Explained: Mid America Motorworks On Short Throw Vs. Stock Shifters

MAMC2_1For all the inherent antiquity and hassle one gets with a manual transmission, there’s nothing like the feeling you get of being in direct command of your Corvette and its gear changes. It’s just one more thing that puts in direct control of your car, and for that, a stick-controlled vehicle essentially sells itself.

Within the world of manuals, however, there sometimes arises two differing methods to asserting control: a stock configuration, and a short-throw configuration. Many people find the distinction difficult to nail down, or otherwise aren’t even aware.

Left: A diagram of the typical shifter. Right: Moving the fulcrum upwards makes a short throw shifter more precise and durable than a normal shifter.

The well-rounded folks at Mid America Motorworks have recognized this issue, and are here to educate the masses on the pros and cons of both setups. On a normal shifter, the fulcrum is placed on the lower portion of the shift lever. This makes the “throw” of the lever longer on top, which takes up time to do and can sometimes lead to error-prone shifting, where it moves to the wrong gear and costs the driver time and speed to correct.

Shift knobs and boots give a touch of personality to any Corvette interior.

Shift knobs and boots give a touch of personality to any Corvette interior.

It makes up for this by retaining the overall stock look and feel of a car for the sake of preservation, as well as being quieter than aftermarket options (due to insulating pads and rubber-isolated shafts). On a short-throw shifter, the fulcrum moves up quite a bit; the illustration seen here depicts it moving closer to the center of the shift lever, which in essence causes the throw’s distance to reduce significantly.

What this means is that shifting becomes far more sharp and confident in practice, while durability is increased thanks to fewer missed shifts. A shorter shift handle may be a downside to some users, but there are options out there that restore the original’s height.

With that in mind, short throw shifters become a very appealing choice for the performance-minded driver. But if retaining the factory shifter’s noise level and aesthetics is more your speed, then it’s a problem that needs no fixing. Either way, Mid America Motorworks offers a wide variety of products–including shift knobs and boots–to keep your Vette looking fresh for years to come. Check out all they have to offer by visiting the company’s website, and be sure to keep track of MAM’s latest and greatest by liking them on Facebook too.

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About the author

David Chick

David Chick comes to us ready for adventure. With passions that span clean and fast Corvettes all the way to down and dirty off-road vehicles (just ask him about his dream Jurassic Park Explorer), David's eclectic tastes lend well to his multiple automotive writing passions.
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