[onebluemcm]

Thanks for the comments guys.

The AS shifter is not primarily about reducing the throw or height of the shifter, it's really about removing the slop in the factory shifter. I don't think this kit resulted in much reduction in throw at all - sure, a bit with the shorter shifter rod length from the bearing up (~ 1/2" shorter, knob will be ~1/2" loewer), but if you look at the pics of the shift lever from the bearing down to the selector rod, it's nearly identical, if not identical. This is the part that if changed can really affect throw, or make it a "short shifter" and clearly, Ronald didn't make a big change here. But, the real beauty of this kit is that the thing becomes super precise - like telepathic shifting. I think there are some minor details in the installation that can make it smoother and not too tight, or hard to shift, but keep all the precision in place.

There are generally two approaches to wanting to change the shifter - make the throws shorter, like a "short shifter" in the traditional sense, or make the shifter more precise. If you have any desire to fix the precision part of it, you must consider the Autosolutions kit. I tend to agree that this car doesn't need a "short shifter" for reducing throw length, but could seriously be helped with making the thing more precise. The E46 M3 benefits from both reducing throw length and correcting the slop, that is probably why the AS kits for E46 M3 have more throw reduction (from 20-40%), just as an FYI for comparison.