REVIEW: James Barone Racing Short Shift Plate MS6

C

cameronbalch

Member
Hey Everyone,

I just purchased the James Barone SSP for my 06 MS6 and am posting up a review of the product. It is an extremely well fabricated product, and has significantly increased my overall driving experience. Hopefully this review can give you some insight and encourage you to purchase the short shift from Jamie.

Ordering from Jamie was a pleasure because his customer service dynamic is like no other. I went back and forth emailing him with questions, and he responded within minutes. He shipped the product extremely fast, and I believe that I received it within three days of ordering it. Second, the install was possibly one of the easiest installs, and anyone with a little bit of DIY knowledge will be able to put it in. I have a CAI installed and I didn't need to remove it because there is plenty of clearance. The SSP ships with full color installation instructions that are extremely easy to follow.

As for the actual product, I am in love with it, and have had it installed for about a few hundred miles now. The plate reduced the throw by like 33% according to the product description. At first this may seem very drastic, but it feels absolutely perfect. It takes a little bit to get used to, but once you get the hang of the shifting it makes it all worth the upgrade. One of the great things about the plate is the fact that it still retains the stock shifter height. All of the other short shift solutions require you to go into the center console which is extremely inconvenient.

I would give this product a 5/5 for not only the product itself, but the customer service and prolonged support that you receive after you purchase it. If anyone has any questions about this short shift feel free to PM me. If you want to know where to find the product, it is on Jamies website at http://jamiesplanet.com/

- Cameron
 
i agree with the your whole write up. If you dont have this yet go buy it. You wont be disappointed
 
Thanks for the review. I have been thinking about getting this for my ms6. Did you get the stage 1 or 2? What is the advantage to adding the Solid Shifter Bushings anyway?
 
the solid bushings lock the shifter assembly to the tunnel of the car making it not move.
the stock rubber bushings allow some flex and let the shifter kinda do what it wants to, with the base bushings its locked in place.
 
just curious if anyone has found that the neutral point has moved forward towards the front of the car a bunch with this plate? I just installed mine tonight with all the updated parts and I find that I now have to lift my arm/elbow of the arm rest to get up to 1st, 3rd and 5th.

I would prefer to have the neutral point down where 4th is. Stock, I didn't need to lift my elbow, and obviously it was a much longer throw.

Did I do something wrong on the install, or is this adjustable in some way?

Thanks!
 
I just put this into my 06 MS6 an hour or so ago. Went for about a 15 mile test drive and I am really liking it so far with my limited use. I installed this at the same time as a Corksport SRI/TIP so I wasn't really getting on it yet, letting the it relearn the trims a little, but so far it feels good.

Shifting seems slightly "notchier" or "springier", with just a little bit more effort to push into gear but definitely not annoyingly so or enough bother me. Throws are definitely shorter, but I feel like I am already used to it after 15 miles and they really seem perfect. Should have come from the factory like this.

To the poster above, I don't think that my nuetral position changed much if at all. At least not really that I noticed. Maybe ever so slightly but I wouldn't have noticed if you didn't mention it.

Oh, and I would also like to say the Jamie's customer service has been absolutely top notch. Overall, highly recommended. Now, I can't wait to drive to work tomorrow!!
 
I just re-installed this with the new risers for lifting the shift cable bracket, and it is a FANTASTIC change for the shifting dynamic. I combined it with a 605-gram weighted shift knob from E4Performance, and that knob adds just the right weight to make the shifting shorter, but not harder.

If you installed this without the riser kit, contact Jamie and get that. It's safer for the shift cable, but it also GREATLY improves the feel of the shift action itself.

VERY good bang-for-buck mod, IMHO.

24e884p.jpg
 
I don't have the the bushings, so I don't notice a "notchier" feeling to the shift. It's definitely shorter, and thus crisper. ANd it requires just a tad more force unless you use a weighted shift knob, but it's well worth it.
 
Hi guys!! Thanks for the great reviews and pictures too.

The risershttp://www.mazdas247.com/forum/member.php?u=63648 STEALTH01 speaks of are included in every MS6 kit and have been sent out to everyone who's purchased a kit prior to 4/16/10. When ever I see room for improvement to one of my products you can guarantee you will receive any updates for free.

I'm not trying to toot my own horn here but this kit is by far the best short shift solution for the MS6. The "little" notchyness people refer to is really what you want out of this kind of mod. It really makes you feel more connected to the car and the driving experience. If you've read anything about how successful my kits are for the MS3, this kit feels even better than that.

You can get more information about them HERE.

Thanks,
Jamie
 
hey sorry i havent responded to some of these posts, but i actually installed the shifter bushings the other day and it completes the entire short shift solution. I highly suggest getting the stage 2 kit because you are going to want it in the end.

-cameron
 
Have a great weekend everybody!

Here's a shot of a Shift Plate installed on BOOOSTEDSPD6's Monster.
4.jpg
 
Akito said:
just curious if anyone has found that the neutral point has moved forward towards the front of the car a bunch with this plate? I just installed mine tonight with all the updated parts and I find that I now have to lift my arm/elbow of the arm rest to get up to 1st, 3rd and 5th.

I would prefer to have the neutral point down where 4th is. Stock, I didn't need to lift my elbow, and obviously it was a much longer throw.

Did I do something wrong on the install, or is this adjustable in some way?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I noticed the same thing, i dont mind as long as it dont cause a problem. shifts feel great.
 
uh, it moved foward but not by THAT much.

im tall, i have my seat back a bit normally, and the STOCK throw made it so i had to REACH to get into 3rd and 5th.
with the SSP i dont, my elbow stays relatively in the same spot compared to stock...

seems it SOLVEd my stock issues... opposite the issues that Akito is having... *shrug*
idk
 
now that ive put some miles on it, i must say i love the e4 shift knob, shifter plate, bushing combo from jbarone.
 
just finished install of ssp & bushings . . .

Wow, it really is shorter! I've only had it on for a very short time now . . . it will definitely take some getting used to. The throws are so much shorter now, I'm not always 100% sure it's actually "in gear" (before I let out the clutch) . . . but it is in gear, so its just a matter of gaining some confidence!

I'll report back after I've driven with it for a while.

cheers to James!
 
Last edited:
I've had this on since Monday. Install was direct, but I took my time with the solid shifter bushings after work in the parking lot. lol.

Had some trouble wrenching the nuts loose for the shifter cable plate under the battery. It is darn tight but got it out eventually.

Feels great with the short throws and "direct" feel.
I have no regrets with this combo (the shifter plate with the solid shifter bushings).
 
kalte said:
I've had this on since Monday. Install was direct, but I took my time with the solid shifter bushings after work in the parking lot. lol.

Had some trouble wrenching the nuts loose for the shifter cable plate under the battery. It is darn tight but got it out eventually.

Feels great with the short throws and "direct" feel.
I have no regrets with this combo (the shifter plate with the solid shifter bushings).
Click to expand...


I'm glad you like it!

Thanks,
Jamie
 
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