My switch from a B&M race shifter to UUC EVO 3 with DSSR... My review - Bimmerforums

10/16/2005, 11:51 PM

Hi guys,

just wanted to write a comparison of both shifters as I have just switched from the B&M race shifter to the UUC EVO 3 with DSSR. Here are my opinions since there has been much debate about a lot of short shifters. My car is a 97 M3 by the way.

The B&M race shifter was pretty good. Initially, the price was good and since I did a lot of tracking and driving schools, I elected to get the race shifter as I wanted to be connected to the trans. However, found later on that I experienced a lot more tranny vibration noise switching from 1st to 2nd that it almost seemed that it was more counterproductive than productive. I use my car for everyday driving and not solely as a race car. I would imagine that the vibration isolated version of B&M's shifter would be better so would recommend that if you are set on B&M. The other thing I found with B&M was that the shifter did not sit completely centered... it was more off to the right a bit and slightly up towards 5th. Not nearly as exaggerated as putting in the M roadster shifter when its not bent but noticeable nonetheless. I got used to it but what did you expect when B&M makes like 4 version of shifters to accommodate like all the series that BMW ever built? The other thing I noticed with this shifter was when it got hot (between track sessions) the brass shifter ball seemed to expand in the shifter cup and would make it creak and harder to shift into gears. This was reported with another member on the board luxo who had the same problem. Didn't really like that aspect as well. Shifter throw was 20% reduced which was not bad but quite a bit notchier than stock of course. All and all, the B&M was ok in my experience but based on the inconsistency of the shifter performing under hot tranny conditions erodes my confidence with their product.

As for the UUC EVO3 and DSSR.... i talked to Rob for quite a bit to get an idea of the shifter and the parts associated with it. I wanted to do this since I would have been spending another close to 500 bucks for another aftermarket shifter when I already had one so wanted to be sure of what I was ordering. Rob was very very helpful and knew his stuff. I always enjoy talking to Rob since he explains things clearly. In that regard, the tech support makes it worth while to buy their products as you know that they will always back their product 100%. I currently run their underdrive pulleys and flywheel as well and tranny mounts... all work wonderful.

Anyways, my impressions. The install was a bitch because of the bitch clip. That was the only tricky part and everything was downhill from there. All parts fit perfectly and everything is milled to be displayed in a museum. I wasn't really sure how the shifter height was set so just left it as is when I couldn't adjust the height... no biggie. Once I finished the install.... a lot of points that I liked was that the shifter was pretty centered which was a good start. 1st to second I couldn't hear anything so noise was gone....GOOD. The shifting was a lot shorter but also maintained the same effort as the B&M however, remember that the B&M had a 20% throw reduction and the UUC is 35% so the UUC shifter should have been harder to shift but was more or less the same. And my B&m shifter was broken in and the UUC was not. So I expect the UUC to get easier with more time and mileage. The biggest difference was the slop. I had all bushings replaced when I installed the B&M shifter so it was as tight as it would get otherwise from stock. However, the play and slop I found comes from the carrier bushings and is not so much of an artifact of the selector rod. The carrier rotated a significant amount with the stock rubber bushing but as soon as the delrins were in... next to none which is responsible for the reduction in slop. I think whether I put the DSSR in or not wouldn't have made a difference thereafter but I wanted it there anyways just in case. I think the DSSR was heavier anyways and facilitated a smoother and more solid gear change. So if anyone is ever questioning the slop, I guarantee that if you have play, try changing to delrin bushings first and then do the DSSR... UUC's delrin bushings fit like a charm and everything was precision fit. The pivot bushing system that UUC uses as well will always be tight because it is spring loaded on the races that the ball slides on so every time there is slight wear, the spring constantly maintains force to reduce and slop that would otherwise occur.

Did I notice a huge difference between shifters.... maybe not huge as if I switched from stock to the UUC but definitely enough to justify the switch. It just seems that UUC is so meticulous to detail and every part fits amazing. I'm glad I did the switch and I will probably do it again if I had another chance. Too bad it cost so much though

that was the only downside but its true that you pay for what you get.

So if anyone is looking for a good shifter, don't make my mistake and get the UUC from the beginning cause you will save money in the end since you did it right the first time. I've tried the M roadster and the B&M already and I can attest that the UUC EVO3 is much better than both of them.

Hope this helped anyone out who is contemplating a short shifter. My shifter feels brand new now and I'm hoping it stays like that for the upcoming years. Now all I need is the RK6!

Thanks to Rob for his help and info. I will always stand by UUC products and continue to buy them in the future.

Take care and happy motoring

10/17/2005, 12:14 AM

Hey Dream! Ha haha, Looks like I wasn't the only one this weekend under their car working on the shifter!

I just pulled the B&M out from my M3. Take a look at the pics and write-up. You were right about that stupid bronze bearing. It sits in an aluminum (heat sink) of a collar. No wonder it binds when hot!

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428906

Glad you like the UUC unit...I don't think I am too far away from buying it either.

-Percy

Today, 12:37 AM

Hey Percy, yah, I was under the car for like 5 hours... 2.5 hours spent on the damn bitch clip.... its really crowded down there. I didn't even bother separating the bronze bushing from the cup... just left it in there.

Id get the UUC if I were you... you wont be disappointed. Id just get the EVO3 first then maybe the dssr later, you'd be amazed at the slop reduction with the delrin bushings.

Today, 01:37 AM

I love my UUC Evo III short shifter. I got it with the DSSR as well. I also got a weighted UUC shift knob which really gives it nice throw as well. And you're right... they really were helpful when I called them prior to purchasing it. UUC is really top-notch in my book. The above setup is worth every penny and because of that, the price was not a concern to me. I mean, it's going in an M3; why fool around?

Today, 05:17 AM

After having a couple different setups I can really say there is nothing better then the UUC.