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Rogue Engineering OCTANE E9X M3 SSK
Installation manual included, not pictured.
After
nearly a year of R&D and manufacturing, we are proud to announce our
much anticipated OCTANE SSK for the E9X M3. There have been some
design challenges along the way, but this is why we diligently pursue the
right solutions rather than rushing a kit to market. As
you can see in the picture of the complete kit above, there are
specific components that are unique to the E9X M3 OCTANE SSK. By explaining
the details of each part, we hope you will comprehend the extent of time
and materials that go into each kit. The
Components
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6061-T6 ACQ Billet Carrier -
Painstakingly CNC machined from a block of aluminum about the size of
a brick, this carrier has incredible strength and rigidity over a
stock component. It incorporates Rogue Engineering's Pivot Relocation
Cup, to raise the pivot point of the shifter higher, allowing
the shifter more drivetrain clearance. For additinoal strength, the rear of the carrier has a steel spike to secure to the mounting point of the vehicle. An important feature is
that it realigns the selector rod so that it is near the factory
position, preventing off-axis forces against the transmission's
selector rod gear joint, preventing shifting notchiness. If you
wonder why Rogue Engineering's shifters have always been the SMOOTHEST
shifters on the market, this is one of many small details which allow
many of our customers to recognize the ingenuity of RE OCTANE SSKs.
The carrier comes complete with custom Delrin carrier bushings,
eliminating excessive carrier movement as a result of the factory
rubber bushings.
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Our OCTANE shifter lever may seem
like the same lever we use in our other kits, but at a closer glance,
you will see that it incorporates a double bend, to emulate the
factory shifter lever. In essence, the top of the factory lever
is moved backwards, approximately 1/2 from the axis of the lower part
of the shifter. Other companies have made the mistake of only
bending the top of another factory lever backwards,
hoping to solve this ergonomic challenge. However, bending the
top of the lever back only tips the shift knob towards the driver, and
does not emulate the factory position accurately.
During development, we noticed that the E9X M3 represents the first manual transmission vehicle that BMW
has produced where the factory shifter lever is actually excessively lowered.
Ergonomics is an important feature in any BMW, and if you were like
many of us, we discovered that the shift knob in a stock E9X M3 was
very low and very forward (where driver's with larger hands could
punch the lower console in the forward gear changes). We deduced
that BMW wanted to provide a "sporty" feeling shifter (which
it is), but at the expense of driving comfort. With this in
mind, we have tweaked the shifter so that it is more comfortable for the
driver.
Our throws are reduced noticeably,
with a 3rd to 4th throw distance of approximately 98mm (3.85")
when using the factory shift knob.
STOCK geometry has downward angle to shifter |
RE modified shifter geometry improves position |
We maintain our use of the Ertalyte TX pivot point, machined from
solid Ertalyte TX rod, to exacting specifications. In
developmental testing, our pivot has been shown to be 41% smoother
than a stock pivot and an alarming 200% smoother than another
aftermarket company's shifter. Small details such as these add
up in the long run.
Animated GIF of RE E9X M3 SSK Gear Engagement |
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Rogue Engineering's Self-Adjusting
Pivot Point (SAPP) is still used in our E9X M3 application, proving
that our simple and effective method of lower pivot tension control
maintains reliability, durability, and longevity. Just ask the
50% of the Grand Am Koni Challenge teams racing with Rogue Engineering
shifters in their cars.
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We replace the hollow, factory selector rod
with a heavier, TIG welded, stainless steel replacement. This
adds additional mass, over the press-tube construction of the factory
part. This helps the shifts in the vehicle feel factory smooth,
while allowing for the reduced throws. Our weighted selector rod
is twice the mass of the factory part (factory is 120g, ours is 245g).
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We use factory replacement pivot cups
and locking circlips to secure the shifter together. These are
the same components used in all current model BMWs.
Bundle these parts together, and you have
a cohesive short shift kit that reduces throws, corrects the factory
ergonomics, but also eliminates the
factory shifter sloppiness that should have never been in your E9X M3 in
the first place. How does it work? Here's a review of the E9X
M3 shifter:
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How does it feel?
In short, sweeeeeeet. My hand rests in a much more natural
location. Throws are much shorter, and action is very crisp. All
that icky slop in the stock shifter is gone. I particularly like
the new 1st to 2nd action while leaving hard. I used to have a
little trouble with that before, and even had it pop into neutral
a few times when I didn�t yank hard enough. And now my fist
doesn't feel like it's going to punch through the fire wall when I
shift into 3rd or 5th. - Jersey Girl (M3Post.com)
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What we have found over a decade of
producing short shift kits for BMWs is that overbuilding the shifter
components is absolutely worth it. Watching our competitors use a multitude of
microscopic bits of hardware to hold shifter components make us laugh
because we watch it eventually fail. We like the
phrase, "Do it right, the first time!"
Rogue Engineering_OCTANE E9X M3 SSK
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Rogue OCTANE SSK - E9X M32
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Quantity in Basket:
None
Code: OCT_E9X_M3
Price: $495.00
Shipping Weight: 7.00 pounds
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