What did you do to your GR86 (Gen 2) today?

[DylanJZA]

Originally Posted by Spektyr

What is it about this particular knob that makes you feel it was $135 well-spent?

IMO it doesn't look bland and cheap like the stock one, it's weighted, nicely made, is a factory accessory that's branded GR, and because $135 to me isn't a high price for it. Like I said however, you're likely not going to be able to level with me on this.

[fredzy]

Couldn’t bring myself to start a new thread for this. It was somebody doing something to a GR86 so I think it’s on topic enough.

https://www.distractify.com/p/toyota...-wrecks-manual

Wrecks manual

Edit: The TikTok minus the trash clickbait site:

https://www.tiktok.com/@86moe/video/...&is_copy_url=0

Not sure if I missed something (there’s a good chance I did because I don’t have TikTok, just played the embed) but what I saw, while a bit embarrassing, didn’t even come close to constituting a beating. I’ve had mechanics do worse to my car while I was watching. Their shame was punishment enough. The car ain’t care.

I probably did 10x that damage to my clutch, transmission and engine today screwing with my access port trying to induce knock. (Yay, no knock! )

[CincyJohn]

Originally Posted by fredzy

Couldn’t bring myself to start a new thread for this. It was somebody doing something to a GR86 so I think it’s on topic enough.

https://www.distractify.com/p/toyota...-wrecks-manual

Wrecks manual

Edit: The TikTok minus the trash clickbait site:

https://www.tiktok.com/@86moe/video/...&is_copy_url=0

Not sure if I missed something (there’s a good chance I did because I don’t have TikTok, just played the embed) but what I saw, while a bit embarrassing, didn’t even come close to constituting a beating. I’ve had mechanics do worse to my car while I was watching. Their shame was punishment enough. The car ain’t care.

I probably did 10x that damage to my clutch, transmission and engine today screwing with my access port trying to induce knock. (Yay, no knock! )

As I said in the GR86 thread, I do feel sorry for the poor car - not because of anything those techs did, but for what the owner did to the suspension.

As for the techs, the video just confirms what I assume could/might/does occur at dealerships. Which, btw, is why I do my own oil changes and avoid dealerships for work unless absolutely necessary.

[Caeser]

Video isn't there anymore. Wonder what he got lol.

Tried out these plaques. I'm leaning towards the GR86 logo or Trueno now.

[fredzy]

Imagine having a disgruntled dealer tear your new car apart to replace a clutch because it was slipped a little. Be like having an airline passenger perform major surgery on you to fix a bruise.

Meanwhile, yeah the car is stanced.

[Spektyr]

Originally Posted by DylanJZA

IMO it doesn't look bland and cheap like the stock one, it's weighted, nicely made, is a factory accessory that's branded GR, and because $135 to me isn't a high price for it. Like I said however, you're likely not going to be able to level with me on this.

That's a lot more of what I was looking for. Any idea what the weight difference is?

Again - to be clear - I don't think $135 is expensive. I think it seems expensive for a piece of metal wrapped in leather. The only part of it where precision really matters is the threads. Other than that it's a chunk of metal with some leather and a logo etched in.

No argument - it looks really nice and presumably feels nice in the hand.

Where the concept falls off for me is when everyone says "oh, it's great" and then I have to decide whether I think someone else's "great" without further explanation is equal to or greater than $135 I'd have to spend simply to get close enough to the end product to determine whether I estimated correctly.

Originally Posted by dragoontwo

You're not paying for just the knob when you buy it. You're paying for the manufacturing and every time it changed hand before it got to you. Plus any overhead.

I'm aware of how economics works. For a $135 item of this size the sunk cost for materials/manufacturing is going to be probably $70-80, then you have shipping, shelf space, and all the other little things that eat into margin. It could be a bit higher or a bit lower, depending on the "need" for profit on the item, and I estimated low based on the presumption that as a branded item it doesn't expect close, direct competition for at least a little while. (Knockoffs take some time to make.)


Because this is a fairly simple object to create there's a decent chance I'll make my own. Again, part of why I ask what makes this one better than the original one. Part market research, part R&D fast-tracking. Maybe the answer would lead to premium material that would drive up the difficulty/cost of making something myself to the point that $135 does in fact seem like a bargain by comparison. But I don't know until I ask (and, eventually, get an answer).

[CincyJohn]

Originally Posted by Spektyr

I'm aware of how economics works.

Yeah - but you totally forgot about things like supply and demand and that something's worth is directly related to what someone else is willing to pay for it. You also don't really consider how much more expensive very limited demand products need to be in order to be worthwhile to sell.

[CincyJohn]

Originally Posted by Caeser

I'm guessing you are a vendor of these things? Are you in Japan?

[Spektyr]

Originally Posted by CincyJohn

Yeah - but you totally forgot about things like supply and demand and that something's worth is directly related to what someone else is willing to pay for it. You also don't really consider how much more expensive very limited demand products need to be in order to be worthwhile to sell.

Or you weren't paying very close attention. Simply because I don't specifically mention something doesn't mean I'm unaware of it.

