Rogue Engineering WSR Testimonials

"Rogue Engineering has developed a new product called a Weighted Selector Rod (WSR) in order to improve the shifting feel of cars equipped with short shift kits. Some of you have already used the principle of this new product by installing heavier shift knobs on your cars. Rogue's philosophy is that a short shifter should not alter the stock look and feel, so they wanted a solution which would work well using the factory shift knob. Thus they painstakingly measure the original shifter on each BMW model with an optical comparator to ensure that each RE shifter will have the same dimensions and angles as stock. Then they include a weight ring, which goes near the base and is hidden by the leather boot, in order to increase the mass and reduce the notchiness which can occur following the installation of a short shifter.

Taking the weight ring principle one step further, Ben Liaw has designed the WSR which connects the shifter to the transmission and is completely hidden underneath the car. He has several models of this product that have been tested and work well, but until yesterday, he had not had a chance to install and test the E39 prototype.

I showed up at 10:30 yesterday with my wife's 2001 540i/6 and Ben put the car right up on the lift. Within 2 minutes, he had the stock selector rod out of the car and we compared it to his new WSR.

The weight of the original shifter rod is only 228 grams. The WSR weighs in at a whopping 778 grams, nearly 250 percent heavier. Ben put the new rod in place and we proceeded to shift the car through all 6 gears and reverse. At one point, the rod came close to the guibo on the driveshaft and Ben was uncomfortable with the clearance. So he took the prototype to the machine shop next door to have some material removed from the bar. The machinist decided that a more elegant solution was in order and fabricated an offset end instead of grinding the bar. The result may be seen more clearly in the next photograph.

The second prototype WSR was assembled and test fit on the car. The clearances were perfect, so Ben took it off and reassembled the fasteners with Loctite so that vibration would never cause the bolts to back out. Final installation took just a couple minutes and then the car was lowered from the lift so we could take it for a test drive.

The effect of the WSR is immediately noticeable, especially when moving the shift knob side-to-side while in neutral. (Remember that overhead shot in the BMW Films movie "Star", just before the driver launches the M5?) You can really feel the added mass and it makes the shifting mechanism feel much more solid. Some of the vibration is damped out. And the notchiness is definitely reduced. I like the feel, but I don't have good words to describe it. The shifter feels more ... expensive. It's like the difference between picking up a BIC pen and a Mont Blanc pen.

The good news is that this WSR will work with any shifter, either UUC, Rogue Engineering, or stock. It's held in place by the the same clips that hold the stock selector rod in place. I could probably install one of these in 5 minutes.

I'll be continuing to evaluate this prototype for a while. The final product will be the same weight, but may or may not use the same offset end link design. Presumably, Ben will specify the machining of the final product in order to optimize ease of installation, ease of manufacture, and cost. He told me that the plan was to sell these selector rods for $95 each. I don't know if the modified end link design will effect that price. Included with the kit will be two new clips and yellow plastic washers. The factory washer on my 2001 540i was cracked in half after only 11,000 miles, so Ben decided to include new ones with the kit."

Dave Zeckhausen
2001 540i 6-speed

"Thought you all might like some further feedback on the Rogue WSR. I spent a recent Saturday morning under my 2001 540.6 and completed the swap with no problems. The first thing to note is that Ben runs a great operation and went out of his way to get me an early prototype to speed up delivery. The actual installation took me a little longer than expected (approx 45 min's) as I found it difficult to detach and re-attach the front clip on the connector. This was likely due to the fact that I was using ramps, rather than a lift, and was pretty cramped for space and visibility. It basically required a leap of faith that I would be able to re-connect everything and some screwdriver prying.

Once the connector was in, the effects took a little while to fully appreciate. I already have the UUC adjustable height shifter and was always mildly dissatisfied with the notchiness and the force needed to shift gears (especially in 1st and 2nd, and, especially when the car was very cold). The WSR definitely improves the feel and is a no-brainer for the small $$. Shifts feel much more solid and vibration is all but gone. The shifting effort is still more than I'd like (although, as I recall, the OEM setup was stiff as well) and I may experiment with a weighted shift know - would love to hear if anyone else tries this setup. Hope this helps."

