epitrochoid

i don't think the shifter vibrates too much...if anything it keeps my hands off of it when im in gear. the oem shifter has a rubber dampener in it to cut down on this a bit, but that accounts for alot of slop.

the most difficult thing in learning the gates...the entire pattern is shifted to the left, and you cant 'ride the wall' on a 5-6 or 6-5 shift any more. once i got it bolted down i tested to make sure it engaged each gear correctly, and i couldn't get it into either 5th or 6th. with my shifting style, the 4-5 shift is just like the 2-3 in that you have to guide it into the gate. if you overshoot it it just hits a wall. it takes getting used to, but once you got it down, it's just great.

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

OK I have a handle on the shaking in reverse or on a hill. It's clutch chatter.
The clutch is on the verge of slipping or not. The little springs in the hub are winding up and releasing. Just doing it's job. I don't know how to cure it. Just have to learn how to use the clutch differently???
The rubber diaphram around the shaft might be made heavier, but I'm not sure.
I know that we can't make a mold for a new one of those. It would cost alot more then we could recover from a few shifters.

Could a person double one up and glue them together? You could use contact cement to do it. Is it worth the trouble? Might be worth a try if you really have a problem with it. I didn't notice it when I drove the two installs we did here. Might be my style of driving??

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

Rx nut, tell your wife I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause domestic problems or encourage your infedelity. All I really wanted to note was a mans hand is not as attractive to this type audience. Mainly men, since Kari is gone. (Foolman/ Icemastr.)

RX-Nut

Hahah, it's cool Richard. I was just joking around.

As for the shakes, I understand about not being able to fix it. I'm not sure there is a fix. I guess it's just more noticeable due to the fact the shifter is now a solid piece.. who knows.

I can take vid of the shakes if you want.. Sometimes it just does it while I'm sitting in neutral, but its most replicable when I am slipping the clutch just about to engage the gear. Like I said, it's really only specific moments, but does happen nonetheless. The shakes while in neutral, I think are the normal RX-8 shakes however just magnified.

I'll try to get you some vid to see how spooky it looks hehe

epitrochoid

i like the shakes! it makes my friends and guinea pig test drivers flip out, and i can laugh at them for not being able to drive

it's only happened to me in reverse though, not in any forward gears. all in all, i dont think the shifter vibrates any more than the OEM one. it just doesnt stop when you grab the ****, since there's no isolator to absorb the vibrations.

and about 5th and 6th gear, i retract my previous statement. now that the tranny lube has gotten up in there it finds the gears just as smoothly as the others. all smiles here!

Aoshi Shinomori

Whatever happened to Kari?

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

Icemastr is the bad guy, ask him. the jerk

mdmaclean

Is this normal with the RP shifter? What is different that makes the "wall" not be there for 5&6?

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

I'm looking into this. It is the first I heard of it. Maybe other drivers don't use that style of shifting. I have an idea but I'm going to have to experement a little.

TheDosDog

I don't experience the "wall" not being there in 5&6. For me the pattern is just tighter "shorter" and that takes some getting used to. But overall shifting is more precise and much improved.

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

I'm getting different opinions on this from different users. I wonder if the Mazda parts are not the same car to car. I have some people looking at the clearences now. Or It may just be driving style and some people have to adjust to it. Keep the feed back coming, I'm interested.

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

Hey Gomez, I'm sure there is no difference in right hand drive cars but do you experence any of this flutter? Or is it normal rotary rough idle just not dampened as much without the rubber insert?

Gomez

No mate, they're all the same. No problems here. Look back a few posts, you'll see epitrochoid retracted his complaint about the 5th and 6th "wall" and stated he didn't think the shifter shook any more than the old one. The shaking shifter is an idle problem or clutch technique issue, I'd say.

The isolator is so stiff it'd transmit any vibration anyway. It's only use is to reduce noise and soften up the shift, IMO. The rubber will isolate a bit of heat from the shift **** too. That's not a concern for me at the moment, but it's something I'll have to take into consideration when I fit a ball style ****.

Does anyone know if the Voodoo ***** have a threaded nylon insert?

Thanks,
Gomez.

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

Well the shifter has no metal to metal contact, but heat still transfers through anything given time. A nylon insert can always be made, just have the **** tapped larger than the 10mm it is. Like 15mm. Still it will transfer sooner or later, probably later. Have a bushing made from hard nylon or an engineering polimer.

I'm still interested in feed back from anyone who thinks he is having a problem, of any kind.

epitrochoid

put it this way...5th is where 3rd normally is and 6th is where 4th normally is: at the rearmost point of the circle trim around the shift boot. if you push the shifter all the way to the right and push up, it wont go into 5th or down for 6th. driving really isnt an issuse, but you don't have that stop there to stop the left/right movement of the shifter on a 4-5 or 5-6 shift. perviously 5th was very hard to find as was 6th, and when it when in it was clunky (partially attributed to the fact by the time i found the gear, the revs had dropped below where i naturally hold them) almost like when you have to force it into 1st when the car is rolling slowly. 5th and 6th slide right in now, but theres still no stop there to keep you from going to far

my $.02 is that the metal ring that actually secures the shifter into the transmission has a flat spot on the right hand side. this keeps you from pushing the shifter too far right and out of the 5/6 selector rod. richard perhaps you should look into machining a new ring that moves that flat spot where it needs to be to eliminate the dead area between the 5-6 line and R.

some one else try to push the shifter all the way to right and get it into 5th or 6th, maybe it's just something with my car.

mdmaclean

The Voodoo **** I have does not have a nylon insert, it is aluminum through and through.

epitrochoid

ok, i've figured it out...i went out for a drive and realized the problem isnt half as bad as i make it sound...it's just a matter of learning the new gates. push the shifter to the right and STRAIGHT up and 5th will engage (since 5th sits on the y axis at the top of the circle). i was pushing to the right slightly as i would with the OEM shifter (where 5th gear resides in the upper right quadrant of the circle), and it just happens that if you do this you'll hit some sort of barrier. same thing for 6th

only thing i wish the shifter came with was a new clip for that damn center console!

TheDosDog

Is it possible you are pushing down (into the tranny) slightly when going to 5th? Reverse seems to take much less effort and you my be going into the reverse gate. Mine will act the same if you man handle it. Shifting with a light touch seems very sure.

Gomez

Okay...thanks, dammit...

epitrochoid

i thought that might have been the problem, but i backhanded it and applied slight upward pressure, same issue. but its my particular shifting style that causes this, and it would be native to all short shifters, not just the AFE.

rx8cited

I have not done the mod yet. What's the purpose of this clip? Can we not reuse the stock clip?

epitrochoid

not if you massacre it when removing the center console! :P

Boxcar

Here are a couple short vids to help out. I have a 6 minute step by step video of the install. If anyone is interested PM me and I'll put it on my server for you.

Clip Removal

Before and After (measured throw)

-Boxcar

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

Great clips (pun intended) Boxcar.
That trick with the needle nose should make everyone else a little embarased :o
The shift reduction is hard to tell people but your clip is a good find.

I need to put all these things together somehow for an install video.
Between some of the visuals provided by you guys and Gomez instructions it will be the best DIY guide ever.

The clip removal tip alone is worth a few min of time. :D

Gomez

Ummm, you're not talking about the wiring harness clips are you.......or are you?