Shifter Upgrades and Components for BMW E46 M3 S54 (1999-2005)

The ULTIMATE shifter upgrade for your BMW! Experience more precise throws, less shift lever travel, and an all-around transformation in your shifting experience.

For dozens of years, enthusiasts have critiqued the imprecise and vague feeling of BMW manual transmissions. Plagued with long throws, fore and aft play in gear, and a generally loose feeling, your OEM BMW shifter leaves much to be desired. While most standard carrier-mount short throw shifter kits will aid in reducing throw length and eliminating side-to-side play in gear, some enthusiasts long for a hardcore, race-inspired shifter that completely removes play and excessive throw length. At Turner Motorsport we share the same desire and set out to offer the ULTIMATE upgrade with this Performance Chassis Mount Short Shifter.

WHY UPGRADE?

Factory BMW shifter assemblies are complex by nature. The main component of this assembly is the shift carrier, a cast aluminum piece positioned inside the transmission tunnel that incorporates bushings at both ends for mounting. Like most factory parts, these bushings are designed to reduce NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) transmission to the cabin. To the spirited driver, however, these bushings translate to flex and vagueness in the shift lever. Moreover, because this carrier is mounted to both the transmission and the body, the entire shifter assembly will "float" with the driveline, further increasing the vague and imprecise feeling of your shifter.

Our Performance Chassis Mount Short Shifter removes the shift carrier assembly entirely—removing any prospect of flex caused by bushings or driveline movement. By contrast, this chassis mount shifter offers a drastic reduction in shift lever travel, vagueness, and side-to-side play. An elevated base allows for moving the fulcrum point upwards, resulting in a much shorter and more precise throw. Shift times are further reduced by a tall, "rally style" shift lever, used to aid in leverage while also bringing the lever closer to the steering wheel. Our design incorporates a proprietary centering spring design, which is adjustable for increasing or decreasing self-centering force. In short, this design eliminates all the drawbacks of your factory BMW shifter, translating to more control, greater precision, shorter throws, and faster shift times.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

Reduced Throw: Modified shifter geometry and heightened fulcrum point translate to a shorter shift lever throw
Improved Shifter Feel: Eliminating the shift carrier and associated bushings drastically reduces "slop" and side-to-side play in the shift lever
Increased Precision: Mounting the shifter to the chassis allows for little to no variation in gear selection
Universal Fitment: Fits many BMW chassis with the provided base plate and hardware (see "Fits These Cars" for exact fitment information)
DESIGN

6061 aluminum, 4130 steel, and 316 stainless steel construction
A type-II black anodized finish
Adjustable self-centering spring
"Rally Style" shift lever
Spherical bearing pivot with maintenance-free brass insert
Product Development:

Our Chassis Mount Shifters are designed, engineered, tested and quality inspected by our Research and Development team at Turner. Nothing but the highest level of precision and quality through leading-edge product development technology including FARO laser scanning for reverse engineering and quality inspection, SolidWorks 3D CAD modeling, rapid prototyping utilizing our in-house 3D printer and rigorous long term product testing.

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.