"Synchro Saver"

[r0tor]

Is this really as big of a crock of shit as i think it is???

We are very proud to introduce a new product to the community!

Syncro Savers!

Over shifting during performance driving is a common occurrence across a wide variety of vehicles and the RX-8 is no exception.

During spirited driving, the faster you shift, the sooner you get back on the power. Unfortunately, faster shifting is usually more aggressive shifting which leads to ?over shifting? the transmission.

Over shifting is shifter travel greater than required to engage the gear which can cause serious damage to internal transmission components such as synchronizers, clutch hubs (which contact the synchronizer) or the shift forks. From the drivers seat this seems very slight but the clearances inside the transmission are measured it thousandths of an inch! In other words, a little extra movement in the shifter is eliminating the required clearances inside the transmission.

The next time you are in your vehicle, select a gear and release the shifter. Press the shifter harder into the same gear and you will notice the shifter actually continues to move past the point where the transmission is already in gear! In vehicles with short shifters this will be masked slightly because of the shortened throw but the internal stresses are still present and possibly worse because of leverage. During spirited driving it is likely happening with ALL of the shifts because the driver is focused on getting to the next gear as quickly as possible.

The bottom line, this slight additional movement breaks internal components! Race cars with aftermarket shifters have been addressing the problem for years and now you can as well!


The Syncro-Saver when installed properly will eliminate the additional excessive travel of the shifter with a definitive shifter stop which in turn will eliminate the binding of components inside the transmission. You set it, lock the stops in position and forget it!

This also allows you to focus on your driving and NOT worry about over shifting and damaging the transmission.


These have been tested on multiple cars already with the AFE Short Shifter and Standard OEM Shifter as well with great success!

Ok, how do you "over engage" a synchro?  Last time I checked, the synchro picks up the next gear during the shift, spinning it up to speed, and then when gears are completely meshed the synchro is really not even loaded any more.  How do you overshift??  Even the tranny design limits the amount of travel of the gear so it should not be possible to "go too far".  Am I just completely wrong about that?


About the only thing I can see this doing is stopping some barbarian from bending a shifter fork or making lots of synchros fail because owners install it improperly and not let the snychros actually fully engage...

[giant_mtb]

"In vehicles with short shifters this will be masked slightly because of the shortened throw but the internal stresses are still present and possibly worse because of leverage."

Don't short-shifters actually, uh, decrease leverage? (I could be wrong, I'm no expert).

[Secret Chimp]

There is a genuine reality of "overshifting," but it's generally only with aftermarket linkages compatible with more than one type of transmission (if you flip to that part of a Jeg's catalog, most have some kind of setup of stop bolts to limit shifter travel)

There's absolutely no point in installing one of these things on a factory car.

[giant_mtb]

Plus, I think Lambo already thought of this.

[S204STi]

+1 for what Chimp said.  Mechanically there is no reason for this as far as I can tell.

[r0tor]

"In vehicles with short shifters this will be masked slightly because of the shortened throw but the internal stresses are still present and possibly worse because of leverage."

Don't short-shifters actually, uh, decrease leverage? (I could be wrong, I'm no expert).

oh don't worry, your not confused

[Eye of the Tiger]

People just need to learn how to drive

[Secret Chimp]

People just need to learn how to drive

What would happen to DSM owners?

[S204STi]

What would happen to DSM owners?

Their crank gets up and walks out on them from the crap they have to put up with.

[r0tor]

???

[NomisR]

???

?!?! 

[r0tor]

i want a fishtank so badly..... 

[Eye of the Tiger]

i want a fishtank so badly..... 

you shouldn't have to wait too long...

[MrH]

I say that's all bullshit.  Think about the stresses on the individual teeth of a gear when it's under full load of the engine.  Now imagine how much additional force you're applying by pushing the gear shifter an extra 1/8".  I'm not applying more more than 10 lbs of force probably.  That's a negligible compared to the forces acting on the teeth due to the engine at full throttle.

[The Pirate]

I say that's all bullshit.  Think about the stresses on the individual teeth of a gear when it's under full load of the engine.  Now imagine how much additional force you're applying by pushing the gear shifter an extra 1/8".  I'm not applying more more than 10 lbs of force probably.  That's a negligible compared to the forces acting on the teeth due to the engine at full throttle.

You pansy runner folk may only be able to apply 10 lbs. of force, but I'm packing a lot of man candy, I'm probably good for at least double that. 

Hehe, you're probably spot on.  And, on a similar note, I rarely keep my hand on the gearshift when I'm not shifting.  I read somewhere that doing so can accelerate synchro wear.  It's probably not crucial for modern gearboxes (the Proteg? still shifts very nicely with 114K miles, and I got to drive my former Civic a few weeks ago - it shifts like butter with 180K miles).  Nonetheless, I read that, and I'm pretty anal about my car, so I got in the habit of keeping my hands off the shifter when not shifting.

[r0tor]

I always thought the hand on the shifter thing created wear because of your hand tending to try to pull the tranny out of gear and therefore creat synchro wear - shrug-

[S204STi]

Basically there is the potential that you are moving the shift collar just far enough to contact the syncro, which would potentially cause wear.