[3t3p]

That's slick and sick!

Might be a market for them?!

[Joebie]

Originally Posted by 3t3p

That's slick and sick!

Might be a market for them?!

Thanks!

I'd consider selling them if enough people wanted them, biggest problem is sourcing that shift pattern topper, otherwise making them is easy enough.

In other news, an anodizing shop that we use at work is going to anodize the aluminum part of my knob a satin clear FOR FREE

[ZCPMV8]

How much?

[Joebie]

Originally Posted by ZCPMV8

How much?

I have 1 more version id like to make before considering selling them but stay tuned. They'd be really expensive at low volume but if I had enough interest to make, say, 10 of them, the price could probably be lowered. Thanks for the interest!

I've been distracted by work and some home improvement projects which is why this thread has been quiet lately.

[flybigjet]

Somehow, I don't think ten will be a problem around here......

[chris719]

IMO you should make this knob out of a material that's low thermal conductivity. Raceseng used delrin for some and it's great. Titanium might be ok depending. I'd probably never opt to use an aluminum knob and burn in the summer / freeze in the winter.

[Joebie]

Originally Posted by chris719

IMO you should make this knob out of a material that's low thermal conductivity. Raceseng used delrin for some and it's great. Titanium might be ok depending. I'd probably never opt to use an aluminum knob and burn in the summer / freeze in the winter.

Don't worry! All the latest versions have an entirely delrin/plastic top to them and the only exposed aluminum is at the bottom where your pinky touches, which is very similar to how Raceseng does it and should be relatively easy to avoid on those 100F summer days.

I'd argue that mine is actually better than Raceseng's in some ways, because most of Raceseng's models have an exposed metal top to them as well as the bottom where your pinky goes. Being better than Raceseng is a BOLD claim though so I'm not going to say that with confidence just yet

I'm a mechanical engineer by degree so all of your concerns were taken into consideration for the design of this knob!

[ZCPMV8]

At the same time, I think some weight would improve the overall shifting experience on our cars. I never really had issues with aluminum shift knobs getting too hot. But my car is garaged and I don't live in Arizona either.

[Joebie]

Originally Posted by ZCPMV8

At the same time, I think some weight would improve the overall shifting experience on our cars. I never really had issues with aluminum shift knobs getting too hot. But my car is garaged and I don't live in Arizona either.

I originally intended to make the knob out of stainless, specifically for the density; but when i 3D printed a lightweight version, I actually really like how it made the shifting action feel. It feels less numb with a lightweight knob, you can really feel the gears click into place. I like it.

That being said, traditionally speaking shift knobs are heavy and I know a lot of people like it that way. I have never personally tried a knob HEAVIER than the stock one myself, so who knows i might like it even more that way.

If I offered these for sale I would probably offer an aluminum version and a stainless version so that customers could pick their preference.

[ZCPMV8]

Originally Posted by Joebie

I originally intended to make the knob out of stainless, specifically for the density; but when i 3D printed a lightweight version, I actually really like how it made the shifting action feel. It feels less numb with a lightweight knob, you can really feel the gears click into place. I like it.

That being said, traditionally speaking shift knobs are heavy and I know a lot of people like it that way. I have never personally tried a knob HEAVIER than the stock one myself, so who knows i might like it even more that way.

If I offered these for sale I would probably offer an aluminum version and a stainless version so that customers could pick their preference.

I've never changed the shift knob either on any of the M cars I've owned. I just imagined some added weight may feel nice, but maybe that's not the case. Either way, add me to the list of ppl interested.

[Joebie]

If I were to sell these, the tough part is the shift pattern topper piece. I'd have two options:

-make my own shift topper piece, which i dont really like the thought of because id lose the OEM look im going for

-require customers to send their own shift knob to me so that i can use their OEM shift pattern piece to modify, which i also dont like because it leaves customers without a shift knob for a period of time AND it means they cant go back to stock without buying a new shift knob.

Ideally I'd be able to source just the toppers but of course BMW doesnt sell just that piece, you have to buy the whole knob and boot.

So its a bit of a conundrum.

[twin fed]

Really like the idea you have here. I did a quick search and found this for the shift pattern topper:

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-5...hoC4xoQAvD_BwE

[Joebie]

Originally Posted by twin fed

Really like the idea you have here. I did a quick search and found this for the shift pattern topper:

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-5...hoC4xoQAvD_BwE

Oh... awesome! That gives me some hope. I'm not a huge fan of how that looks but maybe theres other ones out there. Thank you so much!

[twin fed]

Originally Posted by Joebie

Oh... awesome! That gives me some hope. I'm not a huge fan of how that looks but maybe theres other ones out there. Thank you so much!

No problem. Glad to help!

[Joebie]

Couple updates:

I may have found a source for some M logo 6 speed shift knob topper/emblems. Its a Chinese company so I ordered just 1 to see if it will work for me. it was $20 shipped. Who knows what the quality is like until i get it in my hand.

Secondly, I made some progress on what I hope to be the final version of my shift knob today.

The differences between this one and the last one I posted pictures of in this thread are very minimal. Basically just some internal structural changes but the one other change is that the horizontal split near the bottom of the knob is lower, designed so that the crack/split between aluminum and delrin should now fit right between ring and pinky finger and also just for aesthetics.



this is how i machine the concave radius with a custom made form tool






Need to make the delrin topper next and then see how the knockoff shift pattern topper things look and make a decision there and then maybe i could offer these for sale if people were interested!

I do intend to offer a stainless steel and maybe even a titanium version as well

[ZCPMV8]

Let us know how they look when u get them. Maybe a few comparison photos with the OEM!

[Joebie]

Little update to break the long silence

I've finished what I believe to be the final version of my shift knob.

I made this one out of 304 stainless. I said previously that I like the feel of a lighter shift knob, but I also like the heavier one just as much!

At first glance you wont notice much difference between this one and the previous version. Just some internal changes for the most part practically identical.



homemade ball turner


previous version (left, made of aluminum) next to new version (right, made of stainless). You can see the metal part is shorter and the plastic is taller on the new version. This is purely for aesthetics as I didnt think the proportions of the old version looked quite right. This also helps you touch less cold/hot metal on those types of days.


Stainless core knob weighs ~213g (stock knob weighs 181g)






pardon my dusty interior

[Joebie]

Also, I did receive the 6 speed pattern toppers from China, but they are not quite what im after. They look surprisingly good, its just that the acrylic part is not very thick at all, so I cant make the top spherical since I need material to remove from there and the china shift knob emblems just dont have that material where I need it. I'll try to remember to take a picture of what I got.

I also want to take a picture of the OEM knob compared to my latest knob but I cant find the OEM knob I have. Its around somewhere I just have to probably organize my garage to find it lol

[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by Joebie

Little update to break the long silence

I've finished what I believe to be the final version of my shift knob.

I made this one out of 304 stainless. I said previously that I like the feel of a lighter shift knob, but I also like the heavier one just as much!

This.... is just flat-out amazing. Great job!

[Kdevil]

Very nice. If you do end up selling them, add me to the list of interested people.

[Joebie]

Well guys, I'm really struggling finding a good source for the shift pattern toppers. Unfortunately that leaves me with no good way to make these for sale so I think I'm at a bit of a dead end here.

I could easily produce the same shift knob with no topper, but I dont think it would look good - at that point you might as well just buy a Raceseng.