Well folks here we have a nice side by side comparo to be done by me I have just gotten a mazdatrix short shifter and I already had a mazda racing(MR) short shifter. I took some pics and I am installing the Mazdatrix(MT) shifter tonight.


I have found that there is some substance to the claims from MR that they have the shortest throw on the market(I haven't seen figures on the "C's" shifter for FC's) A while back I did all the calculations in some thread and it turned out that by the numbers MR's unit was the shortest and thusly the fastest shift around. Now for the photo evidence


First lets see the physical height of them side by side. The way I did this comparison is that I lined up the boot disks up and snapped a pic. It might be crude but it shows that they are physically the same height. Although one should take note that the MR unit has an S4 ****(they don't offer S5 threaded units) and the MT unit has an S5 **** which threads further down the lever than an S4 would.



Second lets see the muscle behind each shifter. Its lower lever area! I did this the same way as the physical hieght picture. We can see that the MR unit has a longer lever on the bottom providing more lever power than the MT unit. I also noted that the lower "sphere" is full on the MR unit and the MT unit is cut about 85% down its diamiter. I also noted that the physical texture on the MT unit is much coarser in the machining than the MR unit. The MT unit feels rough compared to the MR unit(not that it matters because all this is covered in a street car anyhow).



Lastly the lifting spacers were also notably different in size. Here we see the MR's spacer being taller than the MT's spacer. Obviously for the added leverage provided by the MR unit. This MT spacer also has noticable machining marks as with the levers the MR unit is much smoother and has finer machine markings making it look more asthetically pleasing(again doesn't matter much as this is all covered).



The only thing I did notice was better on the MT spacer was the "peg" stud that holds the slot of the lever was an actual stud. The MR unit's spacer uses what appears to be a 12mm bolt with a lock washer. Although there isn't any draw backs readily visible to the bolt on the MR's unit the "clean" factor the real stud "peg" gives the MT unit makes me feel a little bit more comfortable about the MT unit.(this facet is also not visible unless you are in a stripped race car so the impact on buyers choice is miinimal at best)


I know a lot of people have gotten "screwed" by MR but I personally DID NOT get "screwed" by this company. Unless the MT unit is somehow better feeling than the MR unit I have to continue to support their Short Shifter kit. Although it could use a price drop. I believe it is now comparably priced with MT's unit. When I purchased mine it was about 20 dollars cheaper than MT's unit.



Santiago

ps- some input from you all would be cool

 

Can you give us actual "lever" lengths?
This would be center of pivot ball (with slot) to bottom of the shifter lever.
And, center of pivot ball (with slot) to top of shifter.

With this ratio we can compare relative shift forces to shift the transmission.
A shift lever that has a 6" : 3" ratio would shift relatively the same as a shifter with a 4" : 2" ratio.
The longer shifter would obvious have a longer throw, but the longer lever would induce easier "leverage" due to lever arm forces.

Sorry for all the physics mumbo jumbo...

Machining surfaces shouldn't matter much, as the shifter lever is mostly floating on the stock plastic / nylon bushings?


-Ted

 

There is the best I could do of stock v. MT's unit. It seems about the same height as a stock S5 shifter. But you can sure tell the difference in throw distance. Overall the MT unit did not disappoint me at all, but the MR shifter's throw seemed shorter than MT's unit and it was still easy to find neutral so it didn't seem to be a problem. The MT unit also makes it easy to find neutral and all your gears. I'm going to have to call it for MR's unit still because it is a shorter throw shifter.

A few more interesting details about the specifications of the MT and MR shifters are the weights of the units.


I poped each assembly and spacer onto a digital scale and the same for the spacers.

Here are the stats on them:

MT MR
Spacer 7 1/4 oz 4 3/4 oz
Assembly 1lb 11 1/8 oz 1lb 2 5/8oz

the assemblies were identically matched as far as parts:
shifter lever
the lowest boot
three bolts
3 washers
upper bushing
shifter ****(s4 for MR and S5 for MT)

The spacers went as follows:
MR spacer carried its 12mm bolt and washer along with a lower bushing.

MT spacer carried its stud and NO lower bushing.


MT's unit complete weighs in at 2 LBS and 2.375 oz's
MR's unit complete weighs in at 1LB and 7.375 oz's


MR's unit is 11 oz's lighter than MT's unit. So for you weight watchers you know who to go with!

Santiago

 

Well since the MT unit is in the gear box right now I can only give stock S4 and S5 lengths and MR's lengths. Give me a few minutes.

 

Okie, I couldn't "de-**** my stock S5 lever so i can't get actual lever specs yet. I should have a spare de-****** S5 stocker around here from my TII but it eludes me!

It looks to be about 4 and 1/4" from mid sphere to top of the threads for the MR. 2 1/4" from mid sphere to bottom tip from what I can read out.

Stock S4 looks like 6 and 1/4" or 6 and 3/8" my dumb **** had to get my thumb in the way! Bottom was about 1 1/2" for stock S4.


