Mazda RX7 FD3S Short Throw Shifter

1. It had to be a true Mazdaspeed replica
2. It had to be a two piece design with an inner NVH isolator
3. It had to incorporate the upper pivot ball notch OEM bushing
4. It had to be OEM+ quality

1. Precision CNC steel two piece short shifter – Our shifters are made in small batches using professional CNC machines. The reason we make them in small batches is to ensure exact OEM tolerances.
2. CNC Aluminum inner and outer spacer rings
3. Polished nickel plated lower shaft – While nickel plating does give the lower shaft an aesthetically pleasing look, we didn’t do it just for looks. Nickel plating ensures the lower shaft is resistant to abrasion. So you can be sure that after many years of use the tolerances will remain intact and the shifter will perform as designed.
4. Powder coated upper shaft ensuring long term wear protection
5. Custom polyurethane vibration NVH isolator
6. OEM pivot ball notch bushing
7. OEM lower ball bushing
8. OEM lower rubber boot

• Back in the day an alternative to the original Mazdaspeed short shifter was the rare C’s shifter. The C’s shifter is almost just a replica of the Mazdaspeed unit, however the C’s shifter lacks the pivot ball plastic notch bushing which comes standard on both the OEM and Mazdaspeed shifters as well as on the JP3 shifter. There is a good reason Mazda uses this bushing. Not having this plastic bushing means metal on metal friction between the shifter notch and the guide pin. Not only does this create a very “notchy” shifter, it also may damage the pivot ball over time. It’s not uncommon to see used C’s shifter that show some sort of wear or damage on the pivot ball notch. This is why we had to incorporate the OEM pivot ball notch bushing.
• It's also important to note that the OEM plastic bushing is replaceable and it is supposed to be replaced over time if or when it wears out. Most FD owners probably still have the original plastic bushing since their FD was new. Luckily this is a standard OEM which can be easily replaced. JP3 short throw shifter come equipped with brand new Mazda notch bushings.
• Other alternatives on the market were made from a single piece of metal. The Mazdaspeed and OEM shifters are two piece units which are separated by a rubber /poly isolator to reduce NVH. The lower piece sits inside of the transmission and the upper piece in the driver’s hand. The one piece design is not favorable as it transmits higher amounts of NVH from the transmission to the knob.
• Many FD owners are familiar with the RE-Amemiya short shifter at a much lower cost. There is a reason for this. The RE-A shifter is not a real short throw shifter, it just an OEM shifter which has been cut down in height. The throw distance on the RE-A shifter is the same as the OEM shifter.
• What reduces throw in a shifter? The answer is the distance from the lower pivot ball to the upper pivot ball. The longer this distance the shorter the throw. The RE-A shifter and the OEM shifter have a shorter distance between the lower and upper pivot balls. If you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Product Review Video courtesy of TommyFyeah (3:35):