ACUITY Prototype 10th-gen Shifter - My review

[Marc_Seegs]

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[fenix-silver]

and then a new version of the classic insulated Esco in new colors (hopefully) later this year (R&D has wound up taking longer than expected, as we'd originally planned to launch them much sooner).

~Russ

Regarding the new colors only being available at earliest later this year...

 

[ACUITY]

Regarding the new colors only being available at earliest later this year...

It's killin' us too! A heavier aluminum Esco in 3 colors drops in the next few weeks. The V2 insulated design in new colors got pushed back when we decided the first production run was not up to par. We have not forgotten them though and hope to have them before the end of the hot season.

~Russ

 

[mautsukuda]

It's killin' us too! A heavier aluminum Esco in 3 colors drops in the next few weeks. The V2 insulated design in new colors got pushed back when we decided the first production run was not up to par. We have not forgotten them though and hope to have them before the end of the hot season.

~Russ

Can't wait to see some previews of the colors and design!

 

[ACUITY]

Can't wait to see some previews of the colors and design!

Shape, text style, and side logo is unchanged, but the execution is quite a bit different, so the cosmetic appearance is a refreshing change from the existing Esco. The satin finish is quite nice. Can't wait to show them off!

~Russ

 

[Chris26]

I did the full shifter upgrade a couple weeks ago on my Si and want to echo everyone else here in saying that it really is an amazing upgrade. Everything feels so much more precise. For me, I left the gate spacing mid way, set throws to the shortest setting and moved the knob all the way down. On a side note, thanks for the awesome installation video, it made it so much easier.

Some friends and I drove up to the Tail of the Dragon over the weekend. We swapped cars and my buddy commented multiple times on how great the shifts felt.

I guess I should consider myself an Acuity fanboy now. Have the cable bushings, pedal spacer, shifter, and just ordered the boot collar upgrade to top it all off.

Thanks for making such great well engineered and quality products!

 

[ACUITY]

I did the full shifter upgrade a couple weeks ago on my Si and want to echo everyone else here in saying that it really is an amazing upgrade. Everything feels so much more precise. For me, I left the gate spacing mid way, set throws to the shortest setting and moved the knob all the way down. On a side note, thanks for the awesome installation video, it made it so much easier.

Some friends and I drove up to the Tail of the Dragon over the weekend. We swapped cars and my buddy commented multiple times on how great the shifts felt.

I guess I should consider myself an Acuity fanboy now. Have the cable bushings, pedal spacer, shifter, and just ordered the boot collar upgrade to top it all off.

Thanks for making such great well engineered and quality products!

Always love reading these. Makes the long hours and late nights that went into the design all worth it! Thanks for sharing.

~Russ

 

[PearlyWhiteSI]

I'm so on the fence between the stage 2 and the full shifter. I guess how stiff the centering spring sounds is my biggest concern. But it seems as long as you leave the gate spacing out a little it's not too bad? I daily this car and drive a lot (10k miles in 3 months). Ugh. Decisions, decisions.

 

[baldheadracing]

I'm so on the fence between the stage 2 and the full shifter. I guess how stiff the centering spring sounds is my biggest concern. But it seems as long as you leave the gate spacing out a little it's not too bad? I daily this car and drive a lot (10k miles in 3 months). Ugh. Decisions, decisions.

The stiffer spring of the full shifter gives me dead certain 1->2, 2->3 and 3->4 up-shifts, at the expense of having to be deliberate with 4->5 upshift (to avoid making a 4->3 downshift by mistake). Similarly, dead certain 5->4, 4->3, and 3->2 downshifts at the expense of having to be deliberate with a 2->1 downshift (to avoid making a 2->3 upshift by mistake). Also, the stiffer spring pretty much guarantees avoidance of the 'money' 5->2 downshift that claims so many engines.

I keep the gate spacing adjustment at its strongest/narrowest but have the throw adjustment set for a longer throw to get a buttery-slick shift feel vs. the more mechanical 'tool' feel of a shorter throw setting (or to put it in a rifle context, bolt-action vs. semi-automatic round chambering).

Besides the above and the carved-from-granite feel in general, perhaps the biggest difference between Stage2 and the full shifter is the adjustability of the shifter (knob) height and rotation. Being able to locate the shift knob pretty much exactly where one wants to is a luxury that I never expected to find so important.

 

[boosted180sx]

I'm so on the fence between the stage 2 and the full shifter. I guess how stiff the centering spring sounds is my biggest concern. But it seems as long as you leave the gate spacing out a little it's not too bad? I daily this car and drive a lot (10k miles in 3 months). Ugh. Decisions, decisions.

i had the same issue. I don't mind the centering spring at all but my family who sometimes drives my car tells me it is too stiff and uncomfortable to drive. (shortest knob height, middle gate spacing, middle throw was my setting)
spoke with Russ about it and told me that stage 2 would probably be perfect and that i can maybe use the 9th gen centering spring which is slightly less stiff but cant guarantee me that it'll work perfect. (he test fitted it and confirmed that it should work but it was out of the car so couldn't guarantee anything)

after trying a few different adjustments, i increase the knob height to 2 instead of 1. that like 9-10mm increase in height fixed the complain that my family had (mainly the centering spring complain). It's a little too tall for me but better than having to step down to a stage 2.

 

[PearlyWhiteSI]

Thanks for the replies. That's my main concern boosted180sx is that occasionally other people drive my car and I don't want to make it too hard on them. I guess at the end of the day though it is my car. I do really like that the position of the shifter can be adjusted with the full shifter. It sounds like I need to just go ahead and order the whole thing

 

[ACUITY]

Thanks for the replies. That's my main concern boosted180sx is that occasionally other people drive my car and I don't want to make it too hard on them. I guess at the end of the day though it is my car. I do really like that the position of the shifter can be adjusted with the full shifter. It sounds like I need to just go ahead and order the whole thing

It's all about personal preference, as far as we're concerned. Don't be misguided, the stage 2 is a very notable and significant upgrade too with more modest changes than the full shifter, but still substantial in comparison to stock.

I love the stage 3 on our test Si that I daily and in the race car. The adjustments really turn it into a personal experience and give you the chance to change your setup (which can be awesome if you double-duty the car for track and road use), but the truth is before the stage 3, the stage 2 was in both cars, and that stage 2 kit really resolved all of our major complaints with the stock shifter (like how it can allow you to miss gears).

~Russ

 

[boosted180sx]

Thanks for the replies. That's my main concern boosted180sx is that occasionally other people drive my car and I don't want to make it too hard on them. I guess at the end of the day though it is my car. I do really like that the position of the shifter can be adjusted with the full shifter. It sounds like I need to just go ahead and order the whole thing

i still say go for the stage 3. If you haven't felt the stage 3, the stage 2 might be fine but after feeling how the full shifter is on my 9th gen, i knew the stage 2 wasn't gonna cut it.

You have all sorts of adjustments though. Increasing the knob height, increasing the throw will all help in making it feel "less" stiff due to extra leverage you gain. Even at the longest throw setting, it's still shorter than the stock throw and will give you the very mechanical feel compared to the sloppy feel of the stock shifter.
In my case, i use the following settings and it suits my family just fine:
2 knob height (1 is my preferred setting but it was a little too "stiff" for my family, the extra leverage from going to 2 helped a ton for them. I think 2.5 is the stock height so it's still lower than stock.)
3 throw
2 gate spacing

lastly, if you ever have questions you can email Russ and he will usually get back to you right away. He was helpful in giving me settings and possible solutions to help me with this problem i had of others driving my car.

 

[novadrive]

 

[Dirt]

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