This should come as no surprise, but different people have different subjective opinions on value. All of my statements were - I felt fairly clearly - in pursuit of trying to understand how the price of the item and its value were in alignment. When I say something like, "It's difficult for me to understand how it's $135 worth of upgrade," this is not the same thing as saying "There is no possible way it is worth that much money to anyone, anywhere." Aside from the obvious difference in wording, there's a very distinctly different meaning.


You appear to assume that my issue is solely with the numbers on the price, which is the assumption that requires the least amount of thought and therefore the natural one. This is in spite of all my effort to reinforce a desire to understand what makes the knob WORTH the price. Everyone says "better" but few are able to even attempt to but HOW it's better into words.

Those of us who've been around a little while know by now that what something looks like in a picture, and what arrives in the box can be massively different.

I don't buy the cheapest thing. I don't buy the most expensive thing. I buy things that I believe provide a good value for the price. I'm skeptical that a shift knob for an automatic can be worth $135 to me, but instead of simply thinking "that's crazy" and scrolling on, I gave everyone the benefit of the doubt and trusted that there was some kind of reason they felt justified. I asked what it was. Not everyone was able to give an answer.

Not everyone was able to not give an answer and remain polite.

[CincyJohn]

Originally Posted by Spektyr

Or you weren't paying very close attention. Simply because I don't specifically mention something doesn't mean I'm unaware of it.

This should come as no surprise, but different people have different subjective opinions on value. All of my statements were - I felt fairly clearly - in pursuit of trying to understand how the price of the item and its value were in alignment. When I say something like, "It's difficult for me to understand how it's $135 worth of upgrade," this is not the same thing as saying "There is no possible way it is worth that much money to anyone, anywhere." Aside from the obvious difference in wording, there's a very distinctly different meaning.


You appear to assume that my issue is solely with the numbers on the price, which is the assumption that requires the least amount of thought and therefore the natural one. This is in spite of all my effort to reinforce a desire to understand what makes the knob WORTH the price. Everyone says "better" but few are able to even attempt to but HOW it's better into words.

Those of us who've been around a little while know by now that what something looks like in a picture, and what arrives in the box can be massively different.

I don't buy the cheapest thing. I don't buy the most expensive thing. I buy things that I believe provide a good value for the price. I'm skeptical that a shift knob for an automatic can be worth $135 to me, but instead of simply thinking "that's crazy" and scrolling on, I gave everyone the benefit of the doubt and trusted that there was some kind of reason they felt justified. I asked what it was. Not everyone was able to give an answer.

Not everyone was able to not give an answer and remain polite.

A lot of words. I'll say it again - I don't think this knob is for you, at least not at $135. And to the extent you think that is a slam for some reason (it's not) - it's not for me either!! No freakin' way I would ever pay $135 for a shift knob. But sorry you got your panties in a bunch.

[Spektyr]

Originally Posted by CincyJohn

A lot of words. I'll say it again - I don't think this knob is for you, at least not at $135. And to the extent you think that is a slam for some reason (it's not) - it's not for me either!! No freakin' way I would ever pay $135 for a shift knob. But sorry you got your panties in a bunch.

My mistake, I thought you were simply being unhelpful and rude.

I didn't realize you also didn't have first-hand experience with the topic.

[CincyJohn]

Originally Posted by Spektyr

My mistake, I thought you were simply being unhelpful and rude.

I didn't realize you also didn't have first-hand experience with the topic.

I don't believe I ever said or implied I had the GR shift knob but sorry if you got that impression. I am very happy with the one supplied and would only consider an upgrade if/when the leather gets worn out/looks shabby. Would I like a little more weight at that time - probably. But not for that kind of money.

[DylanJZA]

Originally Posted by Spektyr

That's a lot more of what I was looking for. Any idea what the weight difference is?

Again - to be clear - I don't think $135 is expensive. I think it seems expensive for a piece of metal wrapped in leather. The only part of it where precision really matters is the threads. Other than that it's a chunk of metal with some leather and a logo etched in.

No argument - it looks really nice and presumably feels nice in the hand.

Where the concept falls off for me is when everyone says "oh, it's great" and then I have to decide whether I think someone else's "great" without further explanation is equal to or greater than $135 I'd have to spend simply to get close enough to the end product to determine whether I estimated correctly.

Understood. Extra detail is indeed helpful for understanding where someone is coming from. As to weight, it's actually pretty hefty, which is obviously more a benefit to manual users, but even in MT mode on my AT its noticeably there lol. I'd say it weighs about 3x the stock knob if I had to guess.

[Spektyr]

Originally Posted by DylanJZA

Understood. Extra detail is indeed helpful for understanding where someone is coming from. As to weight, it's actually pretty hefty, which is obviously more a benefit to manual users, but even in MT mode on my AT its noticeably there lol. I'd say it weighs about 3x the stock knob if I had to guess.

Cool. Does it come off lefty-loosey or is it reverse threaded?

I may have to take a look at the stock knob to see if there's any easy way to bump up the weight so I can get an idea of whether that's something I'd like. Even if it's just a temporary hack to get a feel for it.

I may just do something completely custom for myself in the end, but if it's a crazy amount of work that $135 price tag gets less spendy.