Gearheads, weigh in on this.

[kritz]

With the rash of tranny failures there has been a rumor that heavy knobs are to attribute to said failures does this has any credence? I had 52k with mine and over 80 runs down the 1320 and a ton of A/X was I lucky? I was running a JBR from just about day 1. Let's hear the consensus.

[manila]

I've had my JBR setup since 10k miles. I love the setup so far. Haven't had any real issues with my tranny and hope to keep it that way. I wouldn't mind to hear some opinions on @kritz; question.

[Haltech]

I don't think the weight has as much to do with the failures as a short throw shifter does. I think a STS is more likely to accelerate a failure more than a knob. After my trans failure, it was all STS that was the culprit.

[atvfreek]

I agree with haltech here. I've mentioned it to a lot of the locals here, that were complaining about grinding or notchy feel going into gear. They removed the ssp and viola, fixed their issues.

With a short shift plate it doesn't allow the synchro to slow down the gear fast enough.

Sent from your couch

[Dano]

I think @06Speed6; and @Tomas; are prab the best to comment on this. The plastic tabs are the start of the trouble so IDK how an STS might accelerate the wear. Once you lose a tab then perhaps the STS might apply more force on the syncros unevenly accelerating their wear.


Tappin

[nycMS3]

I noticed grinding of second gear and 5th gear popped out quite a few times with a SSP. I tried adjusting the linkeage but had no success.

Currently I have been using the TWM full replacement for the past 12k miles or so and it has been great. No grinding or popping out of gears and I use the OEM shift knob with motocraft synthetic fluid.

[Volcom8190]

Originally Posted by Dano The plastic tabs are the start of the trouble so IDK how an STS might accelerate the wear. Once you lose a tab then perhaps the STS might apply more force on the syncros unevenly accelerating their wear.

Maybe the solution is to go to a stronger material than the plastic like the domestic guys do, such as bronze?

[silvapain]

My 3 was popping out of 2nd gear when I auto crossed it in November. 80K on my 2007. I'm interested in any info on "upgraded" parts, as I'll e tearing my transmission apart myself when it finally goes.


Tapadatass

[helmetface]

Additionally, if any of you engineering oriented people's can weigh in on the TWM Full Replacement.

While it's a great looking piece of equipment, it still shortens the throw and I'd to know how it specifically is affecting things like synchros and forks.

I'm about to reinstall my stock shifter as my COBB STS didn't work out so well. And I'd like to prevent further damage to my tranny.

Otherwise, is there any other options that won't eventually leave our tranny in ruins that shortens the throw?

[06Speed6]

I think the extra force on the pads from fast shifts causes the pads to wipe the gear oil off of the syncro surface which makes the pads drag the surface which slowly pulls them off. I dont know that it is a sts problem as much as banging it through the gears and perhaps people that have a sts are more likely to shift faster than people who dont care enough about fast shifts to have a sts.

[kritz]

Well I have a TWM full replacement,CS SSP and a JBR heavy knobber since I have 55K left on the powertrain warranty I'll let her rip as I love the shifting, Just need to do a fluid change in the spring.

[helmetface]

Originally Posted by kritz Well I have a TWM full replacement,CS SSP and a JBR heavy knobber since I have 55K left on the powertrain warranty I'll let her rip as I love the shifting, Just need to do a fluid change in the spring.

Mind if I take your nupu for a spin sometime? It's a hefty price to throw on a part I've never witnessed first hand.

[kritz]

Any time bro, If I end up coming in for the autoshow you are more than welcome to take her out.

[Rokusek]

Sub'd for outcome

I have JBR ssp and HSK ran the plate with the shortest setting and had a few times that I remember popping out of second on the autox track. Had them both on the car for about 25k with just those few times pooping out, I wasn't sure of why cause it and thought maybe I had just hit the shifter in the heat of the moment on the track. I am very interested to see were this goes.

Best of luck to all

[vrspeed10]

subbing for more info since dan and joe are having so much fail right now..and since i as well have a jbr ssp but stock knob..

[manila]

I noticed that there is talk about a SSP (short shift plate) and STS (short throw shifter)
Can they both cause damage to the tranny or is it one or the other?

[exentix]

Originally Posted by helmetface Mind if I take your nupu for a spin sometime? It's a hefty price to throw on a part I've never witnessed first hand.

i was in the same boat till i drove trf5000's pu. god dayum it shifts so nice. took me a few minutes to get used to the gates being different tho. (not sure if twm or because pu)

[Haltech]

Originally Posted by Dano I think @06Speed6; and @Tomas; are prab the best to comment on this. The plastic tabs are the start of the trouble so IDK how an STS might accelerate the wear. Once you lose a tab then perhaps the STS might apply more force on the syncros unevenly accelerating their wear. Tappin

My trans went out at 85k... 71k of those miles was with the Cobb STS which ate through my lock out. Once that occurs, things no longer line up properly when you are up and downshifting... This is where wear begins.

