Cobalt Short Shifter for MX-5

Cobalt Moss Short Shifter Quick Shift installation review Miata MX5 MX-5 Gennady Croc Roadster

Well, i dreamed about a short shifter (also called quick shifter) for my NA and eventually i did it on NC.

After i got it i saw that, as people on Miata.Net described, the reverse spring is on a week side - so I decided to replace it by stiffer spring.

The disasemble is very easy but the problem was that 2 allen bolts that hold everything together are just unmovable.

Penetration spray didn't help.

Heating didn't help either.

Eventually i got bolt heads "screwed" :-(

I went to one of my trusty mechanics (BZR) expecting they will have to drill those bolts - but after 20 minutes - voila, those aces got bolts unscrewed !!!

Remeber - this not 1 "through" allen bolt - but 2 separate bolts, each screwed in by its own.

In a hardware store i got 2 new allen bolts and also "spring washers" for the black aluminum spacer bolts.

I also got new spring (at Tel Aviv 100 Hertzl St.) - it is much more stiff that original - but also quite a bit longer.

I thought it will be OK but fully compressed it's still too high to allow shfter move fully down.

I tried to shorten the spring with a wire cutter - but it the spring laughed back at me - so the trustworthy Dremmel was brought into action.

Central console removal went quite easily - except disconnecting power windows switch took some nerve.

Filling up whole turret with the oil is impossible - it's upper part is clearly designed to be dry.

So i just filled a little bit into the hole where shifter lower ball goes.

after all bolts tightened and before all the rubber/plastics installed back i tried the shifter.

OMG - there is no 1st and 2 nd gear!!!!

Taking it a little to the left (no pressing down whatsoever) and forward engages Reverse.

Back to the RTFM......

Oh, i see why - i forgot to install the upper metal plate (i think they call it a "gater").

Looking at the part it's hard to beleive it will sort out the 1st gear disappearance - but somehow it did!

The job is done - all works fine.

I'm so glad that i got that spring replaced - even with this stiff spring it's quite easy to engage reverse.

I can only imagine how too easy it would be with the stock spring......

So - how does it feel ???

Initially i had issues sometimes with downshifting to 1st - sometimes it just didn't went into gear, no matter how hard i push and how long i wait. Only double cutch with long gas bleep helped.

But i discovered one day that i just wasn't taking gear leaver to the left enough - hand movement should be precise here.

After this groundbraking discovery no problems with the 1st gear :-)

After 2 months i can say that it's amazing product !!!

Today into another Miata and trying gears i'm always stuned "this is so loooooong".....

I don't expirience any rattle - maybe this is because i put a lot of grease on the shifter's tip and middle big ball.

In short - this thing is addictive !!! There is no going back for me !!!

The last update:

Prior to sell ing the car i removed this short shifter and drove few days with a stock one - what n horrible feeling !!!

I can imaging living with this thing.......