The MI SSK "Not a Big 'Car Guy'" Review

[jpmck03]

Intro

Let me preface this by saying, I'm not a guy that's big into cars. For example, if I look under the hood of your average Yaris, I could name most of the major parts in there, like say, the engine, battery, transmission, radiator, fuse box thing, headlights, belts, uhm, yeah, that's about it.

However, I do enjoy driving, and I have been bitten by the "hey, modding your car is fun" bug. Fortunately for me, it was the minor species of mod bug, not the major species like some of you guys, because if I was, I'd be in way over my head.

So, without anymore rambling, here we go:

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Part One: Short Shifter

Quick and Dirty

It's awesome!

The Install

I received the Micro Image Short Shift Kit today, and decided to tackle the part that I thought would be the easiest to do: the short shifter. Armed with nothing but the short shifter itself, I popped open the hood and identified what I needed to do:

• Pull the pin out of the end of the shift cable.
• Pull the shift cable off the peg it was on.
• Slip the short shifter onto the peg.
• Reattach the pin to the short shifter, and
• Reattach the shift cable to the new short shifter with the supplied pin.

So, without removing the battery, or the intake or any of the other goodies like the instructions suggested, I reached in, disconnected everything, popped in the short shifter in, and connected everything back up. The only "hard" part was figuring out how to put the new pin on the shift cable, and that was solved by running back in the house and looking at the picture of the finished product.

Total time spent on the install: 2 minutes, tops.

The First Drive

After checking to make sure everything worked while in the driveway, I took the car out for a spin.

Wow, this thing is incredible! Shifts are short, and sharp, with a little bit of notchiness, but the notchiness isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I started out in town, primarily going between 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear; and what a difference it made. I guess the best way to describe it is that it makes shifting a lot easier, despite the fact that it requires a little more effort to get the stick into each gear.

Getting into first from neutral is little bit more of a challenge, as there seems to be some resistance. From first to second, it's just, bam! and you've already shifted. Second to third, also a little bit more effort, as there is a little less sloppiness from stock, so you need to be a little more precise as you make your up-over-up motion.

After zipping around town, I decided to take 'er on a quick trip down the interstate to row through all the gears... From third to fourth... just like the 1st-2nd transition, bam! you're in gear! Fourth to fifth, that seems like the trickiest one, as it seems like you need the most precision there, a little rough, but you can get it with some effort and practice.

And since it's not covered in my trip around town: neutral to reverse is similar to the 4th-5th transition, with my usual "it's a pain to get in reverse anyways" problem

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Part Two: The Shifter Cable Bracket

Quick and Dirty

Like I said in my first post: It's awesome!

The Install

Installing the shifter cable bracket involved the following:

1. Removing the battery tie down, battery, and plastic battery tray.
2. Removing the passenger side and driver’s side pins from the shifter cable ends and pulling the shifter cables off of the shifter levers.
3. Removing both clips holding the shifter cables in the shifter cable bracket.
4. Moving the shifter cables and wiring cables to gain access to the top of the shifter cable bracket.
5. Removing the 12mm bolt from the wiring bracket, and swinging the wiring bracket out of the way.
6. Removing the 14mm bolts from the shifter cable bracket, and removing the OEM shifter cable bracket.
7. Replacing the OEM shifter cable bracket with the MI shifter cable bracket using the original bolts and MI-supplied washed.
8. Reattaching the wiring bracket to the MI shifter cable bracket.
9. Placing both shifter cables back into the MI shifter cable bracket.
10. Reattaching both original clips.
11. Reattaching the shifter cable ends to the shifter levers, and.
12. Reattaching the plastic battery tray, battery and battery tie down.

Overall, this part was a little bit more frustrating than the first. A lot of this had to do with the fact that I'm a relative "newb" when it comes to the whole car modification game. You know, paranoia that I'll never get the car put back together, break something, etc. This, of course is of no fault of the SSK itself.

In retrospect, the install was relatively easy, and at no point was I left scratching my head saying to myself, "Now what the hell do I do?" The two things that were the most annoying were: 1.) removing the clips from the shifter cable bracket, and 2.) squeezing in behind the shifter cable bracket to remove the wiring bracket with my tiny 1/4 in drive ratchet. Also, trying to remove the bolt by turning the ratchet the wrong way didn't help. Righty tighty, lefty loosy is backwards when you are removing a bolt from the back side of it...

Overall I'd say on the difficulty scale (my difficulty scale that is!) I'd rate the install at a 4 out of 10, with 10 being the hardest. If I had to do it again, maybe a 2 or 3 out of 10.

