I wanna change the shifter boot!?!

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MrWubzHD
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I wanna change the shifter boot!?!

Post by MrWubzHD »

I hate the leather shifter boot on my 2002 Toyota Celica GT and was wonder if the made a open/metal shifter boot to where i could see what gear i was. I have searched all over and found none like this. it would be very Helpful because I'm a new driver to manuals as of 2 days ago and i wanna make sure I'm in the right gear. and just to make sure im saying it right this type of shifter boot is what I'm looking for.
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ClutchFork
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Re: I wanna change the shifter boot!?!

Post by ClutchFork »

Image is not coming up for me. On Fords the shift lever has springs in the neutral gate so that it centers on 3-4. That way it is easy to find the 1-2, just push it to the left, or the 5 (and R), just push it to the right. When downshifting out of 5, just let go and it centers then drop it into 4. Can do same for up shifting. After a while you will get the locations more easily and not have to rely on the centering.

But I don't know how your shifter is set up. My son has a Chevy and I had trouble finding 3rd gear when I first drove it because while my Ford has a true H type pattern, and so doe his, but his Chevy actually shifts more like a W. I would miss third because I wanted to move the lever to the right when on his I should have just shoved it forward for the 2-3.

Not sure a see through shifter boot will help as I don't know that there is much below to indicate what gear. Some company actually makes a digital shift knob that reads out what gear you are in. I don't recommend it as with practice/experience it will all become second nature, but remember even us old timers occasionally forget what gear we are in. :D (One advantage to a 3-speed over a 5- or 6-speed is that it is pretty hard to not know what gear you are in with a 3-speed, eh?)
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AHTOXA
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Re: I wanna change the shifter boot!?!

Post by AHTOXA »

You should not have any issues knowing what gear you're in. If you are having issues, then it's likely that you need new shifter bushings to fix the slop and not a new boot.

I can't see the picture either, but I assume you're talking about a shift gate - something like Ferrarri used to do.

Either way - looking at your shifter to know it's position is not the proper way to drive a manual. You should never have to look at it to know what gear you're in; it should always be done by feel. And if you can't feel it, then you may need to replace some things like shifter bushings. Don't bandaid a problem but fix it the right way.

To end my rambling, I think that if you were talking about a gated shifter, it would only make your problem worse. Unless your shifter is precise, you're going to hit those metal gates all over the place, likely frustrating you even more.
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theholycow
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Re: I wanna change the shifter boot!?!

Post by theholycow »

MrWubzHD wrote:I hate the leather shifter boot on my 2002 Toyota Celica GT and was wonder if the made a open/metal shifter boot to where i could see what gear i was. I have searched all over and found none like this. it would be very Helpful because I'm a new driver to manuals as of 2 days ago and i wanna make sure I'm in the right gear. and just to make sure im saying it right this type of shifter boot is what I'm looking for.
Image
Fixed the image for you.

I agree with those guys.

Search the forum for hand positions or how to grip the shifter. That way, you'll always get the gear you intend.

If you've been in the same gear for a while and forgotten what gear you're in, you should be able to tell by road speed and engine noise (or tachometer), but if not, you can shift to neutral then shift back into whichever gear you think you might have been in. If you get the same RPM then your guess was right.

Keep in mind that even though it's hard to see which side it's on, it's easy to see whether it's forward or back. You don't need to question whether you're in 1 or 2, 2 or 3, 3 or 4, 4 or 5, 5 or 6. You look at the shifter and you're unsure and it's forward but not far right; it's either 1 or 3, and you definitely know the difference by feel and speed. You look and you're unsure and it's rearward but not far right; you're either in 2 or 4. Forward but not far left, either 3 or 5.

You shouldn't worry too much about what gear you're currently in. If it's the wrong gear you'll know it and you can choose another gear. You don't have to choose based on what gear you're already in. Being new perhaps you don't know what gear you'd prefer in a given situation, but like the rest of it, that will come with time.
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