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do you guys prefer the stock shifter or a short shifter for the track?

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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 10:34 AM
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Default do you guys prefer the stock shifter or a short shifter for the track?

my car has a short shifter but I think I want to get rid of it and try a stock one with a new bushing. reason being the shifter requires some effort and has a pretty short throw which seems like a recipe for a missed shift or a money shift.
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 10:51 AM
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I don't know which short shifter you are using but I would recommend the Miataroadster short shift kit with the tall shaft. It is smoother then stock, takes less effort, and keeps the shifter closer to the steering wheel so you have both hands on the wheel as much as possible.
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 11:57 AM
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Stock 6-speed shifter with the MS aluminum pieces.

for a 5 speed, why would you want to change anything about one of if not the best feeling shifter ever put in a car?
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 01:41 PM
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Agreed. I rebuilt mine and that was it.
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 01:47 PM
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ive hear dnothign but good things about the mazdaroadster short shifter.
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 02:10 PM
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My tranny came with the Ralco shifter. Not quite sure what to think about it until the car is actually running. It feels notchy as is(dry tranny) but that's expected. Anyone running this or tried it? I might end up geting the MR SS but the price of that thing just keep jumping.....
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 02:23 PM
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Seriously it is worth every penny. Makes the throws a bit shorter if you get the tall version but it makes you have so much more leverage and gets rid of almost all of the six speed's knotchiness. It is like night and day. Feels like I am flipping a switch. Plus I don't feel like I am breaking my transmisiion trying to engage reverse anymore.
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 03:13 PM
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If you guys thin the 5 or 6 speeds need a short throw shifter, never drive a Bauce, C6, C6, VW, BMW, or Honda. I like the longer throws and want the gate as wide as possible.
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 03:23 PM
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I really did not buy the kit for shorter throws. I wanted to smooth out the six speed and improve the gates. I had a problem with 5th gear. Sometimes it just did not want to engage when I was doing pulls. I also liked the closer placement of the shift **** to the steering wheel and better leverage. Shifting now is much more an arm motion and not so much wrist. It also helps reduce interference from cups in my cupholders.
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 03:59 PM
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So you're suggesting that adjusting the fulcrum point on the shifter will improve the way the slider and for slide onto the gear cogs? That's not really the way a transmission works, lol. The synchronizers, cogs, sliders, and hubs don't care or know you've changed the fulcrum point.
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 04:10 PM
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Money shift? Is that one that shifts your money out of your account?

Lol, much like the honey badger, cogs don't care.

I rebuilt my five speed and its sooo smooth now. Thats what i would recomend.

I've driven Kenworths with shorter throws than Hondas. I like my gates as wide as the holes in the borders of this country too.
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 04:11 PM
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I really don't know how it changed it nor do I really care. However, it does infact do all the things I just mentioned. I am not the only one who claims this either. Read the reviews and find someone who has it and drive their car. I no longer miss 5th gear and there is little to no knotchiness when I shift which the miata 6 speed is notorious for.
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 04:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Miater
Money shift? Is that one that shifts your money out of your account?

Lol, much like the honey badger, cogs don't care.

I rebuilt my five speed and its sooo smooth now. Thats what i would recomend.

I've driven Kenworths with shorter throws than Hondas. I like my gates as wide as the holes in the borders of this country too.
I wish every car had a lambo-like shifter:

