Evo 9 MR Shifter Mod
 

Just measured my 6-speed shifter throw and came up with 4". Every one who gets in my car says it feels "firm" and "short" some say it has a "solid" feel. Well to me none of those words fit! I think it has a sloppy, loose, long feel. So here i sit two years after having purchased the car trying to decide what to do. As most of you know Works makes a short throw for the 6-speed that reduces it by 35% supposedly. So that would put me down to a 2.6" throw and i am planing on either having this shifter installed (proprietary design) or figuring out how to do it myself. But even with a shorter throw i would still have the sloppy, loose feeling. So my fix for this would be the AMS Shifter Base Bushings and the AMS Under Hood Shifter Bushings. After that i will also be installing a HEAVY (1lb) Stainless Steel LatheWerks Shift Knob.

After all those parts are installed most people might be happy! But im a perfectionist and always want to go deeper into a project until i think it can become no better! This is where i hope my machining background will help. I will pull out the shifter lever and try to add .5" - 1" of length UNDER the pivot point and subtract .5" - 1" of length ABOVE the pivot point. The only issue i will have here is the reverse lockout ring but i am 100% sure this can be done! The question is how much time it will take and how much money! Also adding length under the pivot point can cause a problem with linkage binding and such. If this does cause a problem i will settle for just subtracting length from above the pivot point.

If i can subtract 1" from above the pivot point i will be down to a 2.25" throw. If i can combine that with adding 1" below the pivot point i will be down to a 2" throw and will be happy!

What i need help with is finding a stock Evo 9 6-speed shifting lever with all of the reverse lock out ring parts still in tact. if anyone knows where i can find one PLEASE let me know ASAP! Also please post your thoughts on my plans! I am always open to others thoughts and criticism!

:eek:

How do you sleep at night?

I had a kartboy short shifter with stiff rubber bushings kit and weighted knob on my ol' wrx and it was short precise and tight. Then I got the mr and you're right it's tall long sloppy and notchy. I bet with the works kit, the bushings. And a good weighted knob it will be 100% better without the extra clearances.

im not 100% on if it fits a 6speed
i have one on my 5speed
but might help abit or you could make one maybe

http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=250712

underhood shifter bushings make a world of difference in shifter feel

it was one of the most rewarding things I ever did to my evo ix

I'd start there

+1.
I recently got Buschur base and underhood shifter bushings installed on my ix mr. I think you'll be more than happy with the results.
It pretty much takes away most of the sloppy and loose feel you are talking about.
However, if you still want to work on the short shift kit, I think i'm interested. My brother just picked up a Honda S2k CR. Wow! About as good of a shifter as you can get imo.

thanks for all the thoughts! It keeps me wanting to do this! Now so my car doesent have to be down so long it would be awesome if someone knew of a place where i could get a 6-speed shifter assembly! Thanks again

where can i get these shifter bushings

Bushings
 

I purchased and installed Beatrush shifter (in-car) bushings from Kami-Speed. Install was straight forward and the results were amazing. After installation, the gear shift felt more precise, less sloppy - a whole lot more 'tighter.'

Go for it, you won't be sorry.

base bushing - https://secure.buschurracing.com/cat...85ca0b07a231e1

underhood bushings - https://secure.buschurracing.com/cat...85ca0b07a231e1

I have a IX-MR and have the WORKS 6-speed short shifter kit and ALL their bushings: Console, Under hood, etc. It 'WORKS' great for me! I love the throw distance and the feel!

^ does the WORKS 6 speed come with the bushings or were those aftermarkets like AMS or Bushur?

^ Hi Joe. No it does not come with any bushings...But, they are worth getting! I got all that WORKS offers: The shifter mechanism that sits over the trans & ALL their bushings and I am totally satisfied with the end result. (My car is a daily driver) I would do this again in a second! -Howard.

Lol i new that name looked familiar... Howie ill pm you on TSE

Got the knob in today! I love it guys! You should all go and buy one! Def one of the most quality machined (after market car) parts ive seen! And im a machinist/tool maker!!! And fast shipping! Ordered Saturday! Shipped Monday! Received it TODAY (Tuesday)!!!

Now all I have to do is Shorten the shifting lever! It looks retarded! Its SO tall! Someones gotta find me a 6-speed Shifting lever w/ reverse lock out assembly! And possibly the 6-speed shifting linkage so i can screw around with it and see what i can do! I do hope to market these products (shifting lever) when i am all done!

