New Mishimoto Shift Knobs On The Way

[Mishimoto]

Hey guys,

We are going to be rolling out several new shift knob designs over the next few months. This thread will highlight the design process of each, giving you a neat look at our different options. As always, feel free to follow along on our blog or posted within this thread.

http://engineering.mishimoto.com/cat...o-shift-knobs/

Shifting Nirvana. A Sneak Peek At Mishimoto’s New Shift Knob Designs: Limited Edition Rockstar Weighted Shift Knob

Not all our projects involve in-depth data, heat-transfer calculations, or metal fabrication. From time to time our engineering team collaborates with our talented creative team to develop awesome accessories for your ride. These upgrades might not add power or drop temperatures, but they can surely improve the driving experience and offer an improvement in styling.

In addition to the collaboration work, each design was created by a different member of our team. If you know any of these people, you might see where the designs reflect their personalities quite a bit.

Weighted Shift Knob

Our first unique design is likely to find its way into the vehicle of someone seeking a bolder look. This design started life in the 3D world as a SolidWorks model.


Mishimoto Weighted Shift Knob 3D rendering

Keep in mind, the design above represents numerous revisions and adjustments following our team’s evaluation. Once we compiled our thoughts and made some changes, we printed a prototype with our 3D printer.


Mishimoto Shift Knob 3D prototype

If you’re thinking to yourself, “Hmm. That looks similar to a bike or motorcycle grip,” you are correct. The designer of this knob is an avid mountain biker, so his preference for this grip style is no surprise!


Mishimoto Weighted Shift Knob 3D prototype

This piece is also the heaviest of our new set of shift knobs, weighing in at 476 grams. If a heavy, weighted shift knob is your thing, this might be the one for you.

Once we tested the “feel factor” for this piece and wrapped up the design work for the different components and features, a few final prototypes were created.


Mishimoto Weighted Shift Knob prototypes

The base provides the connection point with the shift lever.


Mishimoto Shift Knob

The knob on the right includes one of our universal thread adapters, which will enable fitment for a variety of vehicle makes and models.

This shift knob is made from three separate components, which can be taken apart for further customization. Below is a cutaway showing the internal features.


Mishimoto Shift Knob cutaway

Check out one of our prototypes disassembled.


Mishimoto Weighted Shift Knob disassembled

The components on the left and right are constructed from CNC-machined aluminum. The center sleeve that serves as the grip is made from an engineered thermoplastic. You may also notice an interesting logo on the top, from our friends at Rockstar Performance Garage. To kick off this grip design, we will be offering a unique, limited batch of knobs featuring a Rockstar-inspired color scheme. Below is a shot of the assembled piece!


Mishimoto Weighted Shift Knob assembled

As with all our products, we like to create a unique experience for our customers from start to finish. This means our packaging won’t be a simple brown box filled to the brim with packaging peanuts. Instead, we came up with something a little more appealing.


Mishimoto Shift Knob packaging

This cylindrical package will adequately support the shift knob during shipment and also looks pretty slick!


Mishimoto Weighted Shift Knob packaging

Coming Up!

This isn’t our only good idea! Check back next time for a look at something more subtle, yet still stylish.

Thanks for reading!
-John

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[Mishimoto]

Check out our second design idea!

Shifting Nirvana. A Sneak Peek At Mishimoto’s New Shift Knob Designs: Pistol Grip

We promised there would be more! Our first design presented Wednesday was pretty slick, and this next design is all about ergonomics and comfort. Not only did the design team work on the aesthetics, but we also spent some time ensuring that the feel of this knob would be ideal for slamming into gears while keeping your eyes pinned to the road.

Initial Design Rendering

As with our other weighted shift knob, this one also started in the 3D world. Check out a couple SolidWorks models showing the initial shape.


Mishimoto pistol grip shifter knob rendering


Mishimoto pistol grip shifter knob rendering

This design is not quite as bold as the last one, but it still certainly makes a statement.


Mishimoto pistol grip shifter knob rendering

3D-Printed Prototype Testing

Testing? What are we testing with a shift knob? We put together a few different grip styles with differences in the finger grooves. We wanted to see how each change affected the feel and which one was preferred for comfort. Check out our lineup of options!


Mishimoto 3D-printed pistol grip shift knob prototypes

We passed these prototypes around the office and listened to the opinions of our co-workers. We have enough folks here to take a good-sized sample, and soon a distinct winner was crowned.


Mishimoto 3D-printed pistol grip shift knob prototype

This one is a slight alteration of the third design you see in the lineup above. The shape of the grooves is identical, but they are placed on a corner rather than on a flat portion of the knob.


Mishimoto 3D-printed pistol grip shift knob prototype

Functional Prototype

Once the design was finalized, we constructed a couple of prototypes to take another look at what we created.


Mishimoto pistol grip shift knob functional prototype

This design is CNC-machined aluminum and weighs in at 204 grams. The additional weight will help with smooth shifting and gear engagement.


Mishimoto pistol grip shifter functional prototype

Suddenly, a hand model showed up as I was snapping some shots. If that hand looks familiar, perhaps you’ve seen some of his work in the Fall 1973 Bulova Watch catalog.


