If you have driven a BRZ, an older STI, or anything with a Tremec behind it and then climbed into a 2015 or newer WRX, you felt the difference immediately and probably could not name it. Here is the answer: your shifter is not actually connected to your transmission. Not directly, anyway.
The split-case six-speed in the VA and VB WRX, and in the 2018 through 2023 Crosstrek, is cable shifted. There is a shift box between the seats and two flexible cables running back to the transmission. Every bushing, pivot, and mount along that path adds a little play, and by the time it reaches your hand it reads as slop. Gates that do not line up. First and second that are not quite where you reached for them. A lever that goes vague right when you want precision.
This post walks that path, from the knob in your hand down to the crossmember the transmission hangs from, and covers the five OVERTAKE parts that take the slop out at each stage. If you already know the problem and want the fix, the Stage 1 Drivetrain Kit bundles the three shifter-side parts. Otherwise, keep reading.
Why Is the WRX Six-Speed Cable Shifted in the First Place?
Direct linkage means what it sounds like. The lever in your hand runs into the transmission and moves the forks. That is the BRZ and 86, the older STI six-speed, most of the Tremec stuff. It is why those cars feel chunky and mechanical, and why people still talk about gated Ferrari shifters the way they do.
Your car uses a separate shift mechanism in the console and two cables running back to the box. Chase puts it bluntly in the video: cable shift is great for the manufacturer and does nothing for you. It lets Subaru build the shifter separately and adapt one transmission across a lot of cars. Honda has it sorted about as well as anyone, so cable shift is not inherently bad. But every component between your hand and the forks is another place for play to hide.
Where Does the Slop Actually Come From?
Four places, working from the console backward:
- The side-to-side travel of the shift mechanism, which lets the lever move past where first and second actually live.
- The plate at the transmission end that the cables act on, and the rubber bushing at that joint.
- The shift knob, which is a leverage question more than a slop question.
- The crossmember the transmission bolts to, mounted in voided rubber that twists under load.
The Shifter Stop: Getting First and Second Back
Subaru already ships a mechanical stop on one side of the shift gate, mimicking the reverse lockout. Nothing does that job on the other side. The lever can travel past the first and second gear gates, which shows up as a notchy feel, or in the worst cases keeps the car out of the gear you asked for entirely.
How little movement it takes is worth appreciating. On OVERTAKE’s demo car, a factory bracket misadjusted by a very small amount left Chase unable to find fifth on his first drive.
The OVERTAKE Shifter Stop adds an adjustable mechanical limit to that side-to-side travel, so first and second land where your hand expects them. It is injection molded from 30 percent glass-filled nylon rather than aluminum, which is deliberate: the part rides against your shifter for its entire life, and nylon slides instead of abrading it. It was Chase’s first injection molded design.
The mounting studs are slotted for an Allen key, which matters more than it sounds. There is a nut underneath holding the factory bracket down, and being able to hold position while you tighten is the whole install.
The Short Shift Transmission Plate: Where the 30 Percent Comes From
You cannot short-shift a cable car the usual way. On a direct-linkage transmission you shorten the lever and you are done. Here the lever is not attached to anything that matters, so a shorter stick buys you nothing.
What you change instead is the plate at the transmission end, the piece the cables actually pull on. Move the pickup point closer to the pivot and you shorten the throw at your hand by the same ratio a shorter stick would have. The OVERTAKE Short Shift Transmission Plate reduces the shift action radius by 30 percent compared to the factory unit.
The second thing it does sounds backwards. The OVERTAKE plate weighs 3.0 pounds against the factory unit’s 1.7. You do not feel that extra pound and a half as effort, because of the mechanical advantage you just gained. You feel it as inertia. Same effect a weighted knob gives you, delivered from the other end of the linkage.
CNC machined steel, clear zinc plating, a direct replacement for the factory plate, and it ships with an OEM roll pin.
Why Is There a Bird on It?
The outline was never free, because heat shields have to clear it. Inside those constraints Chase balanced the mass on either side of the pivot axis to within a few grams and matched the moment of inertia side to side, so an upshift and a downshift feel the same. The shape that fell out of that looked like a loon. Minnesota’s state bird, beautiful call, red eyes, genuinely bad attitude. OVERTAKE calls it the Angry Loon.
The Brass Shifter Bushing: The Cheapest Fix on the List
Where the shift linkage meets the plate there is a rubber bushing. Rubber flexes, absorbs the feedback you want, and eventually gives up. The OVERTAKE Brass Shifter Bushing Kit replaces it with solid brass and strategically placed O-rings that take the play out while still letting the drivetrain move the way it needs to.
