Introducing myself...and question on feel of shifter on 2011 R3
 

Hi everyone,

Recently picked up a new R3 as a daily driver / kid hauler and wanted to stop and introduce myself. I have been a track rat / driving instructor for the last 12 years or so and also own a lightly modded FD which comes out on sunny days :)

My 2011 R3 has all of 400 miles on it so far. So far I love the handling balance and feel but had a question on the transmission / shifter. Overall the transmission is quite smooth but I get a weird feeling of momentary resistance shifting from 2nd to 3rd. It is not a "grind" and there is no noise...just a feeling of almost rubbery or mechanical resistance before going into gear that is distracting.

It happens hot and cold and does not really happen in other gears to a noticeable degree (maybe 3-4 a bit). Happens if shifting at low rpm or high...well kind of high (5-6K) as the car is still being broken in.

I have driven a lot of manuals with different "feels" from buttery smooth (ITR) to rifle-mechanical (Z06) but this feels a tad odd.

I'd appreciate other's experience on whether this is a) normal and or b) something that will likely smooth out with more miles.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Hi - welcome.

See my thread in the same section about 'not going into 2nd' and expect some mail about driving technique, working with your car and giving it time to wear in.

The other suggestion, that seems to be a goodone, is to change the transmission oil to Redline MT90.

Ive done almost 50k km on my R3 and that feeling doesnt go away, changing the fluid will help but it will always be there, so far its all normal, no grind. I know Mazda has bulletin about the clutch pedal and are easy to replace syncro's since there are known to grind prematurely.

The only "remedy" that I found to this is when the car is cold or when I need to shift to 2nd at a lower RPM I need to blip the throttle between shifts to help fall into the gear easier. Like previously mentioned, this is somewhat "common" and "normal" on series 2 8's

NORMAL!!

Hi and Welcome...

Look...Baby it for a while until well run in...change the Fluid after 2000 miles (Redline MT-90 or better)....always best when hot....always.

I am not suggesting you don't know how to drive, but, IMO look at your technique of changing.
Your box WILL loosen up in time....

PLEASE give it some...

And UNLESS it falls apart, DON'T take it to a Mazda Dealer and complain.

As you know, many cars have characteristics which are not necessarily a fault or defect.

lol, I know exactly what you are talking about. Just push it in and drive away.

Funnily enough, my 07 GLi had the same twitch going into 3rd. When I felt the same thing in my 8, I had to smile. It's like the manual god's are taunting me. :)

Thanks for the input folks!
 

Hi all,

Just wanted to say I appreciate all of the input. I think I will give it some time...and take it into the dealer (who I am betting will do nothing) just to create the service history in the event it worsens over time.

Thanks!

No Problems..

The 'modified' (cough) Clutch Pedal (TSB) does not apply to 2011 RX-8's...

It only apples to Series II RX-8's MADE up to...September 15th, 2008.

Synchros are NOT also known to grind prematurely.

So, in the 3 years since the Series II has been made, there has been little change to gears, none to synchros, and the one update to Clutch Pedal Assembly.

When I say NORMAL..I mean Normal..it is a normal characteristic of this transmission design..not a fault...my 2011 MX-5 (basically the same Transmission) does and performs exactly the same as my original Series II RX-8 transmission which has not had a spanner touch it.

Learn to live with it...your transmission WILL NOT fall apart or give you problems down the road..
Just ask Mr Meyer who races his GT class S2 RX-8...he loves the tranny, in fact says it is bullet proof, except the Synchros do wear, BUT his tranny is being hammered pretty hard.

And Yes, just because you perhaps owned other Mazda or Nissan or GM product did not do it means little.
Your previous car did not have a close ratio gearbox with one of the shortest change gates around.

Warm it up and it should be just fine...:)

I get the same sensation when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear on my 2009. It doesn't go away. As far as I can tell, it's because the 3rd-gear shift gate is designed with the expectation that it has to keep the driver from overshooting and shifting into 5th instead, whereas if you shift carefully and make sure the shifter is properly-centered, the lever will bounce off the left edge of the shift gate on the way into 3rd gear.

This car demands shifting with authority. The synchronizers are extra-stiff because of the huge changes in RPMs they have to deal with (50% higher than most engines, and it's a sports car so it has to shift faster too); the blocker rings actually won't stop the synchros from grinding into place if you shift with too little force. Likewise, the shift gates are positioned with the expectation that you'll be too busy driving fast to make sure the shifter is perfectly aligned. Make the shifter your bitch; shove it into gear like you're racing for pink slips, even if you're driving to the grocery store, and it will behave perfectly.

