Short Shifter Concerns...

So just this last weekend I helped my buddy pick up a 1990 Miata. As I was test driving it, I absolutely fell in love with the shifter. It almost felt like the shifter I use to play my racing simulators with. Short, smooth, and almost effortless. Obviously the Protege5 is set up a whole lot different than the Miata, but this has led me to get the best shifting feel I can get.

I took apart my car and found some other brand of short shifter already installed. After a bit of research I want to say it is this unit from Cosmo Racing. I guess that, or an eBay knockoff. Here is a picture of it out of the car.
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My problem with the shifter is the part I have circled in red. That area right there, where the ball joint and plastic bits meet have a fair bit of play in them. Is that something I can replace?

In my search for the best shifter feel, I figure it is best to ditch that shifter and go for the TWM. I have been doing a lot of reading on short shifters from everyone, and this seems to be the best if price isn't accounted for. However, how am I supposed to install it if I don't have the stock bits that surround the pivot point on the shifter? The bearing type piece on my current shifter seems to of come already mated to the unit. Here is a link for the installation instructions from TWM, and they clearly reuse the stock part. Will I need to search the F/S threads for someone selling their stock unit?

Thanks for your help everyone!

Take a look at the service guide that can be found here, looks like what you're looking for is #12 "lower ball seat". you should be able source it from an online retailer or a dealership. You should also be able to pick it up cheap from a user parting out their car.

IMO the TWM is the best short shifter made for this car. If possible see if you can get some polyurethane bushings to replace the stock rubber linkage bushing. It'll help tighten up your shifter linkage nicely.

The shifter throw and smoothness have nothing to do with each other.

Brian_K said:

Take a look at the service guide that can be found here, looks like what you're looking for is #12 "lower ball seat". you should be able source it from an online retailer or a dealership. You should also be able to pick it up cheap from a user parting out their car.

IMO the TWM is the best short shifter made for this car. If possible see if you can get some polyurethane bushings to replace the stock rubber linkage bushing. It'll help tighten up your shifter linkage nicely.

Click to expand...

Thanks for finding that part. Looks like what I am missing. Definitely looking to pick up the bushings too!

tweety2300 said:

The shifter throw and smoothness have nothing to do with each other.

Click to expand...

Never said it did. Just looking for the best shifting experience I can get. Obviously some factors are out of our control.

Like the notchyness if our transmissions