I happen to have a colleague in the US on business, who can bring me back a few goodies in his luggage.
Are Scat and Empi Trigger Shifters any good? Are they the same thing rebranded or is there a difference in quality?
Thanks,
Brett
Bizarre ·
the $$$ isnt bad at the moment
I would buy a Berg with the ball handle
bnicho ·
Is the price difference between a Berg ball shifter and a Scat trigger worth it?
I'm not looking for a racing fast change.
The main reason for wanting an aftermarket shifter is the revised reverse lockout. Somebody in this household has twice found reverse when attempting to get second. This same person also finds it hard to remember to push the stick down to find reverse.
I have been instructed to "fix it". :P
Sides ·
Well, at the risk of being politically incorrect, the simplest fix is always the best...
"You can't drive the Beetle anymore."
😂
Seriously tho - I have an Empi one that cost me like $100 or something from Mick's a while back... Berg is definitely better quality and a nicer feel, but no issues with the POS Empi so far.
👍
Bizarre ·
I have the CSP - but that is european
Personaly i dont like the T bar
The trigger is Left / Right hand drive neutral
The T bar and ball of Berg you need to get the lock out button in RHD version
The CSP has a 2 finger pull up
I like it better
The quality of CSP and Berg and miles ahead of the Scat and Empi
About as different as the cheap chrome bumpers and original chrome
If you are going to leave the car in the garage then the empi and scat will do
I drive mine every day
hellbugged ·
berg 40% less throw version for you
Good thing about berg is you can sell it in 10years time for pretty much what you paid for it and as pointed out get exactly what your needs require
If youre hitting reverse you prolly should be looking at shifter adjustment, front shift rod bush, rear gearbox/shift rod coupling or a combo of all three anyhow
bnicho ·
Other than getting 4th instead of 2nd a couple of times myself, I'm quite happy with the stock shifter and I drive the car 99% of the time. I'm not really looking for shorter throw. Just the reverse lockout to help "her indoors" who is more used to Automatics. 😊
If everyone says EMPI units are a POS, what exactly goes wrong with them? Do they break in two, do they develop slop in six months, or do they just look cheap? ❓
If the Scat/Empi units will not break in say five years of daily use or cause extra problems, then I reckon I'll be happy enough with one of those at 10-15% of the price of a Berg unit.
But you are right Hellbugged, it could probably do with a shift coupling and bush too.
hellbugged ·
how much $ be the empis anyway?
bnicho ·
hellbugged wrote:how much $ be the empis anyway?
About $55-60AU delivered to Chicago. 😎
hellbugged ·
okay your 10% was a fair way off then.......
bnicho ·
hellbugged wrote:okay your 10% was a fair way off then.......
Yes, you are right. Cheapest Berg shifters are arond $250US and cheapest Empi around $40US (both without freight added). So it's more like 17%. 🙂
But unless I'm not looking in the right places, there doesn't seem to be anything available in between. Say $100US.
I don't really want to spend $250US on a Berg shifter. It's not justified for a stock Bug that gets driven every day and is often parked at a railway station. 🙅
Cheers,
waltermitty ·
bnicho wrote:But you are right Hellbugged, it could probably do with a shift coupling and bush too.
I recon thats your first port of call> Might do the trick. Mitchell
oldtub356 ·
Funny, I had always thought that Hurst Shifters were the orig-ine-al and the best. And, that all of those mentioned above were latter day "Me Too" versions. I must be wrong?
Bizarre ·
But you cant buy a Hurst shifter
You can buy Berg, CSP, Scat and EMPI
roundtoit ·
empi on ebay for $85 delivered, was thinking about one myself, does "one size fit all" or do you need to specify year?
SuperOwen ·
Apparently bugpack make a nice shifter that is about 100 us dollars and is supposedly 99% as good as a berg. May be lhd only though. I'm a csp man, order direct from germany is cheapest. I also noticed vintagespeed from taiwan make a new shifter that looks almost like a stock unit, might be worth a look.