Also, Redline MT90 does work great. Don't go with a Group 5 gear oil though; I tried it and it was so slippery it actually kept the synchros from working properly.

You DON'T need to SHOVE anything....

Stop treating it like a GM Hummer and use some technique and think about what you do.

Whether Left or Right Hand Drive, same box, change with an 'Open Hand' not grabbing your knob like you are turning a door knob...if you use an open hand with finger movement the gears will find their own way when changing up...both trannys of mine does...just select what you want and do the move.

Changing down is different technique again..I don't do it (use brakes) unless in a hurry.

Remember with ANY box the more you change the more synchro's wear.

When my transmission is warmed up, it shifts easily into gear for me. I don't feel I have to muscle it. I can easily shift with my fingers or light contact with the palm of my hand. There si some notchiness, but I've always assumed that was just the feel of this transmission.

Correct..

You know Ash, since you've become a mod you've become a lot more strident in your criticism of others' posts. You didn't instantly gain +5 to Intelligence just because you earned the right to wield a ban stick.

When I say "shove it into gear like you're racing for pink slips", I don't literally mean "shove", that's just humorous exaggeration. (the part about "make the shifter your bitch" immediately preceding it should've given away that I was indulging in a little hyperbole.) What I'm saying is the synchros won't work right if you baby them like you're afraid they might wear out someday; shifts need to be completed in a half-second or less or else the blocker rings won't have enough pressure exerted on them to work properly.

My shifting has gotten more accurate and more reliable since I've learned to not be afraid of damaging the gearbox if I use a little force. The odd sensations the threadstarter is experiencing are most likely the gearbox reacting poorly to being babied.

2nd to 3rd a bit notchy is perfectly normal when cold, dont worry about it.

Mate, I do not even know you, and I am not going to cop BS from anyone..
Your opinion is just that..opinion...just like mine.

As for "earning the right to wield the ban stick" you again show your ignorance as I have not even thought of it...but having reminded me of that...Har har hardy har..

My opinion has not changed since becoming a "mod"...

BTW just for your information, I did not ask to become one.

One can only go by what is written here by you or anyone else...I CANT READ YOUR MIND...

If you cant handle criticism (if that is how you see it) then go somewhere else.

Having accepted the position of being a Mod ONLY for the the Series II Section and asked to "Clean it up"..where else do you expect me to participate???

As far as what I say or contribute, I will leave it for others to judge.
Just what Facts have you contributed here?

You don't have to read my mind, Ash, just my writing. As I clearly explained in the post you quoted only a small part of, I was exaggerating and it should've been obvious to anyone who read my original post. Despite that, you responded to me as though I literally meant what I wrote.

I can handle criticism just fine, when it's backed up by facts. When it's backed up by opinions, it's a waste of time. When it's backed up by opinions and enforced by editorial privilege, it becomes offensive. You say you didn't ask to become a mod, and that instead you were asked to take the job; as long as you're accepting requests, I'd like to request that you steer clear of sounding critical or disdainful of other people's posts as long as you're a moderator. Being a moderator gives you instant credibility in discussions that you moderate, and I've seen "influential members" of several other forums become mods in time and start using their authority to punish anyone who disagrees with them. It would be a shame to see that happen here.

As for what facts I've contributed: I've contributed the facts of my experience owning (and shifting) my car. My transmission started shifting more smoothly when I got more forceful and less careful with it. My interpretation of that experience may be an opinion, but the experience itself is factual.

If you or anyone for that matter doesn't like the way a Moderator does his job, PM an Admin.
Airing your issues in the open will lead to a temporary ban. I warned you once. Don't make me do it again.

I don't have the time to re-read posts over and over again....
I notice you removed your original 'shove' quote.
Why do you think I honed in on this original "hyperbole".?
It is what I received and the OP in their club email replies BEFORE you edited it.
So you assumed a brand new member had an understanding of your original explanation whether technically correct or not and your "exaggeration"...hence my reply.
And you are assuming I have or will punished someone who disagrees..or generalising about the mods- staff here.
Again just for you..in the past 7 years I have never seen the staff "punish" anyone that was not warranted.