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There are a few key modifications that can be done for relatively little money that will really improve the feel of the manual gear-shift on these cars. In this blog we’re going to talk about what these mods are and how they work.

– Solid Shifter Bushings
– Shifter Cable Bracket Bushings
– Dogbone Mount Bushings / Torque Arm Inserts

Step 1 – Solid Shifter Bushings



The first of these modifications would be to swap out the existing cable end link bushes for solid ones. VAG’s original rubber bushings are designed to absorb as much vibration as possible using a fairly low durometer rubber and a voided construction as seen in the photo below. 

By replacing these with the Solid Billet Aluminium offerings from 034Motorsport and ECS Tuning, you eliminate both aspects of the OE design which reduce shift accuracy and give that slightly disconnected feeling. 
Once installed you will notice that your gear lever has much less freeplay and far more positive when selecting a gear.

Here at Awesome, we offer kits to suit all VAG Vehicles from 2001+ that are based on the Golf Platforms
(PQ34 / PQ35 / PQ36 / MQB)

Click here to see 034Motorsport Solid Shifter Bushings

Click here to see ECS Tuning Solid Shifter Bushings

Step 2 - Shifter Cable Bracket Bushings



To take the next step in tightening up your manual shift, we take a look at the Shifter Cable Bracket.
This sits on top of the gearbox towards the rear of your engine bay. 
The originals are made out of a fairly soft rubber, with a thin metal insert which allows them to be bolted into place. 
We offer a complete direct replacement item that fits on to your original shifter bracket, elminating excessive movement that can be found in the original rubber bushings. 
Coupled with the solid shifter endlink bushins this is pretty much as good as it gets for gear selection with a real solid, positive feel and much improved accuracy under not only fast road conditions, but also day to day driving too!



Here at Awesome, we offer two kits to suit all VAG Vehicles from 1997+ that are based on the Golf Platforms
(A03 / PQ34 / PQ35 / PQ36 / MQB)

Click here to see 034Motorsport Shifter Bracket Bushings

Click here to see ECS Tuning Shifter Bracket Bushings

Step 3 - Dogbone Mount Bushings / Torque Arm Inserts

The last step in our guide to improving the shift feel is often the performance enthusiast's first mod! 
The Dogbone Mount or Torque arm upgrade. 
In most of the modern VAG Vehicles, a pair of 'hockey puck' like bushings are pressed into the subframe, with a torque link connected through to the Gearbox. 
It's job is to reduce lateral engine movement as you accellerate / brake and apply forces to the vehicles transmission driveline during normal driving. 
The original bushing as shown is voided in order to minimise Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
The downside to these voids is that the engine and gearbox are allowed to roll forwards and backwards by a fair amount. 

By using a Dogbone mount insert, you effectively fill the voids; decreasing the amount that the engine and gearbox are allowed to roll. This has a few drivability improvements such as giving the car a more connected feel. 
The car will generally have a more direct feel as you go on and off the throttle. 
A secondary benefit to fitting a dogbone mount bush upgrade or insert is that this minimisation of the amount the engine and gearbox are allowed to roll translates nicely into less movement of the shifter tower and the cable bracket that are both mounted on top of the gearbox. 
What you do however need to take into consideration is that these will increase the level of NVH into the cabin of the vehicle. As everyone's tollerance for NVH is different, this can be a very personal choice. 

Here at Awesome, we offer a number of dogbone mount options including our most popular options below

Click here to see Powerflex Dogbone Bushes for the PQ34 Platform

Click here to see Powerflex Dogbone Bushes for the PQ35 / PQ36 Platform

Click here to see Powerflex Dogbone Bushes for the MQB Platform

GLOSSARY OF TERMS:
- PQ34 Platform includes the following vehicles: 
VW Golf Mk4, VW Bora, Audi A3 8L, Audi S3 8L, Audi TT Mk1, SEAT Leon 1M, SEAT Toledo 1M, Skoda Octavia Mk1
- PQ35 / PQ36 Platform includes the following vehicles: 
VW Golf Mk5, VW Golf Mk6, VW Scirocco Mk3, VW Caddy 2K, VW EOS, VW Jetta Mk5, VW Jetta Mk6, Audi A3 8P, Audi S3 8P, Audi TT 8J, Audi TT RS 8J, SEAT Leon 1P, SEAT Toledo 5P, SEAT Altea, Skoda Octavia Mk2, Skoda Yeti, Skoda Superb Mk2. 
- MQB Platform includes the following vehicles: 
VW Golf Mk7, VW Polo AW, VW Tiguan Mk2, VW T ROC, Audi A3 8V, Audi S3 8V, Audi TT 8S, Audi Q2, Audi Q3, SEAT Leon 5F, SEAT Ateca, SEAT Arona, SEAT Ibiza 6F, SEAT Tarraco, Cupra Formentor, Skoda Octavia Mk3, Skoda Karoq, Skoda Kodiaq, Skoda Kamiq, Skoda Superb Mk3.