6MT shift knob - stock vs. m-performance

[///M///]

Originally Posted by exo-shell

I just bought a that Cobywheel shift boot. Mine is the black alcantara with colored stitching.

The boot comes with a lot of extra length as it tapers. I ended up having to trim it to make it work. The material is really thin though. It feels kind of cheap as it doesn't have the "fluff".

Thanks. But for being over $400 cheaper than IND it’s a no brainer. How do you mate it to the OEM knob? The ring looks like it’s sealed around the leather from factory. Any DIY is much appreciated.

Thanks.

[x.shell]

Originally Posted by ///M///

Thanks. But for being over $400 cheaper than IND it’s a no brainer. How do you mate it to the OEM knob? The ring looks like it’s sealed around the leather from factory. Any DIY is much appreciated.

Thanks.

I had already separated the lower ring from the knob a long time ago due to my many adventures with Short Shift Kits. Anyhow, it's not difficult to separate; you just have to be delicate.

- The knob separates from the lower ring via two tabs. You will see them after you pull off the knob.
- The boot is glued to the lower ring which is sandwiched to the knob when fully installed.
- Just gently peel away the boot from the ring.

You can choose to glue the new boot onto the ring if you want a seamless install. I just tucked the boot in between the ring and knob before jamming the knob on the shifter which forced the boot to be sandwiched. My methods are not for the OCD.

[///M///]

Originally Posted by exo-shell

I had already separated the lower ring from the knob a long time ago due to my many adventures with Short Shift Kits. Anyhow, it's not difficult to separate; you just have to be delicate.

- The knob separates from the lower ring via two tabs. You will see them after you pull off the knob.
- The boot is glued to the lower ring which is sandwiched to the knob when fully installed.
- Just gently peel away the boot from the ring.

You can choose to glue the new boot onto the ring if you want a seamless install. I just tucked the boot in between the ring and knob before jamming the knob on the shifter which forced the boot to be sandwiched. My methods are not for the OCD.

Thanks. Few questions.

When you say ring you mean the silver one just below the knob. Correct?

I looked at this IND video and I think the first step would be to remove the complete assembly (knob with the boot) and then work on it off the car?

How did you attach the Alcantara boot to the square bottom portion?

Thanks.

[x.shell]

Originally Posted by ///M///

Thanks. Few questions.

When you say ring you mean the silver one just below the knob. Correct?

I looked at this IND video and I think the first step would be to remove the complete assembly (knob with the boot) and then work on it off the car?

How did you attach the Alcantara boot to the square bottom portion?

Thanks.

No. The silver ring is just superficial. There is another ring that goes underneath the silver ring. It is a normal looking plastic (yellowish white color). Here's a pic. You can see one of the tabs on the right side. The other tab is broken.

[///M///]

Originally Posted by exo-shell

No. The silver ring is just superficial. There is another ring that goes underneath the silver ring. It is a normal looking plastic (yellowish white color). Here's a pic. You can see one of the tabs on the right side. The other tab is broken.

Thanks a lot. Did you break that? What do I need to watch out for? Any tips? So you just transfer the outside ring to the new boot?

Also can you answer the 2nd question I had above regarding the lower square portion of the boot? Did you just wrap that Alcantara around it or staple/glue it?

Thanks again.

[x.shell]

Originally Posted by ///M///

Thanks a lot. Did you break that? What do I need to watch out for? Any tips? So you just transfer the outside ring to the new boot?

Also can you answer the 2nd question I had above regarding the lower square portion of the boot? Did you just wrap that Alcantara around it or staple/glue it?

Thanks again.

That photo isn't mine, but I broke one of my tabs as well. Nothing to watch out for, just be patient when disassembling.

You don't need to use glue to attach the bottom of the boot to the frame. The boot has cutouts along the perimeter that latches onto hooks on the frame that line up to the cut outs. The stock boot also has staples (overkill imo) that are easily removable. You can choose to staple the new boot. I chose not to.

[ByeFelicia]

Originally Posted by exo-shell

I just bought a that Cobywheel shift boot. Mine is the black alcantara with colored stitching.

The boot comes with a lot of extra length as it tapers. I ended up having to trim it to make it work. The material is really thin though. It feels kind of cheap as it doesn't have the "fluff". But after I installed it, I didn't really think about it anymore.

Im about to tackle this same project except use an illuminated F10 ZHP knob.

When you mention thin and cheap (which I can understand with the price of the shifter boot) do you think it would be a obvious difference if I were to get the OEM alcantara ebrake boot+handle to add later?

