Got halfway through my track day yesterday and my shifter rod mounting brackets got bent allowing the shaft to fall out and I had zero shifting capability.
I already know how I'm going to fix it with a threaded Rod going through and so on but I started to think to myself....
I started to wonder if I was able to make my own paddle shifting system. I was quoted $8,000 for the whole system installed which I find outrageous and will not pay but if I could figure out how to do it myself the cost would be greatly reduced.
I thought I would ask people smarter than me on what I would need to make this happen. I already know there's air shifter kits available I just don't know if it would apply to our cars directly.
Anyone have any input or thoughts on this?
Hi @meatman, it looks like the shaft failed and the bracket bent in the process. I am sure that I have one of those shafts in my garage someplace nd I can send it to you so you can get back on track while you are deciding what you want to do about paddle shifting.
the Radical paddle shifting system is a little pricy but it is a really nice system. Once you spend some time in a paddle shift car, you will wonder how you lived without it. If you choose to go this way you can likely save a little money by working directly with Geartronics. I don’t honestly know how much Radical modified the Geartronics system, but they can tell you. The parts you will likely want to buy from Radical are the beefy piece that holds the shift actuator in place and the compressor. After you talk with Geartronics you can decide if it is worth any potential savings going that way or if it is worth a little more to go with the Radical system that is designed specifically for your car.
Hey Mr.C , thank you that is very gracious of you. I will send you an email.
The geartronics one was the unit I was quoted $8,000 for.
@meatman and @charleyhradicalsportscarregistry-com
i’m not sure Geartronics do the system… or maybe that was earlier SR3 models. Mine is supplied by Life…
@rjbender, Radical introduced the Life ECU and Life paddle shifting in late 2009 / early 2010. At that time paddle shifting was a fairly expensive option so quite o few of the early cars with Life ECU didn’t come equipped with Life Paddle shifting. Prior to the Life ECU SR3’s used MBE ECUs (very early cars also had some different ECU’s). On cars with MBE ECUs and cars with Life ECU’s that did’t have Life Paddle shifting, Radical used Geartronics paddle shifting. When converting a snicker shift car to paddle shifting the Geartronics system is the most economical option. There are some other companies that make less expensive systems but it is my understanding that they don’t work as well as the Geartronics systems.
The important thing with paddleshift is a closed loop system.
This monitors the rotation of the selector barrel and cuts for the required length of time. It can also recut if the shift is not completed.
Open loop on a set cut can be un reliable and also cause more gearbox damage.
If you are looking at a more budget closed loop system personally I would be going with a Tim Gray Motorsport system.
Thanks Dan, I will look into that.
