I am in the process of making a 1 piece short shifter. Something that is shorter than stock and has a shorter throw. I was not happy with whats available out there, especially the bolt on glue pieces. I am making these for the first gen TSX and would like to see if any 04+ TL owners would be interested.

I am located in southern NH and would like a local to test and help R&D one of these. Below is a sample of what I am working with.

 

Interesting what kind of material will you be using?

 

All 304 American Stainless.

 

What are you targeting for cost? I'd be interested if it's not obscenely expensive.

I'm also fairly close by (Burlington, VT) but I garage my TL in the winter so I'd have to wait until spring. Otherwise I'd certainly put my hand up to be a tester.

 

Cost will vary on how many total pieces. As you may know setting up a CNC is not cheap, so low quantities add up to a lot of money. If I were to create 20 pieces of these the cost will be $150-$170. It may sound like a lot, but look at all the machining involved. Half more than a CT price, but 4 times more time involved in machining and 20 times more material. Plus these would be SS, and I dont think CT's are SS.

I can save a little by going to a cheaper material, but I think people would rather spend the extra $10 and go with stainless.

 

that price is a little crazy, to me at least, and I think you also have to be a vendor to have feeler threads like this

 

If you could tool up for the CL-S6 you might find interest on the CL side?

 

interested.

 

i'm only interested if you extend the shifter knob to be 3" taller at least, with a 20% reduction in throw overall.

road race shifter baby.]

 

^ 3 foot shifter for a daily driver especially in traffic. Come on get real!

MYRON.......you really think that the target goal of $150 for all this work is too much? I am surprised. There are B&M shifters for twice as much out there with less work. BTW the shifters dont exist for the TL, I am only gauging interest in the community and getting some feedback.

 

To be honest, with these blasted cup holders in the way, I think the stock height is even too short..

Anytime I have a drink or arizona tea in it, it's annoying to shift while resting my arm.

 

id take one for my 07 tl

 

You wouldn't have to do much extra work to produce an extension for your base short shifter to allow the above^

Hit up the Accord forums; I'm sure some Accord owners would be interested in a Comptech alternative, which provides ~35% reduction in throw. I might be interested in a shifter with ~20% reduction in throw (like mentioned above) and extended higher.

Do 8th gen Civic SIs share the same shifter?

 

sorry, but really?

the throw would be shorter than stock even though the shifter is longer (leverage ratio). it's to keep it closer to the wheel and to make it easier to drive. do yourself a favor and find someone with one and go for a drive. you will fall in love.

 

^I agree. Look at road course cars, they all have shifters close to the wheel like that.

Just doesn't look all that sleek/classy.

 

Totally agree! So annoying!!
I would personally NOT want a shorter shifter. If anything stock height or lifted by an inch.

I agree! Theoretically it should be less work to shift as well due to the length of the shifter.
Having the shifter closer to the wheel is pretty comfortable.. just like that one Civic SiR [2003 era?]. Looked funny but the shifter was right next to the wheel. Made "arm travel" short.

Totally agree there too. Downside of a long shifter, doesn't look sleek/classy for some DDs.
Folks at my school use make-shift-shifters and shove in long screw-drivers and even wrenches!

 

^ Agree with all the comments.

I am surprised to hear that people want a slightly longer one. So one that is 1" longer with @30% less throw will do it then?

 

idk if 1" is enough. because it's more that you set the knob to be close to the 2-4 position for your hand.

here's what i had on my last car, which was concieved in a reverse logic.


so that was a real short throw shifter kit, which was shorter in its reduction, the actual lever/knob was the same (so base of lever different mounting)
then a 3" extension for when we weren't at the drag strip or going to the road course.

now, that 3" extension gets eaten up by the knob, and only ended up making about .5" difference in distance from 6th versus stock.

that was a HUGE difference. but, you may need to spend a minute messing with a comptech equipped car to work out the height that feels right.

the company that made my shifter/extension originally wanted to do a 5" as well but it made it cumbersome and felt like a truck they said.

so, i totally understand your original reaction. but i really think you should look into the road race style (and everyone loves 1 piece so it can't be an afterthought)...it will sell so fast. the integra guys claim it to be their favorite mod as well

 

to add to my post above:

I even contemplated modifying the center console and removing/trimming down the armrest/cargo compartment to get it out of the way.

=> a longer shifter would be so great! I just don't know how much longer...

 

Awoc, it's OK to gauge interest about this product. But in order to sell it from Acurazine, you'll need to become a vendor first.

 

^ Thats fine. For now I want to learn more about TL drivers. Not selling anything yet.

A local car would be ideal. No one in MA or NH that is available?

 

You should post in the Regions section-New England area for this. You'll get quicker response.

 

This is why BMW doesn't use real cup holders in their cars. I guess it separates the drivers from the commuters?

 

honestly, i don't think a car has had anything designed for a manual driver in mind in a long time, when it comes to ergonomics.

