ACUITY Prototype 10th-gen Shifter - My review

Dirt said:

What knob is this??

Click to expand...

Battlecraft x chronicles 10th anniversary knob in 40mm.

Installed the Acuity Full Shifter last night after work. Took a little longer than anticipated... and was starting to think I may not make it home at a decent hour... or at all.. lol. Being a first timer, it took approximately 4 hours + just winged it with Acuity’s online instructions. Didn’t find their shifter video until my 3rd hour in... watching it first would have made it much easier lol.

Was afraid I might not like the full shifter having read how much stiffer it is....had been happy with the stock shifter. Installed Acuity’s bushing upgrade last week and was really pleased with how that improved the feel.

Verdict based on a 20 mile drive home:

Besides the Acuity bushings being a must get and a terrific value... Acuity’s Full Shifter is a very impressive mod and game changer. Completely changed the driving experience of the car.... can only equate it to activating Type R Mode for the shifter. Asked Boosted180sx for suggested settings and he said medium all around so went with that. The shifts are short and precise at that setting. Took all of maybe (5) minutes to get acclimated and appreciate the new feel.

Drove to work this morning @515am PST. SoCal temps were cool...not many cars on the road ...no CHPs...an amazing and fun 20 mile commute.

Acuity’s bushing upgrade, full shifter and gas pedal spacer, together, has really enhanced the driving experience, and seamlessly ties in with other mods on the car.

For an analogy:

OEM = comfort mode
OEM w/Acuity bushings = sport mode
Acuity Stage 3 full shifter w/bushings = R mode

Kudos to Russ and company!

ACUITY said:

The full shifter definitely can take some initial acclimation, but running the knob. high and adjustments conservatively can help with that process a lot. If you think it may be a bit extreme, consider some of the mods from our stage 2 kit that improve the stock shifter.

~Russ

Click to expand...

fatherpain said:

OEM = comfort mode
OEM w/Acuity bushings = sport mode
Acuity Stage 3 full shifter w/bushings = R mode

Click to expand...

Interesting review thanks! I see you mention OEM comfort mode. Are the other modes uncomfortable? How is the vibration in the other modes?

I don't think he's implying that the other modes are uncomfortable, just that they are more hard core (shorter throws, closer gate spacing, stronger centering spring, etc). I have the Type R shifter w/ all of the Acuity accessories and there is maybe a bit of vibration while holding the knob, but it's very minor and TBH I don't even know if it's much different than stock.

While I was putting the little pin back onto the gate selector cable it flew god knows where. Any idea where I can get another one?

uglygato said:

While I was putting the little pin back onto the gate selector cable it flew god knows where. Any idea where I can get another one?

Click to expand...

Honda actually sells them for less than a dollar, if memory serves correctly. Part name and number is
Clip, Spring
54321-TBA-A01

You could probably rig it with some safety wire (or maybe even a small cotter pin or paper clip) to get you by a couple of days, but I'd be careful and make sure it seems like it will hold very well before reinstalling the console.

~Russ

just installed mine today, and would ask if the gate spring gets easier after a while.

yes, it breaks in quite nicely and will feel perfect after a few weeks of use.

xcivicx said:

just installed mine today, and would ask if the gate spring gets easier after a while.

Click to expand...

thanks good to know, will make break in less worry some. about that time i'll know my final adjustment, and ready to tear the console apart again.

I installed mine a couple of weeks ago. It has gotten easier. I hope it will keep getting easier still. I left off the console so I can continue to make adjustments. Pawnning's Youtube Short Shifter install for the CTR shows how to run without the console. The technique worked well for my Si.

up date. did a good city drive, my take on this shifter:
i guess i did poor research. but i read/heard no complaints about the stiffness(i did gloss over this thread). that is the first thing out the box i noticed. first thing i noticed after install. this put me in the stress mode. had i known it would not have been even a worry. even tho it is really stiff imho.
findings-
i think the shifter is so different feeling that it will just take a few days of heavy driving to get use to it. when you look beyond the stiff gate you can feel really precise and crisp shifts. after driving for a short time the stiffness is still there, but i'm now used to it,somewhat. if it does break in, i think it will be perfect, if not no biggie. it may only be a matter of raising the knob up to negate a little of the spring. while driving the strong spring is of little concern cuz all i have to do it push or pull the leaver with out much thought and by golly it goes there, no strain no pain. i find reverse the worst. but i think that money shift will be very hard to make with that spring.
bottom line:
yes its got a strong spring in there, but driving just a little it has become less bothersome. knowing this going in should help to realize its not as bad as my initial impressions. . do not let the spring stop you from this shifter, unless you have a bad shoulder. thinking it has to be this way.
edit- regarding the bad shoulder, my first attempt going into R, my right peck said to me : you are flabby.

xcivicx stiffie scale:
factory shifter-----------------factory 4 speed 1966 gto

acuity shifter-----------------hurst short throw shifter for muncie 4 speed.

Is extra shift knob vibration normal? I notice it mainly above 2k rpm.

uglygato said:

Is extra shift knob vibration normal? I notice it mainly above 2k rpm.

Click to expand...

Do you have stiffer, aftermarket mounts? Normally the full shifter and cable bushings will not do much to change vibrations, but as stiffer mounts and suspension are added, it all starts to add up and everything vibrates more.

ACUITY said:

Do you have stiffer, aftermarket mounts? Normally the full shifter and cable bushings will not do much to change vibrations, but as stiffer mounts and suspension are added, it all starts to add up and everything vibrates more.

Click to expand...

No, everything’s oem except the shifter. Did some testing on the way home from work, and it’s primarily in 3rd gear around 2k rpm with foot on the gas, maybe in 5th gear too. I haven’t tried to test out in detail yet.

uglygato said:

No, everything’s oem except the shifter. Did some testing on the way home from work, and it’s primarily in 3rd gear around 2k rpm with foot on the gas, maybe in 5th gear too. I haven’t tried to test out in detail yet.

Click to expand...

You're probably feeling the natural vibration from the transmission being translated into the cabin. If you change the mount point of the shifter linkage on the shifter rod, it essentially can cause less slack in the linkage, emulating a more direct and stiff shifter.

What's common with short shifters for FWD cars is a movement the end of the shifter linkage that basically changes the fulcrum point such that you move the shifter less to get more movement on the transmission shifter fork, and the linkage ends up slanted upward. The ends of most linkages are rigid (functioning similar to a hydraulic cylinder), so when they're slanted upward, this causes more restriction in the movement since the movement of the linkage has a component in both the horizontal and vertical directions, and the force from your hand has a component in only the horizontal direction.

You can visualize the natural transmission movement if you can find a video of someone (or better: get some seat time) driving a RWD car with a manual transmission, like a Miata or BRZ/86, since the shifter is literally a rod sticking out of the transmission-- that is, it's rigid from the actual transmission. Under significant changes in load (like getting on the throttle in any gear), you can see the shifter physically move due to the change in torque going through the transmission.

To answer your question: yes, this is normal. It shouldn't be anything absurd, but there will be a slight difference in vibration if you're really paying attention. I noticed a slight bit of an increase in vibration when I installed a short shifter bracket in my old Civic.