The base numbers on this car are pretty amazing considering Hondas reputation for safe reliable cars, not hot hatch speed machine. The Type R is the only choice and Honda hasn't always offered that here in the US. The 2.0T manual base dyno'd at about 266 HP and torque in the 280 range. That's impressive for a boring Honda Accord. I'm sticking to cosmetic changes for now but am building a list of basic mods before I take to Habibi Tuning here in St. Louis.

 

Gear knob swap....

First off this is not easy. If you're not comfortable taking the ENTIRE middle console apart you can't swap the shifter knob. The problem is that Honda put plastic clips at the bottom of the leather shifter knob that then snap into the plastic chrome ring at the top of the leather shifter boot. so if you attempt to twist the knob and unthread it you will twist the leather boot as well. You HAVE to get the whole middle panel out to push the 2 tabs together on the knob to remove it from the boot ring. Slightly infuriating really.

First take off the 2 plastic side panels on the side of the middle console. They're just clipped in place. Use a plastic trim removal tool to avoid marring the plastic. Next take out the screws on the side chrome trip. Pull the entire middle console up and take the 3 screws out that hold the Econ and Brake buttons in place. You can then turn the whole console around to twist the shift knob off. Push in those 2 plastic tabs and remove the knob from the boot.

Now just put it all back together. I used a nut on the shifter shaft for the new knob to press against.

 

Can you let me know where you got your shift knob and how you are liking it? This looks a little daunting for me, is there any possibility to pull the boot down a bit and squeeze the clips to remove the knob? Thanks a lot for your help!!

 

Next was the Type R engine cover. This is an easy bolt on and looks far superior to the black one that comes on the car...

 

Got the VTECH TURBO sticker applied today. I can't thank Abe enough for some of his amazing ideas for making the 2.0 Sport into an Accord Type R clone.

 

Well I'll be dropping off my Accord to the body shop. A construction company truck was dropping rocks on the highway and one hit my hood and then chipped my windshield. In all my years I've never had a rock hit my car so hard and this one did $1000 in damage before I made my first car payment.

 

****... that sucks!!! :sad:

 

Looks great. Sorry about the damage. I have a Wrangler that is 22 years old and the windshield is a nightmare. Cracks at first rock. I had a MB and I don't think a rock the size of a quarter could hurt it. Like a tank. Same with a Subaru Outback. Am hoping the Honda holds up as well.

 

Does anyone know the right thread size if I plan to change the knob? Thank you,

 

10x1.5. You can separate the shift knob from the boot without removing trim. It requires a bit of lining things up and twisting/pulling.

 

I wasn't impressed with the stock shifter on the manual, which is why I went to the auto (plus I do a fair amount of city driving and the 10 speed is very good). Needs a short shift kit with improved bushings

 

The loose shift knob is a lapse in quality at the factory. It seems so few manuals come off the line that the workers were never properly instructed on how to properly install it. There are 2 Youtube reviews where a loose shift knob was discussed, Savagegeese and Throttlehouse. Both were 2.0T Accords. A year after those videos I picked up my 2019 and sure enough, the shift know was loose. I had the techs fix it and its never been a problem since. It's a year later and 22k miles.It's amazing to me that Honda failed to address such a simple misstep at their factory. How difficult is it to perform such a simple procedure at the factory. Luckily, the rest of the car is solid and well assembled with exception of a few panel gaps that could be improved.None the less, it seems that Honda found a solution to this. Stop making manual Accords. So sad....