Got my 3DRap.it shifter mod, and here are my thoughts

St3fan · Jan 19, 2017

I literally spent a fortune this holiday season on my aluminum profile rig, which means I have absolutely no budget to upgrade my setup and have to stick to my G27. I ran into this 3DRap.it mod the other day on r/simracing, and thought the idea was fun. So I ordered this mod, which cost 13 Euros, and ~7 US dollars for shipping.

Link for the mod: http://www.3drap.it/prodotto/mod-cambio-gearbox-logitech-g25-g27-g29-improved-feel/

This mod is supposed to add resistance for G27 H shifter so it becomes more demanding to get into gears. Here is the demonstration video from their Youtube channel:

The package came in nicely:

Basically the mod consists of 2 parts: a black "rail" part, and an orange "slider" part. The idea is very simple: the slider can slide left and right in the rail, and due to the shape of the slider it creates some resistance so G27 is harder to get into gear.

Here are my thoughts after using it for a while:

The added resistance does feel nice.
But sadly it still doesn't change the experience a lot IMHO. The G27 shifter still feels like a toy.
What keeps the black rail part in place are the foam parts on the G27, and the PU leather shifter cover. Because the slider will deform when you shift gears, the slider will give upward force to the rail, causing the rail to rise a bit. This does not feel nice. Notice in the picture above when I show how the shifter is in gear I use my fingers to push down the rail. I can feel something is wonky inside the shifter when I drive. It can be very tricky to get into reverse gear sometimes, due to the extra effort needed to push the shifter down while shifting. I think maybe if the rail can be better attached to the shifter the experience will be much nicer.
The seller includes a replacement slider in the package, which I think means that the slider will wear out some time (which also makes sense). This means I should not glue the rail part to the shifter to solve the aforementioned issue, or I will have a hard time getting the rail off when I need to replace the slider.

Do I recommend this mod? Maybe, maybe not. I probably will give a 6/10 or 7/10 for this mod. If you live in the Europe and don't have to spend a lot for shipping, and if you are sure you will stick to your G25/G27/G29 for a while, and if you want just some easy added feeling for the shifter, then I think maybe you can consider this mod. I would say for most people, the best thing to do if you want a really good H shifter is to save for something that is much better than the G27 shifter in the first place.

Just my 2 cents.

CageyH · Dec 29, 2018

I know it does both, but is it durable?

Leonardo Ratafiá · Dec 29, 2018

I don't know, the Famatec seems to be more durable due to the construction. But I couldn't tell that.
I like the shh

St3fan · Dec 29, 2018

CageyH said:
Any updates on your experiences with this mod?
I am looking for a cheap shifter whilst I make a decision on which to buy, and I already have a G25 shifter.

This mod broke (both 3D printed pieces snapped) after about 4 months regular use. They have new models since and the new model appears to be much better quality and much more refined. You can find reviews on YouTube channels like Amstudio and SimRacingGarage.

Sim Strata · Dec 30, 2018

I just went down the road of ordering an SHH Shifter. All these mods for the G shifters look very temporary.

Leonardo Ratafiá · Dec 30, 2018

Tardy Tony said:
I just went down the road of ordering an SHH Shifter. All these mods for the G shifters look very temporary.

you're gonna love it

Deleted member 637371 · Dec 30, 2018

Leonardo Ratafiá said:
you're gonna love it

Just looking at this shifter, looks very nice! And i only ordered a TH8A the other day

Sim Strata · Dec 30, 2018

itsbillyfrazier said:
Just looking at this shifter, looks very nice! And i only ordered a TH8A the other day

You can always return it unopened for a full refund. The reason I went SHH, is because I use a play seat challenge it is better to be lightweight compared to the Fanatec, has the Logitech mounting bracket and a very easy conversion between H and sequential shifting. Durability is good by most YouTube accounts too. The only bother is I need a button box to replace those that will be lost from the G27 shifter. Any recommendations?

St3fan · Jan 8, 2019

Actually the funny thing is that when you guys were discussing SHH, I was ordering one at the same time. Today I received it.

Sim Strata · Jan 8, 2019

Wow, you got it quick. Mine won't be shipped until the 12th.

St3fan · Jan 8, 2019

Tardy Tony said:
Wow, you got it quick. Mine won't be shipped until the 12th.