 

Based on the ratio of MT vs AT, that is a very true statement.

This is a luxury first, performance second platform.

 

haha. whoever thought luxury was banging your elbow on your drink?!??!

 

Will it be straight or curved like the OE?

 

Let's see how many people want a taller shifter.

 

I'm very interested in this...I've been on the fence about purchasing the CT SS for my Accord for a while, along with a straight Ebay shifter extension (3-4").

I just want to clarify what I've been saying in my previous posts...you could build the short shifter in your previous pictures along with an add-on shifter extension that uses a set screw/threadlocker. I'm sure this would cover your entire targeted market.

I did see your thread on honda-tech in the Accord section, however, you'll get more feedback from these forums:

You'll find the highest number of AV6-6 owners at those two sites.

 

Any updates on this?

 

you don't read very well.

yeah the picture i posted and explained is exactly that. (Audi picture)

its a 3" stainless threaded rod (male and female) and i got it for $30 zinc coated.

but it's not a 1 peice long shifter.

that curve is essential or you get close to hitting the dash (reference integra picture)

 

How is the stability with the extension? Where can I check one of these out.

$30 to try this out is worth it to me. Then I could say yes or no to a one piece long or short.

 

well, i never took it off. it went on there and stayed. that says a lot. this link below contains the distance changes on the 4" extention from knob to wheel. first is over 2" closer.

http://jhmotorsports.com/shop/catalo...12af92e3890b78

note this is 12mm x 1.5 thread....unsure the stock thread/pitch but i think its that (do not quote me on compatibility)

that's the link to who i bought from back in '09 when it first came out. it seems they have changed it a little bit, the price is now $45 and they offer 2 or 4" options.

 

Thanks. Honda is M10X1.5. Oh well.......

 

Guys, remember that you cant go too long with your cars. The bottom ball will hit the carpet as the shifter throw is reduced . I have mine in my TSX 1/4" off the carpet barely skipping it as I shift right now and there is problems. It is hard to go in reverse, 6th, and 5th. It is all do to with the cable angle. Yeah everyone wants a longer shifter, but remember that you are restricted by the oem design. These cars do not have rods that go through the floors like the B-series. Our pivot center is totally different, and a 3 foot shifter will not work unless you like more hand travel in your shifter.

Think about the oem design for a second........... The ball that is tied into the shifter cable, is held in place with a clip. This safety clip as shown here
This clip, shifter cable and ball, are directly tied together (Think Triangle). The more you push the ball towards the floor, the worse the angle gets between the ball, cable, and clip. The bigger the angle the worse it is for the shifter cable. If you look at the shifter cable, you will notice a sleeve inside a sleeve. At bigger angles the cable gets bent to the point where it is no longer smooth for the sleeve to go though the stationary sleeve that the clips holds in place.

I will try to take a pic of my current setup and the harshness of the increased angle in the shifter cable.

 

Just made a quick sketch. If Y is changed and made longer the angle theta will increase. There is so much you can move it before the angle is increased to the point where the sleeve will suffer from going into the cable housing.

A longer shifter will require less throw and will cause Y to go past the carpet and theta will increase to the point where shifter feel is just crap and binding. Even if the plastic housing of the shifter is raised past the consul, the placement of the clip needs to be customized in order of theta to be reasonable. At this point no one is going to make a new custom mold for such a small market.

Hope I made things clear and dint ruin anyones dreams of 3 foot shifter

 

Is the stock angle 0deg?

From an engineering standpoint, what is the maximum angle/limit and corresponding throw reduction that will avoid any problems.

The Comptech and Neuspeed short shifters shorten throw ~30-40% (for reference).

 

The length Veggy and I are talking about are on the knob side, not on the bottom.

Although lengthening the shifter will undo the throw reduction, the placement of the knob in relation to the steering wheel may be worth it.

A solution to giving you more room at the bottom would be to space the assembly higher and relocate the mount point of the cable. It has implications with the center console but almost anything is possible with ingenuity and fabrication.

 

They lie. If you measure the before and after you will be surprised to find it is less than 25%. It is tough to measure the angle when the shifter is in the car. I have another one that I can measure off the car. All I can say that my current setup with almost hitting the carpet is just about the max. I am actually thinking of lifting it up about 1/4". The stock setup is very flat and I would say close to 0deg. "From an engineering standpoint", god I hate hearing those words. I'm an ME and I never use those words.

KN_TL > Yes the knob side can be moved up, but without reduced throw underneath it is a waste of time. Your hand will travel way further without it. Whats is the point when your hand has to move twice as far? I dont think you are getting the problem. Moving the assembly up can be done for about 1/2", but then what? The angle of the cable sleeve will bind.

 

I do. Like I said, relocate the mount point of the cable in line with the pivot point.

I also said that the majority of the bottom work will be undone by the length of the top but if there should be a compromise that would give you desirable throw with closer proximity of shifter to wheel.

This is not genetic engineering here. Just simple geometry.