Shifter Bushings [merged] ES symborski shifter plate metal urethane

[kdrkmstp]

Anybody have the rre's shifter bushing, I was wondering how that compared up to the symborski shifter bushing.

 

[boosthappy]

Yeah I have the underhood bushings and plan on getting the Symborski kit asap, but what about the THIN plastic disc like bushings on the shift lever itself? I wanted to replace those aswell.

Or will I even need to?

The original question was more or less left unanswered. I have the same problem as well.

There's 2 plastic sleeves with ends like bushings that go on the axle which allows front-back movement of the shifter lever. They are white in color and go on both sides of the pivot axle.
My shifter began to have too much play left to right and when I took it apart I saw plastic pieces coming from those sleeves.

Bushings on both ends will partially address the problem, but there's still space where the plastic sleeves went inside the shifter's tube.

If anybody has come with a solution please let us know. My shifter has about an inch play at the handle and it's very annoying. I haven't installed a bushing kit (e.g. Symborski kit) because the shifter plate itself is absolutely solid and does not move relative to the body of the car.

 

[talontedtsi1995]

Does anyone have the bushing kit that extremepsi.com offers? I was wondering on their site the other night and noticed they have a shifter bushing kit, anyone else have or had this kit from extremepsi? Wanted to get other opinions before buying from them, only reason I looked into extremepsi.com is the fact that they are about an hour from where I live and ship in 24 hours, can't beat that.

 

[thekellbeast]

Do you mean the Energy plastic bushing kit, or the metal Symborski one? I've had the Symborski kit for over a year now, and I can't imagine anyone not liking it. I honestly don't know why anyone would even go with the Energy kit, there's no downside to the metal whatsoever. BTW, I also have brass shifter bushing replacements and a B&M short shifter. I would never go back.

 

[talontedtsi1995]

Yea I'll go for the metal bushings, seems like everyone who has that set is happy with it, but as far as under the hood, where can I find the bushings/bearings for the shifter linkage cables ontop of the transmission? Do the bearing just get press fitted in? thanks

 

[snowborder714]

You can either buy a kit for the under hood bearings (http://speed-source.net/products/shifter_cable.htm) or you can do it using rollerblade/skateboard bearings. You can either purchase these (actually 2 sets here - http://www.machv.com/mavshcast.html) or make your own.

As DSMunknown posted above (post #21), he wrote a how-to for making your own using bearings.

So either you pay a bit and get a kit or if you have bearing lying around, you can make your own for a bit cheaper. Also, if you search on here, there's a bunch of threads about this and I think a few more how-to's.

 

[wret]

I honestly don't know why anyone would even go with the Energy kit

Because they come with the ES full suspension kit. I had them laying around for months and put them in with a short shifter (actually I ordered the symborski kit but it took so long to recieve, I installed without it). The ES kit is very firm. I'm tempted to swap with the metal bushings just for comparison but I'll probably never get to it. I can't see it making too much of a difference.

 

[thekellbeast]

Because they come with the ES full suspension kit.

That makes sense. I've had the symborski kit forever now, and haven't really even looked at the suspension bushing kit.

 

[boosthappy]

Seems that the original plastic pieces can't be found anywhere. Can anyone that has the Symborski kit tell me, if the bushing sleeve that comes with it fits snug in the shifter (thus eliminating the original plastic sleeves).
The piece I'm talking about is in the middle of the picture.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

Anyone know if I can get just that piece or make it somehow.

 

[thekellbeast]

Hmmm... I know they don't come with the symborski kit, but they might come with the B&M short shifter kit. I'll have to pop my console open tomorrow and check.

 

[DSMunknown]

Hmmm... I know they don't come with the symborski kit, but they might come with the B&M short shifter kit. I'll have to pop my console open tomorrow and check.

All I got with my purchase from Extreme PSI were the necessities.

 

[DSMvroom]

Most everyone knows about the Symborski Kit. We've all read about it, and researched on it, and found what many people have said about their experiences with it.

I had been hesitant to pick up the kit because I wasn't really disappointed in any way with how my shifter was working as is. In any case, I decided to head over to MachV (nice guys btw) and got a set.

Most people's responses have been positive to the effect of:
"It works great"
Some say it is a waste of money. That of course, is purely subjective. The fact remains however, that (based on my experience with them) they really do work great! Whether you feel it is worth the money is all up to you, but you can't deny that they work really well!

Despite me having no real issues with the stock shift setup, all I can say is 'wow.' There is a serious gain in definition! There was no noticeable (if any) increase in vibration in the shifter, and man does it feel precise! I can safely say that if part of the fun of driving a manual is using the shift lever (which it is!), this only heightens it.

Its practical purpose as well as its effect on increasing the fun of rolling through gears is similar to that of adding a short shifter on the car! For those of you that upgraded to a short shifter, you know what I mean. And if you do have a short shifter but don't have the Symborski kit, IMHO, you should get it.

