When I jumped into our 1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata it was deja vu all over again. Hadn't I seen this cockeyed gearshifter somewhere before? Oh yeah, that '84 Ferrari (pictured below). Fortunately our '97 Miata isn't as high-maintenance, plus it's actually fun to drive so I'll cut it some slack.
I asked Project Miata JayKav what was the deal with the crooked knob (which he lifted from the previous Project '94 Miata). Apparently when he put it on straight, it was too tight so he nearly couldn't take it off again. "I think it's been overtightened way too many times," he said.
Good thing there's that handy-dandy picture to the right of the gearshifter in case anyone needs reminding of the layout of the gears. Pfew! Heh.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 130,122 miles
addicted2sp33d says:
03:53 PM, 03/29/11
Put some paper-towel bits inside the knob, enough that you can tighten it and still have it aligned correctly. If that cue-ball has half as many has threads as the shifter knob in my S14, the paper wadding will be unnoticeable except to people who notice mis-aligned shifter knobs.
The wadding can also be removed should the knob and car part ways in the future.
jerome81 says:
04:26 PM, 03/29/11
Voodoo shift knob. No info on top to get messed up. And is amazing in the hand. Maybe another add-on for the Edmunds car??
*no affiliation other than a former Miata owner who loved that shift knob...*
powell_jr says:
03:47 AM, 03/30/11
reminds me of my old jeep
rotaryboff says:
04:20 AM, 03/30/11
+10^6 on the Voodoo knob!
ptcdawg says:
08:26 AM, 03/30/11
What kind of person doesn't know how to shift gears without looking at the TOP of the shift knob?
blueprint1 says:
09:20 AM, 03/30/11
Only time I've seen this is ... in a new 2008 Corolla I test-drove. Quality ... right.
banhugh says:
09:52 AM, 03/30/11
Just don't put it on reverse when shifting from 4th to 5th. Just saying...