Coming from bicycle racing to here… I’m sure I appreciate a commitment to lightness as much as any auto enthusiast. But while I’m all for lightweight wheels, seat brackets, exhaust… lightweight shift knobs are gross. A little bit of momentum goes a long ways towards pushing through any friction and sticky points in your shifters movement, and really helps you throw it into the next gate with a quick single push or pull.
Snickers.
I’ve been interested in finding something that meshes better with my new handoru, and came across something this week that I thought would be awesome. I found that it weighed 130 grams, and while that seemed like a decent weight, I thought I would measure and compare with what I already had.
Toyota AE86 knob: 80grams.
Toyota TE71 knob: 55grams.
Greddy SH: 370grams.
Off all my knobs, the TE71 appeals to me most aesthetically… but it really was no fun to use. The Greddy weighs almost 7 times the TE piece… and it feels awesome. I just wish it didn’t look like something that came out of an Integra. And chromed steel isn’t exactly friendly on the hands when the temperature approaches zero in Alberta springs and falls.
In my quick shopping… I’ve found knobs that weigh as much as 600grams. Seems a little overkill. Especially when considering that some of them cost close to $400.
I wonder about filling my TE knob or one similar to the 80’s TRD piece I found this week, with lead.
Skunk2 weighted shiftknobs are available in gunmetal/titanium finish and multiple thread pitches. They weigh in excess of 400grams, retail for $52 USD and look 10x better than that baller Greddy knob. I might buy one myself for my sleeper.