Rogue Engineering clutch stop, tranny mounts, ssk review on ZHP

[Iniquity]

Like the title says, I'm going to give a brief review of my three latest modifications: RE clutch stop, RE tranny mounts, RE Octane SSK.

*I'm in no way affiliated with Rogue Engineering, just a happy customer*

CLUTCH STOP
install:
damn, what a bitch to install.. hardest thing... okay okay.. just kidding.. easy as pie.. takes less than 5 minutes.. depending on how fast you can unscrew that bad pay and how quickly and picky you are with your clutch engagement point... myself, i'm on the edge.. when i start in my garage i just push in normally and start the car.. when it gets really hot in my car (AZ summer heat) i need to push a wee bit harder as the rubber and metal expands just enough to go beyond the trigger point.. not a problem..
one thing to note though.. definitely use a wrench to tighten the lock nut.. at first i just finger tightened and the thing kept coming lose and my short clutch travel would get long again... so just make sure to tighten it down.. i just used the factory wrench in the trunk..

experience: definitely worth the $15... shifting is a bit easier/smoother.. seems to help alleviate the vagueness of the CDV because the second you release the clutch you're pretty much in the engagement point already... also seemed to make the car "quicker".. just psychological thing.. clutch in/out faster = quicker and more spirited driving..


OCTANE SSK:
install-
okay.. lets see.. where to begin.. you definitely need to remove the tranny brace and drop the tranny an inch or two.. i did the install on ramps while laying on the ground and used a hyrdrolic jack to raise/lower the tranny as needed...

well, lets see.. i know a lot of people said it would be easier on a lift.. etc.. etc.. but i found lying on the ground comfortably allowed me to manuever my arm and body into positions that let me reach things and still be comfortable lying down and still allowing for great amounts of leverage for my arms and such.. positions not possible if the car is above you while standing up.. plus. not having to look up all the time was easy on the neck..

Removing the tranny brace was easy.. just bend the heatshielding out of the way and unscrew (don't forget to have hydro. jack supporting tranny)... i couldn't see anything, even with flashlight..(i left the rubber boot, foam, etc in the car still.. big mistake.. remove it because it lets light in that makes the install easier).. okay, so i removed the stock shifter and such.. tearing out that rubber seal was a pain in the arse..

and just toss out the shifter removal tool included.. that was useless.. all it did was strip the tabs of the cup (makes me wonder if i could have saved $$ on the SSK if they didn't include it) .. just use needlenose pliers and twist.. much easier.. like 2 seconds.. then yank the shifter, cup, and pivot ball out..

back under the car.. the circlip (bitch clip) came off in about 5 seconds.. .. i was worried because so many peopel complain.. i juts reached in with my hand and pinched it off with my bare fingers.. though, like I mentioned earlier, i don't think this would have been possible if not for the lying down, ramp install..which allowed for manuevering my arm comfortably and letting me get plenty of leverage.... seperating the shifter from the wsr was easy.. just pry it off.... the carrier was a bit more troublesome, as there is nothing in the instructions that tell you how to remove/install the carrier (big oops if you ask me.. there's nothing even mentioned about the carrier) .. although i did have a clear view of the pin and saw how it latched, i wasn't sure where to pull out.. so i had to use the UUC instructions from their site... very simple.. the passenger side one is a littler harder to get out, the tranny needs to be lowered because insulation is in the way... u need to lower it slightly more to remove the carrier as the cup gets stuck.. TOTAL TEAR DOWN TIME: ~30 minutes..

Putting things back is where things get tricky.. one bad thing.. the new carrier arm didn't have bushings pre-installed... or included.. no biggie.. just used the old ones.. getting the carrier in took about 2 hours.. what a pain in the ass.. this had to be the toughest part of the install.. as the new cup is higher and you're not supposed to remove it.. i tried everything.. here's what worked.. slide the rear into the slow w/the carrier sideways to get the cup through the hole.. twist the carrier upright to get the cup "into the car" and push it as far forward as possible..finally lower the tranny little by little until you have enough room to push the carrier into the insulation..allowing the carrier to slide into place..it's gonna be a tight fit and you're gonna have to push hard (unless your drop the tranny enough to make it stlip in easy.. but i didn't ) after that.. slide on the the washers, etc and shifter onto the wsr again.. easy.. no prob.. then it becomes a pain again.. trying to get the circlip back on.. because now you have an additional ss washer and a spring on the selector rod.. this took about an hour to get the final clip back on.. two hands would definitely help for this nbecause you need one perosn to squeeze the spring to give you enough room to install the clip.. what i finally did was put the shifter into 3rd gear (or maybe it was 5th).. i did it to move the shifter/sr connection point over so I could wedge my socket wrench extenesion in tight.. pushing against the back of the selector rod and the insulation.. this gave me the "backing" i needed to compress the spring and install the clip with the same hand simultatneously.. that about does it for the hard stuff.. reinstalling the rubber boot, foam, etc was easy..

