Short Shifter Install

[Racebrewer]

Hi,

I just put a short shifter in my M2. (drive) Here is the link:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123824666-Anyone-get-car-stuff-under-the-tree/page2

John

 

[PGTBrow]

Such a tease

 

[323F Rock]

any pictures?

 

[mykflo]

guess i'll be broke for 2013.. so much for new year resolutions....

 

[Racebrewer]

Damn....... I was in such a hurry to get it installed that I didn't take pics. Sorry.

It works like their Mazda 3 short shift plate which mounts on the transmission which re-positions the ball stud that the shift cable attaches to. (How many grammar errors can you find in that sentence?)

Tease? Moi????

John

 

[Font Motorsports]

Give up the juicy details!

 

[xyrth]

meh. I call B.S.

 

[Racebrewer]

meh. I call B.S.

Ballsy-Stuff ? ? ?

Should be available from Corksport in about a month.

John

 

[xyrth]

Yes, B.S., your "tease" is worse than a blurry camera shot of the latest iPhone ...

 

[Racebrewer]

Well, what would you like to know?

I got to try a prototype short shift plate from Corksport. Works great. Shorter throws with more "weight". Install was fairly easy and took 23 minutes. I could probably do a second one in 15. Should be available in about a month from CS. They like to make sure that there are no bugs before release.

Looks similar to their shift plate for the Mazda 3.

Patience, Grasshopper......

 

[PassivAggressor]

I'm excited.

 

[Font Motorsports]

Sounds like a plan! Nice.

 

[inspekt]

Can't wait!

 

[xyrth]

Well, what would you like to know?

I got to try a prototype short shift plate from Corksport. Works great. Shorter throws with more "weight". Install was fairly easy and took 23 minutes. I could probably do a second one in 15. Should be available in about a month from CS. They like to make sure that there are no bugs before release.

Looks similar to their shift plate for the Mazda 3.

Patience, Grasshopper......

I'm curious to how it modifies the feel of the shifter ... i grew up on mechanically connected getrags. Our stock shifter feels disconnected, i've been wondering if the base needs a more solid mount, and will probably try a lighter knob than the stocker.

The mazda3 plate looks very nice, I'm sure this will be a good product.

 

[Racebrewer]

It definately removes a lot of the disconnected feel and proportionately increases the effort. This is in the front to back swing. The side to side remains unchanged so it remains easy to select the gear you want.

I have a lathe, so when I get a chance, I will turn a longer shift knob to position the knob closer to the steering wheel.

I didn't remove the console in the install process, so I'm not sure how the shifter itself is mounted. If rubber bushed, that would be an easy improvement to implement. Less 'flex' in the process and perhaps the shifter can be raised.

Anybody have the console off yet?

John

 

[xyrth]

The fact that it's only front/back is what makes using the plate smart. I currently don't have access to a lathe, but was thinking about using my drill press & some support to make something out of wood.

i may take the console off this weekend, i'm pretty used to replacing rubber bushings for shifters. I think that fixing (firming it up with polyurethane) the rear motor mount will help a bit. Just tough to take apart a car with <500 miles on it.

 

[Racebrewer]

Cool. Please post what you find.

I haven't taken a real close look at the console, but the removal process doesn't look obvious. So let us know how it goes.

Thanks,
John

 

[Max Archer]

The fact that it's only front/back is what makes using the plate smart. I currently don't have access to a lathe, but was thinking about using my drill press & some support to make something out of wood.

i may take the console off this weekend, i'm pretty used to replacing rubber bushings for shifters. I think that fixing (firming it up with polyurethane) the rear motor mount will help a bit. Just tough to take apart a car with <500 miles on it.

Everybody I've seen who has done the rear motor mount has said it makes a huge difference, so I wouldn't doubt that.

 

[xyrth]

Took apart the console today, and rubber bushings abound. You can easily see the top two, i will post pictures later. A lot of effort would go into exposing the bottom bushings, i didn have time for that today. One of my top mounting nuts was a little loose, i torqued both up to 20 ft-lbs which crushed the rubber a bit in hopes of making the shifter stiffer.

Haven't driven it yet because my rear motor mount is currently drying from being filled. It needs to dry faster!

 

[eyeballs]

I want one of these yesterday, now hurry up!