Shift knobs | What do we like?

1 - I hate large ball shift knobs and love small diameter cylindrical shift knobs like they used on my old MGs and TRs.

2 - I don't buy into the alleged advantages of a weighted knob (sometimes carried to silly extremes).  Nor do I like pistol grip or knobs that look like they should be on an earth mover.  I dislike the feel of an alloy knob but that is just a personal preference.

I fitted a spare NOS vintage Lamborghini knob to my daily driver Solstice coupe - it is wood, small, fits the hand nicely and with the relocated lever fulcrum I did can be shifted with two fingers.

I also hate cars where the shift lever is too long.  I mean cars like the classic Volvos where they couldn't be bothered designing a remote shifter and ended up with a long whippy stalk, or the Pontiac Fiero where the stock lever was so high that you felt like a Garlit's cartoon.

Other than the slight disinclination for cold metal knobs, I am fine with wood, or the OEM plastic knobs, and I like the stock knob on my Z4M even though it is larger than usual for me.

I have been watching this thread.  The shifter knob in my Jetta has lots of miles and I cannot read the pattern on the top of it anymore and it is sort of spongy.   This thread prompted me to do a Google search and I spied this:

delrin knob that is not $100

I will have to stop by a West Marine store and have a look.  And these are little knobs.  West Marine states these are 1.25 inches in diameter.

And it is stated that the threads are 3/8 - 24 NF threads.

So this is not for my VW...

Another vote for recycled skateboards...

I was buying Datsun 240Z parts off a guy and when leaving he said I can have this knob off his kids 240Z.  

My favorite car is the 240Z so I'm waiting for a Z to make its way underneath it. 

I've tried a few of the popular shift knobs people use on Hondas like the OEM JDM ITR Titanium, OEM optional RSX shift knob, and the original integra LS/GSR shift knob. Along with a few weighed aftermarket units But the one I keep going back to using is the Spoon Sports duracon shift knob. It's simple and lightweight, but I've always loved how it felt when driving my Integra.

If you have access to a 3D printer, you could make your own (use something more temp stable like ABS or PETG):

Golf ball knob

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2633081

A more modern version of the classic Golf Ball:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2604

or if you feel you need something more "Top Gun"

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1782264

I've always thought that being a young guy partying and out hooning around this type shifter is a bad idea.  Add bonus points for any weed related stickers on the car.  
 

I almost bought a knob for the m3/4/5 that was redone in alcantara. 
I love how it looks and feels but was afraid it wouldn't last. 
 

I hope I made the right decision to just go with a stock leather zhp, as mentioned earlier. 

spandak said:

In reply to Tony Sestito :

Torque Solutions Delrin? I had one in my speed3. I kept it when I sold the car

Yessir! Great knob. I kept mine as well. I'm sure it will fit on something else later.

I need a new knob for the e36, but the transmission having been changed out and the current shifter looking more fabricobbled has made it a bit difficult to get the correct thread. I may get a short throw kit for it first. 

Aaron_King said:

I have come close to buying one of these a couple of times, I need to find dimensions for the shift knob in my 9-3, but they look super cool.  The guy makes them from old skateboards.

 

https://builtbybasil.com/

I have one of his. 

In reply to Scott_H :

Oh, and here is the back story on this and how our dear friend Hungary Bill is an enabler from afar and silently funded this minor over indulgence.

GRM thread on Skateboard Culture Meets Car Culture.

A better photo from the linked story.

Delrin teardrop knob is what I've found I like best.... like the lightweight tactile feel of the gearbox you get and it's not heat or cold sensitive. Have a Torque Solution teardrop in my Nissan Frontier and also had one in my FR-S, which I kept and transferred over to the MR2.

I've turned ones from wood and delrin that I really like. The wood one is ebony, made in college 15 years ago, and has aged well . I have some nice sapele I should use to make a new one for the Miata trans going in my e30. I drilled the shift shaft recess extra deep on the delrin one so I could epoxy in some fishing sinkers to get the weight juuust right.

Trent said:

I'm actually quite fond of the dainty tiny knobs that 60's French cars have. It forces my mind into being less forceful and more precise with the gear lever. 

This random 65 Maserati knob in my toolbox has a similar feel

That is cool!

I took this picture of the interior of this Honda S800 because I thought the shift knob was the most hilarious tiny thing ever, but it really does look right for the car (it's hard to convey the scale of this thing - it's very, very small).

gumby (Forum Supporter) said:

Old school Fat Knobs. 2.25" sphere of some kind of plastic/resin. They were available in white or black only.
I bought a white one bitd which has a very nice patina at this point. It gets moved into whatever car/truck and just makes everything feel right.

I had one those in my SN95 Mustang! I had a Kona Racing titanium shifter stick on a Pro 5.0 shifter with that knob. Sadly, I think they are no longer around.

I have the classic 8-ball for my Jeep. Started as a joke, but I really like it now. Never too hot or cold, and big enough to grab in a hurry. 

My uncle drilled and tapped a #8 genuine pool ball for christmas when I was 16 for my MG Midget. They are heavy, and add a real positive click feel to a decent shifter. Someone stole it, and I bought another one. My new Midget project will have another. Its just grand flicking the lever with your fingers and having just a little momentum carry it to the next gear. 

My Yaris has a one-off knob from Grip Royal with bronze, gold and pewter swirl. Its really cool and was relatively cheap

I like my Condor Speed Shop knob. I don't use the weights on mine. 

Call me weird, but I lke a smaller diameter knob.   I've been known to rob a small bakelite knob off a big lathe.  There are standards.  You don't put a Hurst T handle on a restored TR-2 and if you have a really nice Kaiser Darrin, lost the beer tap pull.

Sometimes I get lost on where reverse really is (too many cars) so I pop the shift pattern off a pretty knob and glue it to the ashtray.

I like the Longacre shift knob for the race car when wearing gloves. Be careful on the street though. I put one on my V-8 Miata and the first time I really drove the car in anger, it cut the hell out of my hand. Seriously! Had to chuck it on the lathe and radius the edges a bit to smooth it out. 
 

I like a plain delrin ball.  I prefer to have no engraving or texture.  After using a bunch of different leather and multi-material shift knobs, plain old delrin was like a revelation.  I need to try an integra type r style.  I think I'd like that too.

I picked up this one made out of a rock at LKQ a bunch of years ago. Never found a transmission to stick it on. If it was threaded instead of set screwed I'd have used it on the Abomination just for kicks. Instead, I used it last weekend as a pull knob for the latch on the tire rack on my XJ. It's perfect for that. 

I like round weighted ones. I currently have two I switch around, one is a really heavy stainless ball, gets warm but not a daily so I deal with it. I have a knitted cover I can pop over it to help. 

Other one is a Lathe Werks Teardrop titanium. It feels great shape wise and is beautiful. I got it strictly for the baller factor originally but it's very ergonomic