EXPERIENCE: when i first sat in moving the shifter.. I was like "that's it?" doesn't feel that much shorter but it's definitely got a more snug feeling.. more shifter effort is required.. but nothing too bad.. it makes the shifter feel more solid.. like you gotta work with the car.. that's one complaint i've got about newer bmws.. too comfortable.. i wish my steering was stiffer like the older e30s.. etc.. etc... i don't plan to get a heavier knob or the WSR (if they make one.. considering I don't wanna mess with the circlips again.. besides.. i like the "stiffness"anyway.. the drive.. okay.. WOWWWW!! it's definitely shorter.. i guess sitting and thinking about shifting made it feel "okay".. but just driving and shifting made it feel incredible.... it's definitely and noticeably shorter.. i'd say their ~33% is correct or even modest... it almost feels like half the travel is required now.. so my ZHP stock ssk has become ZHP super ssk now..... shorter travel also lets me drive the car quicker.. right now I'm still getting use to the shorter travel.. like on the 1-2 shift.. driving aggressively i pull too far over to the left sometimes and get caught in the reverse notch.. this will just taking getting used to.... no extra NVH.. or tranny whine.. although on occasions I heard tranny whine with my stock shifter (barely) .. it's not any more than usualy.. which is pretty much never..

TRANNY MOUNTS:
install- well.. if your dropping the tranny and removing the brace.. might as well do the mounts.. install is simple.. no difficulties..

experience- not sure if it helps performance... BUT.. the shifter is definitely more stable.. there is significantly less vibration on the shifter.. and I do mean significant... before it would vibrate.. when the engine shudders or on shutdown. you could feel the shifter move a couple millimeters.. now the vibration feels like a sonicare toothrbrush.. except not as fast obviously.. but the degree of movement is similar.. movement is just reduced by over 100% i'd say..

CONCLUSION:
clutchstop: $15 worth spending.. it's so simple you could make your own.. but eh.. $15.. it's the cheapest bmw mod we can get.. definitely worth it..

tranny mounts: performance wise.. dunno if it helps.. but security wise.. i like it.. makes the shifter feel more snug and secure because there's less vibration.. i'd recommend this as well..

octane SSK: hoooowaaah! get one!.. even without the WSR or a heavier knob.. it's great.. but I do like the "harder" effort because again, it makes the shifter feel more solid.. and it makes me feel more connected to the car, having to work with it.. instead of a clunking feeling you feel and hear the engagement and being able to use your fingers to shift.. now you gotta grab the shifter... and still you only need to use your wrist to shift... "snick snick" as other people have described it.. very accurate.. and there's no extra NVH.. one thing I didn't like though was the lack of intructions.. Rogue definitely needs to redo or add to them.. but i had no trouble calling them and asking for help.. i even did that while under the car.. once again, good customer service.. although my last gripe.. the synthetic grease.. they should juts include it.. even if it's "ghetto" packaged.. like a swab of it stuck in a ziplock bag.. because you really only need like a quarter size.. but now i've got this like 16 oz jar of the stuff (speaking of which, the Octane SSK, was packaged very very very nicely.. like they used one of those food saver vacuum thingies, minus the vacuuming)

[TeKNiC330]

Wow...this makes me wanna get a SSK.

How much were the tranny mounts if you don't mind me askin?

[KritonD]

I just got the clutch stop too, I like it, extremely simple to install and I, thankfully, didnt have the starting problems some people have reported in newer e46s. It makes it easier and faster to shift, I'm still sorta new to stick but it gave me much more confidence. I'm sure its just as useful for experienced drivers after reading reviews too.

I'd like a SSK and tranny mounts too, but know nothing about installing nething in a car, so I'll hold off till I learn or wanna pay for someone to install it. Thanks for your reviews.

[Iniquity]

Wow...this makes me wanna get a SSK.

How much were the tranny mounts if you don't mind me askin?

$45... free shipping at M3 Motorworkes

http://www.m3motorwerks.com/products...php/II=52/PA=0

i ordered everything from them.. as i've dealt with them before (Exhaust) and trusted them.. plus they had free shipping on 2 of the 3 items..

tranny mounts and clutch stop came from M3M.. Octane SSK was dropshipped directly from Rogue Engineering..