yusoslo

My s4 turbo 2 tranny needs a new shifter.

I see ebay ones for 89-99 bucks and then I see 200 mazdatrix ones and the C's short shifter.

I just wanted opinions on the best one for the money. I dont wanna spend 99 bucks and have a shitty shifter, but if there is little difference between the cheap ones and nice ones I will save myself a hundred bucks.


thanks guys.

mort2002

iTrader: (1)

do the miata short throw, there is a write up on it in the archives..

sholitz

iTrader: (1)

+1 for the miata one. read that archived write up, you'll be convinced.

enzo250

I like my C's Shifter...

90WhiteVrt

I got the miata one and cut about half the threads off of the shift **** mount that you screw on to and put a rx8 shift **** on it. I get compliments all the time. Best $50 i've spent on the interior by far.

Gringo Grande

iTrader: (97)

Whatever happened to...umm...whas it Aaroncake's...short shifter project? I keep holding off on getting one just based on his rep. =D

GG

clokker

iTrader: (2)

I just installed the Miata setup and yes, it works fine, BUT it is not a bolt in install.

The referenced write up does mention having to reduce the diameter of the lower bushing to fit in the FC tranny hole- fortunately I have lathes and this was simple to do. Dunno how long it would take to do by hand though...I'd guess a while.

Unfortunately, that was the easy part.
Once I got the lower bushing to fit nicely, I dropped in the lower pivot bushing and discovered that the large pivot ball didn't seat on the bushing at all.
OK, I'd also read that sometimes the end of the shifter has to be ground down some (the commonly cited amount was @1/16") so, back to the lathe.

I ended up taking more than double that amount off and still didn't seat well.

Off to Ace Hardware where I found some thin fiber washers almost exactly the same size as the bushing and used them to space the lower pivot bushing up till the shifter sat in it right.
Took 5 washers to achieve.

The rest was easy and the shifting is great.
My chosen shift **** (a Nismo, weighted unit) sat too tall so I machined down the upper part of the lever to get it to sit right...with my arm on the console the **** falls right to hand.
Surprisingly, the effort did not increase as much as expected but the movement (especially side-to-side, like from second to third) is dramatically reduced.
No rattles, either.

IMO, well worth the effort but don't be fooled into thinking this is an easy 20 minute job.

yusoslo

hmm. I may just pick up the 99 dollar ebay one. Simpler, I dont mind fabing up stuff (which I do ALOT) but sometimes you just want a simple bolt in job.

boostedfc3s

iTrader: (2)

I tried the cheap ebay one and it is junk. Even after fabing it a little to make it work better I still pulled it out and put the stock shifter back in.

riverzendz

C's is my preference. Using a Mazdatrix right now.

TehMonkay

iTrader: (-1)

What is wrong with th ebay short shifter?

How do you need a new shifter anyway? Did you break it?

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

I got an eBay shifter too..As Stated,It is Not a "plug and play" part..I went at the Bushing with sandpaper,and it took me about 15-20 minutes..the Top ring,I used extra washers under it,and made a Cork gasket.It was Snug at first but Now,it shifts real nice..If you like to Fart around,buy this.If you Want to Just Plop one in and Go ,You are Lookin at the Mazdatrix or C's Shifter(and More cash out of your wallet).

JWteknix

iTrader: (2)

yeah i like my mazdatrix 1