I still have the rubber in mine from the base of the BA shifter... used in conjuction with the short shifter... You thinking the heat transfers up the stick and comes out under the console to warm other things? Plus makes the gear knob warm?

Naturally that is direct heat transfer, whats in the box is in your hand.

i say its yoru sound deadening/ big black 'rubber matt' thing that fits under the console and sort of goes down to the floor panel. when idid my conversion i didnt put this in, i noticed the whole console getting really warm, plus i had a ripped gear boot (one htat bolts to the floor. I changed the boot, and fitted this sound/ heat deadening thing and it made a massive difference. if you dont have any then i recommend buying soem and putting it under the console.

some good replies. Thanks guys.

No there was no rubber mat, the carpet never came up. Im thinking the exhaust now as well, because the auto is physically larger than the t5, it would block a lot of heat out. Also with the motor reving more than normal with the diff gears the exhaust would be throwing off more heat. The cat is also vey small, a low cpi cylinder rather than the stock square shape. If it was the box it would be were the tunnel meets the dash because thats where it lies under. The coin holder and glove compartment is actually behind the box. I also have the billet shifter, and it didnt fit the boot right so that was modified, and is not a complete seal.

being mild steel 2.5 inch would a heatwrap from the cat back to the diff hurt the metal at all? can it take the extra heat?

I'm about to trial this setup on my XR8, just need to drill a return port on the r/h side of the box above the a***/shaft for 3rd gear. Still trying to figure out where to run the cooler. I spoke to my mate doing the rebuild/modify on my box and he said Redline is the best oil and with no additives needed, he's drained it from a mangled box then filtered it and put it in the new one! Never had a problem with it.

Transmax Z is as good as it gets for a T5. Never run 'normal' gearbox oil. I successfully ran a cooler set up like that described for years in a competition car (380hp 302W, T5). Pumped the fluid with a Holley Red fuel pump (don't use a Carter for this - they are a better fuel pump, but have a wet armature and can't cope with anything thicker than fuel) to a cooler mounted in front of the radiator. Worked very well.