just installed my AFE short shifter half hour ago......
this is not an advertisement for AFE but i am really appriciated to axialflow engineering which makes this shortshifter. and the AFE installation from the DIY section was really helpful; i just read once then i could just do it without looking at it. The whole process is really short----35 minutes. Thanks again....
basically, i think the short shifter reduces the shifting time obviously, especially from 2nd to 3rd and from 3rd the 4th.
And the distance between 1st, 3rd and 5th, and between 2nd, 4th, and 6th become really short. I let my frined drive my car once i finished installation, he couldnt even find the reverse gear......anyways, for a skilled driver, or a real rx8 owner, it is a good improvement for drivability. Thanks again DIY People, AFE shortshifter!!!!!!!!

 

Bump for AF short shifter i had mine installed few weeks ago! great stuff!!

 

I've asked one of my local friends who drives an 8 as well as me, (i'm new to cars and he's been modding his 7 for awhile, and his 8) about getting the AFE short shifter, but he said it would not be much different because the 8's throw is already so short. How much shorter is the throw? and is it a big difference/worth the money?

 

Your friend has never tried it. Once you try one then buy it you can show him that he doesn't know as much as he thinks he does.

Find a local member who has one and try it out.

Seriously, this is the best mod for the 8 IMHO. The feel is better, the shifts are faster and much shorter. Down side, if you can call it that, is that you hear more transmission noise. Well worth the money.

 

^Thankyou, you probably just convinced me to get one for a nice christmas present. Right not it's either going to be this or some nice springs.

 

favorite mod on my car to date.

 

this mod wins. AND its cheap and easy to DIY!

WOoot!

 

Why is a flywheel more fun? How much of a difference do you feel while accelerating? and i hear that people with lightweight flywheels also burn through their clutch faster, is this true?

 

I've been holding off on getting the AFSS because I fear wearing down my syncros faster and/or misshifting more frequently.

Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't mind shorter throws, but when I tried Keef's car the throws felt so insanely short that I could never be completely sure I was in the right gear! And feel free to laugh at my lack of car knowledge, but doesn't shorter throws = faster shifting = harder on syncros? Don't our tranny's have enough problems with syncros dying too fast? Wouldn't this just give us more problems down the line?

 

what is this now, the 15th AFE review?

 

Quite possibly.......................

 

and they are all good.

beers

 

and theres a reason for it! its great.

 

yep, i have read some reviews of it but i couldnt find it when i wanted to add my review to them, so i just created a new one. but anyways, its a nice mod...

 

+1 for:

a great short throw
yet another AFE STS thread
and my post count!!!

 

someone should just sticky a AFSC review thread. lol

 

yea,

sticky,

like someone would read that crap.

beers

 

haha, touche...

 

Even with all the threads about it, it really is a very nice mod. I'm enjoying mine for sure!

 

It feels strange at first - like you hit a wall instead of going into gear. Once you are used to the shorter distance, going back to stock feels sloppy and overly long. You'll get fewer missed shifts because the AFE is even more precise than OEM. The noise is inconsequential unless you hold the shifter back or forward in gear. There is more effort to click into gear with slow shifts, like a detente, but you don't notice if you're shifting quickly.
It's beautiful stuff, man.

 

my sister has a rx8 also.. when i drive hers i feel like i am rowing a boat..

it is that different.

beers

 

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission3.htm


Near the bottom of that page is how synchros work. The only thing a short throw shifter does is change an angle. Rather, it moves the pivot point for the shifter.

Sooo, you move the shifter a shorter distance but the lever itself moves the same distance as before. It doesn't mess with the synchros any and it won't be any worse for the trans or the rest of the car...assuming you can drive a manual in the first place....