short shifter installation

[newprot5fan]

So I am serisouly thinking of getting rid of that stock shifter in my P5 (I hate it)..I am used to the short throw of the Mazda 3...and want something like that in this car.

What are the potential issues of putting a short throw shifter in the car? Does anyone have any negative experiences after installing one?

Also, which ones are "good" and what is the price tag (ballparked for buying one and installation)..also, is there anything else I need to get with this? Stupid question, but will anyone install it? This will be my first ever mod!!(mj)

Also, how do I go about getting a mazda 3 shift knob?

Since I am in NS, i am assuming I will have to get it shipped...

 

[rednecks_r_us]

kartboy is the shortest shifter and they used to be about $90 US. I don't think Kartboy makes them any more so you would have to find one used.

The only negative problem I had with mine was it sat so low under the car it hit the heatshield and rattled. So I took out the heat shield .

 

[smo0f]

or you can just bend the heat shield so that it doesn't hit anything

 

[rednecks_r_us]

You can take a pair of tim snips and cut out the area for a cleaner job. I didn't feel like doing that because my MAM mid pipe was also vibrating. I just wanted to get rid of anything that was causing the rattle that was driving me crazy at the time.

 

[smo0f]

mine was probably also hitting when i had the car. however, it was one out of 20 different rattles so there was no way for me to figure out that that was one of them

 

[5PADZAM]

kartboy is the shortest shifter and they used to be about $90 US. I don't think Kartboy makes them any more so you would have to find one used.

The only negative problem I had with mine was it sat so low under the car it hit the heatshield and rattled. So I took out the heat shield .

Pretty much any short throw shifter will hit that damn heat shield. I just bent it down when I installed my Kartboy ss. It was a little too short for my taste, so I replaced it with a B&M ss. I had to bend the heat shield a little more for that one because the fulcrum is slightly longer on the B&M than it is on the Kartboy. I thought about removing the shield, but I didn't want all that exhaust heat coming up.

 

[THE Phen]

Me and MeinP5 installed a Kartboy in my car today. Good stuff. Too bad it was bloody cold...

 

[urbanbiker]

I used the B&M shifter, no heat sheild clearance problems or anything, great feel.

Matt

 

[aMaff]

I have the TWM. Love it, the feel's great. Has ball bearing bushings at the bottom where it connects to the rest of the linkage, give it an awesome mechanical feel. Also, the TWM comes with spacers for the heat shield.

As for cost, I think I spent 230 or so shipped for mine, including a new boot, the bushings (GET THE BUSHINGS!) and a weighted knob (aka a hunk of aluminum tapped to fit over the shifter lol)

 

[THE Phen]

I also got the Kartboy bushings for mine. I haven't installed them yet, but I will soon. I didn't have any clearance problems with my shifter and the heat shield, but I may have bent it out of the way and didn't realize it.

 

[FastMSP]

kartboy package for me. Nice combo.

 

[rednecks_r_us]

Pretty much any short throw shifter will hit that damn heat shield. I just bent it down when I installed my Kartboy ss. It was a little too short for my taste, so I replaced it with a B&M ss. I had to bend the heat shield a little more for that one because the fulcrum is slightly longer on the B&M than it is on the Kartboy. I thought about removing the shield, but I didn't want all that exhaust heat coming up.

I live in Arizona and no issues with heat creeping up. When i'm in the desert part of the state in the summer I can feel some warmth only if I stick my hand down in the slot under the E-brake handle.

 

[whitemp5seattle]

I have had the B&M installed on my car for about 2 years now I think...no issues with it ever...one of my favorite mods so far. Installed it myself in about an hour and a half or so (and I didn't even really know what I was doing, but it's pretty easy to figure out)

Also, I installed kartboy shifter bushings at the same time. All my friends who drive my car love the short throws and how it just clicks into gear. Definitely do the bushings and the short shifter - you won't regret it! (2thumbs)

 

[5PADZAM]

I live in Arizona and no issues with heat creeping up. When i'm in the desert part of the state in the summer I can feel some warmth only if I stick my hand down in the slot under the E-brake handle.

Good to hear that you don't have a problem after removing the heat shield. I lived in Phoenix for 2 years and Tucson for 5 years, and I know how hot it gets there. However, I know from experience that engineers don't design things into cars, or anything for that matter, just for the heck of it. It's there for a reason. I would encourage anyone not to remove the heat shield, but that is just my opinion.

I have had the B&M installed on my car for about 2 years now I think...no issues with it ever...one of my favorite mods so far. Installed it myself in about an hour and a half or so (and I didn't even really know what I was doing, but it's pretty easy to figure out)

Also, I installed kartboy shifter bushings at the same time. All my friends who drive my car love the short throws and how it just clicks into gear. Definitely do the bushings and the short shifter - you won't regret it! (2thumbs)

I have the kartboy bushings also, and I highly recomend them. Very precise shifts.(drive2)

 

[newprot5fan]

hmmm

well since kartboy doesn't make them for the P5 anymore, it is betweeen TWM and B&M....any suggestions?

ANd I have NEVER done anything to cars, so am I gonna be able to install this thing on my own?

People were saying to get the poly bushings if I get TWM. Are they just the 2 blue things in the picture on the website? I hope it tells me how to install this too!

So, the heat shield issue. Just bend it down? Sorry for all the questions, but the most I have ever done to a car was change the windshield wiper fluid


ok...so B&M OR TWM?

 

[whitemp5seattle]

I say B&M - the bronzeoil bushing that they use in the short shifter is awesome...so smooth.

The heatshield you can just bend yourself - it's just a piece of sheet metal.

I believe kartboy still sells the shifter bushings for our cars. I just looked on the website and it looks like it's still in stock. There are instructions for the bushing install on the kartboy website.

 

[THE Phen]

The shifter in my car was rather easy also. The only thing that made it take longer was the fact that it was about 10 degrees outside.

 

[Tasty]

How much shorter is the kartboy shifter than stock. I think I'm going to order up a custom short shift boot from Redline pretty soon, but I don't know the drop to give to them to make it right. Tom at Kartboy told me via email he thought it was 1".

 

[5PADZAM]

How much shorter is the kartboy shifter than stock. I think I'm going to order up a custom short shift boot from Redline pretty soon, but I don't know the drop to give to them to make it right. Tom at Kartboy told me via email he thought it was 1".

I don't know, I know it's more than 1 inch. I would guess it's more like 2 inches shorter. I don't have my original shifter, but I measured my kartboy shifter that I removed from my car. It's 5 inches from the top of the pivot ball to the stop where the boot sits. Here's a pic:

 

[Tasty]

I don't know, I know it's more than 1 inch. I would guess it's more like 2 inches shorter. I don't have my original shifter, but I measured my kartboy shifter that I removed from my car. It's 5 inches from the top of the pivot ball to the stop where the boot sits. Here's a pic:

That could be helpful. Stupid question though: From the pivot ball down were the lengths the same? Guess it would HAVE to be to mate up down below. Anyway, I have my stock shifter and I'll measure to compare. Thanks!