Weighted Gear Sift Knob? Opinions?

[wdb]

Kinda reviving this to get more comments on the F10 M5 knob. Is it heavier than the stock knob? Shorter, longer? Does it come with the boot or is that a separate item?

[ZeD4Mr]

Originally Posted by wdb

Kinda reviving this to get more comments on the F10 M5 knob. Is it heavier than the stock knob? Shorter, longer? Does it come with the boot or is that a separate item?

Yes, it's heavier and shorter like the zhp, lighted and comes with boot..

[Murf993]

I thought the idea was to reduce weight......

[XMetal]

Originally Posted by Murf993

I thought the idea was to reduce weight......

Not for a shift knob

[rueyme]

the weighted knob is one of the best interior and personal feel upgrades. Basically it takes some vibration out of the handle to feel more solid. Think of it running barefoot on pavement vs a good pair of running shoes. The stock shifter is a simple plastic hollow knob you feel like its a stick connected to the shift linkage. The weighted has the right feel in your palm and it has just enough weight to absorb some of the notchiness in the linkage.

[miscbrah]

I had a ZHP shift knob in my last car, big improvement over the stock one. A friend had this old school UUC shift knob like this one on ebay in his garage, and it's even better. Solid aluminum wrapped in leather.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/UUC-5-Speed...wAAOSwFWNeHFGi

[ncmish]

Just picked up the M shift knob -- it reduces the height by an inch and it is heavier -- great upgrade and love how it drives (+ CDV delete!)

[SD ///M4]

When I bought my M Roadster used at a dealer in the Bay Area and drove it back to San Diego on a Friday and drove through LA in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic, the six-year old leather cover came completely off the stock knob (it's wood underneath), so I installed a ZHP shift knob that was heavier and shorter than the stock one. I didn't really feel like it made much difference, particularly since I'm just driving my Roadster on the street and you don't need to make lightning shifts on the street.

People make way too much of a deal over little stuff like this, like it makes a huge difference. It doesn't. Your hand should only be on the shift knob when actually shifting and you should have a light touch on the shift knob anyway. I thought the stock, lighted knob was way cooler, so I bought another one of those and installed it.

[SD ///M4]

Originally Posted by wdb

I can't say I quite understand the metal knobs. Looks like a nice way to get a second degree burn in the summertime. Do you all drop something over them when you park in the sun?

My S2000 had a metal knob, I think the stock one was aluminum, engraved with the shift pattern. They offered a titanium knob that just looked way cooler so I bought that one. I bought the car in September but it wasn't until the next summer that I learned the hard way about hot the knob can get. There was a guy on the S2000 forum that made leather products for the S2000 and one of them was a "knob sock" that went over the shift knob and was held in place by an elastic skirt. I used to keep it in the center console (no glove box) and used that whenever I parked the car in the sun. I also learned that you really need to put the top up anyway when you park a roadster in the sun, particularly one with a black leather interior.