Fiesta ST Short Shifter “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Fiesta ST Short Shifter “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Fiesta ST quick shifters have been one of the go to staple diets for many fast Ford fanatics, I mean what feels better than flicking through the gear box of your sporty Fiesta with super short shifts, surely there’s nothing more race car than that 😊

So, let’s talk product disparity. Why are some Focus and Fiesta shifters more expensive than others?

Some short shift kits, in particular for the Fiesta ST Mk7 and Mk8 are made from a casting with a complete replacement shifter arm that is weighted on the end. For example, the Mountune model which is a great idea has its complications from a fitting point of view and only supports massive volume of manufacture. Also, the cast part is not as strong as a billet machined part nor as aesthetically pleasing to the eye. All be it still a great option if budget stretches.

Moving on to the billet machined clamp on style of Fiesta ST short shifters. This is where the disparity really starts between a cheap material and poorly designed/ manufactured product.

In some cases, these products are made from a cheap billet aluminium and even left uncoated with no anodizing to protect the raw material, which obviously is far from ideal in the engine bay of a fast ford producing lots of heat!

Poor design and rushing to market can also lead to a poor fitting item with limited durability, ultimately leaving the consumer disappointed and out of pocket.

As with every VUDU product we pour every ounce of design thought, research and development and over all care into our final release and our range of Ford Fiesta ST and Focus ST quick shifts haven’t slipped through the net.

We use an aero space accredited T6061 aluminium which is precision machined to our exact design specifications before being heat treated then hard anodised for ultimate reliability. Whilst not the cheapest short shifters on the market we have the highest confidence in the durability and performance of our product having tested them for many thousands of road miles, UK track days and the Nürburgring.

Whilst we believe that the extra money spent on a truly unique and aesthetically pleasing product should be everyone’s prerogative as an alternate product, a cast aluminium powder coated full arm short shifter is an acceptable alternative.

In our opinion the cheaper end products serve a purpose on cars not under much duress, but when used in a harsh environment will not have the longevity of a truly engineered product.

Check out our full range of Fiesta ST Mk8 tuning products, Fiesta ST Mk7 products and Focus ST tuning products.