Aftermarket MT shift knobs

That’s awesome. You’re an artist. If you ever wanna design anything else, send it to a laser cutter, you can have them send it to me and I’ll tig it up. Bumpers, arms, anything like that. I just don’t have the CAD skills to do these things with plate steel, just sayin. And yeah, steel is gonna be heavy. I think some people swear by 700g feeling great though, I can’t remember.

 

I've been driving with a WC Lathwerks STi stainless knob - weighing in at 465 grams, plus perhaps 100 grams or so with a small 2" custom extension (yes, wanted a taller shifter). I can say after about 5 months, that the 465 gm is a bit too heavy for my liking. I found the stock shifter needed more effort to clear gates than I am used to.

At 465+, the shifter is too punchy. Shifts now include a very subtle but distinct "thud" sound when the shifter falls into place. I'm thinking that 270 - 300 grams will be perfect for me. Although I'll wait and decide after installing the URD short shift kit.

 

Hmm, now my gears are turning.

 

Is the collar on the stock knob separate? I would like to make a knob out of a pool 4 ball and use the collar for the boot. I know I could just use a grommet but would rather use the collar.

 

The threads inside of your shift knob are offset by about 3mm, and the collar is designed to center the boot from there. So, even if you could remove the collar (you would have to perform major surgery to get it out) it wouldn't line up very well.

If you know somebody with a 3D printer, there is a file a few pages back in this thread that might be to your liking. You would still need anti-friction for the shaft, though.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/after-market-mt-shift-knobs.471467/page-6#post-15479391

 

I just weighed mine at 136 grams for just the knob

 

What's a decent quality cheap comfortable shift knob? I'm beginning to really dislike the factory shift knob on my 18 off road. I have medium to big hands and just not very comfortable to grab..

 

No way. What I wonder is whether or not a super heavy knob could possibly put wear on selector forks and other components.

 

I'd be interested in this as well. The issue I've seen from research is that most aftermarket shit knobs hover around 2" diameter (if they're the ball type). They are obviously catered towards the import/tuner crowd where that size makes sense. Anything even slightly bigger than the 2" diameter balls start getting really heavy. Based on the knobs I've tried (thanks @St.Germain) 450g (ish) seems to be the sweet spot for me. The issue is a 2" diameter ball is small enough to feel a bit awkward. At least the stock weird double ball fits better in my hand due to being bigger (that's what she said).

I would have already purchased an aftermarket knob of my own at this point if there was a clear solution (short of knowing a guy with a lathe and the right type of metal).

OA

 

only if you've got shit aim. seriously.

 

No, I meant while in gear, kind of like resting your hand on it while driving. I can't get a straight answer anywhere, but my suspicion is that it's not much of an issue

 

Sick Speed and American Shifter have a ton of options.

 

speaking for myself with a 733g knob and the URD shift kit, it's solid and firm. i rest my hand on the knob no problem. before the shift kit i would not do that so i wouldn't push towards the synchros, but with the shift kit it's firm enough to never be a problem.

 

Got my "Get A Grip" setup recently. Decided to run the "Brooks" leather. I have worked with bikes for awhile and had access to all kinds of grips. These are by far the heaviest, and widest you can buy. It is perfect for a shifter. Even better, the grip can be shortened. This photo is the grip at full length. When I get some time I plan to lop off about 1" from the top. If anyone wants the other grip its just sitting around. PM for info.


https://www.linusbike.com/products/brooks-ring-leather-grips

 

big fan of the tall, heavy, leather-wrapped myself...

 

hey btw, what's the approximate weight of that? can't find any mention of weight on the site.

 

That's pretty bad ass - I used to bike plenty a long time ago and remember how envious I was of those with brooks saddles (that wasn't the look for my bike however).

What all did you have to buy to make it work? The "go get a grip" adapter and the brooks grip? Looks like each grip is around 145g. Any guess on what the adapter may weigh?

OA

 

Hey just wanted to let you know that this worked for me with a few minor modifications. The longer of the 3 nubs (the one that sits toward the rear of the truck as opposed to the sides) was too long to the right. It was forcing the ring to turn as I tried to slide it on, causing the other nubs to not line up correctly. The left side nub also was a bit too long in the same way (toward the right, which when looking at it head-on would be toward the rear... if that makes sense), and the slant on the other side wasn't slanted enough. A pair of clippers took care of all of that and it fit solidly afterward. If I get time I might do a couple edits and upload a clean .stl if that's alright, just in case others had the same issues I did. It could very well be that we have different printers and yours somehow printed it a bit differently so it worked for you.

Thanks though, without that file I'd be nowhere near where I am now! Real excited to have the boot hooked up right to the my TRD pro shifter. Now to get some weight and a thread inside it.

 

It looks like "go get a grip" list the grip and adapter as 170 grams. So my setup is sitting probably around 300g. There is a little cut out at the top where I put a bar end plug. You could probably fill that with some heavy material to get some more weight.

 

Thanks for the info! I never printed it out this one as I have no idea how to do it, but figured it would be useful for someone-- I did attempt the original offset version with a friend and it was "meh" but made me realize the offset wasnt needed. Post a pic of the finished product and Ill see if I can modify the file (wherever it is).