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finally shifts almost as well as my Honda

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#1
My EP3 Civic Si is my benchmark for all previous and subsequent cars owned. Maybe not the best shifting car out there but for a cable shifter with only fluid change, short shifter, and heavier knob it was pretty good.

Initially with this car I did the short shifter and fluid change and it was better but not great. Tried a heavier knob but went too heavy and returned to stock. I was almost resigned that it was as good as it could get. Since then I've made a few changes and each seemed to make an incremental difference, most of them you guys are already doing but a couple probably not. Thought I'd share.

1) fluid change to Ravenol MTF-2. Initially tried Redline fluids and played around with the viscosity a bit. From that experience and finally changing to the 75W80 Ravenol I'm convinced this trans is designed for a 75W fluid, thicker is not better, but all 75W fluids are not equal either. The Ravenol works very well, may be fluids out there that work as well, but no suggestion from internet research that anything might work better.

2) short shifter. Don't think it makes much of a difference which brand or whether the change is made at selector shaft or shifter as either way it's simple geometry change. Not sure that doing both for even greater reduction is a good idea though as reduction is only fore and aft and this car already has pretty wide gates.

3) heavier/round knob. Ended up with a very slightly heavier than stock (7 grams) round knob and couldn't believe it made as much of a difference as it did. Had to swap back and forth with stock to convince myself. Still not sure if it is weight or shape but it made a noticeable difference.

4) fill the trans until it drips. This is one thing probably not many if any have done. My reasoning was that as this was how I had always filled the half dozen or so manual transmissions I had owned in the past that this was probably original design intent for this one as well before CAFE fuel standards complicated things. How much this contributed I can't say as it was done at same time as Ravenol change. I can say however that all mechanical shifting noises are gone with the dual mass clunk the only remaining artifact. And can also report no apparent leaks from "overfill" in 3k miles.

5) disassemble and re-lube shifter. Probably no one has done this. I only did it as I had my shifter apart to do my DIY mod. Factory lube is "white" grease. Anyone familiar with white soap based grease knows it has a tendency to dry out over time and it's not that great to begin with. While I had it apart fully cleaned and re-lubed all pins, bushings, and pivot points. Again noticeable difference. Anyone interested in doing this follow Bomba shifter install instructions for disassembly.

Verdict: aside from previously mentioned wide gates I'm pretty happy with how it shifts. Still miss my Civic, was slowly making it into a Type R until it got rear ended.
 


green_henry

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#3
I sometimes miss my Acura TSX ... that 6-speed was super tight. The Mountune shift kit is transformative -- not quite Honda territory, but SO MUCH better than OEM! I wish the carbon fiber shift knob was heavier, too -- I miss the weight of my old Skunk2 knob from the TSX (but don't miss the inferno-level heat from when it's left in the sun, haha)
 


ronmcdon

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#4
still trying to figure this one out.

with fluids, having tried ravenol, bg syncoshift and motul gear 300 (75w-90), like motul the most. Ravanol found it to be too thin for my preference especially at hpde with hotter temps. Gear 300 may not be best for cold weather.

with bushings have really liked the fswerks (although Whoosh is similar I imagine) aluminum cable and base parts that are pretty cheap but improve shifter feel.

already have a lathewerks 2" shifter extension and may well get the Moutune shifter as well.

really on the fence around a Coolerworx kit. Don't mind the cost of the unit but just don't want to get stranded as I sometimes drive 5 hours or more to hpde events.
 


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#5
So you filled up the trans until it started dripping from the fill hole? How many quarts was that?
 


LilPartyBox

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#6
Did a short shifter set @ 25%, oem trans fluid until drip, & the aluminum bushing at the interior. Not good enough. So I added the bushings at the tranny and powerflex bushing on brand new upper mounts and it's the best I've ever driven. I own a ND Miata and my FiST is still way better.

That being said, I may do the shifter lube as per OP. Maybe the final step to perfection?
 


OP
G
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Thread Starter #7
So you filled up the trans until it started dripping from the fill hole? How many quarts was that?
Took 2.3 liters. Not that much more than the 2 liters most on here are filling. No apparent issues and peace of mind that my bearings are swimming in lube.
 


Last edited:
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#8
ND Miata is the best I've ever experienced.
Next best I've experienced is the RX-8. The FRS/BRZ/86 has a variant of the same Aisin AZ-1 transmission, but I thought it felt very slightly worse.
 


Business6

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#9
I miss the five speed of my 00 Miata. I honestly don't think I will ever drive a better car than that and the transmission was an extremely important factor.