I'd like to hope at least the color and darkness of the alcantara's match

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

Originally Posted by ByeFelicia

Im about to tackle this same project except use an illuminated F10 ZHP knob.

When you mention thin and cheap (which I can understand with the price of the shifter boot) do you think it would be a obvious difference if I were to get the OEM alcantara ebrake boot+handle to add later?

I'd like to hope at least the color and darkness of the alcantara's match

advavtages of f10 zhp knob?

[saveywil1]

Originally Posted by ByeFelicia

Im about to tackle this same project except use an illuminated F10 ZHP knob.

When you mention thin and cheap (which I can understand with the price of the shifter boot) do you think it would be a obvious difference if I were to get the OEM alcantara ebrake boot+handle to add later?

I'd like to hope at least the color and darkness of the alcantara's match

I got a colby boot to fit, Match is pretty much perfect. Sorry I didn't take any pictures of it lined up with the other pieces.

Not being the most confident in my DIY skills I dropped it in to a local Auto Upholster to do the swap. I'll post pictures when it's all done.

I do agree that the material is a little thinner than the handbrake alcantara but it doesn't appear to differ in how it will sit.

[ByeFelicia]

saveywil1
Thanks for the response, yeah I guess I wouldn't really be handling the alcantara bits that much but if it isn't the texture/weight that matches, I def want the color to match.
Looking forward to your photos when you post.

G35POPPEDMYCHERRY
I want to retain illumination and the Mperformance one is too small and does not illuminate.

Ive seen the zhp one in e46's and they visually look beefier but look oem. And it's more weighted and shorter.

[saveywil1]

Lacking confidence I went to an auto upholsterer, I wish I had not. They cut the supplied boot off and then unsuccessfully tried to glue it on the inside of the new boot. They also managed to break the two smaller tabs. Unsure that it is salvageable.

[mwilks]

For anyone with the M-Performance shifter, I just bought mine and once installed it looks slightly out of line (the shift pattern does not look to be sitting perpendicular with the car). Has anyone else notice this. Hopefully this makes sense. I will post a photo when I get a chance to take one.

[joegie]

Originally Posted by mwilks

For anyone with the M-Performance shifter, I just bought mine and once installed it looks slightly out of line (the shift pattern does not look to be sitting perpendicular with the car). Has anyone else notice this. Hopefully this makes sense. I will post a photo when I get a chance to take one.

why don't you just take the knob off, adjust it to your liking before reattaching it to the shifter?

[mwilks]

Originally Posted by joegie

why don't you just take the knob off, adjust it to your liking before reattaching it to the shifter?

If you look at the shift shaft and the knob it only has only angle at which it can be attached. Shift shaft has a notch cut in it with a bar on the inside of the shift know to fit snuggly. There is no adjustment without twisting the shift shaft itself (not sure if this is even possible). It could just be my eyes playing ticks on me though. Will take a pic tomorrow.

[joegie]

Originally Posted by mwilks

If you look at the shift shaft and the knob it only has only angle at which it can be attached. Shift shaft has a notch cut in it with a bar on the inside of the shift know to fit snuggly. There is no adjustment without twisting the shift shaft itself (not sure if this is even possible). It could just be my eyes playing ticks on me though. Will take a pic tomorrow.

probably your eyes playing tricks on you, i have the same knob and have no issues

[mwilks]

Originally Posted by joegie

probably your eyes playing tricks on you, i have the same knob and have no issues

Definitely turned out to be my eyes playing tricks. Sat in the middle back seat and the lines were dead straight. I'm thinking it's because the M Sport knob doesn't really have any pattern lines for gears 1-4 where as the M Performance knob has more of a pattern since the "M Performance" is much thinner than the "M" logo on the sport knob.

[nbennettksu]

I just LOVE the regular shifter

[paulo_f80m3]

I went back to the factory knob but stayed with iND's tri-stich boot. I love how it lights up. I knew I was going to go back. You can't go wrong with either one. I'll be going from one to the other you guys watch. 😂

[xsx450]

Dont mean to revive an old thread. But I was gassed by what people are charging for these shifter setups (HIGHWAY ROBBERY).

You can get the same thing here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/28355266415...m=283552664151

Genuine, from BMW, fits perfect in F80

[YMBF801989]

Hi,

Sorry to bump this but does anyone have a part number for the M Performance knob?

[EricP3]

reviving this thread because i want the m-performance knob but im getting confused. It seems like the f-series m-performance knob with the white stitching does not fit on an F80 m3 only the other 3-4 series?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Genuine....c100903.m5276

https://www.buybmwpartsdirect.com/oe...ob-25112222534

Is there a different one for the m3?