Hmmm I wonder how aluminum will stand up to use. It'll need some upkeep and, since it's a softer metal, it'll be more succceptible to scratches.

I like the design, though. I've always liked the idea of a shift knob in the shape of a piston head (with like 3 ridges along the top and maybe some smaller indentations along the bottom to give it more detail. But no matter what I came up with, none would work that well on the M5 for me.

Still, gotta love this stuff!

 

wow... that is awesome, didn't know machine shops can do that. good info. any changes in feel of shifting gears?

 

Very nice. If you can convince you buddy to do something on that turret CNC lathe you will be able to cut something really complex.

If you want to get a mirror like shine. Take some Mothers Alum/Mag wheel polish and put it in the shop rag. Chuck the knob in the lathe and turn it on low. In no time that knob will be really shinny. If you want the brushed alum look, then course Scotchbrite or something similar is your answer.

 

thanks guys. we knurled the cylinder and just hit everything with scotchbrite for a more brushed look. Once we've perfected the design we'll send it off with a big order and have it anodized clear. The CNC will open up all sorts of possibilities yes.. it's fun playing around with this stuff. They've got about 6 manual lathes, 2 cnc lathes, 2 big vertical cnc mills, two bed mills and a bridgeport. Very nice little shop.

 

as for the feel of changing gears, yes. The stock knob is really light and kinda tall, so it leaves a lot of notchy feeling to the shifting.. and the effort is greater than the whalen knob, which is heavier and kinda smooths out the feel.. makes shifting easier (having that heavy ball on the end of the lever). this knob adds some height, giving more leverage for a pretty good effort level, and is lighter than the whalen and heavier than stock, so just about the right amount of notchiness.

 

Looks like a shifter out of a race car. Good work.

 

Thank you sir! That was the idea.

 

I'd round it off a bit more, doesn't look that "comfortable". Good job either way, how many of us can say that we made our own aftermarket part.