JP3 Mazda RX7 FD3S Short Throw Shifter

JP3 Motorsports is happy to announce our Version 2 short throw shifter! Over the past few years we have noticed the need for a high quality short throw shifter made specifically for the FD platform. Since the original Mazdaspeed short throw shifter has been discontinued many years ago, we believe there has not been an adequate replacement on the market. Like our first batch, we are selling these for $400.00

When we started designing our short throw shifter, we had a few clear goals in mind:

1. It had to be a true Mazdaspeed replica
2. It had to be a two piece design with an inner NVH isolator
3. It had to incorporate the upper pivot ball notch OEM bushing
4. It had to be OEM+ quality

For us to achieve this goal we had to entirely reverse engineer the Mazdaspeed short throw shifter.

So after several months of development, research and testing, we made our own improved short throw shifter inspired by the NLA Mazdaspeed short throw shifter.

Product feature list:

1. Precision CNC steel two piece short shifter – Our shifters are made in small batches using professional CNC machines. The reason we make them in small batches is to ensure exact OEM tolerances.
2. CNC Aluminum inner and outer spacer rings
3. Polished nickel plated lower shaft – While nickel plating does give the lower shaft an aesthetically pleasing look, we didn’t do it just for looks. Nickel plating ensures the lower shaft is resistant to abrasion. So you can be sure that after many years of use the tolerances will remain intact and the shifter will perform as designed.
4. Powder coated upper shaft ensuring long term wear protection
5. Custom polyurethane vibration NVH isolator
6. OEM pivot ball notch bushing
7. OEM lower ball bushing
8. OEM lower rubber boot

Additional information about short shifters in general:

• Back in the day an alternative to the original Mazdaspeed short shifter was the rare C’s shifter. The C’s shifter is almost just a replica of the Mazdaspeed unit, however the C’s shifter lacks the pivot ball plastic notch bushing which comes standard on both the OEM and Mazdaspeed shifters as well as on the JP3 shifter. There is a good reason Mazda uses this bushing. Not having this plastic bushing means metal on metal friction between the shifter notch and the guide pin. Not only does this create a very “notchy” shifter, it also may damage the pivot ball over time. It’s not uncommon to see used C’s shifter that show some sort of wear or damage on the pivot ball notch. This is why we had to incorporate the OEM pivot ball notch bushing.
• It's also important to note that the OEM plastic bushing is replaceable and it is supposed to be replaced over time if or when it wears out. Most FD owners probably still have the original plastic bushing since their FD was new. Luckily this is a standard OEM which can be easily replaced. JP3 short throw shifter come equipped with brand new Mazda notch bushings.
• Other alternatives on the market were made from a single piece of metal. The Mazdaspeed and OEM shifters are two piece units which are separated by a rubber /poly isolator to reduce NVH. The lower piece sits inside of the transmission and the upper piece in the driver’s hand. The one piece design is not favorable as it transmits higher amounts of NVH from the transmission to the ****.
• Many FD owners are familiar with the RE-Amemiya short shifter at a much lower cost. There is a reason for this. The RE-A shifter is not a real short throw shifter, it just an OEM shifter which has been cut down in height. The throw distance on the RE-A shifter is the same as the OEM shifter.
• What reduces throw in a shifter? The answer is the distance from the lower pivot ball to the upper pivot ball. The longer this distance the shorter the throw. The RE-A shifter and the OEM shifter have a shorter distance between the lower and upper pivot *****. If you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Product Review Video courtesy of TommyFyeah (3:35):

You Tube

 

What is the update/benefit of Ver.2 over the Ver.1?

 

Are these bent/angled the same as the OEM shift levers?

 

Version 2 has a black satin powdercoated top stalk and we used nickel plating on the lower. These are minor differences between the two and functionally both are identical.

These are made to replicate the Mazdaspeed units, which were not bent/angled as OEM.

 

Here is a review of our shifter and a nice comparison with the OEM unit.

 

Bump

 

I drove Johnny Kommavangsa’s CYM with this shifter last week and absolutely loved it. Just like the original. Well done.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

 

I recently installed this shifter in my car and I'm liking it A LOT. Shifts are precise and it's a joy to drive. Quality piece IMO. Next month I'll be tracking the car at Laguna Seca and I can't wait to use it then. Thanks again JP3 Motorsports!

 

Do you sell spares for this shifter? Im after the metal inner ring (the notched one).

 

Hi Jitesh - I checked the shop and we don't have any spares of the notched metal inner rings at the moment. Thanks for checking.

 

Shifter has been out of stock for a while. Plans to continue selling them?

 

We have a batch in production. Took a while to get materials for a reasonable price as well as getting a spot at the machine shop. Stay tuned!

 

Pretty sure this is not mind-blowing, but great service on a small order from JP3. Please, keep it up. Our community needs excellent vendors.

 

Glad to see this is coming back! I'll be ordering one when they are up on the store again. I want a shorter throw than my Re-Amemiya shifter but not something so extreme like the GRacing unit. I had a C's shifter in my old FC. The C's was too notchy when cold.