First thing that goes are the fork pads... They won't last very long before you begin grinding down the forks themselves. In my case, even the nose cone wore grooves. Quick shifts with reduced throws will wear these down quickly.

The short shifters for cable shift trans can be dangerous. It takes a lot more force to shift gears with a reduced throw. More force is placed on the components, mix in additional power and you too with have a silent gremlin in your driveline.

In my case, I did not see any signs of failure until the last two days where getting into 1st was a chore.

The lever in which the shift weight is attached to, moved forward over 2.5", causing the weight to smash into my cold pipe. That shows over time the amount of power is takes to reduce throws within this shifter, placing stress on the components.

I have not seen the twm wearing down the lockout. It certainly doesn't have th slop issues the Cobb has either. Their full replacement seems solid. As long as it doesn't wear out its own lockout, I don't see any damage occurring.

I'm thinking of trying this full replacement from twm. Meantime, I'm $3800 into fixing this fuck up thwt shouldn't of happened.

[helmetface]

Originally Posted by kritz Any time bro, If I end up coming in for the autoshow you are more than welcome to take her out.

It's funny, I'll actually be in NY that night haha, next time tho for sure.

Thanks bud

[kritz]

In Brooklyn for a show right? Might be home homie, hit me up. What time will you be down here?

[helmetface]

Originally Posted by kritz In Brooklyn for a show right? Might be home homie, hit me up. What time will you be down here?

Haha, yes sir! The misses has plans for us all day Saturday, but if you're around Sunday I might be to finagle an hour out of her important life.

[kritz]

Be our honored guest at>>http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/foru...=2013-1-20&c=1

[Fail_6]

Funny you bring this up Steve.

I had an issue with my pu 5k in, basically 5th was grinding for some reason. Took it to the stealership and they advised because i had been using royal purple gear oil (nothing against them, i use their engine oil), it wasn't properly lubricating btwn shifts, and this damaged the synchro. They repaired it, but go figure, before i traded the car some 30k later (i put 34k on it, i drive alot), the problem occurred again, BUT stock gear oil and shifter knob.

Fast forward to today, i've been using the jbr knob since last april occ, and have had zero issues, and actually miss gears less. No short throw and stock gear oil.

My point is i think there's no direct relation to one particular thing consistently leading to this issue, though the knob damn sure could be a cause; i think there has to be a certain combination of conditions that causes the event. Think it may simply be a luck of the draw, or simultaneous unluckiness.

Just my $.02

[anavrinIV]

15k-ish miles on SSP, various knobs, stock fluid, no tans problems. I never linger between gears. I'll be interested to see how the trans holds up, but at 61.5k it's going very strong.

[GunGuru727]

Meh...SSP feel like shit anyway - if this is a culprit.

Feels like your pushing rolls of quarters around.

I have been on stock shifter for 49,5xx miles and I actually like the feel of it.

[Fail_6]

Originally Posted by GunGuru727 Meh...SSP feel like shit anyway - if this is a culprit. Feels like your pushing rolls of quarters around. I have been on stock shifter for 49,5xx miles and I actually like the feel of it.

You don't have a shift knob? I never knew that. Thought you got one too at occ

[GunGuru727]

Originally Posted by PartiAudiMazdarati You don't have a shift knob? I never knew that. Thought you got one too at occ

Nope.

I think I might jump on either the Cobb or Sure Atom...just so much money for a god damn knob haha

[helmetface]

Originally Posted by GunGuru727 Nope. I think I might jump on either the Cobb or Sure Atom...just so much money for a god damn knob haha

I've got a JBR spherical heavy knob with kritz rings. Perfect shape.

If you're interested kev.

[dpolseno41]

Originally Posted by GunGuru727 Nope. I think I might jump on either the Cobb or Sure Atom...just so much money for a god damn knob haha

All you have to do is ask bub.

[smr87]

A few thoughts on this:

1. The linkage was designed for the stock shift plate.
An aftermarket ssp doesn't automatically mean fuxors for the linkage but if its not set up properly to the plate it can.
2. Weighted knobs feel great because the leverage advantage hides fuckups
I.E. you don't quite mesh a 2 - 3 shift perfectly while giving her hell. The stock knob will tell you to fuck off, but the weighted will crash through putting extra strain on the syncros.

Both problems are easily avoidable if you understand how the linkage works, and don't shift like a dick. Remember the stock is designed to work for everyone, so it has a level of forgiveness that you give up when you add a heavy knob and a ssp. I personally don't run either because I can on occasion be classified as a dick, and I don't care for the added effort that comes with a shorter throw.

Moral of the story as I see it is, don't be a dick, and you should be fine either way.