No special tools, direct replacement, and it includes an OVERTAKE blue washer for the crusty factory one. Cheapest item here and one of the highest returns per dollar.
Does a Shift Knob Actually Change Anything?
Yes, and for a reason that has nothing to do with slop. Your shifter pivots. Put weight at the top, the furthest point from that pivot, and you have added leverage where it does the most good. Push toward a gear and the extra mass carries the lever past the gate instead of stopping at it. Less effort, less notch, more of a falls-into-place feel.
Whether you want that is a taste question. A lighter knob leaves more of the notchiness in your hand, and plenty of people prefer exactly that.
OVERTAKE’s metal knobs look right and get hot in July and cold in January, and customers have been vocal about it. The answer was the ModKnob: the Delrin shapes people wanted, fitted with a stainless steel slug so the weight stays. Short and tall, black and white, handles and bases sold separately.
The Crossmember Bushings: The One Underneath the Car
Everything above happens between the seats. The last one is underneath. Your transmission mounts through the front crossmember on voided rubber bushings. Those voids let the bushing compress, so under load it twists and deflects, and that twist ends up in your shift feel. Factory rubber also degrades from heat and oil, so it gets worse the longer you own the car.
The OVERTAKE Transmission Crossmember Bushing Kit swaps them for 80A durometer polyurethane with new stainless steel sleeves. The durometer is the point: firm enough to kill the excess movement, compliant enough that the car is still civil on a commute. Expect a small NVH increase, which most people who install these report liking, because it is more feedback rather than less. You notice it most from second to third. About an hour to install, no cutting, no drilling.
Which Parts Fit Your Subaru?
Important Note: The shifter-side parts and the crossmember bushings do not cover the same cars.
OVERTAKE Shifter Stop and Short Shift Transmission Plate:
- Subaru WRX - 2015 through 2026
- Subaru Crosstrek - 2018 through 2023
OVERTAKE Brass Shifter Bushing Kit:
- Subaru WRX - 2015 through 2026
- Subaru Forester - 2014 through 2018
- Subaru Crosstrek - 2018 through 2023
- Subaru Legacy GT - 2010 through 2013
- Subaru Outback XT - 2010 through 2013
OVERTAKE Transmission Crossmember Bushing Kit:
- Subaru WRX - 2008 through 2026
- Subaru WRX STI - 2008 through 2021
If you are in an STI, the crossmember bushings apply and the shifter-side parts do not. Your six-speed is a different transmission with direct linkage rather than cables.
Where Should You Start?
If you are only doing one thing, the short shift plate is the biggest single change in feel.
If you are doing it properly, the three shifter-side parts were designed to work together and OVERTAKE sells them as one package. The Stage 1 Drivetrain Kit is the Shifter Stop, the Short Shift Transmission Plate, and the Brass Shifter Bushing Kit in one box, for the 2015 through 2026 WRX and the 2018 through 2023 Crosstrek. Grab the Stage 1 kit here.
From there the crossmember bushings are the next step, and past that you are into pitch stop mounts, driveshaft carrier bushings, and rear differential bushings. That is a different post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will these fit my 2022 WRX?
Yes. The VB WRX uses the same split-case six-speed as the VA, so the Shifter Stop, Short Shift Transmission Plate, and Brass Shifter Bushing Kit all cover 2015 through 2026. The crossmember bushings cover 2008 through 2026.
Do any of these fit an STI?
The Transmission Crossmember Bushing Kit fits the 2008 through 2021 STI. The shifter-side parts do not. The STI six-speed uses direct linkage rather than cables, so the problems these parts solve are not the problems that transmission has.
Will any of this affect my warranty or require a tune?
None of these parts touch the engine, the ECU, or any electronics, and none require a tune. They are mechanical replacements that bolt on and can be returned to factory. Warranty handling is between you and your dealer, so if that is a concern, ask them first.
How long do these take to install?
The Shifter Stop is about twenty minutes and includes all the hardware. The Brass Shifter Bushing Kit needs no special tools. The crossmember bushings run about an hour with basic hand tools, no cutting or drilling. All of it is reversible.
I like a notchy shifter. Will a weighted knob ruin that?
It might, and that is worth knowing before you spend money. Weight at the top of the lever smooths engagement and reduces the notch you feel at each gate. If the notch is the part you enjoy, a lighter knob preserves more of it.
