How to short shifters benefit?

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What is a short shifter? A short shifter also known as a short throw shifter is the result of an automotive aftermarket modification of the manual transmissions’ stick shift either by medication of the existing stick shift or, alternately, by the replacement of the entire part. The purpose of this modification is to reduce time between the changing of gears while accelerating or decelerating, thus improving the automobiles’ performance.

The modification of a stick shift is done in two ways, either by physically shortening the existing stick shift and/or bending. A short shifter basically does what its name implies; it makes shifting distances between each gear shorter. This allows for faster shifting times between each gear.

Although a short shifter may seem like the perfect thing for a stick shift car, it also requires a lot of skill to handle. Instead of driving like a normal stick shift, a short shifter requires more attention since a simple mistake could be made much easier. For example, the gears are a lot closer so shifting at a slightly wrong angle might make you jump from gears 2-5 instead of gears 2-3. If this happens, it would drastically damage your engine and transmission.

Short shifters really are a great thing. They just require more skill, practice or focus, if not all three.

Starting Big or Small? Which is better?

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Within the past week, I have recently discovered that a colleague of mine owns and drives an Audi R8. I’ve only seen 3 of these in my life (in person) and personally, I’m just thinking “I wish I drove one of these.” Honestly though, are these $50,000+ sports vehicles worth every penny? Or is it in reality, possible to make a cheaper car, like my Civic Si Sedan for example, to potentially match up with the high priced cars for an even cheaper price?Nowadays (in my opinion), there are 4 types of people in driving cars; people who mod their car themselves and race it, people who mod their car just for looks (ricers), people who buy expensive cars to either race or just show off, and those who just drive to get from point A to point B. In this stated case though, I believe that the Civic Si could easily reach the level of the R8 for a lower price range.

Given the budget of around $80,000 of modifications, you could basically change out the whole Si and pretty much only keep the body. In the end of the day, it will still be a Civic Si, but at the same time it won’t. Currently, the ROTM (ride of the month) winner on the 8thgencivic forum, has completely remodeled his Civic Si into a Civic Type-R, but better. He is currently pushing 421whp, 270wtq, @ 9.8psi while an R8 has 420 bhp and a peak torque of 430 Newton-metres from 4300-6000rpm. Given the amount of money put into this vehicle (I’m not sure on the exact price, but it should be under $50,000), this guy has managed to completely reinvent his Civic Si. It started off as a cheap ride, and turned out to be an expensive sports car that can stand up to those in the high 5-figures or even the 6-figures.
Basically, everything comes down to the driver themselves. While some people, like me, would prefer buying a cheaper car and building it up myself, others may prefer to just start and end big. Everybody has their own opinion towards this situation. In the end of the day, no matter what the car is, as long as the owner is happy with it, then that’s their pride and gold.

Louder is Better!

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In our current generation, all cars come with a muffler or tailpipe (with the exception of the new Nissan Leaf). What is a muffler? A muffler is attached to the end of an exhaust pipe and is the last part of the emissions system. A muffler is made of metal and tends to sit beneath the rear bumper on the right hand side of most cars.

Typically, a car will come stock with a relatively quiet muffler (with the exception of sports cars); the reason being that the general public would like a quieter and smoother ride. People have the option of changing just the muffler or even the whole exhaust system though. Generally, most people change their muffler to make their car faster, louder, look better, or even raise gas mileage. In some cases it may do all 4, but most of the time just a few of the four.

Mufflers are pretty much a beneficial factor in every way to a vehicle (except those who want everything to be silent). With hundreds of custom mufflers out there, they could even be used just for an enhanced image. All in all, no matter what the case, buckle up and drive safe!

Help Me Out Here!

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Lots of people these days love and love to drive their trucks. Not only that, thousands of people (at least in my area) love to raise their trucks and turn them into “monster trucks.”
These raised trucks bring about a small problem for those who are in fact “small.” They create difficulties for those who aren’t of bigger size in the sense of actually getting into the vehicle. In cases like these, it pretty much leads to only three options:
A)Help them get in and out of the vehicle EVERY TIME.
B)Don’t drive people who can’t get into your vehicle at all.
C)Add a side step bar to your vehicle.
Pretty much A and B are out of the question, since it’s a hassle for both you and the passenger, if they even become a passenger. A side step bar will not only help “smaller” people, but it will also add style to a truck. People with sidestep bars can brag about how unique their side step bars are and how they have a one of a kind bar.

