well, my short shifter came in today, I have got to thank Mazdatrix once more for their excellent service, as always, I got a phone call from them on Thursday telling me that they didn't have the 89+ shifter, but since I have an aftermarket knob, I could use the 88, he said then (Thursday) he would send it out, this afternoon (Monday) I came home to a Bright shiny new Short shifter, which after monkeying around a bit with the knob, sits happily in my FC, I have to say, it is very very nice, good and tight, very short throw, a bit more effort to shift than stock, but it is all good anyway. Installation was a 3 minute job I did before class. all in all, it was expensive, but it may have been worth it.

Thats one of those toys I wish would just end up under the christmas tree.

Its one of those things you want, but it kills you to buy, lol



Kinda like my RacingBeat tri-point strut tower bar, I bought it used off 13B ace.

One of those things I always wanted but figured it didnt make the car THAT much better so I never bothered, lucky for me he sold it to me, thanks Jim!



Now I have to paint and install it, cant put that thing under my hood being its painted white from RB.

yeah, kinda like freebies

let us know how it goes, if it rattles that is

how much did it cost

i'm curious just how much of a difference those strut bars make... someone should measure deflection with and without the bar, even just a video of some taut string from strut to strut doing a slalom pass with and without the bar would be interesting to see.

Im not a big fan of the strut bars, I dont think they do a whole lot. Plus if you were to take a hit on one side of the car having that bar there will transfer some damage to other side of the car.

I can say in all honesty that I bought the bar because its a Racing Beat tri-point bar and I think it will look cool under the hood when I paint it, lol

Call it ricey of me, I dont care, lol

I've put the front bar, rear bar and lower arm bar in all at different times. Each one made my car feel a helluva lot tighter. This is, of course, only a subjective observation. I wouldn't go without them now.

Well, I'm interested, if anyone is willing to do some experiments with and without the strut bar... speak up



I don't really care if a part makes the car take on more or less damage in a wreck... if that were my attitudeI wouldnt be buying expensive exhaust systems and such because they will be more expensive to replace if damaged in a wreck. **** that logic, just don't wreck https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png

in time i'll have a Short throw.. oh yes.... congrats on the new purchase https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png

u can just cut the stick and believe the throw is shorter. thats rice baby

it costs $200 from Mazdatrix, not sure if it is even carried by anyone else, it doesn't seem to rattle, but my car is a bit loud on the inside anyway, so it is not like I would care one way or the other, I should turn my stereo off and listen for it, getting my shift knob on was a bit of a chore, as the shifter gets wider much sooner, there is not enough room to put the shifter on with the collar on the bottom, I couldn't get to the allen screws, so I am driving around wiht the allen screws exposed, and some threading on the bottom of the knob. oh well, can't even tell really. as I get used to the throw, I am able to shift it a bit easier as well, it is a good thing.

i havent tried the strut bars in the fc, i have one on my fb and it makes a difference. the whole front of the car is a lot tighter.

rob is also correct though, any kinda of bracing will affect how the car crashes. instead of crumpling one section (say a corner) it will tweak the whole car



mike

I removed the collar under the shift knob and just tied the boot around the top of the shifter right under the knob, looks great and the knob hasnt fallen off yet. You can also use some removable LockTite on the threads if it shakes loose, or use a strap wrench to tighten the knob down.

they changed the knob for the fd to get rid of the rattles (86-88's like to rattle stock), they made the threads out of plastic instead of a metal insert, and they also made the knob really heavy (5lbs)



mike

yeah i love mine

I've got the mazdatrix front strut bar with the engine and firewall supports and it made a hell of a difference. I do not need any computer contraption to tell me that this piece of added equipment made the car better; it was very obvious the first time out on the road.



I'm also hoping for the short shifter for christmas. Seems as if family members are against buying car parts for me. Stange because that's the stuff I really want. Just get me what I want; damn-it!

yeah, I kind of want some strut bars as well, but I think getting my exhuast done is a bit higher on the list, but the strut bars would be cheaper (front upper at least). My short shifter does rattle, but I always have the radio on, so I don't much care.