I've had my car for a little over 3 months now and in that time I've logged ~5500 miles. You can say I've done some driving. :) For reference, I'm driving an 05 sti w/ factory short shifter. Anyway, I did some searching, but didn't turn up exactly what I am experiencing.

Lately, it seems that the shifter is more difficult to operate... particularly when engaging a gear. There has been a definate increase in resistance. It is "sluggish" for lack of a better word. Just a hunch here, but could this be due to the change of season? I don't pretend to know how/what makes the linkage feel as it does, so please don't laugh at me. :D

What else could be different? Would a new set of bushings (ala kartboy) dramatically change the feel of the shifter? How would it change?

When the outside temperature drops significantly, the shifter will be harder to move due to the gear oil becoming thicker from the lower temps. As the car is driven and the transmission warms up, the oil will thin out and flow more readily, and the shifter will feel lighter. If it still feels heavier than usual even after extended driving, then there may be a problem and you should have it looked at.
The Kartboy bushings replace the rubber factory bushing that is attached to the shifter support rod under the car. They are made of urethane instead of the stock soft rubber, and will eliminate some of the play that exists in the shifter mechanism. The shifter will feel more mechanically connected to the transmission.

Thanks Mulder. It's probably just the weather. It does loosen up after awhile now that I think about it.

I also appreciate the answer on the kartboy bushings even though I eventually found it with more http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/images/top_search.gif'ing. (I had my flamesuit on for that one :banana: ).