[GunGuru727]

Originally Posted by helmetface I've got a JBR spherical heavy knob with kritz rings. Perfect shape. If you're interested kev.

Eh, never liked his knobs. Thanks for the offer though.

Originally Posted by dpolseno41 All you have to do is ask bub.

Me confused...bub? You haz something I want!?

Originally Posted by smr87 A few thoughts on this: 1. The linkage was designed for the stock shift plate. An aftermarket ssp doesn't automatically mean fuxors for the linkage but if its not set up properly to the plate it can. 2. Weighted knobs feel great because the leverage advantage hides fuckups I.E. you don't quite mesh a 2 - 3 shift perfectly while giving her hell. The stock knob will tell you to fuck off, but the weighted will crash through putting extra strain on the syncros. Both problems are easily avoidable if you understand how the linkage works, and don't shift like a dick. Remember the stock is designed to work for everyone, so it has a level of forgiveness that you give up when you add a heavy knob and a ssp. I personally don't run either because I can on occasion be classified as a dick, and I don't care for the added effort that comes with a shorter throw. Moral of the story as I see it is, don't be a dick, and you should be fine either way.

Fuck the bullshit. Shift like a beast.

It's all personal feel over function, that's how I feel about the SSP plates and heavy bowling ball knobs. Stock shifter is capable of shifting extremely fast...and that's what I do haha

I feel the same way as you, but I prefer to drive like a prick.

[aggierandy]

Originally Posted by 06Speed6 I think the extra force on the pads from fast shifts causes the pads to wipe the gear oil off of the syncro surface which makes the pads drag the surface which slowly pulls them off.

So if this the mechanism of failure, how about a Teflon coated synchro rebuild kit?

RapaTapTap

[HawkeyeGeoff]

I bought my MS3 with a JBR short throw plate, noticed immediately how hard it was to get into gears, had to muscle it hard. Regularly got grinds from first to second. Removed it, the problem was immediately solved. This particular plate created a strange angle with the linkage; a fellow MS3'er had a short cut that seemed to avoid this problem.

On the same note, having installed RMM seems to have eliminated all the grinding that occurred from drive train movement as well.

I also have a weighted shift knob, this component would only really make any difference if you aren't shifting correctly. As was pointed out earlier, it just creates a higher amount of momentum when shifting, so it could hide some "grinds" but, again, this is more the user than the actual component.

Just my 2 cents. We need petitions to make Mazda not use the same damn mounts as the regular 3's!

[uncorked11]

40,000 miles on stock fluid, JBR SSP and TWM Abrams knob, no issues period.

[Tomas]

Originally Posted by kritz With the rash of tranny failures there has been a rumor that heavy knobs are to attribute to said failures does this has any credence?

Nothing that would cause immediate damage. But a little over time. It's the same principle as poising your hand on the knob while in gear to display that gorgeous ring your newly acquired sugar daddy gave you. It will cause the fork pads to slightly rub against the rings they sit in.

[BobtailedSnail]

Never had SSP on my car but I do have a 600 gram custom knob and it shift fine with 85k on it. Goes through FFS and the such since day one and multiple track passes. Hopefully not jinxing myself here buy all is well with my car.

[makjur]

Originally Posted by atvfreek I agree with haltech here. I've mentioned it to a lot of the locals here, that were complaining about grinding or notchy feel going into gear. They removed the ssp and viola, fixed their issues. With a short shift plate it doesn't allow the synchro to slow down the gear fast enough. Sent from your couch

I have been putting off getting a SSP, out of cheapness and i feel that stock setup is good enough. Glad I have been spending money on steam winter sale and beer insread.

Already had problems shifting into first a few times and everything has been stock, dont want extra problems.

Bushings seem to be risk free, right?
they have not been mentioned specifically

[daafisch]

I've had a SSP, E4 STS and now I have a Cobb STS. I used to run a TWM A6 but as someone mentioned above I noticed myself just jamming the car into gear every once in a while. When my car is cold I have problems with 2nd gear grinding but once the car warms up it's fine. Right now the car has 112k, 20+ track hrs and 35+ autox events.

[helmetface]

Originally Posted by daafisch I've had a SSP, E4 STS and now I have a Cobb STS. I used to run a TWM A6 but as someone mentioned above I noticed myself just jamming the car into gear every once in a while. When my car is cold I have problems with 2nd gear grinding but once the car warms up it's fine. Right now the car has 112k, 20+ track hrs and 35+ autox events.

How do you feel about the COBB's slop?

[rfinkle2]

My car was so sloppy stock, I think I would've done more damage missing shifts than the full replacement combo'd with a ssp that I have in now.

I don't drive my car as hard as some of you guys do, but there is no way I'm taking my TWM out and going back to that slop they call a shifter from Mazda.