Mishimoto weighted shift knob functional prototype

This setup works great for either three or four fingers. The weighted shift knob provides some additional inertia, meaning the shift throw is a bit easier. We’ve had this prototype in the office for a few weeks, and all reports are positive.

The only minor adjustment to this final design is in logo placement. As you saw earlier in the rendering, we experimented with the script logo on the face of the knob. The functional prototype shown above features our “M” logo on the top. We weren’t quite pleased with either choice. Our final selection was the full Mishimoto script in a much smaller font, so it won’t detract from the creative design. This knob provides a nice sophisticated appearance with a more traditional shape.

Coming Up

We have one more weighted shift knob design to go! Check back in a few days for another update on our new shift knob collection.

Thanks for reading!
-John

[Mishimoto]

Check out our third new shift knob design!

Shifting Nirvana. A Sneak Peek At Mishimoto’s New Shift Knob Designs: Teardrop Shift Knob

We’ve brought you two prototype designs thus far, and now we have one more weighted shift knob ready to pull from our knapsack and present to the public. These three designs are displayed in order from wild to mild, with our third design representing a more traditional shape. Hopefully, one of our new designs is something you could see yourself grabbing ahold of while ripping through some gears.

3D Models

As with our other designs, this life also began as a 3D model. Our Solidworks wizards went to work and quickly transformed an idea from sketches to a rendering. Check it out!


Prototype weighted shift knob rendering


Prototype weighted shift knob rendering

As indicated by the name, the general shape is in the form of a teardrop, which provides a nice ergonomic feel.

Check out the Mishimoto logo laser etched on top!


Prototype weighted shift knob rendering

This knob incorporates a few unique features and different materials. Take a look at a rendered cutaway.


Prototype shift knob cutaway rendering

The inner portion of the knob (silver) is machined 303 stainless steel and includes a threaded base to accept our various shift knob adapters. Each adapter has a different internal thread size/pitch, meaning our knobs will fit most applications. In addition, this knob also features a set screw to function with non-threaded shift rods, such as those found on BMWs. The use of stainless steel gives this knob some heft, weighing in at 294 grams. This is the middleweight contender in our lineup, with the large bike grip handle weighing nearly 500 grams and our pistol grip knob coming in at 200 grams.

The outer black portion of the knob is manufactured from Delrin. This means you won’t melt the skin off your palm on hot summer days, which is quite common with all-metal knobs. Hooray for painless shifting!

Functional Prototype

In a flash, we had our prototype design constructed and in our office for a comprehensive evaluation.


Prototype teardrop shift knob


Prototype teardrop shift knob

And a look at the top.


Prototype teardrop shift knob

This knob design ended up being an office favorite. The exterior material feels great in your hands, and the added weight should really help with shift feel. We won’t be making any major changes to this design.

Knob Availability

These knobs are coming quick! We expect our first batch to arrive next week. You can get your paws on these very soon.

Thanks for taking a look!
-John

[farmboss]

I had shortened a hockey stick and wrapped it in hockey tape. Looked like a samaria sword handle and I loved shifting with it. Should look into that design...that'd be cool

[Mishimoto]

Originally Posted by farmboss

I had shortened a hockey stick and wrapped it in hockey tape. Looked like a samaria sword handle and I loved shifting with it. Should look into that design...that'd be cool

Cool, thanks for the recommendation!

-John

[Mishimoto]

Good news. Our new shift knobs are officially launched and available for purchase. Check out the link below for full details on each new design.



Feel free to follow-up with any questions!

-John

[shamrock 05]

Ok can someone confirm the weight of the 2015 WRX shift knob please?!? lol It would be nice to know so we can compare it with other manufactures weighted knobs.


And I like the tear drop one the best. Well done Mishimoto.


Why is the teardrop shift knob $150 vs this one being $55? http://www.mishimoto.com/mishimoto-shift-knob.html

[Mishimoto]

Originally Posted by shamrock 05

Ok can someone confirm the weight of the 2015 WRX shift knob please?!? lol It would be nice to know so we can compare it with other manufactures weighted knobs.


And I like the tear drop one the best. Well done Mishimoto.


Why is the teardrop shift knob $150 vs this one being $55? http://www.mishimoto.com/mishimoto-shift-knob.html

I would grab this weight for you, but we just sold our '15 shop car. Hopefully another forum member will chime in with information.

Keep in mind that our Teardrop MSRP is $130, however our vendors will have the best available pricing. Most vendors should be able to offer this at around $90. This piece differs from the $55 unit because it is a multi-piece knob with a Delrin exterior. The less expensive option is a solid single-piece shift knob with less design features.

-John

[shamrock 05]

How do vendors sell your products cheaper than you? And if you sold your shop car, I guess you're done with product development?

[Mishimoto]

Originally Posted by shamrock 05

How do vendors sell your products cheaper than you? And if you sold your shop car, I guess you're done with product development?

Our vendors will typically have the best available pricing on our products, this encourages our customers to purchase through them. This is quite common. The only exceptions are specials run through our site or discounted pre-sales.

We are done with primary development for the '15 WRX, we've completed all of our major product targets for the car. If we decide to tackle an additional project, we have several local contacts that will loan us their vehicle.

Thanks!
-John