Keep the comments coming! Thanks Guys!

def dont like the sloppiness of the 6spd.. lol

Def do the bushings, both sets. Like others said it makes a very noticeable difference and the car actually is more enjoyable to shift. I installed mine a couple weeks ago.

Thats weird, mine feels very tight and precise. I agree the throws could be a smudge shorter though. I installed some bushings on an MR2 I had once, and it did make a world of difference. Good luck{thumbup}

Well this knob is by far the best $95 i have spent in a LONG LONG time! I also believe i have found a stock 6-speed shifter to mess around with!

If i manage to get a "normal" short shifter for the 6-speed made (that replaces the shifting lever and not the linkage) how many people would be interested? Of course if i can make it at a reasonable price? What would a reasonable price be to you?

Thanks, Trever

I thought I read on one of the 6 speed threads that the works short shifter caused tranny problems. Maybe it's just me, but my tranny seems to shift fine.

post a link to this forum you talk about. I want to read about these tranny problems that a short shifter causes.

BUMP for the link!

Shifter is on its way! Cant wait to get modifying and re-designing!

would anyone be interested in a shifter like this? A short throw, shortened, moved back shifter for the EVO 6-speed!? The short throw part is pretty self explanatory. By shortened i mean just shortening the top of the lever. i dont like how high the shifter is just for cosmetic reasons. And by moved back, this would be optional, but for my seat placement and arm length the shifter is just to far forward for me! Not by much, just an inch or so but i would move it back just so i dont have gear missing issues!

I thought WORKS only sells them if you go there? Did they change it now?

How much does WORKS charge?

Works is an in house install only (this includes works registered shops). The cost is $199 for the shifter (linkage) and install. If you want to keep the stock linkage they charge an additional $200 core charge.

Mine will NOT be an in house install! I will ship it out to ANYONE!

well then im totaly intrested, pls pm me once you get all the kinks worked out, i think its so ****ty that works only does the mr6speed short shifter in house only. Not everyone who owns an mr evo lives in cali. So like i said as soon as you get it all figured out please let me know.

Not true... Works has several authorized installers across the country, but probably not Hawaii. For us in SoCal, their previous authorized installer, EDO Performance, no longer does maintenance and installs. Best to call Works directly to see if there's an authorized installer in your area.

When I spoke with Works a couple weeks ago, they were looking for another shop in SoCal to do authorized installations.

Trev... I really like what you're doing! It's would be great if the MR community has another option out there. Keep up the good work!

J. Church

$199 was their intro price several years back... with shifter bushings and the shifter install is now over $400.

im def intrested in a short shifter for the MR!!

I agree...his shifter feels awesome...if I planned on keeping my 6 spd I would definitely look into the Works shifter...

Last I talked to Works they told me it is $199 for the shifter and install and $200 core charge if you want to keep the original linkage. This was about a month ago. But best way to find out is just call and ask them! They will know best!

My stock shifter to play with is still on the way. Should be here this week! So hopefully i will have a working prototype by the end of next month some time!

I'm interested as well. If the price is right of course.

^^ive been looking for one too

PM me what you think would be a reasonable price! This would be so in the design process i could try to hit that price point! Please remember this will not be a mass produced part right off so the price will be higher than a production unit! Thanks, Trever

Well depends. If you had a reserve of core shifters you could have a swap policy. Send me one I'll send you back my old one. Then you wouldn't have to add into the mix the cost of a new shifter assembly which I'm sure is bank from mitsu. However you do it though, I've wanted a shorter throw since I've bought the evo bu I've learned to live with it.

plz ban jdmevo206 he is bumping threads for no reason to get his post count up.

very interested to see the end result of this project and you offer ur services for the right price i'd pick one up instantly :thumbup:

Shifter is scheduled to be here tomorrow! Im hoping to make very quick work of it to get the prototype in my car!

Also for production i will not need cores (at least if all goes as planed) it will be a complete shifting lever! Completely machined out of aluminum and stainless steel! (Aluminum for the reverse lock out ring and stainless for the lever)

Keep the interests and suggestions coming!

Also let me hijack my own thread (I think thats allowed seince its my thread right LOL)

I am looking for a tuner to tune my car Speed Density! Does anyone know of anyone good? Preferably with in 4hrs of Poughkeepsie NY

Also i am looking to do all of my cars pipes! Intake, Intercooler and Upper and Lower Intercooler Pipes, Down Pipe, Down Pipe Back Exhaust! What do you recommend? Please speak from experience!

just got under hood bushings, what a difference..........

I know STM is in Rochester dont know how close that is to poughkeepsie.

