One of the most satisfying upgrades you can make to your BMW is to its factory shifter mechanism. By reducing the shifter's throw, you can give your manual transmission BMW a sportier, more precise feel. However, with so many different "short shift kits" out there, how can you be sure you're making the right decision? With the introduction of the Rogue Engineering OCTANE short shift kit, the choice is now crystal clear!
Rogue Engineering refuses to compromise with "lever substitution" as a method of short shift kit development. Rather than using actual test vehicles for their products, some companies actually dig through OEM factory parts diagrams to determine which factory levers can be substituted with others. This "lever substitution" method of introducing product is unacceptable. These shift kits have been developed and perfected through years of experience in proven short shifter technology, by Co-Founder, Ben Liaw. As longtime BMW enthusiasts know, Ben was single-handedly responsible for introducing and developing the idea of affordable, BMW factory-like, short shift kits for late model BMWs (BL/SS for those young enough to remember!).
Rogue Engineering idea of a short shift kit is not substituting levers in place of factory ones just because "they fit". Throughout the 80s until recently, BMW was notorious for using only a few specific shifter levers for their manual transmission vehicles. For other companies, making just a few "replacement levers" and offering them in place of those factory part numbers was an easy way of calling it a short shift kit. Unfortunately, for those companies, BMW started using many different part numbers making it more difficult to just "swap in a lever".
Rogue Engineering only develops it's short shift kit with test vehicles in their facility, testing numerous prototypes, offering others to test it before settling on its final design. They feel that this old school, real world testing is the best way when modifying OEM ergonomic, sensory-based controls.
