DYI - 6 MT shift knob replacement

One of the pet peeves that I have with my car is the shift knob. On hot days the aluminum is so hot that I cannot put my hand on it to shift gears. On cold days the aluminum is so cold that it is uncomfortable to put my hand on the knob to shift gears. Today, I did something about it.

I purchased a Momo Super Anatomic shift knob and installed it on my car. The total process took surprisingly little time, about 30 minutes.

1) Pop the OEM knob out: It is really easy, just shift into any of the even numbered gears, grab the rim of the bezel on the rear edge and carefully push it forward and pull up on it. The bezel should pop out. Then, just grab the knob itself and pull straight up. The knob will come right out.

2) Separate the knob from the boot: I slipped a screwdriver between the retaining collar at the bottom of the knob and the vinyl boot and worked it around until the ring popped out, freeing the knob from the boot.

3) Install the bezel with the boot and install the knob. The top of the boot isn't attached to anything but I folded it over so that the exposed edge of the boot does not show and it looks pretty good. I plan on making a collar to attach the top of the boot so that it looks a little better but I could certainly leave it alone and it would not bother me.

4) Sit back, have a beer!

The problem is that the new knob sits about half an inch higher than the OEM knob so I cut down the shifter shaft about 1.25" and reinstalled it. Now it sits about half an inch too low so I raised it up about half an inch (not pictured).

Momo makes other knobs but they all have exposed aluminum or hard plastics that will give me the same problems that the original knob gave me so I chose one of the Anatomic knobs since they are all leather covered knobs. In other cars I have owned I have used Momo Anatomic knobs, both tall and short, but never tried a Super Anatomic until now. I like the Super Anatomic shape better than the Anatomic shape so I'm glad I went with this one this time. I originally thought I would have to mill out an extravagant collar for the top of the boot but now I have decided to make a simple collar for the top of the boot to be attached to. The photos show the difference of height between the stock knob, the Momo knob without cutting down the shift shaft, and the Momo knob after cutting the shaft.

nice write-up!

someone should probably move this to the DIY sub-forum though

Very nice write-up

PS: Moved to correct section

done and done

how much was the shift knob? and where did you get it?
looks nice

I got it on eBay. I think it was $60 delivered or so.

Nice downgrade!

Downgrade? How do you figure?

I gotta be completely honest, it looks really cheap compared to the stock shift knob.

I considered doing this, but shortening the stalk makes the throws shorter, bad for transmission. I could be wrong, but thats what I've been told on more then one occasion.


edit: looks good though, so props for that.

Arin said:

I gotta be completely honest, it looks really cheap compared to the stock shift knob.

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Every time I put my hand on it, whether it's on a really hot or a really cold day, I know that I will not burn or freeze my hand on it. To me, that is more than enough to offset it looking cheap, which it doesn't to me.

tuddy said:

I considered doing this, but shortening the stalk makes the throws shorter, bad for transmission. I could be wrong, but thats what I've been told on more then one occasion.


edit: looks good though, so props for that.

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I shortened the shaft to put the top of the knob at about the same height as the stock knob was.

A short shifter isn't bad for the transmission because you have less leverage to shift the transmission into the next gear, slowing down your shifting. People who have damaged their transmissions have done so speed shifting. Then, after their transmissions break, they blame the short shifter. All I can say is that, if you take care of it and shift as if the shift shaft is a bread stick and shift so that you do not break it, a short-shift kit will only make the shifting shorter and crisper. The synchros will probably last longer because of it.

Back from the grave...it's called the 'Anatomico', and I'm considering doing this.

I agree with Arin that this looks a little out of place in a late 2000s European hot hatch. Looks much more in place with a 90s JDM car. However, I think the Anatomico could be the best shift knob for certain people if they're nonplussed about the looks.

I prefer grained leather over smooth leather in certain applications, shift knob being one of them. I find that the grain gives a little bit of a grip which can be useful when 'palming' the shift knob.

I'm planning on going with the regular Anatomico, which doesn't have the finger grooves like PCC's. This thread has helped me decide whether to go with the tall version or the short one. Tall one it is, and hopefully I like the height enough as to not have to cut the shaft.

I always liked the ZHP/M3 shift knobs, but I'd look like a fool putting a BMW part on a VW. The aluminum accents on those knobs give it a more 'premium' feel whereas this one has a JDM tuner look.

Still better than those brass knuckle, samurai sword grip, etc.

Some wear driving gloves ??*

Arin@APR said:

I gotta be completely honest, it looks really cheap compared to the stock shift knob.

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I agree - but I'd be the last one to discourage anyone from "personalizing" their own car - so do whatever you like and enjoy it!!.

But for anyone else contemplating this mod - check for shift knobs at your local O'Reilly or Autozone or other automotive chain store. Pretty sure you will find the same knob (without the Momo box, of course) for less than $20. I've used them on track cars and have one big complaint. Since they are "universal" knobs, they are usually attached with some type of plastic collar / set screw arrangement that just never seems to work very well. Before long the knob will start to twist on the shaft. I even had one pull right off after the collar had been re-tightened a few times.

Hopefully the Momo one is better and you don't experience the same problem.