I heard the Vintage Speed ones where good - I have a Flat4 in the 58 that I picked up in the UK cheap when I was over there recently. Looks fantastic, changes fine with a shortish throw but it rattles annoyingly at certain rev's.
Bizarre ·
NullaDub wrote:but it rattles annoyingly at certain rev's.
My guess is that is the shift bushing gone
vwo60 ·
Hi,
I currently run a copy of the hurst (empi), its been in the car for five years with no issues, the only problem that i have had with this type of shifter is the rivets that hold the split pivot bushing in place loosen as they pull into the softer material, simply remove these and replace them with button head cap screws, this has not happened with the current shifter only the genuine hurst developed the problem, as far as i can see there is nothing wrong with a lot of the cheaper shifters for daily use, it all depends on what you are happy to use.
barls ·
ive had both the empi and scat shifters in two similar cars. personally i prefer the scat as it has a nicer shift out of the two.
dragvw2180 ·
I have owned alot of differant shifters but the BERG Signature Series I bought in 1991 is the best. After all these years and unknown amount of racing shifts it still is as good as it was the first time I installed it. I liked the scat trigger shifter as a second choice, half the price of Bergs, but not as robust. I had to take mine apart and replace the rivets with bolts, milled the bushings for a tighter fit, afterward it was tight and trouble free. The Berg never required anything but a drop of oil once in awhile. Mike
bnicho ·
It's getting nigh-on impossible to find second gear on downshifts now, I usually end up in fourth.
I've ordered a new coupling, bush and a quickshift kit from Mick's. I've given up on the idea of a trigger shifter for now.
I found the thread on replacing the bush, so I'll probably tackle this next weekend.
Cheers,
cam070 ·
bnicho wrote:It's getting nigh-on impossible to find second gear on downshifts now, I usually end up in fourth.
I've ordered a new coupling, bush and a quickshift kit from Mick's. I've given up on the idea of a trigger shifter for now.
I found the thread on replacing the bush, so I'll probably tackle this next weekend.
Cheers,
You may need to adjust the position of the plate if yu can't find second easily.
If you hear a rattle coming through your geat stick, that's a tell tale sign of a worn bush.
bnicho ·
cam070 wrote:You may need to adjust the position of the plate if yu can't find second easily.
If you hear a rattle coming through your geat stick, that's a tell tale sign of a worn bush.
Which way do I need to move the plate?
It does rattle at anything above 75 kays now. If I rest my left knee against the stick it goes away. 🙅
Cheers,
Bizarre ·
bnicho wrote:Which way do I need to move the plate?
bottom of page 5
matberry ·
bnicho wrote:
cam070 wrote:You may need to adjust the position of the plate if yu can't find second easily.
If you hear a rattle coming through your geat stick, that's a tell tale sign of a worn bush.
Which way do I need to move the plate?
It does rattle at anything above 75 kays now. If I rest my left knee against the stick it goes away. 🙅
Cheers,
Yep there's the problem, once the rattle starts the busk is cactus.
My 2c....Berg or stock, although CSP or Vintage Speed seem to be worth a look.
bnicho ·
Bizarre wrote:
bnicho wrote:Which way do I need to move the plate?
bottom of page 5
I must be looking at a different thread, as it's only two pages...
the october 2010 hotVWs magazine ( out now, for those with a subscription ) has got a big comparison article on shifters.
bnicho ·
I spent about half an hour on the weekend fiddling with the shifter plate. Viva la difference! I can now get second gear 100x more easily. 😀
I'm still going to install the quickshift, bush and coupling, but that can wait a week or two now.
vassy66T1 ·
100% in agreement with Matt that either the really good gear or stock. I got rid of 2 Scat shifters for Bus as I wasn't as happy with them as I was with stock.
I did have a scat shifter in my beetle that operated very nicely. (Just to mess things up ... but recent experiences have been different)
A shifter won't make it any better if gears are hard to find. My stock shifter is great 😏