It's all about the AP1's.

 

the Zaino wax coat still count mod#1.. j/k

 

I disagree. I think the top speed of both the AP1 and AP2 is generally limited by the drivers courage.

 

Although I've nothing to contribute to this overall squabble, I am curious about the gearing business.

One thing that I really like about my AP2 is how evenly spaced all the gears are. I came to it off an STi, which had an annoying jump (from fourth to fifth, I think) -- I went so far to make a graph and so on, and the AP2 is smooth while the STi shows the jump clearly.

So: is the AP1 gearing also evenly spaced? TIA, HPH

 

Yes, I would say that the AP1 gearing is evenly spaced. If you shift at redline, you'll always stay in VTEC or just right below it. That's the best you can ask for in my opinion.

 

With the AP1 the higher gears are closer together, with the 5-6 shift being a little longer than the 4-5 shift. You can see the exact speed drop between gears here. Use the dropdown list to select either AP1 or AP2.

I think the gearing of both models match their torque curves quite well. Even though the AP2 drops to 5,500 RPM on the 1-2 shift it's got enough extra torque on tap to make up any difference.

As for top speed, with the SC/AC my cars top speed is now over 155 for sure, and might be as high as 165. I believe that there is a video floating around where a *stock* AP1 actually hits redline in sixth (which should be about 165, after factoring in tire deformation and slipage).

I'm about to install 4.30 gears, which will put my top speed closer to the AP2 (should be about 157). Given the aerodynamics and quick handling of this car that's quite fast enough for me.

 

Thanks, that's helpful; here's another perspective on what I'm thinking of. The graph below shows Downshift Ratios for my old STi and the two S2K configurations. What I didn't like about the STi is obvious. This also highlights the differences between the AP1 and AP2 -- effectively, there's a bigger upshift into 6th than into 5th on the AP1; this isn't so accentuated in the later version.

I shift by sound, and running up to some fixed top RPM then shifting, and noticing the sound of the new RPM, was what got me first thinking about this. It's no big deal, but the differences are curious. HPH

 

Interesting plot. I love the short drop when shifting my AP1 into into fifth and sixth at redline. Keeps the boost up nicely.

I use one of Modifry's shift beepers to time my shifts accurately.

 

Just wanna update my list:

1st gear → 38mph
2nd gear → 57mph
3rd gear → 78mph
4th gear → 100mph
5th gear → 125mph
6th gear → not yet