I put a Ripper and Hardbar knob in my Z, and my neighbor went ahead and put the same set-up in his Z28 shortly after. Though the set-ups are the same, the feel between the cars is very different.
I am not SURE, but I'd say that the difference in the flow through neutral is due to the synchros. Then again, with a short shifter, the leverage is lessened (with the Ripper, you've shortened the gates, and also the length of the arm, so it may FEEL slower at first since you're moving the lever a shorter distance).
Also, I think you'll find (if you haven't already) that granny shifting around town feels slower through neutral, but when you are getting on the gas and preload the shifter, you can fly through the gates with ease. Maybe you just need to drive faster. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
-Kirk