The First Drive

Overall, things have smoothed up a bit between shifts. The "up and over" shifts are quite a bit easier, and it's easier to get into first as well as reverse from neutral. I read on another review that prior to adding the bracket it felt like getting into gear felt like the stick went "bump, bump, then we're in gear." I felt that too, but since I knew that I was going to put in the shifter cable bracket, I didn't mention it. Now that I have the bracket in, it's "clutch in, bump, in gear, clutch out."

The only downside I've experienced, which is entirely due to my "take it slow and don't screw up" approach is this: Because I left the battery out for so long, the customized throttle response that the ECU made based on my driving style is out the window. So, now it feels like I just bought the car again.

Once I'm done relearning how to drive the car, and relearn how to drive with my new and improved SSK, I'm sure I'm going to love it even more than I already do.

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Six Months Later

Having had the SSK in for six months, I'd have to say that it's definitely worth it! For the daily hop onto the interstate, it's great for that short on-ramp when there is some light truck traffic. It's still fun to go from first to second, and then up to third from second. Short, and crisp, and I find that it's helped with my problem of hitting the gas a little early when shifting. Overall, I'd say that shifting has become a more fun and engaging activity.

About the only drawback that I've noticed is that on those cold mornings before the car is warmed up, there is some "notchiness" getting into reverse and first gear. I'm sure that the car always acted this way and it's just more pronounced with the SSK. Once the car is warmed up however, no problems.

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Overall Rating

9 out of 10 clapping dudes!

[Spidermandud]

inb4 you realize you secretly like modding cars. :D

Sounds like fun bro.

[cali yaris]

hehe, nice. Gets smoother when you put in the bracket.

[rningonfumes]

Dude, one of the best reviews in general that I've read. Nothing but positives, I might have to drop in sometime.

[jpmck03]

Originally Posted by Spidermandud

inb4 you realize you secretly like modding cars. :D

Sounds like fun bro.

It's not a secret, it's just that I'm not as hardcore as guys like, off the top of my head: cali yaris, thebarber, CTScott, PETERPOOP, etc. Now those guys are into cars!

It was definitely a lot of fun for a two minute project.

Originally Posted by cali yaris

hehe, nice. Gets smoother when you put in the bracket.

Well, I'll have to leave you waiting for part two of the review! Great product you have though, mad props to Garm!

Originally Posted by rningonfumes

Dude, one of the best reviews in general that I've read. Nothing but positives, I might have to drop in sometime.

Thanks! Can't wait to get the bracket in and finish this review up... I think it's a great investment, and I've only installed it half way!

[SAV912]

Upshifts from 2nd to 3rd and 4th to 5th are going to be the biggest changes you will notice with the new bracket on. Shifts requiring pull backs were like using a bolt action rifle without it, but I noticed quick shifts from one gate to another required patience and precision.

I did the shifter, went for a spin and thought "This is awesome." Then I did the bracket that same day and thought "THIS IS F'ING AWESOME!" The bracket really does make that much of a difference. Now that I've changed fluid over to Redline MT90 a few days later, it's like Mila Kunis and Emily Blunt are waiting for me in my car every time I get in it, it feels THAT much more glorious over stock.

See my post in the MI prototype thread for a few pointers on getting the bracket changed out quickly and efficiently.

-C

[jpmck03]

Since my wife was out of town, I decided to forgo installing the bracket, as I didn't want to be left alone at home with a car I'd have to reassemble if I needed to go out. Since she's back, today, I decided to start out with part two of the install: the bracket.

Part Two: The Bracket

Tools Required (So Far)



The "Uninstall"

Looking at Altitude's instructions I knew that I had to:

• Remove air filter box (10mm)
• Remove battery
• Remove battery tray bracket (12mm) (also, unclip as many of the wiring harnesses that you can at this point)
• Remove the pins holding the cables to the shift levers and pull the cables off (careful with the washers)
• Remove clips holding the shifter cables in the bracket. (See below)
• Remove shifter cables from bracket. Push them back towards the firewall until the collar clears the rear of the bracket. Then move them out of the way.
• Remove silver wiring harness bracket from the cable bracket. (12mm)
• Remove the two bolts holding on the bracket (14mm)

However, so far, I haven't done things in just that order, and have skipped a few steps.

The first thing that I did was remove the battery by taking off the battery tie-down. I also removed the plastic battery tray at this time. This gave me ample access to the driver's side cable end.



I then removed the Micro Image-supplied pin from the short shifter and slipped the shift cable off of the peg on the short shifter. (The needle-nose pliers came in handy here.) Not wanting to hassle myself with removing the air filter box, I simply removed the OEM pin from the passenger side cable end by reaching between the radiator and air supply hose. (Remember to remove and keep track of the washers that go over the cable bushing!)

