub? Should I just keep messing with the adjustments?

Btw, it still has quite a bit of play, mostly front to back but some side to side. What could the problem be?

[readimag]

did you put the right spacer in the shifter, I had that problem will I watch jhm's video and it showed what it should look like. Also about the shifting, could be you need a fluid change helped me out tons. oh and dont worry if you cant get it to go in reverse at first dont worry tok me about a week of tweeking till it was smooth. Thanks to jay for calling me and telling what to do. over all besides the audi driving school this was one of the best mods ever. :)

[Ianxcom]

did you put the right spacer in the shifter, I had that problem will I watch jhm's video and it showed what it should look like. Also about the shifting, could be you need a fluid change helped me out tons. oh and dont worry if you cant get it to go in reverse at first dont worry tok me about a week of tweeking till it was smooth. Thanks to jay for calling me and telling what to do. over all besides the audi driving school this was one of the best mods ever. :)

Yeah I watched the video as i did it and it was very helpful. It fit snug with just the thick washer. I do have about 93k miles so its probably time to do the tranny fluid.

Ill just have to mess with it some more.

[klhbeetle]

My first mod: Just installed my JHM 1" shorter shifter last night. Took me about 2 hours total with alignment. First impressions are good, not much play at all, particularly compared to my stock shifter, the bushings were pretty soft and the plastic ball had a lot of wear. There was quite a bit of white plastic shavings underneath my stock shifter upon removal.
The feel is definitely more notchy. And I can run through all the gears with my arm on the armrest.
Shifting takes a tiny bit more force, I think this is due to less leverage from the shorter shaft? I'm hoping tranny fluid will help.
Also, the leather boot now droops below the shift-surround, anyone make a smaller OEM style boot?

Now to install my AWE DTS and ER ICs I got from JHM. And Stasis Coilovers, wish me luck.

[BamfiNogaroS4]

The feel is definitely more notchy. And I can run through all the gears with my arm on the armrest. Shifting takes a tiny bit more force, I think this is due to less leverage from the shorter shaft? I'm hoping tranny fluid will help.

It will loosen up mine was stiff as shit when I first put it in but now its perfect just give it a few months.

[OneSickSedan]

^That's super good to hear because I just got mine installed as well and its a bit notchy. I got the trio package(stock height) with the delrin bushing and shifter linkage. Putting it in reverse is a bitch right now. I might go back to WMS in a few months and have Mike put in a softer spring and maybe increase it to the 10% reduction as opposed to the 35%.

He said it will get easier to shift as well especially going in reverse. I'm still just trying it out and getting used to it until I decide what other mods to do like the shift knob, softer spring, and longer throw option. Who knows maybe all I need is a better alignment.

I'm scared to take my car to a car wash right now because I don't think they'll be able to get it in reverse, that's how hard it is. I don't want them to fuck it up trying. Looks like I'll be washing my car myself until I get this figured out. I like washing my car myself but sometimes I get lazy.

Props to Jason@JHM he was a big help on all the purchases. Thanks for making such a great product.

[BamfiNogaroS4]

If its that hard to get in reverse it sounds like something maybe wrong because even when I first put mine in reverse was just as simple as the stock shifter?

[silver2ks4]

i have the full jhm setup standard height with linkage and stabilizer bushings as well as a fresh jhm rebuilt tranny it took about a month to break in but it shifts great now also took me a few tries to get it adjusted to were all the gears were easy to get in and out of it is a little notchy but thats how the tranny is

i love the feel of this setup its heavy and has better feel for more precise shifts imo

[casawhites4]

Can someone show me an actual picture of a 1inch shorter compared to regular. And whatelse would you throw on when doing the shifter.

[OneSickSedan]

If its that hard to get in reverse it sounds like something maybe wrong because even when I first put mine in reverse was just as simple as the stock shifter?

That's good to hear I'll get it checked out soon so that I can really enjoy it.