Peter C.
2001 540i 6-speed

"It's been two weeks now since I've had my Rogue Engineering short shifter kit and weighted selector rod (WSR) installed. Thought I'd give as complete a review as possible.

Usual Disclaimer: I'm a product whore. No affiliation with RE. I call it the way I see it.

Short Review: If you don’t already have a SS, buy this combo now. If you already have a SS, buy the WSR. Both pieces are that good. Really.

Background: My last car was a Honda S2000. This car, the Miata, and perhaps the Type R, have the best shifters on the planet IMHO. Snick snick quick. Short, almost too short of a throw with very positive engagement. When I got my M3, I was disappointed with the shifting. . . Long throws and sort of rubbery. Felt like a truck in comparison to my S2000. If you haven't driven an S2000, do so and you'll know what I mean.+

Kit evaluation: First, I brought the kit to the shop that I use, a shop full of BMW hard core racer types that are active in the BMW CCA. They've done a ton of SS installs, including Stygar and UUC kits. If you are in Austin, this is Terry Sayther's shop. The funny thing is, the tech I talked with is a tinkerer: he had his personal car on a lift and had disassembled his shifter linkage, and was in the process of modifying his current SS kit. While I did not fully understand what he was doing (something about pivot relocation I think), he was proud of his ingenuity. I then stated that I have RE's kit and he wanted to check it out. He said that RE had already done to their kit what he was trying to do! Then, he said that Rogue went beyond what was necessary in terms of component quality, completeness, and aesthetics (after all, one cannot see these parts after installation). He was thoroughly impressed (his words, not mine).

WSR evaluation: I have a first production run unit. Well built, solid. Very heavy, as this is the whole point of the WSR. The same tech that looked over the SS Kit said that in the VW world, most SS kits come with a counterbalance to attenuate notchiness. E36 kits do not b/c of the packaging concerns, just too tight down there. He thought the WSR was a great idea. When you compare the WSR to the OE selector rod, it's clear that the WSR is of superior quality, which is typically not the norm in the aftermarket.

Install: I did not do this myself, after climbing under the car and looking everything over. I was charged one hour ($72). The tech that did the work said that the install went w/o drama.

First Drive: Holy shit, my car felt like my Honda. No kidding. Slightly longer throws, but less notchiness than the S2000. I couldn't have been happier. Engagement is more precise. Resistance to engagement is only slightly higher than stock, thanks to the WSR I believe.

On the track: I got the car to the track the weekend after the install. No drama, just precise shifting all weekend long.

Today: Still happy with the SS and WSR. But now, I'm so used to it, I need to change something else. Argghh.

Other comparisons: The only other car I've driven with a SS kit is a friends with the Stygar parts. The RE kit is quite a bit smoother and more stock-like in the required effort to engage gears. More 'snick snick' if you will. Note, however, that this is not a totally telling comparison since each kit was on different cars."

frayed
Austin, TX
1997 BMW M3 Sedan

"Got the WSR installed last night.  It's awesome! Shifts with the Rogue SSK are crisp and precise to begin with; the WSR completes the package.  It shifts much more smoothly - no more notchy feel, not like there was much in the WSR-less Rogue SSK to begin with.  Occasionally there used to be a tiny amount of vibration when shifting between 1st and 2nd - that's completly gone.  The amount of effort to shift is reduced as well, at or slightly below stock level.  At the same time, since the added mass of the WSR makes the shifter feel more solid, the precision of the shifts was not sacrificed.  It's like butter! 

Thanks for everything.  You'll have to put me on a mailing / distribution list (if you have one) for any new products you have in the future for the E46 M3. The quality of RE products and your service are top notch!"

Roy Ramirez
Los Angles, CA
2002 BMW E46 M3 6-speed