I wanted it quick and bought the older model that they had already printed for display and photos. So far I am happy about the construction of it. Although many people in their Youtube reviews say they don't like the 3D printed knob, I actually quite like it. It might be a bit light, but it is actually quite hard and feels substantial in my hand. The 3D printed housing is also much stronger than I expected. I chose the chrome top plate it turns really nice. It is a much stronger shifter than the G27 even with the G27 shifter mod, but don't expect anything that gives you tactile feedback or any "real car" feeling. I have used a Fanatec shifter before and I can say with confidence that the Fanatec shifter is noticeably better with H pattern.

What I already dislike about it are two things:
1. I have the 7+R top plate, and there is no lock-out function to keep you from accidentally shifting into 7 or reverse. When I am driving in VR it is sometimes hard for me to shift into 5 or 6 as there is no tactile feed back. I am not sure ordering a 6+R plate will fix it though. Maybe I just need some more time to get used to this, but now I am quite a lot slower than before.
2. The push down and rotate to change between sequential and H patterns feels a bit... weird. I always feel that I stop half way between the two functions and sometimes I just got confused whether I am in the correct shifting pattern. Also the instruction tells you not to move the shifter left to right when in sequential mode but if you don't change the top plate there is no physical fail-proof to stop you from accidentally doing that.

Two things to look out for when you receive it:
1. Don't over torque the set screw if you choose to install the smaller shifter knob. There is instruction in the box telling you not to do so but I accidentally did it and now I have to sand and polish the top of the metal shifter pole.
2. When I first received the shifter, the shifting mechanism hits the sensors (I believe they are Hall effect sensors?). You should definitely take down the top plate to see if yours do that. There is a video showing you how to do it:

Overall I don't have a strong opinion on it - I don't like it a lot like many other people and I don't hate it either. I think I will need to spend more time with it and just get used to it. In the meanwhile because I don't plan to use the G27 shifter any more, I will be making a button box soon.

Sim Strata · Jan 8, 2019

Ah, that explains it. I ordered the latest one. It will be interesting to see if there is any posirive difference to your experience. I ordered seq and 6 gate plates too. For the seq issue you mentioned, I was thinking all that is needed is a plastic piece to snugly slot into the side grooves of the H plate and stop lateral movement making the seq plate and screwdriver redundant.

Patrick Ross · Feb 27, 2019

FrancisG said:
Absolutely!

(Note I removed the leather one mine for debugging and kinda think it looks cool, but It works with it no problem)

Ehy, nice work! That mod seems much more sturdier. But what about the stifness it offers? Have you tested it with specific instruments?

Mascot · Feb 28, 2019

Having owned a G27 shifter in the dim and distant past my advice to anyone would be to ditch it as soon as possible. It's a limp and floppy godawful product that isn't worth spending time and money modding. Even the old plastic Fanatec Porsche shifters were a step up, and they were utter rubbish.
The TH8 is a huge improvement and the Fanatec CSS is a big jump over that one, then there's the boutique engineered ones that are top-tier. The G27 shifter would be rejected by Fisher Price's product team.

Patrick Ross · Mar 2, 2019

In my opinion, as long as you've already own a G25/27/29 shifter, modding is worth time (usually not much) and money (if not more than 10-20 €) spent, because it'll still remain an entry level device, but the improvement will be consistent.
I hate soft gear changes and the mod I saw seems to harden that mechanism.

The shifters you've mentioned cost much more, compare the G series with them doesn't make much sense. If you willing to spend 2, 3 or even more times as much, obviously we're not even talking about Logitech shifters.

FrancisG · Mar 9, 2019

Patrick Ross said:
Ehy, nice work! That mod seems much more sturdier. But what about the stifness it offers? Have you tested it with specific instruments?

It feels much stiffer than "stock" and way less like a toy. I've made sure to shape the contact path in a way that builds up the tension and release when pushing in. I haven't measured it scientifically yet, but I could borrow a fishscale and test out the max force in and out.

I have designed it to be as stiff as it can while keeping the stress in the part as spread out as possible. I couldn't really make it stiffer anyhow without compromising durability. But now I'm pretty happy with it. But playing with the last design over a year now without issues.