baldheadracing
Senior Member
- First Name
- Craig
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2017
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- Location
- Canada's capital
- Vehicle(s)
- FK8
- Thread starter
- #1
TL;DR:
1.If you love driving, then you will want to get this shifter.
2. I do not have any information about cost. ACUITY provided me with a prototype.
3. 90-second poorly-shot video of shifting:
Background
The 10th-gen Honda Civic uses a cable shifter. (Almost all FWD cars use a cable shifter.) The shifter pushes and pulls on two cables. One cable goes up-and-down the gears, like from first to second, or from fourth to third. The other cable moves across the gates, like when shifting from second to third or downshifting from fifth to fourth. The shifter has to hold one end of the cable fixed while moving the cable - just like on a bicycle. That may sound simple, but pulling a cable and pushing a cable are quite different tasks. The stock shifter does a well-lauded job of it, but there are areas for improvement:
1. Change the bushings between the cable and transaxle, a.k.a. cable bushings;
2. Change the shifter mount bushings;
3. Change the shift knob;
4. Modify the shifter; and/or
5. Change the cables.
One can see some of these areas for improvement in action when comparing the shifters found in base, Si, and Type R shifters. The same basic shifter assemblies are used across all three Civic models, but components are changed. For example, the base model shifter reduces vibration of the shift knob with softer bushings; the Type R uses stiffer bushings for greater precision, but transmits more vibrations to the driver.
ACUITY Stage 1 and Stage 2 shifter kits
ACUITY’s Stage 1 kit replaces the bushings and shift knob (#1, #2, and #3, above). These provide a small, but noticeable, improvement in shifter feel. Cable bushings reduce compliance and firms up feel. This is especially noticeable for the first part of a shift. Shifter mount bushings firm up the feel of shifts, particularly at the end of a shift. Finally, unlike stock 'ball' knobs, ACUITY’s ESCO knob is designed for pistol, a.k.a. grip, shifting. If you are more comfortable with a claw shifting grip then a different knob may be more to your liking.
ACUITY’s Stage 2 kit modifies the shifter (#4) in two places:
· a replacement shift rocker and stronger centering spring; and
· a short-shift adapter to decrease the length of throws (except for the Type R, which already has a shorter throw).
I have been driving with the Stage 2 kit in the Type R for over nine months now. The rocker narrows the gates (the space between 1-2 and 3-4, between 3-4 and 5-6, etc.). The centering spring increases the initial resistance to movement between gates. The replacement rocker also improves shifting feel. The ACUITY pieces make the shifting experience better - the rocker in particular. In a nutshell, the shifting feels like the stock shifter made better.
The New ACUITY Shifter
First, the new shifter is fairly simple to install into any 10th-gen Civic. It'll take well under an hour if you know what you are doing; closer to an hour and a half if you’re me.
Next, everything is bigger. And heavier. And tighter fitting. With stunning attention to detail. A quality piece.
This is not a Honda shifter. To me, ACUITY's the Stage 1 and Stage 2 kits resulted in better versions of the OE Honda shifter. The new shifter feels very different from the OE Honda shifter. Honda shifters are light. The feel is not comparable. The ACUITY shifter needs a firm hand, but moves with more precision. There is no flicking into gear with this shifter, but I did not miss any shifts in my testing. None.
The shifter has a few adjustments:
1. Knob height:
Besides adjusting height by varying engagement of the knob to the threaded rod, there are five steps giving a couple inches of height adjustment. Mine is currently set at 1 (lowest height; shortest shift);
2. Lever rotation:
The stock shifter lever has an offset bend in it to locate the lever centrally in the console. In the ACUITY shifter, this offset can rotate around the central shift mount, locating the shift knob a little closer (or farther) away from the driver;
3. Short shifter:
Five levels, default 3, currently set at 5 (shortest, requires most effort);
4. Gate spacing:
Three levels, default 2, set at 1, (narrowest, requires most effort).
I've tried all of the adjustments. It is possible to get the knob height, shift throw, and gate spacing to mimic the geometry of the stock (Type R) shifter.
In use, after a short while, upshifts and downshifts start to feel a bit like a sequential shifter, especially when combined with the Type R rev-matching feature. Bang! First-to-second. Bang! Second-to-third. Bang! Third-to-fourth. Getting into fifth and sixth requires a bit of side force to stay out of the 3-4 gate, but then for downshifts: Bang! Fifth-to-fourth. Bang! Fourth-to-third. Bang! Third-to-second. (There is no rev-matching from second to first in the Type R.) Engagement is very positive, very fast, very precise, and very controlled. You may even feel – or think you feel – feedback from the gearbox through the shifter cables.
This shifter is a stunning accomplishment by ACUITY.
Final thoughts
If how the car feels doesn't really matter to you, then you don't need this shifter. If how the car feels matters quite a bit, then you should consider ACUITY's Stage 2 kit. However, if how the car feels in your hands matters, then ACUITY has the shifter for you.
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