05-28-2020, 04:55 PM | #1 |
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Shift Knob Impressions (Raceseng, M-Performance)
There are a lot of existing opinions already about shift knobs and weight. Take this as my own opinion and experience. First off, let me say I really like Raceseng shift knobs, and have had quite a few of them on this car and others. Their quality, fit, and finish are second to none.
I'm familiar with the old post from Rogue stating that the tolerances of BMW's are very tight, and heavy knobs could create premature wear/tear. I'm also familiar with Raceseng's perspectives. I have the AutoSolutions SSK installed in my car. So far, I've tried the following: Raceseng Spherology (470g) Raceseng Circuit Sphere (255g) Raceseng Circuit Cylinder (250g) OEM ZHP (223g w/boot) OEM M-Performance carbon/alcantara (205g w/boot) I'm currently liking the M-performance one the best. The Spherology is too heavy IMO. Much of the 'rifle bolt' action and feel went away with this knob. It did improve the notchiness a bit and reduced shifting effort a tiny bit, but when you slid it into gear, it almost felt like it would reverberate, like it was too massive. Imagine a bowling ball on top of a stick, and the stick hits a low wall. Now imagine it was a golf ball. The golf ball would reverberate a lot less when the stick hit the wall. You get the idea. The Circuit Sphere was at what I would consider the limit of weight. You retain the feel, but the shifts were smoothed out a bit. However, the shifts were also smoother due to the added length and having more leverage. So it's hard to exactly compare apples to apples in terms of weight. I really like the Circuit Sphere. It is super ergonomic, and well designed. Just for the helluvit, I decided to try the Circuit Cylinder (slightly taller, skinny). Surprisingly, I liked it a lot. The two weigh almost exactly the same, so the differences are strictly due to the shape. The Cylinder felt a little more direct and precise, but less ergonomic and comfortable. The OEM ZHP knob is good as well. It gives you the most 'snickety-snick' shifting sound. The M-Performance knob is noticeably smaller in diameter, and a perfect circle rather than the oval shape of the OEM knob. It is also about 1/2" shorter. Since it is slightly lighter and shorter than the OEM knob, I thought the shifting effort would be greater, and it would be more notchy. To my surprise, it's maybe slightly less notchy, but feels more solid when banging through the gears. It definitely feels more precise. It's not any harder to go through the gears, although it is a little more difficult to get it into reverse. I'm not sure how BMW accomplished this with this knob. Even though it is noticeably smaller than the OEM, since it weighs almost the same amount, it's a lot more dense. I also think the weight distribution in the M-Performance knob is different. Also, it's easier to shift faster IME. Keep in mind, all of this is with the AutoSolutions SSK, which is very solid and precise to begin with. Also, let me say I'm kind of in-between a overhand and sidearm shifter; probably more of an overhand. Last edited by RocketBoots; 05-28-2020 at 08:56 PM.. |
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05-28-2020, 06:40 PM | #2 |
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Excellent reviews. Bravo
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RocketBoots1859.00 |
05-29-2020, 07:17 AM | #3 |
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The OEM M Perf variant has white stitching which doesn't match any car. I don't understand why BMW offered it with white stitching. At least make it the M tri-color which then can match the steering wheel.
At least the price is somewhat reasonable: https://www.bmwpartspros.com/oem-par...ob-25112222534 IND offers the M Perf knob with the matching polar blue or the M tri-color stitching but IND lives in a bubble with their product pricing. Seriously $130 more tri-color stitching and $170 more for polar blue stitching? How is this justified? Ryan@IND https://ind-distribution.com/product...c4c48a46&_ss=r https://ind-distribution.com/product...c4c48a46&_ss=r and $19 for the cheapest shipping option on top of that...so much price gouging. |
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05-29-2020, 07:22 AM | #4 |
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05-29-2020, 07:26 AM | #5 |
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I love that they have "sales" too which is just a 10% off coupon. Even with their coupon they can't even beat regular year round prices from other vendors who then offer sales on top of that.
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05-29-2020, 09:35 AM | #6 | |
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05-29-2020, 09:43 AM | #7 | ||
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And definitely makes even less sense for polar blue to cost $40 more than M colors. Realistically it should be $50-$75 maybe. |
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05-29-2020, 07:06 PM | #8 | |
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06-01-2020, 05:40 PM | #9 | |
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There are online retailers (BMW dealerships with online stores) that are able to sell some of these non modified items directly to you for nearly our cost and sometimes less. Coby makes some nice products for a very fair price, but the pricing doesn't have a brand new BMW boot/knob/frame included or factored into it. The F8x M Performance Matte Carbon knob retails from BMW for about $263. We have a very small amount of margin in the boot itself. Then we send it off to our upholstery shop to remove the plastic frame without damaging the Alcantara, remove the white stitching, add tricolor stitching, and glue the boot back to the stock frame. Given that this is something we outsource, I don't think asking $355 retail all said and done is unreasonable. Our site shipping algorithm varies depending on product and where it's going. A recent quote of $19 to a residential address in Southern California is actually very accurate whether we use USPS or UPS on a 14x10x8" box.
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Last edited by IND-Distribution; 06-02-2020 at 09:53 AM.. |
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Kleinacus671.00 |
08-27-2021, 07:31 PM | #11 |
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Great write up - have just installed the m performance carbon shift knob. Still getting used to it but agree on the sentiments shared here. I do find it a touch on the smaller side but that might just need time to adjust coming from the rather bulky ZHP knob. Have people just found it takes time to adjust with the small MP knob? Does anyone actually rotate between shift knobs to change things up?
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08-29-2021, 09:40 AM | #12 | |
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I will say that prior to installing the ssk I preferred the oem knob over the MP knob. I wasn’t fond of the mp knob diameter, that it was round and also that the alcantara got dirty very fast and needed to be brushed clean frequently. Having said that, I’m still excited to put it on again with the ssk and give it a try. I’d love to try out the circuit cylinder! It looks like a fun one to add to the rotation to totally change the driving experience. |
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08-30-2021, 02:13 AM | #13 | ||
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Crossing fingers that maybe bmw m performance come up with a new revised gear knob for the g42/g87. Their last attempt with the silver LCI knob was one of the most ugliest things I've seen them release from their catalogue. |
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