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Wed Sep 17, 2014 7:36 am

I just drove my Baja for the first time yesterday and I put an empi hurst style shifter in it. Replaced all bushings and couplers. It goes in every gear just fine but I'm not really happy with it and never have been with them on my other bugs. I was cleaning out the garage yesterday and found my expensive weighted shift knob from my old Audi and it got me thinking. I have heard that the stock shifters work great for clean accurate shifts and if I put the weighted shift knob on it it will make it feel a lot more solid. My question is I was looking at the short throw kit for the stock shifter but I don't want to make it too short of throw like I have now. I actually have never driven a vw with a stock shifter so just looking for some opinions. And yes I know a berg shifter is the way to go but I'm not spending that kind of money right now especially for a shifter on a Baja.

Wed Sep 17, 2014 8:44 am

I've used the short throw kit for the stock shifter and really liked it. I actually cut down the stock bar, threaded it and put a handle on it after I installed the kit. Works great. 8)

Wed Sep 17, 2014 8:45 am

Mine has the stock shifter and I just got done replacing all of the bushings. I drove a Bug a while back with an EMPI trigger style and if I remember correctly it was like shifting blind. With the stock one you can feel it in and out of gear. All freshened up the throw isn't bad, probably around 4 inches at the top of the stick. Those short throw plates look pretty easy to swap in and out so it comes down to preference.

Wed Sep 17, 2014 10:12 am

EnjoyNukaCola wrote: Mine has the stock shifter and I just got done replacing all of the bushings. I drove a Bug a while back with an EMPI trigger style and if I remember correctly it was like shifting blind. With the stock one you can feel it in and out of gear. All freshened up the throw isn't bad, probably around 4 inches at the top of the stick. Those short throw plates look pretty easy to swap in and out so it comes down to preference.

Yes exactly. Blind shifting is a perfect way to describe it. I want to feel what gear it's in. It doesent matter what gear it's in the stick is still strait up. MAYBE 1" from 1st to 2nd. I hate it. But I don't want the short throw kit to be the same way just in a stock shifter look.

Wed Sep 17, 2014 10:26 am

I'm thinkin, since empi makes both, the casting bases are the same.

Wed Sep 17, 2014 5:57 pm

vwracin2win wrote: EnjoyNukaCola wrote: Mine has the stock shifter and I just got done replacing all of the bushings. I drove a Bug a while back with an EMPI trigger style and if I remember correctly it was like shifting blind. With the stock one you can feel it in and out of gear. All freshened up the throw isn't bad, probably around 4 inches at the top of the stick. Those short throw plates look pretty easy to swap in and out so it comes down to preference.

Yes exactly. Blind shifting is a perfect way to describe it. I want to feel what gear it's in. It doesent matter what gear it's in the stick is still strait up. MAYBE 1" from 1st to 2nd. I hate it. But I don't want the short throw kit to be the same way just in a stock shifter look.

4 inches was wrong, its more like my pinky (2 inches) from neutral to 1st. So 4 inches to 2nd gear.

Thu Sep 18, 2014 2:51 pm

EnjoyNukaCola wrote: vwracin2win wrote: EnjoyNukaCola wrote: Mine has the stock shifter and I just got done replacing all of the bushings. I drove a Bug a while back with an EMPI trigger style and if I remember correctly it was like shifting blind. With the stock one you can feel it in and out of gear. All freshened up the throw isn't bad, probably around 4 inches at the top of the stick. Those short throw plates look pretty easy to swap in and out so it comes down to preference.

Yes exactly. Blind shifting is a perfect way to describe it. I want to feel what gear it's in. It doesent matter what gear it's in the stick is still strait up. MAYBE 1" from 1st to 2nd. I hate it. But I don't want the short throw kit to be the same way just in a stock shifter look.

4 inches was wrong, its more like my pinky (2 inches) from neutral to 1st. So 4 inches to 2nd gear.

Is that measuring the knob basically? Because my current shifter is about 4 inches travel from 1st to 2nd roughly. I might have to see if I can get a better measurement.

Thu Sep 18, 2014 7:58 pm

vwracin2win wrote: EnjoyNukaCola wrote: vwracin2win wrote: EnjoyNukaCola wrote: Mine has the stock shifter and I just got done replacing all of the bushings. I drove a Bug a while back with an EMPI trigger style and if I remember correctly it was like shifting blind. With the stock one you can feel it in and out of gear. All freshened up the throw isn't bad, probably around 4 inches at the top of the stick. Those short throw plates look pretty easy to swap in and out so it comes down to preference.

Yes exactly. Blind shifting is a perfect way to describe it. I want to feel what gear it's in. It doesent matter what gear it's in the stick is still strait up. MAYBE 1" from 1st to 2nd. I hate it. But I don't want the short throw kit to be the same way just in a stock shifter look.

4 inches was wrong, its more like my pinky (2 inches) from neutral to 1st. So 4 inches to 2nd gear.

Is that measuring the knob basically? Because my current shifter is about 4 inches travel from 1st to 2nd roughly. I might have to see if I can get a better measurement.

Yes that's at the top of the gear stick knob

Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:31 am

I have a older EMPI 'Hurst style" trigger shifter in my car and it shifts great, I also have 2 Hurst shifters in the garage waiting to be rebuilt, Does any body know if the newer EMPI shifters are made the same way as the older ones? I was thinking about picking up a couple to get the bushings out of them.

Casey