PowerLabs

Let me begin by saying us Corvette guys actually have it very good when it comes to shifters... Honda/Acura shifters are not direct linkages to the transmission and, although very smooth, are also extremely vague and make it difficult to know if/when you are in gear.
Subaru shifters (all of them. I've driven 5) will absolutely not go into 1st gear from a roll, and are extremely vague. The throw on the top of the line STI is not too bad, but you have to add shifter bushings, rear shifter stay bushings, polyurethane shifter linkage bushings, transmission crossmember bushings, hardened transmission mount... Then it gets really nice and tight, but vibrates and rattles like crazy at high revs.

In contrast, my Z06 Shifter felt much tighter, and went into 1st gear at any speed. The throw length wasn't bad.
My complaints were the following:
1- Won't always go into reverse,
2- Gear placement not as precise as I would like,
3- That square shifter **** looks stupid,
3- THE DAMN THING FEELS LIKE IT IS FULL OF GRAVEL! Just reminded me of Jeremy Clarkson mentioning how a Corvette shifter feels like it belongs to a piece of farm equipment.

After some research I decided the Hurst shifter was the one to go with. I couldn't find a **** I liked, so I got the hurst **** to go with it.
I got both items from Ebay seller "speedunlimited_sales". This has been, to date, one of the very best transactions I've ever had on Ebay; lowest prices I could find, and it was here THE NEXT DAY! I have no idea how they ship so fast.

The install was pretty straight forward... About a dozen bolts and everything just pops right out. The instructions that come with it are simple enough. I did not have any grease to use, so I lubed the ball with motor oil instead. Worked fine. I also set the stop screws, although it didn't seem to necessary.


The results:
1- The round **** is not my favorite, but it definitely looks better.
2- The shifts are really short now. REALLY short.
3- It doesn't buzz or rattle like some people experienced. Very happy with that.
3- No problems going into reverse,
4- A lot of effort is required to shift now. Doesn't bother me, but I have to say this is THE hardest (as in how much force is required to get a gear into its gate) shifter I've ever used. I would estimate it takes somewhere between 5 and 10 pounds of force to go from 3rd to 4rth.
5- No more gravel feeling ;P It is perfectly notchy and the gear engagement is SUPER precise!

Overall I'm very happy.

lar66BB

I have a hurst after trying a B&M ripper. The Hurst is much easier to
shift. A couple questions, did you try the different springs that come
with the shifter. The softer springs make it easier to move side to side.
There is a fix here on the forum for making the foward to back shift
easier. It involves putting a spacer on the detent ball on the trans.
Do a search it really works. Hope this helps.

Rex99Coupe

Put Locktite on the set screws, they will come loose and you won't be able to get it in gear. Happened to me and Patches told me of the fix. You can also run without the set screws if your not slamming shifts racing.

PowerLabs

The instructions manual tells you to put locktite on the set screws and the shifter comes with a tube of locktite... I always follow the instructions

shawn copella

I changed from BM to HURST, I would like the hurst to be easier to shift. Any idea how i might find this information?

PowerLabs

You and me both. There is something called a "washed mod" (?) on this forum that is supposed to help. I'll look into it after I've driven New York to L.A.

rws.1

Do a search in the C5 archives for Anti-Venom mod

I'm at the in-laws on dial-up or id' do it for you and link it...
I had forgotten how slow dial up is...

Ms Eliz

I did the detent "Anti-Venom" mod by using copper washers for a oil plug (pep boys). It did help substantially with the shifts!
Easy mod that works.
Ms Eliz

Ikester

Not sure about MN12 trannies but MN6 trannies do not need the stop screws because they already have them. having them installed may lead to "popping out of gear"

vizette

Still love my Hurst years later.

It seemed overly hard to shift at first (side to side) but after I used it a while it eased up a bit and it's perfect! You can always adjust/change the springs though...

I got a Momo (airleather) shift **** - love it too.

The shifts are great! Haven't missed one yet. A friend said that's the only car he's ever seen where you can shift with just a flick of the wrist.

-Rich

PowerLabs

Same with the MN12; all Corvette trannies have a stop on the end of the shifter travel. The real question is: how strong is the stop?
Those stop screws can only cause the shifter to pop out of gear if the person installing them doesn't obey the very simple installation instructions.