I've had the FiST for a full four years now and plan to do Ravenol next spring. I've had Motul 300 (not great) and BG Synchromesh (pretty good) so far. I'd like to do the fluid change along with new mounts and disassemble the shifter to re-lube it. I imagine the mounts will help dramatically as they have tons more wear and tear on them.
 


ronmcdon

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#10
NA Miata shifter are great and so are the FD rx-7s in my experience. Glad to hear that remains the case with the NBs and NDs it seems.

I miss the five speed of my 00 Miata. I honestly don't think I will ever drive a better car than that and the transmission was an extremely important factor.

I've had the FiST for a full four years now and plan to do Ravenol next spring. I've had Motul 300 (not great) and BG Synchromesh (pretty good) so far. I'd like to do the fluid change along with new mounts and disassemble the shifter to re-lube it. I imagine the mounts will help dramatically as they have tons more wear and tear on them.
Curious to know more about your preferences on Motul and BG fluids. Not sure if weather conditions have anything to do with it. I liked BG and Motul a lot.

Yes highly recommend the mounts for sure!
 


Business6

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#11
NA Miata shifter are great and so are the FD rx-7s in my experience. Glad to hear that remains the case with the NBs and NDs it seems.

Curious to know more about your preferences on Motul and BG fluids. Not sure if weather conditions have anything to do with it. I liked BG and Motul a lot.

Yes highly recommend the mounts for sure!
I felt that during both the summer and especially the winter the Motul wasn't doing as much as even the Motorcraft fluid. BG felt like an improvement overall whether just casually rowing through the gears or in any given season. I don't have any hardcore canyon runs, autocrossing or track days to compare with (just a 25 mile jaunt to work) but if Ravenol doesn't have any real noticeable benefits I'd say just stick with BG.
 


ronmcdon

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#12
im totally with you on Ravenol. seemed like ir was a much lighter fluid. on the streets its okay but found it very vague feeling (not unlike oem) for hotter day hpde. found myself mis shifting lot more often.

BG you cant go wrong for sure!
 


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#13

M-Sport fan

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#14
^^^Yes, MolaKule is the tribological (he IS actually a tribologist) guru on that site.

He left out the Ravenol MTF-3 on that list, which I would imagine would fall into the 'A' viscosity group on that listing.
 


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#15
^^^Yes, MolaKule is the tribological (he IS actually a tribologist) guru on that site.

He left out the Ravenol MTF-3 on that list, which I would imagine would fall into the 'A' viscosity group on that listing.
Yeah I was just wondering about that, since I'm about to pull the trigger on either 2 or 3. There's one Q/A on Amazon where Blauparts suggest a Fiesta owner to go with MTF-3 and say it still gives an improved shifting feel but I would prefer to hear from more folks who tried that one first hand...
 


ronmcdon

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#16
A lot of it will be up to personal preference and climate I think.

I live in a warmer climate and tracks days ive done vary from 60f-ish to 105ish (although try to limit that),
I've really liked thicker fluids like the Motul Gear 300. On another car I run a suggested mix of 2x 1l of Redline MT-90 and 1l of Redline 75w80 thats also thicker. Also gave a more solid shifting feel to it.
Liked BG Synco 2 too and honestly found it difficult to tell that from the Motul Gear 300.

Ravenol MTF-2 75w80 was way too light for me. Disliked it very much. Had trouble telling it from oem. Felt fine on the street but terrible on the track esp with temps 90f-ish and above. Maybe it works well for cooler climates and daily driving.
 


FiestaSTdude

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#17
Does anyone have a particular brand of fluid they feel improves the shifting feel over oem? I'm looking for something that is good for a daily/spirited street driving, no track use planned.
PS, without starting a fill level war, I filled my transmission until fluid came out the first time I changed it 20 or 30k ago and I haven't had any leaks.
 


TyphoonFiST

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#18
Does anyone have a particular brand of fluid they feel improves the shifting feel over oem? I'm looking for something that is good for a daily/spirited street driving, no track use planned.
PS, without starting a fill level war, I filled my transmission until fluid came out the first time I changed it 20 or 30k ago and I haven't had any leaks.
Ravenol MTF2 OR MTF3...Both meet fomoco spec

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
 


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#19
Chiming in to say I just bought some Ravenol MTF-2 a few days ago after binging threads on the forums and elsewhere. Seemed like the right move but we'll see how it feels! Going to start with the 2L fill as well then try topping it off down the line. Curious what the difference sounds and feels like if anything.
 


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