STM Will tune Speed Density?

Also what are all of your thoughts (from experience) on my piping?

Thanks Guys

Shifter arrived today! This is going to be harder than i thought! All the movement takes place ABOVE the pivot point! Like no other shifter i have ever seen! I can shorten it for looks and a slightly shorter throw altho any more than this is going to take so real thinking on my part! We'll see how it goes!

If it was easy, There would have been one made already.

Keep us updated. I hope this works out.

Oh it will work out! If i say im going to do it I always do! Sometimes it takes a while but i always get it done! The only problem i see is making production pieces. Sure if i complete one for myself i could do the same for you. But this shifter is worth a LOT to me so i am going to spend what it takes! So it might be expensive!

Let me know what ya think for pipes for the car! Come on guys help a brother out!

any update on this??

I'm interested. Also, where is the closest WORKS distributor authorized for this service near North New Jersey?

Best bet is to call them for any questions regarding there product. The reason i say this is not cause i dont know the answer (well at least i did) but every time i talk to them the info changes! So i dont wanna give you the wrong info for today. Ya know?

Also for the up date. Have the stock shifting lever all drawn up and ready to modify. Now i just need to find time to look in the car and see how much i can move things and still have sufficient clearance. I am also thinking of other options to significantly shorten the throw if i cant do it the originally planed way. Like stated before the option WILL be available to ANYONE who wants it. All im trying to figure out now is how im going to do it and how time consuming and complicated it will be so i can come up with a price. The first thing i am going to do is shorten the shifter (literally) for a sportier look and im also going to do something with the reverse lock out to make it look better.

The closest place is Bell MITSUBISHI, in Rahway, NJ., (Not Bergen County, but only 45 minutes away...) attention Mike Ko. He is an official WORKS Dealer. Tell him 'Howard D.' sent you! :mitsu:{thumbup}

Why would a mitsu dealer sell/install a short shifter?

PM'd you

well i am still working on this but it is going a little slower than i had hoped. It will be done! I am going to shorten the shifter (pretty easy just as long as i can easily shorten the reverse lock out set-up). I am than going to try an make the shifter a short throw in a more conventional style. if this is deemed impossible i will than go about it the same way that Works does. Hopefully i can do it cheaper!

Attachment 291433
Attachment 291434

Just make sure to put it back together perfectly in line or it will bind, causing the lock out lever to stick. If you do it correctly, it will provide years of perfect operation.

You pretty much have to use the stock setup. Machining of a new lock out lever was going to run me around $500, just for the lever! Where the two pieces slide into each other was the main reason for the high cost. Those two parts have to mate perfectly.

I've done about 10 of them so far locally and to my knowledge all of them are still working perfectly.
I had to shorten mine. I'm 5'11" and have an upright back rest preference. Every time I would shift into 2nd and 4th, my elbow would hit the side bolster. Drove me crazy! Everyone I let drive me car loved it and it just went from there.
Make sure you buy a few spares. If you mess a part up it's not like you can get one from Mitsu. You have to buy the whole assembly!

I have a set of the under hood bushings if you're interested.


Keep us posted. Definitely interested in reducing the length and throw.

im guessing no more news on this??

i dident give up! Hrs at work just got extended so i have less time to work on it as i am now working 12hrs a day! It is still making progress and i will keep you all posted when i have something to show! Thanks, Trever

Sounds like a lot of work for little gain. Whatever floats your boat. Let us know how it turns out.

sorry guys! A lot of stuff goin on! Its still on my mind! Its going get done

I too thought of diy-ing a short throw. Until I saw the shifting mechanism. Goodluck man! :)

def the worst designed shifter ive ever seen! But it will be done!

i wanna know how it works out

Me too if you blind fold me and put me in the car I would think i'm shifting gears with a ups truck.:lol::lol:

What?

Still in the works. Just ran short on time to work on her. Shes still here tho! Dont give up on me yet! LOL I will deliver! I promise!

Pics?

It's a fact that the shifter in any Evo is a bit fuzzy. Never quite sure exactly where you are. Plenty you can do to fix it though.

what have you done so far to help fix yours? Please give some additional ideas as i plan to expand the line of evo performance/cosmetic parts!

