Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter
a stock shifter machined shorter.
everything is great. if you ever do this, order BOTH boots. i only ordered the smaller one. both of my boots were ripped, well so was the leather cover so... old cars. ken over there at ecm is great. install was a snap. no negatives with this shortshifter in my .02 here is what i notice - more transmission noise, cool. does the radio even work? - super quick shifts, had to adjust my clutching to be faster. - little more force needed to shift - shifts feel more positive - more of a wrist movement instead of arm movement - my forearm now rests on the console with hand on shifter. cant wait to see how much quicker shifts get with the lightened flywheel. who wants to come watch the install? gonna be a month or so. well, maybe sooner, clutch is feeling reeeaaaalll crappy. latuh. mw
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter
Remanufactured OEM shifter; a chopped-down version.
Searching for an inexpensive short shifter, I came across East Coast Miata's offering out of Pennsylvania. Sending in a core, for a partial refund, was very appealing. Being an avid customer service critic, I found East Coast Miata rep, Ken, to be top-notch. He provided prompt and pleasant communication from intial questions, to the delivery of the product. The remanufactured short shifter is of very good quality, overall. The shifter was very short, solid, and it retains the OEM fulcrum point. Most hardware is provided, and some parts were re-used from my old shifter. I had to purchase all shift boots that were torn. Although it does not concern me much, the black paint on the top part of the shifter was not durable, ...easily scratching off, down to the metal. In my opinion, the shifter is excessively short. A third of my stock shift knob sits below the center console hole, now. I would not recommend this shifter, if you like shifting with a pistol grip. Fortunately, I like shifting with my palm on top of the knob. Shifting effort is increased, but hardly noticeable. Shift throws are decreased, but it is not so dramatic because the stock angles and stock leverage points are still used. Just like any other short shifter, they are noticed the first couple of days, ...but lose their "wow"-factor shortly. Compared to replacing an OEM shifter, there were no additional complications when replacing my stock shifter with the East Coast Miata short shifter, because it is basically the same configuration. If needed, I would purchase other products from East Coast Miata, because of my positive experience. If I had the chance to do this purchase again, I would try looking for a slightly taller shifter. Considering price, customer service, and overall satisfaction, ...I would imagine it is difficult to find such a shifter.
The stock shifter is already great (in my opinion), but a short shifter was needed because my fingers would intermittently bang against my aftermarket stereo head unit. Of course, I was also wanted to experience what performance a short shifter offers. Research from several resources suggested to purchase a short shifter that did not modify the leverage point of the stock shifter. Furthermore, I was actually discouraged to purchase a reputable raised-fulcrum short shifter, by the seller! Specifically, the retailer advised that me that there were several (but few) cases where owners have called, complaining that raised-fulcrum shifters exacerbate the 1.6 Miatas being stuck in gear. After he was told that I had a 1.6 liter Miata, the retailer felt obligated to disclose this information, ...after it was clear that I wanted to purchase it! This was reason enough for me to decline the purchase of the raised-fulcrum shifter. It also assures my decision to stick with the reliability of the OEM fulcrum point.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Eastcoast Short Shifter
I just finished installing the Short Shifter on my '99 MIata. It works super, very impressed with this device. Not as simple as one would think to install. Do yourself a favor and purchase a new set of Shifter Boot Seals from Mazda. Mine were shot causing noise and heat to enter the car. And yes, the old inner boot does come off and go on over the shifter. I couldn't believe it until I did it. Converting the Eastcoast Short Shifter to an M2 is awful. I strongly recommend having the new one machined to accept the second Pin instead of removing it. I had to make a seal plate out of cardboard, cover it with grease to catch the chips, and grind Pin 2 off. Then I removed the seal and it was done. Now you're only minutes away from finishing. And I wish I'd worked on, or replaced, my Power Window Switch when it was apart.
All and all worth it. But not the 15 minute job advertised.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Re-machined OEM Shifter
I set aside about an hour to install the shifter, it took about half that time(with learning curve). Instructions come with the shifter; and are detaled but no photos. Becomes self explanitory as you remove the old part. The two rubber seals on my car were shot, so plan to replace (will ease installation any way). Makes a great shifter even better!
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
short shifter rod
Install was simple for non-mechanically inclined novice and teenage son. Took 5 screws out of center console, 7 total screws out of upper large and lower small boot, pulled old shifter rod out put the nylon bushing from old shifter on new rod and then inserted with the groove in rod facing right direction, reinstalled with new boots, put center console back in place and then went for cruise on the twisties at 2:00am. What a nice responsive piece of machinery. The shifting smoothed out remarkably reducing the chunkiness of stock unit. Nicely machined piece and for less than 70 bucks it was well worth the investment. Be aware, don't attempt unless you replace your old boots, I found Rosentals after a diligent search of the web to have the best price for both at 42 bucks. Give Ken a call at East Coast Miata, he makes these up to order custom made for your miata. Great vendor to deal with.
After a few miles now, the shifter has proven to hold up to hard shifting and numerous sojourns through the twisties. If I sell this car the shifter goes with me!
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
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