Yep, undignified. There was an audible crunch sound, both inside and outside the car, especially when the car was cold. The ES bushing made it better when warm, but still had some noise when you rushed the shift, and when the tranny was cold, it made no difference at all, still crunchy.

 

EDIT:
I Missed Len's Video above (Post #39).
That is exactly how it should be done!

I do not consider missed 2-3 shifts so much a result of the bushing or shifter rather overpowering the centering spring with a heavy hand.

It seemed counterintuitive to me at first simply pushing the shifter forward with the palm of my hand without also moving right.

Give it a try. Don't grab the shifter with your fist rather push it forward with your palm as you would with a sequential shifter.

I will go out on a limb and say the factory shifter is very good. Certainly better than any factory shifter I have ever owned or driven in the past.

 

For sure the transmission fluid and all fluids for that matter should be warm before driving away.
Bad practice to do otherwise.
No bushing or shifter will correct that.

 

I'm pretty sure I wasn't grabbing it, but I'll get the car out during lunch and make sure to pay attention to how I shift into turd gear.

 

Technique is only going to get you so far when you allow the shifter box to either remain stationary when the trans torques or move in a direction opposite of how the trans is moving.

 

I agree that the factory shifter is not that bad and certainly a better shifter than I had on my 2008. With the stock shifter I could make the 2nd to 3rd shift regularly using the palm technique but I was always nervous doing it. Changing out the bracket and shifter made a huge difference and now I can power shift without fear of missing third. Unfortunately I did the bracket and shifter at the same time so I don't know what made the most improvement but I'm guessing the bracket helps the accuracy and the shifter just shortens the throw (although that also might help making more accurate shifts). I think if you're only going to do one it should be the bracket.

 

I agree.
That is why I decided to try the Energy Suspension bushing as a quick fix.
It allows the transmission and shifter to rotate while the bushing remains fixed without binding.

Thanks for the video Len.
Exactly what I was trying to describe.
I tried the Barton 2 post bracket initially and for the reasons Brandon302 noted above I found the bracket was binding under heavy torque.

 

Wow...just...wow.

 

Screwy?
I am not going to get into a name calling match.
You treat your rotating assemblies as you choose and I will treat mine as I choose.

 

Engine oil is one thing but I don't think you will see any significant change in the trans fluid until you actually drive the car and the gears are actually turning in the fluid.

 

Absolutely correct. Our stock MT GT's are passively cooled therefore the transmission fluid warms while driving however it is also warmed though conduction being thermally attached to the engine and by convection with the hot exhaust pipes running on either side of the transmission.

Case in point. Drive off when everything is cold vs. driving off after the engine has warmed.

I find the synchronizers work much smoother when I let the engine warm first and they quickly become seamless after driving a few miles.

 

Well, I think you would be waiting awhile to see a significant change in the trans fluid at idle from convection and conduction. Driving it easy for the first few miles would do the trick and I doubt it would harm anything if you drove it without waiting a long while for the trans fluid to warm up. To each his own I guess.
Just curious - how long do you allow the car to warm up to get your trans fluid warm?

 

I went to the track tonight and never missed 3rd, but I did miss 4th
I think that may have been clutch error tho or something

 

I usually let the car idle until the TacKey lopey idle is active at ~170F

My point as I stated in an earlier post is that I do not think any bushing or shifter is a cure for the rough (lakeguy77 calls "undignified" "crunchy") 1-2, 3-4 shifts caused by the synchronizers not working optimally in transmission fluid that is at less than normal operating temperature.