This project is ALMOST back to the top of my list of things to do AGAIN! Hopefully nothing gets in its way so i can get it done before i decide to sell the car. By the way how much do you think i could get for my GG Evo 9 MR with 18,000 miles? I am willing to sit on it so i am NOT looking for a fast sell! I am NOT selling because i need the money i just have another car in mind! Thanks Guys, Trever

i hope this short throw comes true for the mr. i would really like to add this to my mr

so i am not going to say where i sit with this project. Altho i will ask how much people would be willing to pay for a SHORTENED shifting lever? NOT a short shifter! This mod could be anywhere from 1/4" - 2" shorter than stock!

I am also doing a short shifter for the 6-speed but am still testing a few ways to complete that. When its all said and done (hopefully by the same time i finalize the shortened lever) how much would you guys pay for the SHORT SHIFTER? The short shifter mod i am planing to be at LEAST 35% shorter than stock! Stock is 4" throw mod'ed will be 2.6"!

Let me know!

i just want the shorter throws!! lol price hmmmm idk

i would pay just for it to get done already lol

Any updates?

does the 6 speed knob turn off like a normal one. I have put some pretty good torque on mine but an worried to break any plastic parts. Anyone have a pic of the shifter assy together and disassembled. I have access to some 3d modeling software so I wouldnt mind drawing it up on a computer and seeing how it can be modified. Maybe give some people some ideas.

i used a strap wrench to get mine off. Just put it on there than banged on the end of the wrench to simulate a impact wrench and it finally broke loose!

I currently have the shifter all drawn up digitally and am working to see what can be done. i know i can shorten the shifter (not shorten the throw) but cutting the shifting lever and reverse lockout assembly than welding the lever back together and making a piece to screw the reverse lockout assembly back together.

To shorten the actual throw i will have to modify the levers mounted on the tranny.

yeah compared to 5 speed the 6 speed is sort of sloppy.

i would pay for both, just pm me when u have it all finished!

this is what the works short shifter for the mr does.

When you shorten the arms, you completely eliminate the throw stoppers that are built into the shifter base.

I don't post very often at all, mainly just search and learn, but I would be very interested in a short shifter. I've had my Evo for 2 years and am sick of the long throws compared to my friends 5 speed with a short shifter. I'd be willing to spend a couple hundred or so if it made the height of the shifter and the throws a little shorter. I plan on getting new bushings in the next couple weeks as well to stiffen everything up.

any word on this

Sorry for the long delay guys! I have changed jobs since this thread was started and wrecked my car! As well as lost some money and a few other hard things. This shifter is no joke sitting on my table. It is engineered and drawn up. One has been completed but not tested yet. It is a two piece deal. One will shorten the shifting lever with will also shorten the throw slightly. I have the percentage on the table as well but im to lazy to go look LOL but i believe its slightly less than 10%. The second part will only shorten the throw. The will shorten the throw substantially. I belive this was calculated to be a reduction of around 35% - 40%. Again i still need to do testing to see what feels best. Cause as you shorten the throw you increase the amount of force you need to apply to the lever to shift because you loose leverage.

This has not fallen off the face of the earth, only put on a back burner until i get my feet back on the ground about where they were before! I do have expected prices now though! Around $150 - $200 for the shorter lever w/ a core! And around $100 - $125 for the short throw parts w/ a core! I do not have outright prices (prices w/o a core) as of yet.

Thanks for the interest and let me know what you think about these prices and keep the interest coming!

interested is there!!

I know this is what the works does! Havent you seen multiple companies make parts that accomplish the same end result before? Do you e-mail all of them telling them "So and so" makes a part that does this also? If you like the works GET IT! Thanks!

how long until your piece is completeed?

i'd be interested if the price is right

any updates?

Any more updates?

Any updates

Hopefully soon guys! Just more and more stuff keeps getting put on my plate! Sorry!!!

Any updates?

I had the Works short shifter put on my car MR. It's awesome now! The only thing is that when you do it, 6th gear won't be naturally easy to get into so you'll have to adjust at first. But I guarantee you'll love the feel of it after the mod. Get er done!!!

Anymore progress Trev? I hope the new job is going well...

Any updates? Too bad there aren't more companies attempting this. I'm guessing the best real solution would be an entirely redesigned shifter assembly, but that would not be cost-effective. I guess I'll learn to live with the long throws, but I get jealous every time I drive my friend's STi :p

Any further update on this? Anybody with a Works MR short shift willing to chime in and tell me whether the short shift is worth it and how it is holding up? Just wondering for when I get my Evo! Which looking for a Wicked White Evo IX, it is almost impossible to find a GSR, thanks for your time guys!

Any updates on this or a kit of its kind, other than the WORKS. Buddy just got a short shifter on his STI and kind of want one :rolleyes: