Steeda Focus ST Short Throw Shifter Bracket
Throw Shorter!
The idea of the short-throw shifter has been around for many years, and there are many brands and styles to choose from. For the MK1 focus, there were more than a dozen brands and styles to choose from but only a handful were truly short-throws. Many knock-off’s were designed to give you the illusion of a shortened throw, but in reality, were just shortened OEM shifters of less than stellar quality. On the surface, polished finishes, anodizing, cool backgrounds and extremely shortened shifter stocks look like a cool modification, but not only does not actually shorten your shifter throw, but can increase the effort required to go between gears. It’s a simple matter of leverage.
About twelve years ago. after going through several shifters for my mk1 focus’, one breaking and failing after the other, I came across the Steeda Tri-Ax shifters. I had read review after glowing review of them and took a chance on one more shifter. After a simple installation, I was more than impressed. The quality was genuine and very apparent even on first glance. The shifter itself was only slightly shorter in length, but had the OEM+ look that I have grown to crave. No longer did I have to worry about cables popping off, shoddy welds snapping under heaving shifting, and expensive leather shift boots getting torn to shreds by extreme bunching because of a ridiculously shortened stock. This was the real deal!
Fast forward today and several focus’ later, It was time to shorten the throw of my 2013 ST. After studying at great length the several styles, price points, and brands available, I went back to the brand that I know and trust, Steeda. The option from Steeda for the ST is a two part system. In this write-up, I will be reviewing the shifter bracket only.
A simple design that attaches directly to the shift linkage on top of the transmission and changes the point of connection for the shift cable. Installation was simple and straight forward with very few hand tools needed. The most difficult part of the installation was the use of a 4mm allen wrench to tighten the two bolts that hold the new bracket to the existing shift arm since they install from the bottom. Small hands and a bit of patients go a long way in this step. Although not included in the kit, I suggest using a bit of loc-tite on the bolts to keep them from backing out over time just as a precaution.
Once the intake was re-installed, I tested the throw on the shifter and the shortened throw is more than noticeable. The shift from first to second gear with the new bracket installed feels closer to the original throws shift from first to neutral. The effort required to go between gears is almost negligible, but it is there. This minute increase in effort is of no consequence when considering the amount of throw reduction.
The new shifter stock is next up on the list to complete the full Steeda Short Throw Shifter installation and I am excited to experience the complete setup. Check back soon for another write up on that installation and a review of the brackets performance in the next LSG Rally from Orange County, to Las Vegas!
Check out Steeda’s website for this product and everything else that they make for the ST!