Just installed the short shifter last night. Great product Richard. Shifts are very short and precise. It doens't even feel like I am making the 4th to 5th shift anymore. Took me a while to install because I am a perfectionist but it really is an awesome mod. So far, my best one! Thanks, great shipping too!

 

is Axial Flow the only company to offer the short throw kit for the RX8s? Rich you must have a bed made of money.

im very interested but right now the price is insane for me.

 

no,
mazdaspeed also makes one.. makes richards a better deal.

beers

 

looks like im going to add RP's short throw shifter to my mental wanted list.

 

Good call man. This still remains my favorite mod that I've done.

 

id like to get the short throw kit around the same time i decide to switch out the stock trans fluid and dif fluid.

 

good time to do it since you can drain the fluid from under the car reinstall drain bolt with new crush washer and dump the transmission fluid in the top where the shifter goes into the transmission and then install the shifter.

 

exactly what i was thinking!

 

I went to pick up my RP (Royal Purple that is) MaxGear today and when I got home...Bonus...RP (Richard Paul that is) short shifter in the mailbox. Doing the install tomorrow.

Is there any drawbacks or concerns with adding the fluids this way? Other than don't spill it!

 

i have to change my fluid also... was thinking of the shifter hole, but instead i am just going to run a tube through the chassis opening into the normal fill point...

beers

 

If I wasn't already removing the shifter, I'd do the same.

I just wanted to make sure there wasn't some ingenious Mazda design that made doing it this way a concern?

 

I have done the transmission fill this way on three RX-8s and haven't had a problem yet.

Make sure and grease the shifter while you have it out.

You'll thank me later.

Saves a dollar also, since the top crush washer doesn't have to be replaced for the fill bolt.

 

good to know, did you put the whole 2qts in?

beers

 

Yep, because when I did the first time into the top plug fill hole it used two.

 

thx,

i think i am going to measure it just for fun...

beers

 

i know some people which owns nissan 240sx fill the transmission fluid into the shifter hole... but i dont know about the 8... kinda afraid to try it.

 

Why?

It goes directly into the transmission.

The hole is plenty big to pour it in much better than waiting for it to go through a hose. Specially if the fluid isn't room temperature.

 

ill give it a try next time i change the fluid and thanks for the advice

 

Well I found out that Santa AKA my wife got me the RP shifter for X-mass. One question, does it already come greased or do I have to buy grease and do it myself? If so what grease to use and how to apply?

 

When I received mine it had grease on it but I don't know about now.

White lithium is what I reapplied and works well so far, it doesn't state a particular kind in the shop manual.

Molybdaenium (MoS) should also work.

 

Is it 1.8 qt. or 2.0? Or will either amount work?

 

The owner's manual says 1.8 approx. US Quarts but the shop manual say approx. quantity 1.85 quarts. Which one would be better to believe?

The four times I have changed transmission fluid (different cars) it took 2.

Rear diff says 1.3 - 1.4 US qt.

That should set some of you at ease for how close it is to 2 quarts.

That is 2.4 ounces of approximate difference.

 

Today I installed the Shifter + Royal Purple MaxGear for the tranny. Put it back together with the green fuzz because I wanted to try different methods to try and find the least noisy one. It was quite noisy that way. So then I broke the infamous clip going back in to take out the green fuzz, but a small price to pay as here is what I found out. It was also noisy without the fuzz...quieter...but a different kind of noise I think.

With the fuzz: it seemed to be more of a pressure problem, where the fuzz seemed to push against the shifter the same as if you were resting your hand on the shifter. Thus a rattling/grinding noise.

Without the fuzz: It was alot quieter, but more of an airy, whining or whirling sound.

I thought, maybe the fuzz was supposed to buffer that particular noise. So I slid it over the old shifter just on my workbench to see where it matched up, then slid it over the new one which was already in the gearbox and found that it bottomed out on the lower boot with the shorter RP version. It seems it didn't hang down that far as to touch the lower boot on the stock shifter (not as binding to the shifter movement). So I trimmed about 1/2 inch off the wide side of the fuzz cone, to make it shorter. Put it back in and all the noise was all but gone (I'd say 95%).

I think the cone itself helps the air whirling sound; It being shorter and less restrictive to the shifter helps the rattle/grinding noise. Also there is a seem on the green fuzz where it is sewn together, this should probably be faced in the direction where it would cause the least interference to the shifter action as it is clumpy and harder foam. I found that to be at about 5 o'clock or just below reverse. I'm not sure which way it faced stock, but it sure is less restrictive in the upper boot in that position with the RP shifter.

Then I turned the shift **** out just enough to free up some space between the bottom of the shift **** and the top of the upper boot. Just enough so it wasn't touching the top of the upper boot and putting any pressure on it. I'd say I'm at 98% noise reduction. The only noise I get now is the bump sound of the gears engaging (a sweet sound), and a rattle if I hang on to the shifter to long when shifting and put extra pressure on it after the shift.

Well that's what worked for me. Hope it helps someone else out!

I don't know if the Royal Puple helps the noise or not. The noise was definitely there at first with the Royal Purple already in, and gone after the fuzz and shifter **** adjustments. So unless it takes some time to circulate and lube to start helping in some way, I'd say probably not. As far as a better shift feel from the Royal Purple, well I kind of ripped myself out of a comparison by doing them together. But once the noise was eliminated...AWESOME MOD!!! AND FEELS OUTSTANDING!!!

Thanks Richard!!!

 

It takes a little while for the synthetic to work its way in.

Personally I take it easy after changing the fluid since the full potential of the lubricant is not at its peak when first installed. It has to clean the old fluid off before it can work to its fullest. That is part of what the detergents do.

I take it easy for at least a week.

 

Well I'll be damned. That just might be it.
I'd like to get my boys in "Oz" to varify this and we will declare you've been granted you're name "CURED" in bold print.