Well since installing my F2USA STS (short-trow shifter) I heard a lot about the same one being available on Ebay for 1/2 the price of F2s. So my curiosity got the best of me and I order one from Ebay.
Here's what I found when I compared the two.
The Ebay STS arrived nicely packaged in a cardboard 1st class mail envelope, inside of another 1st class mail envelope. Once you get through both envelopes you'll find this;
after opening the packaging you have;
My first step was to remove the reverse lockout gear which is not required on my car. Removing these pieces was easy enough and after doing so I did find a broken O-ring.
The broken O-ring did not present an issue for me as that was under the reverse lock-out gear I wasn't using anyway.
So my next step was to remove my F2 stick from my car and compare that to the Ebay stick;
Well they sure look that same to me! (Ebay left, F2 right)
Ah, but then I noticed something. The angles on the Ebay stick are very different then those on the F2 stick. Check the pictures below;
That's the Ebay stick on the left, F2 on right and my new header in the background. But that's another story.
And from another angle;
Also note the plastic piece in those pics. The one on the Ebay stick is to small. It went right through it's intended mounting location and fell out the other side. Not a huge issue, just use the stock piece instead.
So I really hadn't intended on installing the Ebay shifter but I wanted to see what difference those angles made. The first thing, after installing it, that I noticed was the shift cable was a lot closer to the console than with the F2 stick. But it did not actually hit the console, just pretty close.
Now for the biggest issue I found. The Ebay shifter would not return to neutral above 3rd and 4th when it was released. If you pushed through the gate toward 1st or 2nd and let go the stick just sat there. The gate didn't push it back to the correct location. Same for moving toward 5th and R.
So I double checked my install - everything was fine there. I removed the Ebay stick and confirmed my first suspicion. The main pivot point on the Ebay shifter was to big, not by a lot, but enough to add more resistance and prevent it from functioning correctly.
So, to me anyway, it is obvious that the F2 stick and the Ebay stick are in fact NOT the same. The angles on the two sticks along are enough to prove that point. Add with the pivot point issue it just confirms the old saying, "you get what you pay for".
EDIT: As of 9/29/08 this STS is out of stock and F2 will not be producing any more in the near future. Central Florida Motor Sports (www.c-f-m.com) does sell a STS for the same prices as Steeda and for those that prefer a shorter stick, CFMs is 1 1/2 inches shorter than Steeda's.
Here's what I found when I compared the two.
The Ebay STS arrived nicely packaged in a cardboard 1st class mail envelope, inside of another 1st class mail envelope. Once you get through both envelopes you'll find this;
after opening the packaging you have;
My first step was to remove the reverse lockout gear which is not required on my car. Removing these pieces was easy enough and after doing so I did find a broken O-ring.
The broken O-ring did not present an issue for me as that was under the reverse lock-out gear I wasn't using anyway.
So my next step was to remove my F2 stick from my car and compare that to the Ebay stick;
Well they sure look that same to me! (Ebay left, F2 right)
Ah, but then I noticed something. The angles on the Ebay stick are very different then those on the F2 stick. Check the pictures below;
That's the Ebay stick on the left, F2 on right and my new header in the background. But that's another story.
And from another angle;
Also note the plastic piece in those pics. The one on the Ebay stick is to small. It went right through it's intended mounting location and fell out the other side. Not a huge issue, just use the stock piece instead.
So I really hadn't intended on installing the Ebay shifter but I wanted to see what difference those angles made. The first thing, after installing it, that I noticed was the shift cable was a lot closer to the console than with the F2 stick. But it did not actually hit the console, just pretty close.
Now for the biggest issue I found. The Ebay shifter would not return to neutral above 3rd and 4th when it was released. If you pushed through the gate toward 1st or 2nd and let go the stick just sat there. The gate didn't push it back to the correct location. Same for moving toward 5th and R.
So I double checked my install - everything was fine there. I removed the Ebay stick and confirmed my first suspicion. The main pivot point on the Ebay shifter was to big, not by a lot, but enough to add more resistance and prevent it from functioning correctly.
So, to me anyway, it is obvious that the F2 stick and the Ebay stick are in fact NOT the same. The angles on the two sticks along are enough to prove that point. Add with the pivot point issue it just confirms the old saying, "you get what you pay for".
EDIT: As of 9/29/08 this STS is out of stock and F2 will not be producing any more in the near future. Central Florida Motor Sports (www.c-f-m.com) does sell a STS for the same prices as Steeda and for those that prefer a shorter stick, CFMs is 1 1/2 inches shorter than Steeda's.