Howdy... Although the 5-speed on my Evo IX is pretty decent, I miss the tight, short, precise shift action of my old Honda S2000, and have been looking at the Works short shifter kit (still undecided between 15% and 30% shift action reduction). I noticed that most people on this site are pleased with the short shifter/shifter bushing kits, but there are a few people who didn't end up liking it. Is there anyone on this site who has installed a short-shifter kit on their Evo and can provide a comparison to the shift action on a Honda S2000?

Thanks,
RedAustinIX

P.S. I'm a noobie, but did take the time to do the requisite search, read all the short-shift threads, and still found no results for the "short shift" and "S2000" combo

 

My brother drives an S2k and said that the Works short shifter on my Evo was definately very heavy duty in comparison. Remember if you shorten the throw 30% and keep the shift lever the same length above the fulcrum, your effort goes up 30%. My observations are in line with this statement. If I bought the 06 MR that I sat in the other day I would probably not do the short shifter. The MR factory shifter has a much, much lighter touch than my short shifter.

 

you won't get your EVO to shift like the S2000. The S2000 was the best shifting car I've ever owned. Effortless, precise, silky smooth at any rpm. A short shifter and bushing kit will make it more precise, but it'll require more effort and force also. The upgraded motor mounts and even an engine dampener will help with precision and feel, but it will always be a heavier feel than the S2000. I have the upgraded, front motor mount, engine dampener, complete busing kit, but no short throw shifter. The shifts still don't equal the smoothness of the S2000, even with the lesser effort of the longer throw. Just my opinion.

 

I am also off an "S" and I would like to know what he meant by the
"very heavy duty in comparison"

You are saying with a short shifter in your EVO he thought it was harder shifting ???

I must admit that the s2000 is the easiest car I have ever shifted, but wow....

Thanks.

 

i too wanted the feel of my 6 speed accord, the mods i did was 2 pc brass shifter bushings and a counterweight Greddy shift knob.... still wasn't as good as my accord, but was much better than stock...

 

Best comparison I can think of, I had no trouble shifting the S2000 fast at any rpm, with two fingers and minimum effort. In the EVO, I wouldn't dream of trying to shift fast at 7000 rpm without a gorilla grip on the knob to make sure it doesn't try to grind or not go in gear. That's my impression "heavy duty" means.

 

The fact of the matter is it will never feel as nice a an S2000. I drive my friends honda with envy.

But on that note, do I hate my evo? Absolutely not. Okay... the original question was comparison of a short shifter kit to the S2000. No comparison.

New Question. What can be done to improve it? I personally thought at first that it just felt vague and rubbery. First thing to come to mind was shifter base bushings. But that's too easy. So I bought the B&M adjustable kit. I started at 40% reduction because I'm extreme like that, but found the effort way to hard. I took it to a road course and found myself exerting way too much effort especially from 4th to 5th at over 120 mph. At this point I find myself bracing, and consequently slightly jerking the wheel, which is bad for stability.

So common sense brought down the reduction and it was much better. But it still felt slighlty notchy. I changed the underhood shifter cable bushings to buschur metal ones. Slightly better feel. I have their engine mounts next on my list of mods.

All in all, If I were to do it again, I think all I would do is change the shifter base bushings first. The real issue is not necessarily the shift throw. It is the shift feel and engagement and I think the bushings make a huge difference. I know people with SS kits are going to groan at me but what's the point of reducing your throw if you aren't confident in it's engagement. I hope the engine mount will do that for me.

And that's what why I think everyone loves the S2000 shifter. It's the confidence they feel with every shift. Will the evo ever shift as nice as an S2000. No. Can it be improved upon, yes.

 

I have no way to compare to an S2K as I have never shifted in it while it was moving but I will say this. The shifter on the MR 6 speed has a slightly longer throw than the 5 speed EVO and thus smoother and easier to shift.

 

There is no comparison. The Evo is like moving a screwdriver around in box of rocks compared to the silky smoothness of the s2000.
The shortshifter makes it better in the evo but still no-where near the crispness of a s2000, or any other RWD car with a good short shifter in it. The configurarion of the car simply wont allow it.

 

I would have to say that the throws on my 03 350Z were only slightly less beautiful than my pals s2k.

So, after the Z, the EVO seemed like a truck. Then I drove a girlfriend's 02 Mustang GT, and THAT seemed like I was shifting a truck, and made the EVO seem okay again.

 

Oh well, no matter how fast I could shift my "S" my EVO will still whip it's ***.



I just got spoiled, and was hoping (I bet the same as RedAustin IX)

that we could get the shifting to act a bit more like the "S"

 

S2000 has a super slick shifter, I owned one for 2 years and never shfited a smoother car.

The Evo IX i have now feels like rusty nails... well, at least the 2nd gear grind does.

 

i put a short shift kit on my evo, it made a world of differance in terms of feedback and throw accuracy. it was kind of a pain to install, but well worth it. i agree with others, it's pretty much impossible to match the s2000's shifter.

 

Hahaha pretty funny . Try shifting in an 03'/04' SVT Cobra, that truely is a workout.