If I get tired of MT's unit i'll pull it and de-**** it and get some measurements of it.


Santiago

 

By having a longer rof below the fulcrum point..... you are REDUCING the mechanical advantage of the lever but shortening the throw at the shifter **** (lengths abuve the fulcrum being equal)

I bet that mazdaracing unit is like playing a video game isnt it.... but i bet it requires a bit more force thant he mazdatrix dosn;t it....

 

Yeah my wording was off. The effort feels about the same as a matter of fact. I think most of it is due to the weight differences.

 

hey man you going to be selling your other short shifter?

 

I have been trying to buy a short shifter from Mazda racing for sometime. YOu can't order it from their web site. I have sent them emails and only get an auto answer from their email server, and when you call their business line no one is ever there, and they will not return calls. Have other people had the same frustrating experience?

How do you buy anything from them? And how do they stay in business and what is this about getting ripped off by Mazda Racing? I was planning on getting the short shifter and since I have an S5 buying one of their shifter ***** to fit the threading on the shifter but cannot get anyone to take my order.

 

hondahater, no I may make replica's if I get some funding for the CNC work.

GTUser, I purchased my unit off of ebay from their account.

 

cool let me know if you ever start selling them.

 

who is there affiliate on ebay?

 

Sorry Santiago but I'd have to say the difference in effort required by each shifter is terribly different. I personally can't STAND the MR shifter (but DAMN the throws are short...very short ) the extra effort that you have to put forth is way too much in my opinion. Besides that shifting into 5th and Reverse is the worst I've ever seen...ever. I'm not downing them as a company (they haven't done anything to me at all so as far as I'm concerned they're great till they prove otherwise) but as far as the short shifter goes I really don't like it one bit. The MT unit doesn't have as short a throw as the MR unit BUT the throws are very short and the effort isn't that much more than stock. 5th and Reverse don't require too much effort to engage...actually not really anything like the MR unit. I don't know how we see so different on these units, but unless the shifter was put in wrong (I wasn't there when it was put in...my friend did it at his house)...but it's pretty hard to mess that up. I'd say spend the extra money and go with the MT unit. I also really like the fact that the shifter sits at nearly the same height as the stock S4 shifter (that helps me in my quest to make it look like there is nothing done to my car shhhhhhhh...). Both units do their advertised jobs it's just that one does a job they don't advertise...exercise and actual thought while shifting .

Oh yea...I didn't just drive this one time I've driven it a multitude of times so that I didn't bash on it for no reason just cuz it wasn't broken in...it's broken in all right (oh yea...the MazdaSpeed **** is really nice on it though ).

 

this is a great thread.

do you think you will be able to do comparisons with some of the other short shifters on the market?

the MazdaSpeed short shifter seems like the best one out there, but it's expensive...

 

However On the other hand I really like the Mr C's Short Stroke shifter kit, I sold my mazda racing one... and definitely like the C's one far more... so it seems to be personal preference.

 

Mazdaspeed is a joy to use. I got ahold of one and now its in my TII (got it cheap too !), its pretty slick, I personally like it better then my Mazdatrix one. Not to rag on it or anything, still a good shifter.

 

i want to hear from some more people that have a C's shifter. i was thinkin about gettin one off ebay.

 

Perhaps i'm stronger than you? I'm not a big guy tho so I dunno. I found the MR shifter just as easy to use as the MT shifter. The MT shifter does require a comperable amount of effort(in my experience) as the MR.

Its probably a result of a personal expectation of the amount of force one should have to use to shift. I didn't go in with any expectations so I guess I wasn't rubbed the wrong way by the actual effort required.

 

If you all feel like taking up a small collection for a purchase for a C's/mazdaspeed unit sure!

I am just a college student ya know I don't have large pay checks comming in every week. If you get a few guys that will donate 5-10 dollars to the thread I can pick up another shifter say a C's or a Mazdaspeed. Which is the only other ones I know of on the market.

Santiago

 

any one know what the price difrences are ?

 

sorry, i didn't mean it to sound like that.

trust me, i know what you are talking about. i'm a university student also

just thought if you could borrow or get your hands on them...but yes, unfortunately the C's and Mazdaspeed cost more. i may decide to get one of those though, so maybe i could analyze it and post results here...

 

Anyone have a link to where C's can be purchased directly? Finding anything is like chasing a ghost.

 

From what I understand c's is no longer in business of making the shifters I have one in my 500+rwhp vert and I swap it back and forth between my cars Ebay has them some times still I'll be bidding against ya there

 

once i get my MSN to work ill post a link to where u could get mazdaspeed shifter... ohh yea i was thinking about getting the mazdatrix but on the site it say that 1 of 3 shifters rattle is that true? also how is that mazdaracing shifter i dont care if its stiff cause i like hard throws

 

Rattling has to do with one's transmission more than the shifter.