My short shifter is in the mail . . . I can't wait to see what they do in conjunction with each other

 

[thekellbeast]

I've got the Symborski kit, the brass shifter cable end bushings, and a B&M short shifter. My car shifts awesome. Well, it did until the clutch went out last week. But that's another story. I recommend any (or all) of these three upgrades.

My shifter started to get a little loose when in gear, but I think that's due to the mount on the transmission side of the cables getting loose. I think it's two 10mm bolts that I'm gonna have to tighten up. That's just a minor note at the end of a clutch job though.

Happy shifting

 

[turbo addict]

If you guys care Extreme Motorsports makes a aluminum bushing that goes where the shifter cables bolt to the tranny- this one part replaces the 4rubber round bushings.
P.S. it may not be on their web site but they DO sell them. And almost all of the dsms' that I have worked on, these bushings are either chewed up or one or more are missing. It is a very nice replacement part. Just a heads up.

 

[EnticivEclipse]

i have it with the B&M and it definitely night and day!

 

[pagosa dsm]

I have the Symdorski kit and the brass shifter cable ends. It help my shifter shift very smooth. I did something different, installed heim joints on the shifter side of the cables. I think it also helped the smoothness of the shift. I wrote a tech article on how to build the modd.

 

[bling5tatus]

I love the way the symborski kit made my shifter feel. I want to get some skate board bearings now and replace the bushings at the business end of the shift cables.

 

[Dragon TalonTsi]

I have all 3 mods as well, and I am still trying to figure out how I lived before those mods... They are great replacements, along with the extra performance they give. No flexing on the shifter base plate, smooth shift/selecting gears, and it doestn't give. I bet the clips and bolts that hold the cables in place will break before the bushings will. I have the Symborski kit, Brass bushings, and I did have a shorthrow. Now I have the modded 2g shortthrow from VFAQ. I have never felt a butter shift like this before. I wouldn't get the skateboard bearings from MachV, they broke on me, and I had to reweld them to get them to stay.... Even then, I got the brass ones, they felt better and went in easier. The E-clips do hold better, but the cotter pins can bend and rust over time. I would never go back to stock on these mods... never...

 

[project_tsi]

Guys, wheres a good place to get the symborski shifter base bushings at?

 

[Black_Bullet]

I love the way the symborski kit made my shifter feel. I want to get some skate board bearings now and replace the bushings at the business end of the shift cables.

Ive done this with razor skooter bearings which fit the same as the skateboard bearings.
I only noticed less side to side play, but i already had a rebuilt tranny w/ double 2nd and syncromesh and the symborski kit before doing the bearings so the gains were less. But all in all its worth doing reguardless if it "feels" like it helps or not. I just convinced my friend with a 2g to do the mod as well as I had 2 bearings still left over out of my old skooter.

Side note: I did have to use my hand dremel and slightly port out the inside of the shifter cable loop were the bearing fits inside of because it didnt pop in smoothly because the bearings were slightly too big. I also added 3 washers with it to make it absolutely tight as possible once the cotter pin was back in...

 

[thekellbeast]

Guys, wheres a good place to get the symborski shifter base bushings at?

I think I got mine from MachV, but I've been looking around for other stuff, and their prices seem really high.

 

[snowborder714]

Guys, wheres a good place to get the symborski shifter base bushings at?

I got mine from Mach V but just saw that Extreme PSI and SBR have them (same price though). I have always heard of people getting them from Mach V so that is why I got them there (and I also ordered sway bars so shipping was cheaper). They are well worth the money though!!!

I have the Symborski shift kit, SpeedSource brass underhood bushings, and B&M short shifter. AMAZING COMBO!! I drove my friends GST and it felt like the shift cables had been taken off the tranny (that's how sloppy it felt compared to my car with the Symborski kit which just locks everything into place).

Probably my most loved mod so far!

 

[KiNg MaRtY]

Okay. I am convinced by the info. I just ordered the Symborski kit and the Speed-Source brass bushings.

 

[99gst_racer]

Guys, wheres a good place to get the symborski shifter base bushings at?

eBay or SpeedSource's website.

SpeedSource sells the shifter base bushings, as well as the eyelet bushings for the shifter cables under the hood. They compliment each other perfectly.

 

[wishihadatalon]

eBay or SpeedSource's website.

SpeedSource sells the shifter base bushings, as well as the eyelet bushings for the shifter cables under the hood. They compliment each other perfectly.

$28 for something that a set of bearings and a few washings for $7 could do better. Come on Paul you should be a better DSMER

 

[99gst_racer]

$28 for something that a set of bearings and a few washings for $7 could do better. Come on Paul you should be a better DSMER

When I bought mine 4 years ago, they were much cheaper. I paid less then $20 shipped. Nonetheless, it's an easy buy, and affordable. I wouldn't know where to even find the bearings that you speak of, let alone what size. But, for the budget conscience DSMer, I guess DIY would be better.