Installing A Short Shifter to my Abarth 595 Competizione. I Was Not Prepared For The Difficulty!

[@jasondoulkeridis6202]

Great intro! I love the OG Aussie humour. From watching it back twice I think you measured it quite low on the first round, so it definitely shortened the throw by at least 20mm, if not 25mm (1”). Short shifters always feel notchy which is what puts me off getting one myself. Good that you feel it’s a positive change, perhaps I should give one a go!

[@datbuild]

Cheers. Took a while to get the intro where I liked it. Yeah, I believe you're correct. It is about an inch worth of difference. It is rather noticeable in feel. The notch change yeah, it has its pros and cons. The Bugs shifter has even less throw, it is an extremely short travel, so this I still class as 'mild'. The good thing with this kit, you can literally go short to factory by shifting the linkage cable. If one of your cars can achieve that, I'd say it's worth a try.

[@jasondoulkeridis6202]

@@datbuild ah that’s a nice feature for sure! The Yaris has a bolt on piece which is easy to get to so wouldn’t be so bad to remove. I’ll look into them now I’m inspired :P

[@das-nyc]

I’m surprised you went for the transmission adapter vs an in-cabin short shifter like the one from Cravenspeed or Bonalume. I have a Cravenspeed and it took 20 mins and some light cursing but was really straight forward. Feels absolutely great as well, with a much more solid engagement rather than just shorter throws. Great video though.

[@datbuild]

Plenty of options for sure. I think after installing the Diesel Geek in my Bug, I just went with engine bay job. There is another mod coming regarding short shifters in the future, and some comparisons.

[@Murphyslawfarm]

G'day great video mate. Wow what a job.

[@datbuild]

Cheers. Yep, certainly was.😑

[@garynesbitt5078]

Hey mate. Great video and fair play for keeping patient with that install! I’m looking at fitting this to my 595 turismo. What are your thoughts after a couple of months. Is it worth doing in terms of improvement to the shift and any downsides? Love your spec of your abarth by the way 👌 Cheers

[@datbuild]

Cheers for the comment/ compliment. I really like the feel of the shifter much more now than prior. It feels more precise and 'meaningful' to change gears. Feels solid and better put together. Downsides, 1st gear and 3rd gear feel 'short', like they're not all the way in. I made mention of this at the end of the video for 3rd, and still to this day feel that way. It's not bad, but sometimes I question if it's locked in properly, and not going to pop out of gear. It never has meanwhile. I'd also consider a Forge brand unit, considerably easier install.... but..... for my own reasons with regards to how it mounts, I still like the peace of mind for the way the 4H is secured to the factory arm.

[@georgebathgate3974]

Great video. I bought the forge short shift. It looks easier to install. I will have ago soon.

[@datbuild]

The Forge is definitely easier to install. I honestly stumbled upon it after I'd bought mine. But I'm still happy. Hope the install goes well for you.

[@stefamondo]

you should try the bonalume stick, it changes everything

[@datbuild]

I actually have a 1UP from that, but not yet installed in the car.

[@656yhyhfth]

the forge motorsport one is much easier to install had it on my abarth for a good few months works as intended :)

[@datbuild]

Yeah. I discovered the Forge, after I'd installed the 4H. Oh well. 😅

[@smart3k]

They're not that hard to install. Get the poly insert for the gearbox mount and the gear changes feel 👌👌👌 Only downside is a bit of vibration at idle

[@datbuild]

I guess it depends how good your back is. 😅 Will look in to the mount insert. 👍

[@smart3k]

@@datbuild mines shot too lol. I put the front end up on some ramps saves you getting crippled 😁

[@datbuild]

That would have been a good idea to do. Oh well. Live and learn.

[@rlittlewood6343]

You should have measured it to the centre of the top of the stick it would have measured more

[@datbuild]

Yeah. Should have paid more attention to where I placed it, and planned it better. But still does show the effect.

[@Murphyslawfarm]

The real question is do you still have your 10mm socket still 😂😂

[@datbuild]

I never seem to have that problem. 😅

[@Murphyslawfarm]

@@datbuild 😂🤣