yes... they will not really improve your shifting too terribly much, but ur shifts will be faster, and more precise... plus they look awesome with the knob sitting a couple inches lower than it should... they will really help you when ur in a close race, and too long of a shift will put u behind, i.e. from 4th to 5th...
as for the sloppy feeling, a simple bushing from prothane will fix that... that are made from polyurethane and will make even a stock shifter feel more precise... deff. worth buying even if your not doin the short shifter upgrade... i think they cost 15 bucks on summitracing.com or prosteetonline.com