There’s pretty much no downside to a sidestep bar. It’s really only beneficial for a new sleek style and those who need extra help to climb into a tall vehicle. So why not make your car look better while helping others!

Spoiler Wings Really Do Make a Vehicle Fly

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Nowadays, most vehicles are built in thought of what would give the most mileage. They aren’t built focused on aerodynamics or top speed. The idea of racing, for most part, isn’t as common as before. By adding a spoiler to a vehicle, the aerodynamics could be potentially altered.

What is a spoiler? A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to “spoil” unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion.


The top speed of a vehicle can vary greatly depending on the aerodynamics of a vehicle. A spoiler does exactly what its name implies. Basically, a spoiler “spoils” the unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion. This means that a vehicle with a spoiler (one not added for styling purposes) could drastically increase the top speed or acceleration of a vehicle.

Spoilers don’t only increase top speed and acceleration though. There are also other beneficial factors such as increased maneuverability, reduced drag, and even increased fuel efficiency. Overall, a spoiler is just a wonderful addition to a vehicle no matter what the purpose may be.

Headlights Bringing Safety and Style

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Projector headlights can really enhance the look of your Civic 4Dr or Civic Coupe/2Dr and even increase visibility at night. Giving your Civic 2Dr or 4/Dr a sleeker look, it’ll make your ride stand above the crowd. Plus, it won’t even cost you a fortune. The projector head lights increase safety conditions by giving off more vibrant lights than stock headlights. This allows for more of the road to be seen at night time. Since you’ll be one of the few, if not the only with these headlights, it’d make you the center of attention. Everybody would be asking where you got your projector headlights for your Civic 4Dr or Civic 2Dr/Coupe. All of our projector headlights from racerdevelopment come 100% assembled, wired, and ready for use. Just take your brand new projector head lights out from the box, install them, and they're ready to go. Installation is just as easy as plugging a lamp into an electrical socket. 4 Door projector head lights are shown above, and 2Dr/Coupe projector headlights are shown below.

The Power of HIDs

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Recently, I have just installed 8000 Kelvin HIDs (high-intensity discharge) to my car. For quite a long time, I debated whether or not these lights were in fact worth the money. Now that I have installed them, I can say with complete sincerity that these HID headlights are worth it.

8000K head lights, 3000K foglights

Besides the fact that it makes a car’s appearance greater, they also improve safety conditions on the road. HIDs are measured in how much Kelvin they give off. Generally, HIDs range from 3000 Kelvin to 30,000 Kelvin. Each different set of Kelvin portrays a different color shown.


Depending on the set of HID head lights you get, 3000 Kelvin to 8000 Kelvin increases visibility on the road. 6000K is the brightest of the lights because the higher the color temperature (Kelvin), the less usable light output you will obtain.

8000K headlights, 3000K fog lights

In my opinion, HIDs were one of the best choices I have made on my car. Compared to my old headlight bulbs, I would say my visibility is at least 5 times greater. HIDs are truly the way to go to increase safety conditions and visual appearance.

Fog Lights Benefitting Drivers Around the World

Many people have the simple misconception that foglights are simply yellow and headlights are white. How this may be true, fog lights are more than simply just yellow lights. Fog lights actually create a safer driving environment, especially in harsh conditions such as rain, sleet, fog, or snow.

What is fog? Fog is a thick cloud of water droplets approximately 0.00039 to 0.00156 inches in diameter. These droplets are suspended within or near the earth's surface to create a "wall" reducing visibility to below half a mile. When fog is created, one's highbeams produce a "wall of glare" from light bouncing off the water particles. This could potentially blind the driver.


Foglights work by concentrating the light on the road directly in front of the driver as opposed to straight ahead. This is effective because the light shown by the head lights are reflected back, while the light thrown across the road by the fog lights is not reflected back. Since the light is angled in such a way, it acts like a dagger cutting its way through the fog.


Fog Lights are a simple and cheap fix to visibility and safety issues. Not only do they make driving safer, they also enhance a vehicle’s style and features. In conclusion, fog lights are truly a benefit in every way.