TheMOZA SGP Sequential Shifterwith its solid construction, adjustability, and additional buttons for only $130 make it an amazing value that’s hard to beat. I’ll be taking a look at the SGP Sequential Shifter in close detail and seeing if it’s worth your money.
MOZA SGP Sequential Shifter
At only $130, the MOZA SGP Sequential Shifter provides value and performance like no other. Tension, length, and knob all customizable while having two extra buttons and a conveniently placed multi-function lever makes it beat out shifters multiple times its price. Combine that with its aluminum and steel construction with no-contact hall effect sensors, this thing is built to last.
Price and Availability
The MOZA SGP Sequential Shifter is available for order onMOZA’s website, shipping worldwide.
Specifications
Feels Great and Belongs Perfectly With Other MOZA Products
The MOZA SGP Shifter comes in a compact and efficiently-packed box. It’s pretty dense, and it lets you know that what’s inside isn’t some cheap plastic toy.
It’s already partially assembled in the box, all you need to do is screw on the handle. It comes with all the tools, nuts, bolts, washers, and cables you’ll need to get the shifter mounted and working. This is unlike the HBP handbrake that I received in conjunction with the shifter that you still have to assemble.
The SGP Shifter looks like it means business. It’s hefty, made of mostly aluminum and steel, uses an M12 thread that real car shift knobs use, and just feels solid; except for the multi-function lever, which feels a little sloppy with the wide tolerance.
The beveled edges on the shaft look really cool, especially how the handle merges with the main shaft with its angled interfaces. For $130, I think this added bit of machining is pretty impressive, considering they could’ve just gone for a plain aluminum shaft.
This Shifter Can Handle Intense Shifting, But Don’t Try to Take it Apart Yet
This thing is built like a tank. Some people like to shift hard and really slam on the shifter or give it a palm-whack to shift as quickly as possible. From the outside, it looks like it can handle it, with its solid aluminum shaft, steel body that’s bent around like a taco to protect the insides—that’s tough.
I was going to take this apart and check its insides, but that proved to be a dangerous task since the tiny hex screws used are easily stripped. I had a bit of luck with a T8 Torx screwdriver, but that only worked on one screw and the others still showed signs of potential stripping.
Speaking of tolerances, I’ve mentioned that the multi-function lever wiggles from side-to-side quite sloppily, but so does the shaft, which is pretty disappointing. I’d like to be able to get rid of that but again, I wouldn’t be able to take it apart if I strip the hex screws. You’re bound to sacrifice things if you price it at $130, so this is forgivable. I just wish I could open it up and fix it.
If you do need to open it up for modifications or repairs, it’s pretty easy to buy your own screws to replace them. However, it is a shame that MOZA’s tolerances for this aren’t as good as the rest of the shifter. I’m sure they could improve this in later batches though. If you don’t plan on modifying it or opening it for any reason, then there’s nothing to worry about.
The SGP Sequential Shifter Is Best in its Default Configuration
The SGP Sequential Shift has two main adjustable features; the shaft length, and lever tension. This provides a lot of flexibility, especially if your shifter mount is low.
Let’s start with the good news: There’s a lot of height adjustability, even if there are just three possible positions. Flexibility is always good, especially as I’m planning to upgrade to a rig from my desk soon and most rigs have the shifter mounts pretty low. The lever tension is pretty useful, especially for desk users like me who need less tension to avoid rocking my desk.
Here’s the caveat to extending your shifter though: Reaching the multi-function lever becomes difficult and uncomfortable. There’s really no other way around this except to just use it in its lowest position. The lowest position is the best anyway, since extending the length increases the lever, which makes the tension pretty light.
The maximum tension is really just enough. It’s what I recommend everybody use, especially if your desk can take it. However, I’m sure there are people out there who would want more tension, especially if they choose to extend the shaft.
I highly suggest finding a way to set the shifter to the right height, so you won’t need to adjust its length. One of the best features of this shifter is the multi-function lever, as it’s so easy to reach in its default position. The multi-function lever could probably be made adjustable with an electrical contact system just like on the wheelbase and steering wheels. This could be an idea for a V2 of the SGP Shifter, plus a bit more strength in the tension.
It’s also a bit annoying to need two 10mm wrenches to adjust the length. It’s not much of a bother if you don’t plan on adjusting it often, but if you share your rig, you might want to change the bolt to a quick release bolt.
I highly suggest adjusting your setup instead of the shifter to get the right height. You’re paying for the multi-function lever; one of the best things about this shifter, so it’s best to use it in a way that makes it accessible.
As for software configuration, it’s pretty simple. You can change the colors on the buttons, switch the shifting directions, and also synchronize the buttons to your steering wheel if you want to.
However, the “Pick button synchronization” is grayed out for me, probably because the feature isn’t released yet, or it’s for when you plug the shifter directly into the wheelbase with the RJ11 connector on the MOZA R12 wheelbases and above.
Great Performance, but Tactility Is Slightly Off
Driving rally simulators like Dirt Rally and EA SPORTS WRC is pretty difficult without a sequential shifter or a dual action paddle shifter. Having to shift while your hands are all over the wheel isn’t an easy task. The MOZA SGP Sequential shifter is perfect for this task, with its sturdy build quality and immersive shifting feel.
I only received one table clamp for both, but as I suspected, I could actually fit both the handbrake and the shifter side by side. I just used the M6 bolts that threaded right into the tapped on holes on either side of the table clamp. The handles are pretty close together, but I’ve never had a problem switching between the handles or mistaking them. Bigger hands would probably need separate table clamps, however.
This is a little nitpicky, but there’s a sort of inelegant double-click feeling that occurs when you push or pull the shifter. It doesn’t double-click on return, but it does double-click upon actuation. I would’ve preferred if it was a singular, authoritative click, instead of a cheap-feeling double click. This is likely something MOZA can fix in their next batches, though. Another
If I’m just in the zone shifting as I would, it’s really impossible to notice since you only notice it if you shift slowly or if you’re too focused on the shifter and not your driving. It still provides great, strong feedback that you can feel through the shaft as well.
The tactility in the shifter is contrasted by the complete lack of it in the multi-function lever. I wish there was a click, the way it is, it makes you think it’s an analog lever, and you don’t really know when it activates. It would be more satisfying to use if there was a tactile click or bump of sorts upon activation.
Should You Buy the MOZA SGP Sequential Shifter?
I’ve looked at other sequential shifters, and you won’t really find any at $130 with these features and quality. It follows all of MOZA’s style; good performance at hard-to-beat prices, and now you’re able to have a full MOZA setup if a sequential shifter was all you were missing.
Having two extra heavy-duty buttons and an easily accessible lever is a game changer. There are shifters out there in the hundreds and even thousand-dollar and up mark that don’t have these features. While those expensive shifters focus on “performance” and immersion, there’s nothing that would stop you from performing just as well with the SGP Sequential Shifter. In fact, the convenient extra functions would add to that performance.
If somebody asked me for sequential shifter recommendations, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this, even if they had a much higher budget. The features, combined with its construction, make it such a good deal that I’m excited to see what competitors come up with to challenge this value.