Next came the one step that I was dreading: removing the clips that hold the cables into the cable bracket. From what I've heard, this can be a pain; and it was. I tried using a screwdriver and that didn't work too well for me, then my handy multi-tool. That helped a little, but not enough. The method that worked best for me: soak the bracket with some WD-40, then lock a "medium-sized" locking pliers on the end of the clip and wiggle it left and right while pulling up. Eventually, they broke free and came out.

So far, I've now removed the following:



Of note, in order to remove the cables from the bracket, the cables need to be pushed back towards the firewall and then lifted out of the bracket.

...

To be continued...

...

And this is where I've stopped. I've realized that I have to remove the battery tray and attached wiring harnesses, as there is no way for me to get a socket wrench back to reach the bolts on the back of the cable bracket.

So, now I have to figure out how to free all of those cables from the back of the battery tray bracket in order to reach the back of the bracket... easy enough, I hope (actually, I know, as enough people have done it on here...).

Woohoo, we're free from those oppressive clips!


Soon, you'll be gone, too!

[jpmck03]

Can anyone tell me what the best way to go about removing the clips from the underside of the battery tray bracket?



Obviously you can remove the "tray" (shown in orange) portion by removing 12mm bolts (shown in yellow), but how do you go about removing the wiring clips from the upright section at the back? I can't really see back behind there to figure it out...

Thanks ahead of time to the awesome member who points me in the right direction!

[Black_griffin6]

Not trying to sound like an arse, but I would highly advise not putting your battery on the ground, because it looks to me like you have it on the ground.

I've found out the hard way that something about putting your battery on the ground kills it, not sure what exactly. It might be different with the Yaris's battery, but best to play it safe. It might be okay to leave it there for a little while, but don't leave it there for an extended period of time.


And btw, you don't need to remove the battery tray to do it.
I just undid the wire that is held onto the silver bracket, then removed the shifter cable bracket. The little thing that holds the wire to the wire bracket just unclips so you can get the wire out of the way.

[BEEF]

on the plastic pieces, there are little tabs that you push down that will free them from the metal tabs. if you look at the metal piece, the opposite end is where the plastic tab that you push down.

please realize that my description is pretty horrible but think kind of like taking a wiring harness apart. there has to be a tab pushed down in order to remove it. it locks it into place.

I hope this makes some sort of sense. when you take the first one lose, the rest will make more sense.

good luck and your pics are awesome. I like how you outlined the parts with color.

[jpmck03]

Thanks for the help, guys!

Originally Posted by Black_griffin6

Not trying to sound like an arse, but I would highly advise not putting your battery on the ground, because it looks to me like you have it on the ground.

Odd... from what I understood, that was an old wives (husbands?!) tale. Regardless, it's up on the shelf in the garage, so no worries either way. I just had it there for illustrative purposes. That and I didn't want to stub my toe on it while walking around the garage...

Originally Posted by Black_griffin6

And btw, you don't need to remove the battery tray to do it.
I just undid the wire that is held onto the silver bracket, then removed the shifter cable bracket. The little thing that holds the wire to the wire bracket just unclips so you can get the wire out of the way.

Interesting. So you are saying that you took the bracket out with the wiring bracket still attached to it? If not, it still might be worth a try. You know, take out both, then take out the wiring bracket where you have plenty of access to it. Then you could just attach it to the MI bracket and pop that back in... Hopefully we're on the same page, if not, maybe the way I see it in my head will work. (I hope we're on the same page, just to make it easier on my end. )

Originally Posted by BEEF

on the plastic pieces, there are little tabs that you push down that will free them from the metal tabs. if you look at the metal piece, the opposite end is where the plastic tab that you push down.

please realize that my description is pretty horrible but think kind of like taking a wiring harness apart. there has to be a tab pushed down in order to remove it. it locks it into place.

I hope this makes some sort of sense. when you take the first one lose, the rest will make more sense.

Nah, I get what you are saying. They're like the wiring harness for the stereo. You have to use the tab on it to release the wires from the plastic tip, or in this case to release the clip from the battery tray bracket. And I just realized that I gave a horrible description of the same thing. I don't think that there is an easy way to describe it, but I got it.

Originally Posted by BEEF

good luck and your pics are awesome. I like how you outlined the parts with color.

Thanks, one of my pet peeves is seeing a picture of something, but as a novice, not having a clue what's what. Some guys know the inside of an engine bay like the back of their hand, but to me... it looks like a jumbled mess of metal, plastic, cables, pipes, hoses, etc. I figured it's a lot easier to see what the hell someone is talking about if you see it highlighted in a photo. Also, it's a little easier to figure out how you are oriented when you can see that "oh, hey, there's that red shift cable, that orange thing is to the right of it!"

