Effect of shifter knob weight

[BMWDavid]

Wanted to get some feedback from folks who have installed an aftermarket shift knob.

Those who have put a heavier than stock knob on did it have any effect postitive or negative on the "feel" of a shift?

[Supermassive]

Weight of a shift knob is kind of a weird thing, it all depends on where that weight is located in relation to the shifter, the higher the weight is on the shaft the less vibration you will feel but you will also have a longer throw. If that same weight is moved lower on the shaft the damping effect is reduced and you will feel like the shift throws are shorter.

Another thing to consider when choosing a knob is the weight affects how much you feel from the inner working of the tranny, the lighter the knob the more you feel. The problem is that if you go too light the shifter feels buzzy and imprecise.

I have a Team Voodoo shift knob in Pearl Finish and its lighter than stock but the weight is lower on the shaft than the stocker. It feels just about perfect in my book, the only thing I want to do is add a Cusco shifter bushing and see if it can improve the preciseness further.

It really is hard to just describe the difference in feel with out being subjective, I have only run this knob and the stock one. The Team Voodoo knob is only 175g but feels absolutely perfect in my hand. I can feel the transmission do everything, hell I can almost nail redline shifts based on the feel of the tranny alone without looking at the tach. Alot of people who drive manuals will say that the shifter is the most tactile input to the driver in a car second only to steering feel which is a no brainer.

Its almost impossible for me to tell you how a knob will feel to you, everyone has a different style, or taste on what a shifter should feel like.

If you would like a quick, short throw, extremely tactile knob that lets you "feel" what the tranny is doing, you may want to consider the Team Voodoo offerings, even though they are alot lighter than offerings from brands like Flossy and Blox.

Hope I helped a little.

[Propaganda]

I feel like supermassive did a pretty good explanation. Thats about what I was gonna say.

Another thing that adds to the "feel" is how the knob is shaped. I had a weighted momo knob that was more like a sphere and one that was ergonomically shaped, like some of toyota's (on the tc1 and new generation of the tacomas are all I have experience with). I like the feel of both. The ergonomic one felt great, but was on the lighter side. It was nice to actually "feel" what the transmission was doing. The weighted momo knob was nicer overall, but it made throws less clunky and allowed to easily throw it into gear. It took away the "feel" of everything, though.

Weighted knobs will allow you to "throw" it into gear while less heavy ones will allow you "feel" it better and "place" it into gear.

[was385]

I went with a WC Lathewerks stainless steel shifter, which is significantly heavier ithan the stock one. It was expensive, but totally worth it to me. Like the other poster said, it's difficult to explain why. It just all feels a lot smoother and more precise to me now.