[ashmostro]

Posting this up for those who might be interested in any or all of these mods on their cars. Nothing tremendously new here as many have installed each of these parts but I haven't seen any other cars with this specific combination. Plus pics and video are always nice to have!

The Autosolutions SSK specs are 20% reduction with stock knob height. I have the UCP return spring in the middle setting. And nothing is tunable on the knob. I did 3D print a spacer to fill the void between the stock shift boot and the bottom of the Black Forest Industries knob. I like the look and it keeps clicking noises to a minimum.

Review/my perspectives:

• On the UCP pedal - the pedal like many have stated ends up with a nice tight "window" between engaged and disengaged with minimal excess travel on either end. The friction point is pretty close to right off the bottom although this can be tuned, and I set mine to -5mm of free play at the bottom. Friction zone itself feels pretty close to stock and unlike many others have reported, I don't feel a huge difference in clutch "feel". It just feels more efficient and I welcome the lower resting point of the pedal. This feels like an incremental improvement, not a radical one (to me).
• On the Autosolutions SSK - this one is a huge change. Feels dramatically different from stock, most in good ways, with one personal preference caveat. Obviously, the stroke is much shorter, and you can choose the amount of reduction, which is awesome. 20% is good for me as I didn't want a huge reduction as I find the larger position "indexing" of a longer throw is helpful on the track to mitigate money shifting. I also wanted to avoid a notable increase in gate/syncro effort. If I were to do it again I might even have gone with 15% reduction. But as I said, this is a totally personal preference. As others who have done this mod have reported, this SSK gives you much more accuracy and "rifle bolt" feeling, which is cool but also means that there is less forgiveness given to misalignment particularly when downshifting "diagonal" gears (ie 5th to 4th). There have been shifts that were blocked because I was shifting too fast, and in the prior setup the flex in the bushings would allow for the assembly to move around enough to compensate for the misaligment and go into gear easily. You could call this either a pro or a con depending on your perspective, but it's worth noting regardless. The other notable change to be wary of is that you do get more noise from shift detents hitting their stops, and vibration in the knob under acceleration. All said and done though, I do prefer this setup over stock and am glad I made the mod.
• Finally, regarding the Black Forest Industries weighted shift knob - interestingly, this is actually my favorite part of the whole setup. From prior experience, I knew weighted knobs make a huge positive impact to shift feel and ease, and it is no exception on this platform. Combining the weighted knob with the SSK is golden. Many of the shortcomings (sorry for the pun) of the SSK are offset with the heavier knob. I also like that the knob is physically larger which makes it more comfortable to use in anger on the track. 10/10 would do it again.

Below are some pictures and a video of the shift action. Happy to answer any questions as well.

Best,
-Ash

[ashmostro]

I forgot to add I already had a CDV delete for a while, so that's not taken into account in the "review" comments.

[(K)]

Reiterating your points on the mods (minus the knob). Mechanically, the SSK is a must. It makes the most direct, noticeable impact. Choosing the *best* setup for "you" is the hardest part but if you have a MT it's a must. Second is the UCP which offers more of a quality of life improvement rather than a mechanical, performance improvement. You can definitely do without the UCP but you'd be doing yourself a disservice by skipping it. I suppose it's akin to having a 6 disc CD changer vs Bluetooth connectivity, if that makes sense. The CDV is also a good mod that reinforces your investment in the UCP (or vice versa). That extra step to really get that extra *oomph* from the shifting mods.

If I could add to this list, for that extra *snickety snick* shifting:
Rogue Engineering transmission mounts
Rear differential bushings
Upgraded driveshaft support bearing

I'm making my way down the shifter mod list, finished up the Rogue Engineering mounts a few months ago and looking at the differential bushings next. Teetering that line between an even better shift experience without introducing excessive (intolerable) NVH.

[bimmerdriver2]

I have an Auto Solutions 30% shifter on my E46 M3. I installed it to replace a UUC shifter, which was a POS. It increases effort somewhat, but it also improves feel and accuracy compared to the UUC shifter or the stock shifter. I highly recommend an Auto Solutions shifter based on the experience with mine. I like the 30% reduction. I would rather have even more reduction than less, but this is very subjective. I believe Auto Solutions offers up to 40% reduction.

I also have a CDV delete. I expected it to be more noticeable, but it definitely improves clutch feel.

I've never used a weighted shift knob. I have an OEM BMW Performance illuminated leather shift knob, which looks similar to the original leather shift knob.

[neonbrown]

hey ashmostro

i'm currently installing the UCP on my f87 (already have autosolutions SSK) but ran into an issue getting clearance to remove the actual pedal itself. There seems to be an electronic box blocking it from releasing.

can you chime in how you were able to navigate the pedal out from under the dash?



Thanks

[ashmostro]

Oh man, I wish I could help you but my BMW tech installed my UCP so I don't have any insights for you. Apologies!