Rogue OCTANE Short Shifter

The Shifter
The Rogue Engineering OCTANE short shifter represents years of experience and research in BMW short shifting products. With feedback from thousands of users and the measuring of countless prototypes, OCTANE is the culmination of a tremendous amount of research and development.

To appreciate the specific advantages of the OCTANE short shifter lever, one must understand the details that make it unique to all others, the heart of the OCTANE short shift kit.

Shifter Lever Upper
The RE OCTANE is the only short shift kit to feature a CNC-machined 303 stainless steel upper section. This adds 100g more to the top of the shifter lever (compared to aluminum), helping to improve shifter feel. This small increase in mass above is compliments the incorporated WSR (not all models). The outside profile has been designed to precisely to allow use of the factory shift knob. This means that the use of factory illuminated shift knobs is possible.

Superior Technology, Constantly Evolving
Until now, only the factory shifter lever was designed to be a vibration-absorbing, acoustically damped unit. BMW engineers employ vibration-dampening materials in their cars? motor mounts, transmission mounts, subframe mounts and in various other areas for good reason ? to isolate the cabin from excess vibration and noise. The OCTANE short shifter lever uses superior materials, bonded and secured to achieve a shorter, more positive shift throw without sacrificing the vibration dampening that BMW engineers built in. Some companies may allude that their "manufactured" lever is in some way superior to a factory lever. Simply machining a three decade old shifter design is not our idea of forward thinking.

Lowering NVH
By using a custom-extruded neoprene rubber insert, the OCTANE shifter is able to both minimize the NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) more than any other shifter on the market. By being able to design specific characteristics into the insert, we are able to minimize unwanted shifter free play while minimizing excessive harshness. Without sufficient material to address NVH issues in the driveline, you wind up with a shifter that vibrates and buzzes. As a matter of fact, the OCTANE shifter lever has 266% more vibration-absorbing material than the closest competitor. Shifter "isolation" should not be mistaken for "vibration-absorbing". Just because a shifter lever is built to be "isolated", do not mean that it has adequate materials to both acoustically dampen or absorb vibrations. If you want to maintain the vibration absorbing characteristics of a factory shifter, then your shifter lever better be made in a similar manner, using comparable materials!

Shifter Lever Lower
The lower portion of the OCTANE short shifter is made from CNC'd 303 stainless steel. This material was selected because of its superior corrosion resistance and strength.

Pivot Ball and Pivot Bushing
After extensive research and testing, we have discovered and implemented what we feel is the ideal pivot material. The thermoplastic material used in the OCTANE short shifter maintains the vibration-dampening qualities and built-in lubricity of the stock shifter?s thermoplastic pivot, but adds superior resistance to heat and wear. Unlike rigid metal balls or bushings, Ertalyte TX is proving to be the best material for the application. With a coefficient of friction that is 421% better than a stainless steel pivot ball, it combines all the benefits of smooth movement with durability beyond all other thermoplastics. Even with all of the fantastic properties of Ertalyte TX, we have designed the lower pivot point to be replaceable, should it ever need to be replaced in the future for any reason.

Smooth Operator - The RE SAPP
The latest innovation implemented to the OCTANE short shifter is our exclusive Self-Adjusting Pivot Point (SAPP). Most other shifters (including the factory), rely on a pivot assembly that binds when new, requiring a "break-in" period to allow for new washers and clips to wear in. By the time these parts have "broken-in", unwanted play is now introduced, resulting in a potentially sloppy shifter feel.

Rogue Engineering's SAPP eliminates this break-in period, allowing the pivot to move freely at all times. The simple spring mechanism used in the SAPP removes any play in the pivot assembly, which continually compensating for bushing wear. The effectiveness of the SAPP is also enhanced

With the introduction of the RE Weighted Selector Rod, you can enjoy the benefits of a short shifter while improving shifter smoothness and virtually eliminating the gearbox notchiness and gear whine that is associated with some manufacturers? kits.

How Does it Work?
To fully understand and appreciate the beauty and benefit of the RE Weighted Selector Rod, we must first revisit the mechanics of a short shift kit. When a short shift kit is installed, the throw reduction is directly proportional to an increase in shift effort. In simple terms, if a short shift kit reduces throws by 30%, then the effort required to shift into gear increases by the same amount (30%). While some people find this increase acceptable, others do not like the increased gearbox "notchiness" that is associated with the increased effort. The latter group describes the increased notchiness as a decrease in gearbox smoothness, and a departure from the feeling of refinement that led them to choose BMW in the first place.

The Rogue Engineering WSR replaces the factory selector rod with a higher quality, CNC'd 303 stainless version that has significantly greater mass. This mass, added on the low side of the shifter assembly, is completely hidden from the user?s view, but its benefits are obvious. Honda (known for its silky-smooth short-throw shifters) uses heavy cables to actuate the shifting. Now the secret is out for BMWs.

Factory vs. RE
click to enlarge

Factory
Selector Rod

RE WSR
Installed

As documented in the case of the 1995-99 E36 M3, adding 426g (nearly 1 pound) to the selector rod reduces most gearbox notchiness and improves smoothness.

Just say NO to ugly shift knobs
A common "Band-Aid" to address the increased notchiness and required effort of short shift kits has been the addition of a heavy aftermarket shift knob. Whereas a factory BMW shift knob typically weighs 3.0 ounces, some aftermarket shift knobs can weigh nearly TEN times this amount. While this additional mass can counteract the notchiness of the short shift kit, it can also make the user feel much like they're manipulating a grapefruit. Additionally, most metallic shift knobs (aluminum, steel, titanium, etc.) can get blazing hot in the summer and ice cold in the winter. Most generally overlook this detail until they actually touch the knob, either searing their hand or getting frostbite.

Another disadvantage to the heavyweight aftermarket shift knobs is that they do not match factory interiors like factory BMW knobs. Most of our E46 M3 and E39 M5 customers love their factory BMW illuminated shift knobs. Even with the addition of our short shift kit, they prefer to continue to use the illuminated shift knob. Now they continue to retain their factory shift knob while benefiting from smooth, notch-free shifting with the Rogue Engineering Weighted Selector Rod.

Honda® is a registered trademark of Honda Motor Co., Inc.
BAND-AID® is a registered trademark of JOHNSON & JOHNSON.

k = in.^3-min/ft. lbs. hr. x 10^-10

Though thermoplastics have their benefits, using just any thermoplastic would not be ideal. Durability is also an issue that must be considered. As shown in the table above, some materials wear more quickly than others do. If lesser materials are used, premature wear can result. Whereas UHMW had the lowest coefficient of friction, it also has inferior wear characteristics. What good is a pivot that wears out too quickly? Ertlayte TX is 315% more durable than UHMW.

The Rogue Engineering OCTANE short shift kit comes complete with all necessary parts for a professional or do-it-yourself install. Installation times will vary with experience and available resources (access to the underside of the vehicle is required).

Parts that are included with the kit are:

• Rogue Engineering OCTANE Short Shifter Lever
• Rogue Engineering OCTANE Weighted Selector Rod (not all models)
• Rogue Engineering Shifter Carrier with Pivot Relocation Adapter (not all models)
• Rogue Engineering Delrin Carrier Bushings (not all models)
• Rogue Engineering Shifter Removal Tool - 4/15/05 Temporarily Discontinued
• Factory replacement washers, clips and grease
• Factory replacement carrier pin (not all models)
• Fully detailed installation directions