Q for people with chopped shifter extension
 

From what I see in the picture the boot sits on the black extension piece on the shifter. Once you cut that off how can you re-attach it so it fits snug against the knob?

I don't have the stock shifter upper part removed, but you could bore a washer about the diameter of the the shifter and slide it down over the it. Make the diameter of washer tight enough so it fits snug on the shifter arm. The boot can rest on the washer and you can have the knob right on top of it (just like stock)

Actually, most people did not cut off the extension. The cleanest way to get it off is to heat the fat part of the extesion with a propane torch, remembering not to set any thing on fire. :eek: I kept my finger on the ball at the bottom of the stick near the nylon bushing and when that started feeling hot I put the torch on the ground and gripped the extension with a pair of vice grips, twisted it around and it popped off. That leaves you with a big rubber blob on the end of the stick. You can trim that away with a single edge razor blade leaving enough rubber so the hole in the boot is a snug fit. I did mine back in August of 2001 and it has not budged at all. It is a little nerve racking having a lit torch inside, however. Oh and wrap a towel or something around the base to catch the shavings as you whittle the rubber blob down to size.

the washer idea will work.....as will the other solution posted....

but if you have already cut it off...and are still wondering...there is another solution similar to the washer trick that is easier...

get a small piece of hose that the inside is about the size of the shifter but a tad smaller so it will be snug.....cut a little piece about a half an inch long adn slip the hose down over the shaft....then position it so that the top of the boot will rest on it and in the right location..


but....this a HORIBLE way to have the LOOK of a short shifter...

haha...nono....I haven't cut it yet. I'm still debating which SS I should go with and I'm trying out different ones in other people's ride at the local club meet. But there's this guy in our club had the extension removed and the Kartboy bushing installed. It feels quite good and in case anything happens the warrenty is still good.

First off, concerning an aftermarket short throw shifter, you have nothing to worry about with your warranty. Nothing will happen if you know how to drive properly. If you do row it too hard and bend the shift fork, it is easy to install the stock shfiter and say you have no idea what happened. Just get the habit of shifting smoothly with out ripping on it. If you cut it, like Nuke said, it will only give the look of a short throw. You need to get a shifter that is longer beneath the ball to reduce throw lenth considerably. With the stock shifter shortened you have to move the shifter the sam length and can run into clearance problems in fourth with the hand brake, I've heard.

Actually the throw is shortened by removing the extension. You're doing the same thing as the other short shifters by changing the fulcrum point of the whole assembly, essentially moving it up the shaft. The aftermarket shifters take it a step further by moving the fulcrum even further up by having a longer section below it. I've felt the B&M shifter in another P5 and in this instance the owner had a long shift knob on it and realistically the throws were about the same as my shortened one with the original round '02 knob on it. The big difference was how precise and clean it felt compared to stock. I will probably try the Kartboy bushing next to see what that does (some say helps a lot, others say no big difference ?) n my car I've never had a problem with the brake lever getting in the way. As a matter of fact it creates a perfect rest for the heel of my hand where I can keep my fingertips on or near the knob when cruising in fourth.

your right....the true Short Shifters shorten the top and lengthen the bottom.....if you only take off the top it shortens the stocker a LOT (about 2 1/2 inches) where as the B&M is only 1 1/2 inches shorter....here is a pic of the two side by side so you can compare.

http://www.sirnuke.com/shifter.jpg

I almost ordered a B&M the other day, I think I might go with the TWM shifter though. Anyone used them. I guess they have two one for the ES and P% and one for the MP3. I am assuming they are both universal on any 3rd gen, the MP3 one just shortens another .75 in. or something.

... or it could be because the two cars have different threads for the shift knob, and the two different shifters simply have different threads.

that's right! dangit, where's my prize? Some Eibach's will do! :D

you are right

I sent TWM an E mail about it. The site claims that the shifter is shortened 1 to 2 in. depending on the model, which is due to the threads. The thing that mislead me was the 35%-45% throw reduction depending on model. I thought to get a reduction of ten percent for the MP3, the shifter must be shorter than just longer threads.

The two shifters are identical in height. The MP3 has threads which extend longer down the arm, and are matched to the MP3's shift knob. The standard Protege shifter has shorter threads and are matched for the golf ball.

Since the throw is longer in the P5/ES/LX range than it is in the MP3, I would think you'd get more throw reduction in the standard cars and less in the MP3. Perhaps that's why you see the range of %'s. The standard is more improved than the MP3 because it was worse to begin with.

Actually the MP3 shifter is the same shifter as a Protege sedan, just without the extension.