Speed3 Shorten shifter travel

[Rotus8]

Rotus, because of you I am looking into the more expensive stuff!!!!!

What about the TWM Performance Mazda 3 Short Shifter kit?

Bushings, plus short shifter. Ultimate solution?

Does the stock shift knob fit on the short shifter?

Sorry about the questions, just read the big BOLT note about NOT asking questions in here!! Sorry

Well, I finally read your profile and see you have a standard 3, not a speed (doh! (doh)). There is no SS for a speed which is why I came up with this mod in the first place. For the standard 3, the TWM shifter is, although it costs a bit of change, the solid safe way to go. Already engineered, reversable without a trace, and well thought of in the community. I am 98% sure the standard knob fits, but you should check with them to be sure. The stick is shorter so your boot may be a bit baggy so you might consider a boot to match from TWM or Redline.

TWM touts their knobs for being heavy weight as helping smooth out notchiness (I am learing what it means now). On the 3, there is a big weight on the lever on the transmission already, and if you want you can experiment by adding more weight to it with zip-ties & duct tape, and when you are satisfied with it, come up with a more permanent attachment method.

Have fun.

(P.S. I think the prohibition on questions is for the thread starter.)

 

[MM3Canuck]

I am going with the TWM Short Shifter kit. (Boot and SS)
I contacted TWM and ask about the stock knob, they said that all their parts are engineered to fit stock OEM parts. Therefore, it is a 100% fit.

Which is good, because I really don't want to spend $100 just on a knob.

I will definitely play with the weight, and see how it feels! Thanks for the tip.

 

[bbrich57]

I have a std N/A 3 too (the only way they came on '04,) and the TWM sh shifter. It does come w/new aluminum bushings and is a bit notchier, but I am using the stock knob that does fit perfectly. A heavier knob might help, but @ $100 apiece. Besides, I like the stock knob.
I also went w/the shorter boot (TWM.) You could modify the stock boot to fit too. All you'd need to do is put the slots up further on the boot itself and reinstall.

 

[dcomiskey]

Rotus, cheers to you for doing this the right way. When I had a VW, all the SS kits were essentially re-done pivot mechanisms. All the guys doing it for the Mazda right now are doing it the difficult way be building an entirely new shift mechanism inside the car, which I'm really disappointed with. THIS is the way to go. Do you have any idea what these pieces (replacement OEM) cost from the dealer? If so, might be worth making a run of them.

 

[Rotus8]

Rotus, cheers to you for doing this the right way. When I had a VW, all the SS kits were essentially re-done pivot mechanisms. All the guys doing it for the Mazda right now are doing it the difficult way be building an entirely new shift mechanism inside the car, which I'm really disappointed with. THIS is the way to go. Do you have any idea what these pieces (replacement OEM) cost from the dealer? If so, might be worth making a run of them.

I really am not into doing something like this on a commercial basis, but you might contact Cashmere - he was thinking about it.

 

[BLACKMS3]

Alot of mechanical advantage is lost and the shifts should be stiffer with this mod... Do you think trimming off some of the weighted end help lighten the feel of the shift?

 

[Rotus8]

Alot of mechanical advantage is lost and the shifts should be stiffer with this mod... Do you think trimming off some of the weighted end help lighten the feel of the shift?

I tried removing the weight completely and didn't like the way it felt so I put it back on. Certainly playing around with different inertial masses would be interesting; it's largely a matter of taste IMO. Less weight means you feel the synchros more because you don't have inertia helping carry it through.

 

[bbrich57]

Yeah, I would think that it would reduce the smoothness and increase notchiness. 'Make it feel clunky.
In this case, more (counterweight) might be better. That is, make it feel more like the stock smoothness, while retaining the shortened throw.

 

[MazdaSteve3]

Drill a hole for the new position of the pivot ball. Use a letter size drill, size "O". The size of the hole is important so only use this size drill and be sure it is in good condition and sharp.

An "O" drill is .316". I thought that the hole was probably designed in metric units. Sure enough, 8mm = .315". It would be a bit tighter, though, so the O might be easier. Just FYI.

I removed the counterweight once to see what it felt like, and it was pretty harsh. A lot of impact transmitted to the hand.

Love the mod, Rotus! Nice work. Anyone done this w/o the disassembly? This area can be accessed from the underside after removing the plastic undertray (I removed the counterweight from below), but I don't remember exactly how much.

Rotus, I'm not clear on what you said about the position of the shifter knob and the position of the new hole. You said your knob was a bit farther back than original, right? So which way would the hole need to be moved to correct that?

So the side-to-side travel and effort is unaffected, no? This may be good, as I find that pushing the lever over into the 5/6 position is already a bit stiff, so I wouldn't want it to be stiffer. Does it feel strange at all having only the longitudinal throw shortened, or is it natural?

Thanks for pioneering this one!

 

[CosmicArkie]

A noob on this forum, I picked up on this mod from the other group.

That being said, THIS MOD ROCKS!!!!

The absolute best thing I've done to my 3. Makes it feel so much tighter over all. And I already had the bushings.

Way to go Rotus. (alright)

CosmicArkie

 

[AllLostThings]

Sweet write up but man I could NEVER do that...I think I'd rather take out my own spleen...Very nice job though!

 

[bbrich57]

Sweet write up but man I could NEVER do that...I think I'd rather take out my own spleen...Very nice job though!

Chicken!!!
No. Just kidding. It is a scary procedure, but I wanted to take this opportunity to again compliment Rotus on a ballsy move, followed by a really nice write-up.
Excellent thinking, Rotus.

 

[ms3guy22]

this was a cinch well kinda thanks for your help bud

 

[bykeryder4life]

so MS3GUY22 did you make your hole more to the center of the lever? how is the position of the shifter is it about stock or more back/forward?

 

[ms3guy22]

to tell you the truth i just put the whole in the center to the best of my ability.

 

[bykeryder4life]

sorry for me not being more clear, is your shift knob in roughly the same position as stock or is it more forward/back when it's in neutral with where you put the hole on the shift lever as compared to where rotus originally put his hole

 

[ms3guy22]

oh yea its in the same place

 

[bykeryder4life]

thanks man thats just what i wanted to hear

 

[bykeryder4life]

just did the mod today, took about 3 hours and i love the way it feels. way shorter and better feeling shifts. i had to use a bunch of washers behind the bolt holding the pivot because i didnt drill/tap it deep enough but besides that everything went smooth. I am going to tack weld it into place permanently so i will never worry. thanks you guys for the help i would never think of this on my own

 

[dparm1984]

The location of the knob is not what's important, it's the location of the pivot point. Cheap short shifters just move the knob lower, whereas the good ones actually move the pivot point.

This picture explains it best. Credit to whoever drew this up -- dunno who it was, but I found it years ago.