# I have a Hurst shifter in my car... but I didn't put it there. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2001, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689 "2001-01-12T13:43:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/1 "2001-01-12T13:43:55Z")
When I bought my car a couple years ago (used) it came with a Hurst shifter. What is so special about this. Anything? Does it make the shifting shorter or something? The gears in the transmission are still facotry, right? So the ratios haven’t changed. So what’s the big deal about the shifter? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/2 "2001-01-12T13:54:48Z")
What kind of car? Did this car come equipped with a manual tranny out of the factory? Many American cars came as auto only, so some folks would drop in a manual tranny. They had to pick a shifter to go with the tranny, and the Hurst was always popular. I thought they were kind of average, but robust. The Hurst is not good (like in “feel”) for constant shifting, like euro- and jap-junk. It’s for SLAMMING, especially the type during drags, plus the robustness of the Hurst is good for torquey engines that send power back through the shifter. It’s a meaty product for the drag intentioned torquey American made muscled-up car. ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/3 "2001-01-12T13:55:39Z")
It’s like having Krager rims. Is it an Hurst in-line shifter? Those offer a shorter shift, thereby providing less time between power exertions on the gears. This translates to more acceleration power in the same time interval for quicker starts off the line. Plus, it gives you braggin’ rights in the High School parking lot. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/4 "2001-01-12T13:58:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spritle \* > \*\*It’s like having Krager rims. > > Plus, it gives you braggin’ rights in the High School parking lot. \*\* That’s hysterical. I’m waiting for Bear\_Nenno to tell us it’s a '75 Nova or similar w/ Kragar rims. Now that’d be funny. ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/5 "2001-01-12T14:06:06Z")
😃 And fuzzy dice from the mirror 😃 😃 Or mebbe a blue trimmed garter 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/6 "2001-01-12T14:40:24Z")
It is a 94 camero. I assume it came from the factory with a manual transmission. I assume this because they are cheaper than the autos, so why would a person buy the auto and then spend MORE money on a manual tranny. It is not an inline shifter or anything unusual. Standard 5 speed shifting. I don’t think I would even be able to tell it was anything special if it did not say “HURST” on it. Hell, maybe the previous owner just put a Hurst shift knob on it… Anyway, I am just sick of when people say “So why is your shifter like that” and I have to say “…errrr, it’s like better and stuff”. I would like to know what it does. The only visible difference of the shifter itself is that it is “T” shaped. Instead of a ball at the top. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/7 "2001-01-12T15:22:14Z")
I cast my vote for “it’s a different knob”. There is a chance the shifter mechanism is not stock, but that’s a slim chance. Why would someone convert a car from Automatic to Manual? Because some American cars were exclusively autos, but they still had a nice old V8s carried over from the 60’s. Guys into hot-rodding would drop in a manual. It is commen, so in the hot rodding biz, your question is really rhetorical. Take a 1996 Olds 442. While this car was a dog, it had a 305 V8, and only came in automatic (so did the Buick GN and SS Monte Carlo). Now, the 305 V8 is easily hot rodded, and it’d be a crime to keep the automatic. That’s a good platformm to built a semi-modern hot rod. Novas and such from the 70’s were often automatics only, but the had 350 V8s to build off of. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/8 "2001-01-12T15:36:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Guys into hot-rodding would drop in a manual. It is commen, so in the hot rodding biz, your question is really rhetorical. I know this. Maybe I was not specific enough in my question. I asked the question to justify my assumption that the camero I am driving is manual from the factory. Because they OFFER it manual, and it is actually more expensive to buy the auto. So no person would spend more for the auto version and then put in a manual. However, I do not know for a FACT it has a factory tranny. Who knows… maybe he changed his mind later. Or maybe the car has been through more than one previous owner… I am just assuming it for the reason above. If I owned a monte carlo, I would know it was not a factory tranny. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/9 "2001-01-12T15:50:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bear\_Nenno \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > Guys into hot-rodding would drop in a manual. It is commen, so in the hot rodding biz, your question is really rhetorical. > > I know this. Maybe I was not specific enough in my question. > I asked the question to justify my assumption that the camero I am driving is manual from the factory. Because they OFFER it manual, and it is actually more expensive to buy the auto. So no person would spend more for the auto version and then put in a manual. > However, I do not know for a FACT it has a factory tranny. Who knows… maybe he changed his mind later. Or maybe the car has been through more than one previous owner… > I am just assuming it for the reason above. If I owned a monte carlo, I would know it was not a factory tranny. > > \*\* Let me refer you to the Kragar rims theory: Someone thought it was cool and added it. Your Camaro was probably always a manual, but some mullet wearing fool thought they’d be cool and stick a Hurst shifter or Hurst knob in there. Look for little burn holes in the seats from the roaches they were smoking in there. Seriously, in my original post, I explained why someone would add a whole shifter. If they added a whole shifter, it is being wasted in a car that doesn’t need it. If they added a knob, they were trying to be cool, but just look foolish. That should answer the “why” question about the shifter/knob. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/10 "2001-01-12T16:02:04Z")
I’d say it was just some sort of cheap add on. You can buy the shifter part for 30 bucks or so at the auto shop. I think all it is is the handle and maybe the lever. I thought about buying one when I was 16 too! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/11 "2001-01-12T16:57:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bear\_Nenno \* > \*\*When I bought my car a couple years ago (used) it came with a Hurst shifter. What is so special about this. Anything? Does it make the shifting shorter or something? The gears in the transmission are still facotry, right? So the ratios haven’t changed. So what’s the big deal about the shifter? \*\* From the [New Products from Hurst](http://www.mrgasket.com/hurstnew.htm) page: > [@](#): > > **Quick/Stick Shifters** > These shifters are designed for quicker more positive shifts, and reduce the throw as much as 30%! Of course, I don’t know about your particular shifter… ---
**Author:** ![mrblue92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@mrblue92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrblue92)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/12 "2001-01-12T18:02:05Z")
I’m no expert, but can’t you look up the VIN codes and find out what the original tranny was? Not sure if the code would be so specific as to indicate the type and manufacturer of the transmission, but it might. Of course, if you completely tear apart the car and find the build order, it would probably tell you on there… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![broccoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@broccoli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/broccoli)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/13 "2001-01-12T18:52:10Z")
Think of it like the difference in a Sony walkman, and a Bose home theater system. Its just bigger, better, faster, more. It’s a Rolex compared to a Timex. ---
**Author:** ![Sleepy\_Weasel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Sleepy\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleepy_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hurst-shifter-in-my-car-but-i-didnt-put-it-there/49689/14 "2001-01-12T19:03:09Z")
Typically, the door codes have a TON of info about the car. The trick is finding someone with the list of codes. I bought my first car thinking it was a run of the mill 65 Mustang with a straight 6 and a 3-speed manual. After checking the codes against a restoration manual I determined the build date, engine configuration and displacement, tranny, rearend ratio, paint & interior colors as originally built. Turned out it was an early 64-1/2. The 6 was no good for racing, but had I put it in a show, the judges would have known from the codes that it was all original, right down to the right paint. A 94 Camaro (don’t let the wrench-heads see you spell it with an “e”) may have the codes listed in a Chilton’s manual, but if not, just call a Chevy dealer and talk to the guys in service. They can look it up for you.