I'd pay a lot of money for a conversion set-up like that on a Miata.
Originally Posted by Ryan_G
I really don't know how it changed it nor do I really care. However, it does infact do all the things I just mentioned. I am not the only one who claims this either. Read the reviews and find someone who has it and drive their car. I no longer miss 5th gear and there is little to no knotchiness when I shift which the miata 6 speed is notorious for.
Most people are effectively retarded...and yes, you're in that group.
Attached Thumbnails do you guys prefer the stock shifter or a short shifter for the track?-epcp_0802_03_z-2007_lamborghini_gallardo-stainless_steel_gear_shifter.jpg  
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 04:32 PM
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I'm not sure how I'm effectively retarded unless you mean to say that because I don't know or care exactly how my SS kit makes the transmission smoother means that I am retarded. Simply not possessing the expertise to explain how it works does not make the claim false. Try a car with the kit in it and then your opinion on the matter becomes valid. Until that point you are operating off of theory that may not consider some variable that is in play. Hell maybe the kit just gives the perception of making the transmission shift smoother by masking the problem. Either way the end result is the same. I do not miss 5th, shift faster, and have a better driving experience overall.
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Old Mar 27, 2012 | 05:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Ryan_G
I'm not sure how I'm effectively retarded unless you mean to say that because I don't know or care exactly how my SS kit makes the transmission smoother means that I am retarded. Simply not possessing the expertise to explain how it works does not make the claim false. Try a car with the kit in it and then your opinion on the matter becomes valid. Until that point you are operating off of theory that may not consider some variable that is in play. Hell maybe the kit just gives the perception of making the transmission shift smoother by masking the problem. Either way the end result is the same. I do not miss 5th, shift faster, and have a better driving experience overall.
The shifter isn't what makes the gear change notchy, it's the guts.
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Old Mar 28, 2012 | 01:58 AM
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Originally Posted by hustler
The shifter isn't what makes the gear change notchy, it's the guts.
if the shifter has worn bushings, it will make gear change "mushy"...
may be that's why some of the short shifter "improves", by swapping out worn bushings ?

I prefer stock setup....but I must say I haven't driven one with a MR shifter..

Last edited by bellwilliam; Mar 28, 2012 at 02:21 AM.
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Old Mar 28, 2012 | 02:08 AM
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Hustler: shaddup. Drive a 6speed without, and then with, the miataroadster short shifter before commenting again about how it can't affect shifting feel.

I have it. It has transformed the way my 6speed shifts. 2nd gear crunch is completely gone except for initial stone-cold startup shifts, and even then it's less than it was previously warmed up. Reverse is easier to engage. The tall angled shifter is closer to the wheel and easier to reach. The gears are easier to find, and every shift is smoother than it was before.

And my stock shifter had new boots; it wasn't a torn boot contributing to the poor shifting feel.

The Aisin's may not have the overall internal build quality that the 5speeds do. The MR short shifter is definitely a better unit than stock, and definitely shifts better. End of story.
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Old Mar 28, 2012 | 07:05 AM
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Originally Posted by bellwilliam
if the shifter has worn bushings, it will make gear change "mushy"...
may be that's why some of the short shifter "improves", by swapping out worn bushings ?
This. Except you can't replace the rubber bushing in the stock shifter. My eBay short shifter is a solid shaft, the stock one has a rubber isolator in it and it's the only thing I haven't replaced, giving it a sloppy feel.
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Old Mar 28, 2012 | 09:50 AM
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Originally Posted by hustler
So you're suggesting that adjusting the fulcrum point on the shifter will improve the way the slider and for slide onto the gear cogs? That's not really the way a transmission works, lol. The synchronizers, cogs, sliders, and hubs don't care or know you've changed the fulcrum point.
Moments, and no I'm not talking about when you and you dog get together for some fun.

M=Fxd

The longer the fulcrum arm the more force applied at the other end(connected to tranny) with less effort. Go take some high school physics
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Old Mar 28, 2012 | 09:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Mobius
Hustler: shaddup. Drive a 6speed without, and then with, the miataroadster short shifter before commenting again about how it can't affect shifting feel.

I have it. It has transformed the way my 6speed shifts. 2nd gear crunch is completely gone except for initial stone-cold startup shifts, and even then it's less than it was previously warmed up. Reverse is easier to engage. The tall angled shifter is closer to the wheel and easier to reach. The gears are easier to find, and every shift is smoother than it was before.

And my stock shifter had new boots; it wasn't a torn boot contributing to the poor shifting feel.

The Aisin's may not have the overall internal build quality that the 5speeds do. The MR short shifter is definitely a better unit than stock, and definitely shifts better. End of story.
Attached Thumbnails do you guys prefer the stock shifter or a short shifter for the track?-pwned.jpg  
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