[UFDUB]

This isn’t much of a modification, however I haven’t seen too many write ups or reviews of this shifter. And to be clear, this is of the shift lever itself, not the short shift kit that replaces the shift mechanism.

The reason this all came about was not due to a need for performance; I was driving to work when the knob spun in my hand. I thought, “no big deal, just a loose knob.” However, that wasn’t the case and the entire lever was spinning. This caused a problem because the lever has a bend to it, and when it would spin, you would think you were shifting into third (manual transmission, to be clear), but you could be lined up with first or fifth depending on orientation. It became a requirement to look down and make sure the know was upright so you knew where you were shifting to.

Searching for a quick oem replacement, I found it easier to locate a B&M shifter. I tore the old one out and found that the shift lever uses a rubber sleeve to join the transmission shift stub, which I assume is there to quell vibrations and notchiness. The rub sleeve had been vulcanized to the surrounding metal sleeve from the factory, but had separated on mine. Decision made: I wanted that crap out and ordered the B&M.

Install was easy and I took it for a test drive. WOW!!!! All the rubberiness and indistinct feeling to the shift is gone. The weight and feel is very good, direct without being overly heavy. The shift detents are crystal clear and driving is more enjoyable. May sound crazy, but it’s well worth the minimal effort to replace the sloppy oem part with this high quality piece. Cheap improvement to the driving experience!

 

[funfred]

Thank you for posting that. I had just been looking at the B&M shifter after seeing a YouTube install some months ago. The YouTuber had mostly praise for the shift mechanism while pointing out a couple things that had to do with the "body gasket".
I can't recall if he also used the B&M shift lever, but it sure sounds like you made a good choice combining it with the OEM shift mechanism...saved yourself $400-$500!

Is the new lever different in length and does the bend in the lever put the knob in a different place relative to your seating?

 

[UFDUB]

The new lever is a slightly different length but the bends in it place it easily in hand. It is an improvement in location, throw, and feel.

I saw the YouTube video about replacing the whole shift mechanism...and I’m glad I did not. After replacing the lever only, you do not need any further shift throw reduction or changes. Most of the poor shift quality is due to the oem shift lever and that terrible rubber isolator. Once that is gone, it’s a whole different experience!

 

[funfred]

Sweet. Thanks.

 

[White13JKUR]

This isn’t much of a modification, however I haven’t seen too many write ups or reviews of this shifter. And to be clear, this is of the shift lever itself, not the short shift kit that replaces the shift mechanism.

The reason this all came about was not due to a need for performance; I was driving to work when the knob spun in my hand. I thought, “no big deal, just a loose knob.” However, that wasn’t the case and the entire lever was spinning. This caused a problem because the lever has a bend to it, and when it would spin, you would think you were shifting into third (manual transmission, to be clear), but you could be lined up with first or fifth depending on orientation. It became a requirement to look down and make sure the know was upright so you knew where you were shifting to.

Searching for a quick oem replacement, I found it easier to locate a B&M shifter. I tore the old one out and found that the shift lever uses a rubber sleeve to join the transmission shift stub, which I assume is there to quell vibrations and notchiness. The rub sleeve had been vulcanized to the surrounding metal sleeve from the factory, but had separated on mine. Decision made: I wanted that crap out and ordered the B&M.

Install was easy and I took it for a test drive. WOW!!!! All the rubberiness and indistinct feeling to the shift is gone. The weight and feel is very good, direct without being overly heavy. The shift detents are crystal clear and driving is more enjoyable. May sound crazy, but it’s well worth the minimal effort to replace the sloppy oem part with this high quality piece. Cheap improvement to the driving experience!

How much clearance do you have left at the console? I went through two of these shift levers and returned them to B&M. It is not clear that B&M designed the lever to work *without* their shift tower.

What I found was that in 2nd gear or reverse, the lever banged into the console. It also puts the shift lever very close to the transfer case lever. Off-road, i found this to be a nuisance. Kept grazing the transfer case lever with my fingers when shifting the transmission.

I think using both of the B&M pieces or just the shift tower (not only the lever) would eliminate this problem.

 

[UFDUB]

Here are some pics

2hi - 1st gear

2hi - 6th gear

2hi - reverse

4lo - 2nd gear

And same as above and pushed as close as possible to the transfer case lever (still doesn’t touch)

 

[UFDUB]

In the above pics, nothing touches. It comes closest in 4lo - 2nd gear is closest but doesn’t touch. And no contact with the console at all. Mine works quite well.

 

[White13JKUR]

In the above pics, nothing touches. It comes closest in 4lo - 2nd gear is closest but doesn’t touch. And no contact with the console at all. Mine works quite well.

The levers did not touch on mine either. It's just that the clearance there is tight - apparently same as yours. And when driving off-road and shifted into 4-low, it is my fingers that hit the transfer case lever, not the shift lever. For me, that's a distraction and a nuisance. Might not be an issue for folks with smaller hands.

As far as the B&M lever hitting the console, I tried to shift it around but nothing worked. IIRC the screw holes on the plastic console were somewhat slotted, allowing for a little adjustment. I was getting a solid thunk shifting into 2nd and had numerous incomplete shifts into reverse.

FWIW, the only thing I could think of is that the Rock Hard transmission cross member that I installed at the same time lowered the back half of the transmission just enough to cause the contact at the console above.

I think that if I were to install the B&M shift tower in addition to the lever, that would reduce the throw enough to eliminate the contact. But that's not really an option for me either, IMHO.

