The gear shifter on my new-to-me R3 shifts smoothly and easily when the car is off or idling, but requires some real force to get into 1 or 2 when I'm actually driving around. It actually goes into all gates easier when the engine is at low rpm or no rpm. Is this a syncho issue?

 

Could just be fluid

 

How old is the car, how many miles, and what is your driving style?

AS RX8SOLDIER alludes, you may just need to bleed the line.

 

2009, 63k miles, I've hardly driven it, but my driving style is aggressive, since it's a pleasure car for me. I am pretty sure the previous owner driver it aggressively too. He did have the pilot bearing and a few other random transmission bits replaced only a few months before selling it to me.

Is bleeding the clutch line pretty easy? I'll look for a tutorial. I should probably go buy a Haynes manual anyway.

 

I would think clutch issue....

Check the free play adjustment and bleed the clutch.

It is likely that the clutch isn't disengaging correctly and that is causing your issue

 

Also the pedal adjustment. Especially if transmission work was done recently, this may have been overlooked.

 

No need to buy a Haynes manual. The majority of the DIY's can be found on this site, and with much better detail.

 

Thanks for the recommendations. I plan to do everything recommended in this thread as soon as the weather warms up (the car is currently in storage). I know how good these shifters can feel, and I want to make sure mine feels that way.