And don't worry everyone, I'm sure that I'll be throwing together a pretty decent DIY once I get this thing figured out, pulled apart and put back together again!

[BEEF]

it is definitely worth it. I put on the shifter piece first and then did the bracket too. I gave up mostly because of the heat, it was 100+ degrees that day. not my smartest move.

if you like the shifter, you'll love it with the bracket. it makes a huge difference

[Black_griffin6]

Originally Posted by jpmck03

Thanks for the help, guys!



Odd... from what I understood, that was an old wives (husbands?!) tale. Regardless, it's up on the shelf in the garage, so no worries either way. I just had it there for illustrative purposes. That and I didn't want to stub my toe on it while walking around the garage...



Interesting. So you are saying that you took the bracket out with the wiring bracket still attached to it? If not, it still might be worth a try. You know, take out both, then take out the wiring bracket where you have plenty of access to it. Then you could just attach it to the MI bracket and pop that back in... Hopefully we're on the same page, if not, maybe the way I see it in my head will work. (I hope we're on the same page, just to make it easier on my end. )

I remember when I was a kid, my dad was doing something to the family car, took the battery out and left it on the garage floor for a while, put the battery back in later and it was dead.
It's possible the battery could have just been dead anyway.
From what i've read lately, it's complete bollocks, so you're probably fine.



No, I took off the wiring bracket, but I didn't have to take out the battery tray. The black clip at the end of the wiring bracket that holds the wire unhooks and you can unbolt the wiring bracket much easier that way, it still stays on the wiring bracket itself, it just unhooks to release the wire from the wiring bracket so you can get to the bolt to take off the wiring bracket.
Bear in mind, all the bolts for the shifter cable bracket and wiring bracket are torqued down pretty tight, so you'll need something to put some leverage on it in order to get them loose.

Here's a picture of the clip i'm talking about.

[jpmck03]

Originally Posted by Black_griffin6

No, I took off the wiring bracket, but I didn't have to take out the battery tray. The black clip at the end of the wiring bracket that holds the wire unhooks and you can unbolt the wiring bracket much easier that way, it still stays on the wiring bracket itself, it just unhooks to release the wire from the wiring bracket so you can get to the bolt to take off the wiring bracket.
Bear in mind, all the bolts for the shifter cable bracket and wiring bracket are torqued down pretty tight, so you'll need something to put some leverage on it in order to get them loose.

I think we were on the same page. I just had the brilliant idea that you might be able to remove the shift cable bracket with the wiring bracket still attached. But, if you look at the bracket from the back (from the TRD instructions):



The silver cable bracket looks like it's just a little too in the way to be avoided.

---

The worst part about today's work:



No light in the garage = open the door and use sunlight. So, rain delay!

[BEEF]

you have to take that off since it goes on the new bracket. (the silver piece that is)

also, the washers make up the thickness difference. many users on here didn't use them but I figured why not since they came with the kit.

[jpmck03]

After a whole day of off-and-on-again storms, I decided to see if I could figure out an easy way to get the cable and wiring bracket apart and out of the engine bay and I figured out a way that was similar to Black_griffin6's suggestion, and using a little advice from BEEF.



I disconnected the clip closest to the passenger side of the battery tray bracket (highlighted in orange). This allowed me to push the cable back just enough to "comfortably" get my 1/4 in. drive teardrop ratchet wrench in and onto the 12mm bolt holding the wiring bracket to the cable bracket.

Once I got the bolt loose enough, I finger loosened the bolt and took it out (mainly because it was easier than using the wrench and so I was sure I wouldn't lose the bolt). After I got the bolt out, I just swung the cable bracket out of the way so I had better access to the two 14mm bolts that held the cable bracket in. Using the same technique as before, I broke those two free with a 1/2 in. ratchet wrench and then finger loosened them until they came out.

Low and behold, I now had that OEM cable bracket out!



Of note, the OEM bracket is pretty hefty. I was surprised at how heavy it was, relatively speaking; the MI bracket is easily a pound or two lighter than the OEM one!



Unfortunately, it started getting dark out and I've yet to remodel my garage to have a functioning light in it, so I stopped for the night after getting the new MI bracket in. No need to rush things and wind up screwing something up because I am excited to get everything back together and try things out.

More pics to come and a finished review once everything is put back together!

Can't wait to take her out for a spin!

[jpmck03]

Woo, got it in!!

Smooths things out quite a bit!





DIY: Coming soon.

[jpmck03]

Micro Image Short Shift Kit DIY by jpmck03