Aside from the contact at the console, I found that the B&M lever (even with its minimal bushing) still transmits a lot of transmission noise and gear gnash that was not evident before. That floppy rubber OEM busing is what eliminates that.

I had to learn my lesson the hard way but if I were to re-attempt a short shifter on my jeep, I would get just the shift tower and NOT the lever. This would shorten the shift throw without the other side affects.

 

[Taco08jk]

I just replaced the whole thing in my Jeep, 2008 JKU. And let me tell you it’s a whole new experience, in a great, wonderful, exciting kind of way. If you think the man pedal equipped Jeep is fun, the B&M shifter multiplies that feeling ten fold. The reduced throw and the crispness of the new shift tower is amazing. It may not be worth the money to everybody but to me it was, and boy was I right. If your Jeep pops out of gear a new stick won’t fix that, but the new tower will.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[UFDUB]

I just replaced the whole thing in my Jeep, 2008 JKU. And let me tell you it’s a whole new experience, in a great, wonderful, exciting kind of way. If you think the man pedal equipped Jeep is fun, the B&M shifter multiplies that feeling ten fold. The reduced throw and the crispness of the new shift tower is amazing. It may not be worth the money to everybody but to me it was, and boy was I right. If your Jeep pops out of gear a new stick won’t fix that, but the new tower will.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Funny how just improving the shift quality transforms the whole driving experience! A lot more satisfying!

 

[Taco08jk]

Funny how just improving the shift quality transforms the whole driving experience! A lot more satisfying!

You ain’t wrong my friend! My shifting is so short, crisp and direct, it’s like shifting a friggen race car compared to the stock one. Very enjoyable and satisfying. I know the price is steep for what it is but I would NOT hesitate to buy it again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hokiewest]

I just replaced the whole thing in my Jeep, 2008 JKU. And let me tell you it’s a whole new experience, in a great, wonderful, exciting kind of way. If you think the man pedal equipped Jeep is fun, the B&M shifter multiplies that feeling ten fold. The reduced throw and the crispness of the new shift tower is amazing. It may not be worth the money to everybody but to me it was, and boy was I right. If your Jeep pops out of gear a new stick won’t fix that, but the new tower will.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Only heard good things about these, on the long, long list of upgrades and I’m sure to be just as happy to do away with that stock sloppy mess of a shifter

 

[WrangerDon]

Only heard good things about these, on the long, long list of upgrades and I’m sure to be just as happy to do away with that stock sloppy mess of a shifter

Hey Taco08jk. I just installed a new B&M shifter tower in my 07 unlimited. It fixed the stock 1st gear pop out,but it now feels a little sticky. I never used any lub or anything. My question is did you use lub when you installed yours?

 

[fzmax]

@WranglerDon, did you replace just the tower or the tower and the lever. I installed just the tower first and it was notchy and sticky. After installing the B&M lever as well it is smooth with a short throw. I did not add any lube when I installed mine five years ago.

 

[snout]

@White13JKUR didn't you install this shifter? Any stickiness?

 

[GP NOIR]

My 2012 Rubicon was having problems with popping out of gear. I thought the transmission was going bad. After some research, I discovered the popping out of gear was caused by the factory shift lever contacting the opening in the tunnel or perhaps the center console.

A B&M shifter tower was ordered. The budget would allow me to order the tower and lever at the same time. I figured that the tower shortening the throw should do the trick. The tower arrived and was installed with the OEM lever.

It was an underwhelming experience. A couple weeks later, the Jeep started popping out of gear again. I thought I’d wasted my money.

Turns out the primary problem is in the OEM shift lever. The rubber isolator had been getting soft with time and shifting was sloppy and vague.

A B&M shift lever was ordered and installed and the difference was night and day! The shift tower suddenly came into its own. Shifting gears became clean and precise, clicking into each position.

Together, the lever and tower are amazing. But, if you can afford only one, get the lever. The B&M tower without the B&M lever is a waste of money.

Another option is to clean out the rubber isolator of the OEM lever, drill & cross pin the lever to the mount and fill it with a hard epoxy so the lever don’t flop around. The OEM tower isn’t as good as the B&M tower, but tightening up the lever is a big improvement.

I saw an ad on this site for a Dorman tower. It’s supposed to be more durable with shorter throws than the OEM tower (and I couldn’t find a price) but without an improved lever, it’s a waste of money.

 

[Rob50lx]

Yeah, I have an occasional 1st gear pop out but so far it has been tolerable. I really hated the slop of the factory lever so that was my first mod. I'm ashamed to admit it but I went with the Chinese knock off stick from Amazon when it was available for under $100. I have a hard time swallowing $150-$225 for either stick now with the new post-covid pricing. The aftermarket stick does work a lot better with just O-ring as an isolator versus the super soft and big factory rubber isolator. The Dorman shifter looks interesting and very similar to the B&M shifter and I have seen prices that are about $100 cheaper than the B&M shifter which is still too much in my opinion.

I also added/combined an additional transfer case mount to eliminate a lot of drivetrain slop. It has worked very well and has significantly lowered my desire to pay much for an improved shifter tower.

 

[Cimmerian]

I've never heard of Dorman anything actually being durable or lasting. Every one of their products I've used on past vehicles were pretty sub standard.

 

[McDuff]

I picked up an 08 JK about a month ago, the popping out of 1st was driving me batshit... The B&M stick, and removing the inner boot makes a BIG difference, worth the $.