Okay, take care to orientate the reverse tang to the right, then drop the new shifter in. Fit and secure the retaining ring pictured above. Install the lower and upper rubber shift boots. See how the upper shift boot seals on the shifter white ring.

 

I wanna see it live!.....

How does it feel.

 

Patience, Grasshopper...(feels great).

I'm still typing out the drive impressions.......

 

Hmm.. a smaller tang for the reverse gear.

Does it feel any different? Easier to get in reverse? Does it feel like it locks in good or worse?

I'm too anxious.

 

From here it's just a reversal of the disassembly. Secure the harness to the shift boot studs, refit the ashtray, and clip the upper console cover/shift boot back into place. You're done. Looks just like the original, although it's 5mm lower apparently, I couldn't tell. Maybe I'll reinstall the original later and measure it.

Richard PM'ed me to remind me to grease the pivot point (I think), which I didn't do. I got his PM too late.....I'll do that later, Richard.

DRIVE IMPRESSIONS.

Where to start....? Very happy with the ease of install...no dramas. Backed the car out of the driveway, reverse lockout was spot on.....unable to engage reverse without depressing the lever. Terrific.

First gear. Selected no worries, firm and precise. I'll say at this point that the shift into every gear feels like a racing box!

First to sixth....BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG. Richard has engineered out the rubber isolator built into the original shift lever. This isolator is inside the upper part of the lever...the big fat black bit in the pics above. Without this isolator, each shift engagement is robot precise. Like a gated shifter where each shift is metal to metal. More in a minute.....

 

Second gear......

Second has been the gear I've always had drama's with. I put it down partly to a lack of talent on my part. I've often had trouble matching revs to allow a smooth shift. I originally put it down to a lack of experience with rotary engines and their high rev range, I'm a V8 convert ferchristsake . I've posted before, I hoped this shifter would fix my occasional graunch into second. Guess what....IT HAS!!!

Now I know a lot of other RX-8 drivers have trouble with the first to second shift. Theory's of holding the lever to the left/right while changing causing a grinding etc. I've tried them all without success. I changed to Red Line and it did nothing. I'm not saying that this shifter will be a panacea to all those grinding gearboxes out there, but it has been to mine. I suppose the milliseconds saved by the shorter throw reduces the drop off in revs before gear re-engagement after letting up the clutch. Whatever it is, I'm a happy camper....

 

Third, fifth and sixth....

BANG, BANG, BANG. Firm, metallic crocodile snap-jaw like engagement. No missed shifts. When the lever reaches the engage point, it stops with a WHACK. Removing the rubber isolator has made the shifter feel infinitely more precise. Through your fingertips you can feel the gears meshing, like I said before....racebox like. You'll notice I left out fourth gear.....

 

So your saying you tried to see how well it short shifts? Like skipping a cog??? Which I often do... 3rd to 5th.

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

No. I lost my post....

Standby....

 

I'm thrilled, you wrote the install guide for me. Thanksblokeormate whateverit's supposed to be.
But you did that fourth gear cliff hanger on purpose didn't you?
Just couldn't let have the nights sleep. Could ya.
Loved all that making me wait **** didn't ya? :D

Your a special kinda guy Gomez. Hope your team won today.

That report made me feel so good I'm going to run a double batch this time. Material is coming Monday.

Is your's a right hand drive? Do you know if there is a difference?


Tnx, Richard

 

Fourth gear...

Like the rest, firm and precise. But there is a small negative. Philodox didn't mention this so he thinks it's no big deal either....

Removal of the rubber isolator has it's benefits, like a machine like engagement as I posted above. But the isolator also isolates a bit of gear noise from the cabin. For some reason I can't ascertain, fourth gear transmits a little whine into the cabin while driving. The other gears are fine AOK.

This is a minor gripe, and I'm the fussy sort of bastard who hates noises in the cabin. My tollway electronic E-TAG rattles in it's bracket on the windscreen and it gives me the *****. This whine I can live with no worries. It's of a very low level and if you have the radio on you won't hear it.

There is a whine when your hand is on the shifter, too. You can hear it whilst changing gear and you can hear it if you leave your hand resting on the shifter. You shouldn't do that, I know . This hand on the shifter whine is louder than the 4th gear whine.

I must stress this point. Unless you're totally **** about even the slightest intrusion of unwanted noise into the cabin, this transmitted noise will not concern you. As I said, I'm a fussy bugger and this doesn't faze me. The whine while shifting gear is actually appealing to me! Gives the car a bit of race car character...

 

Yes, mines a RHD and there will be no difference apart from the switches on the cover as I mentioned earlier....

 

I measured the throw on the short shifter, too. The throw is now 87mm from first to second, third to fourth, and fifth to sixth. This is measured with the shifter held hard against the stops. I forgot to measure the throw for the original shifter before I removed it :o ......

 

rp,
this is what i tried to pm you. you are full, good to be you. btw, love the hand prints on the hood.


ok,
how much is the shifter??? and it is killing me to hold out for the afs. watching the revs climb on the greedy is amazing.

beers

sswoope@ earthlink.net

 

Richard,

I tried to respond to your PM but your box is full.

-Mark

 

thanks,

but now your box is full.

just need which hoops to jump through to get one.

beers

 

Great review Gomez, and thanks for the pictures. This write-up is good marketing for Richard :p I'll be putting in an order as soon as I get my car.

 

got the goods, thanks so much.

beers

 

Hmm.. not sure what part is the isolator? Is removal of this required?

 

You remove it when you take the stock shfiter out - it is part of the shifter, and RAP's sexy new one doesn't have the isolator.

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

And good posts too, Gomez. These would have to rank up there with the best.

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

Is it shown in any of his pics?

 

I can take a pic, but it isn't really clear unless you have the shifter in your hand. The big fat part of the shifter is thin metal with the steel shaft running up the middle. Surrounding that steel shaft is a rubber isolator that separates the shaft from the top of the shifter where the **** is screwed on. Imagine two shafts joined in the middle with a bit of rubber, that's what you have here. Only the rubber is solid and substantial, thats why it doesn't feel like it bends in the middle when you shift. It does bend though, although only by a minute amount.

I have tried to explain what the solid steel shaft feels like in my posts above. It's really chalk and cheese. The original shifter feels like a soggy spaghetti stick in comparison.

I purchased this shifter because I wanted a snick snick shift. I hoped it would also help with the first to second occasional grind. I have now got a shifter that is all that and more, the FEEL is so much better. The engagement part of the equation is something I had not expected. Shifters like the Pro 5.0 shifter for the Mustang have adjustable stops for positive engagement, this is the feeling I now have in my gearbox......rock solid positive firm gear selection.

Gomez.

 

Why, thank you. I really wanted to convey the install and drive impression as accurately and succinctly as possible, hence the delay in getting the posts out there. It's been a long thread, from my point of view I'm glad it's had a happy conclusion .

Gomez.

 

LOL

Did you get a VooDoo thingy?