Rating: Difficult to install but worth every penny!

Car: 1997 GTI VR6

Cost: Since Air & Water Enterprises no longer sells the short shift kits, you can get one from Neuspeed for $499.95 and TRM Performance for $269

Required Tools: Everyone you have! A hoist is highly recommended. I can't remember all of the tools we used, but the shifter does come with complete instructions.

Time: It took me and my Father (a professional mechanic) about 1.5 hours to install the shifter. The car was on a hoist and we had all the tools we could ever need!

Impressions:

For those of you considering installing the shifter yourself, you may want to reconsider. I felt as though it was relatively difficult to install the shifter, even with all the correct tools (This isn't A&WE's fault, it is just the way the car was constructed.) After the shifter was installed, I noticed an immediate difference... not only was the shift throw cut in half, but the shifter was a lot notchier and much more difficult to move. In fact, I felt it was so stiff that I would've removed the thing and reinstalled my factory shifter had it not been so difficult to install! After posting my comments to the GTI-VR6 list, many people requested that I give the shifter some time to loosen-up, and it did. It is now almost as maneuverable as the factory shifter was, and I've become so accustomed to the short shift that even it feels too long! Despite my rather negative initial impressions, I feel as thought the Air & Water Enterprise Short Shifter kit is a definite 'must have' for any serious VR6 owner. And, at only $165, I don't know how Neuspeed can sell any of theirs!

Todd Taylor
'97 GTI VR6