After being a bit frustrated with the long throw of vrs, i decided to look into fitting a short shifter, i am in the process of modifying my old shifter with a slider pin to allow adjustment, however came across this mod which golf owners (vw vortex and mk4 forum) have been doing so i took a punt and ordered the kit hoping it would fit my VRS.....................

Well it did fit, and it reduces throw by about 25% and is actually really quite decent!

(part 8NO 711 046 Vw speed sell these slightly cheaper than the main dealer if i remember correctly around the £24 mark so much cheaper than a forge style shift mechanism).

Fitting is easy but can be a little fiddly (was on my brothers car), you dont need to take off the battery cover or airbox (though you would have more room if you did), now my car is a 2001 so has a balljoint end (later cars have a circlip end), however all the new parts from the dealer come with a later circlip as standard however......no problem, just mark how far along the old clip sits on the cable mechanism with something sharp (so you know exactly how far to fit your cable into your new clip), then disconnect the old part by pulling the clip down against the spring then pull the cable out carefully. Now undo the nut that holds your original shifter in place, undo this and gently work your old mechanism off the spline using wd40 if required (it has a slot on the spline so can only fit back one way). You should then be able to take out the shifter and clean the plastic piece (in white) which the shifter mechanism slides into and out of when fitting, you then need to grease this and refit the new shifter in reverse of what you have just done.

Hope that makes sense!

First pic shows part removed (round the right way now), second shows new part fitted.

Edited 21 October, 200817 yr by sweedish

this sounds quite good i was looking into a short shifter but didn't want to spend £100+. I have a 55 plate vRS. What is it like changing gear now a big improvement?

Would this one fit?

5 Speed Genuine Short Shift Kit

Edited 20 October, 200817 yr by christaylor
insert link

hi mate, yes thats the 1, you beat me to posting the link!

Its a definite improvement, and for £20 you will not be disappointed!

Hmm, tempting. But they don't ship outside the UK - hmph.

Local dealer might be cheaper for me.

What's the disadvantage of short throw over standard?

some people might say it increases wear and tear, however that statement is more common with say a forge style item with 40% reduction, this is a stock audi tt part and will therefore not be likely to damage your car in any way.

Rob your local audi stealer should stock this as it is a main dealer part.

Do you have to be more accurate on your shifts now, due to the increased sensitivity?

I got paid today, and I've been thinking about this for a while, so may be tempted now....

no mate, it feels like a stock shifter, albeit with a shorter throw, it should have come out the factory like this!

For £20 you cant go wrong!

I have just ordered mine now

Thanks for the info sweedish

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, me liking this idea.

how easy are they to fit guys? im crap so i have to ask :orb_rolli

how much do they reduce the throw by?

oh yeah lol i skipped the 1st post, told you im crap lol

I got one of these a while ago for my 4x4 but was unable to get it to work properly;

http://briskoda.net/octavia-i/fitting-tt-selector-arm/108054/

First of all I just replaced the selector arm without adjusting the cables, couldn't select reverse. Then used the procedure in the workshop manual to lock both the selector arm and gearstick in position and adjust the cables, still didn't work! Not sure what I am doing wrong, it seems a simple enough thing to do, unless the 4x4 gearbox (FEX) is different somehow (other than the obvious).

Anybody thinking of doing this who has got a 4x4? I'd like to know if you get it to work.

how easy are they to fit guys? im crap so i have to ask :orb_rolli

Fitting to the spindle is easy, just don't drop the clips!

uh oh lol that sounds like sumin could cause a headache :orb_wise_

that could be were my matey ex audi mechanice pit crew could be dead handy

just to get this correct, are you all on about that kit in the link

5 Speed Genuine Short Shift Kit

and it goes on the octy vrs and no probs ? :orb_cool:

uh oh lol that sounds like sumin could cause a headache :orb_wise_

that could be were my matey ex audi mechanice pit crew could be dead handy

just to get this correct, are you all on about that kit in the link

5 Speed Genuine Short Shift Kit

and it goes on the octy vrs and no probs ? :orb_cool:

That is the kit I ordered Lloyd and I'll tell you later this week whether it goes on a VRS. It actually looks like a 5 minute job now the pictures are up

I bought mine from an Audi dealer but it is the same as the one in the link above.

hmm thats odd Simon, not sure why yours didnt fit, is it def the same part number? funnily enough i fitted 1 to my vrs and i have just fitted another to to 2 mk1 4x4s, my brothers and my mates cars as they were both well impressed with how much better it was after it was fitted on my car.

It should fit no problem, my brothers cabe mechanism was stuck in the clip and a bit of a pain, i had to adjust that a few times when fitting the new clip as it didnt feel right to start getting into reverse where it originally was fitted to the cable, it could be that thats causing a problem.

The part number on the selector arm is 8N0711051A. The selector arm with the cable attachment comes as partnumber 8NO711046 which is what I got when I ordered it from the dealer.

I might have another go at fitting it now you have said you have got it working on two 4x4s. I just couldn't get it to select reverse. Any chance you could post a pic of it on a 4x4 so I can get an idea of how much to adjust the cables?

yes thats right the 046 number is the kit for the 2 parts the clip and the weighted selector arm.

My friends 4x4 was the easiest to put on just over 5 mins to do as i found out when fitting mine that you didnt need to take off the airbox or the battery tray (did for good measure the first time), my brothers took about 30mins and a little more adjustment the other day as it was a bit trickier, and didnt go into reverse first time.

Just try using the new arm and clip rather than your old clip and new arm (if you havent already), just make sure you mark the rough location of your old clip then when you take it off and fit the new part, you can try adjusting it again from your original marked point if that makes sense!

Let me know how you get on!

I'll have a go at the weekend with the new clip and arm, was trying to use the old clip.

i am seeing my brother later this week so wil get a picture for you!

Nice one just ordered mine, was going to get the Neuspeed one but at around £100 thought a bit steep. This one from VW Speed seems a right bargain:thumbup:

Steve

Ordered mine yesterday - NZ$83

Apparently no-one in New Zealand has ever ordered this part

On its way from Singapore

how much is that then Rob?

You are the original NZ Octavia tuner:cool:

About 30 quid at today's exchange rate. So a bit dearer than UK dealers. But delivery from Singapore is free!