are we ruling out that the tranny gets hot and so dows the metal shifter and ball? My drift car shifter and **** get hot after it has been driven hard

 

This is street driven not track.
I just got back from Button willow racing my M3
The shifter did not even get warm.

 

ok then i was throwing in my 2 cents

 

I was driving today, and noticed that my shift boot felt pretty warm after 3-4 miles. Since it was morning and overcast, outside temps were still in the high 60's to low 70's. My windows were cracked open too. All there is between the upper shifter and the tranny are a couple pieces of rubber and a layer of padding. I replaced my MTF with Redline fluid less than a year ago, and I've never had any leaks. I think it's entirely possible that heat is conducted from the trans to the shift **** through the shifter itself.