SHIFT KNOB REVIEWS

Independent reviews and testimonials by our customers. Send us your review and we'll post it up!

Please note – some of the names used are forum member usernames.

S Taylor

Ti-plated V1 Gear Knob - It's hard to find the correct words to best describe the sheer quality of this replacement gear knob... Smooth, solid, luxurious... Yet it does more than just please aesthetically. The initial handling is slightly shocking due to the pure weight, however once fitted this 500g Knob paired with its shortened position vastly improves the throw of the gear change over OEM.

Dario

I had just come back from a thrash down my local test track and was conscious that this would be a good “back to back” comparison of OEM and this new one.

I have to say that even before I had draw out of my road the gear change was already crisper and more precise…….

Go further on my route it was becoming abundantly clear that this small change to my shifter had made a 100% change in the way that I could change gears smoothly ( selection of gears) whilst lifting the pace of the car.

Some of my worst gear changes on my gearbox has been 1-2 where you are pushing the leaver to the left of the gate and then getting the selector to drive smoothly in to its rearmost position. The second worst change for me was then going from 6-4, again suffering slightly for the notchiness which BMW gearboxes suffer from.

As I got more used to it I found that I could change gear faster and more precisely, best of all when trying to do a 6-2 or 5-3 change of gear the whole process was now a delight to do.
So on the road it has made a stark improvement in the shift action and the pace at which I could select gears. The next test was a track day where accurate gear changes are a significant part of the action and precise selection is the order of the day. Realistically I was looking to minimise the amount of time my hand was off of the steering wheel when changing gears and getting the clutch re-engaged as soon as possible.

It passed this test equally as well as when I had used it on the open road.

Stuart

I got my V2 from Storm, just wanted to say what an awesome bit of engineering it is. The look and feel of it is perfect imho and the difference it has made to my SSK just has to be felt to be believed. The SSK was great before but now feels so much smoother. Thanks to all at Storm for creating this superb shifter and for their excellent customer relations, I'm one well happy customer. If you're thinking about getting one go for it, you won't be disappointed.

Keith

.....Storm V2 in Titanuim finish. This weighs over half a kilogram alone, is an inch shorter than OEM items and is very ergonomic and lovely to feel. They are beautifully machined by Storm Motorwerks and I can vouch not only for the craftsmanship, but that the weight really contributes to the throw. Best mod I've done for the money, seriously. Loads of people on the BMW scene use them.

NUTTER

Well I got my new shifter and handbrake this week and i'm very impressed ..... now i'm one of these people that bought it cos it looked good rather than anything performance based but it doesn’t disappoint in either field ! Both the shifter and handbrake look stunning and the weight of shifter definitely helps it fall into gear with a lot less effort , i combined it with a SSK for maximum effect. the build quality is the best i've seen and u really wont be disappointed…..

SmoothM3

The feel is amazing, I was so impressed with the quality of the gear stick and this really is top stuff. It's worth every penny!

Acid

....The quality of the gearknob was just awe inspiring, from all of the other gearknobs out there on the market, a lot are utter *@#*, but this one, well, took the words out of my mouth. I handed it around a few people to get their opinion (only one being a BMW owner) and they were well taken by the quality of the gearknob. The finish is just so sweet and perfect, the engraving done wil such finesse...

On went the V1 SS gearknob...........the gear changes were so much better, the feel of the movement was a massive improvement, slotting gear's was so much better than before.

It's a joy to have!! and if you don't have one of these Storm Motorworks Gearknobs, then you should be ashamed! Get one now and feel the difference, it's not always about speed and performance. Remember that!

Right, picture time, all taken on my SE K800i in the cabin of the car, sun and shadows do not help, but you can see.

Greg

I purchased V1 and after about 2500km's of hard mountain driving I whole heartedly recommend it. It's very well made and very easy to fit. Imo the main advantages are the solid connection to the gear stick itself. This promotes a more direct and mechanical feeling to making changes. The knob is also shorter and heavier (about 500 grams ) than the standard one. This facilitates a smoother and also quicker change.

Monadh

I liked the look of the Storm gear shift knob, and the logic behind it's claimed performance sounded good so I decided to go ahead and fit one.

I went for the stainless steel V1 (with no engraving), which arrived this morning, and it looks better in real life than in the photos. The finish is first class, there is a plastic bush that makes the knob a snug fit on the "shift stick…….

Fitting took less than a minute. I removed the original one - no problem - no black eyes, knocking oneself out! (as reported by some members). The Storm knob just slides on to the "stick" and is tightened in position using the allen key supplied…………..

Now how does it perform? Well the first gear change with a cold engine and gear box was so much smoother, better than with a warm engine using the original. I found the symmetrical shape fitted into the palm of my hand much better, and all changes through the box are very much smoother whether changing at low or high revs. In contrast to the modified CDV, which I find is only noticeable when you "boot it" the Storm knob is noticeable every gear change.

Mark3coupe

….Looks wise, it is stunning. The pictures on the threads really don't do it justice. It sits about 1 cm lower than the already short ACS one, and is a lovely bulb in which to put your hand. I nearly crashed twice looking at the light bounce off it.

OK, but what's it actually like? Well, put it this way - my 15 mile commute home became a 40 mile back road session as I decided to see what the difference would be. The difference mainly being a big old smile. The extra weight of the knob makes the shifts feel much more precise, and smoother. The lower height (even by 1cm over the ACS item) changes the throw to give a quicker feel - bare in mind I've no SSK, although the Z3 item will go on shortly. All in all, the gearshifting experience is a whole lot more positive, and the extra weight really helps. ….

From me it gets a big fat 10/10 for use, feel and also drop dead gorgeous looks.

Martyn323i

Got my V1 shifter, handbrake lever and lighter blank yesterday. Took all of 10 mins to fit and WOW, what a transformation.

The gear changes are so smooth. The handbrake lever is pure quality and the lighter blank finishes it all off nicely.

The more i drive, the more i love it.

Fantastic service from Storm.

Thanks very much

MoOriginal

As im new the world of bmw's and M3's ive begun the journey to modsville..

Lots of things to get through - but i treated myself to these 2 things.

Stainless steel - titanium pvd coated gear knob and handbrake.

The company makes these out of very good quality stainless steel - which are then hand machined and finished.

I chose the titanium SMG version but he does manual versions.

The steel used is very high quality and needless to very heavy ..

The quality of the feel of the things is amazing and although the SMG gear knob is hollowed out - the manual version are full fat full weight so to speak and seriously heavy.

PNDale

….It looks just as good as I'd hoped, and I was even more happy after I went for a drive. I bought the items mainly for looks, because although I'd read about how much nicer the gearchange was, I didn't really believe it could make that much difference. (I'm sceptical like that, as I know how the placebo affect can get people after they've spent a few quid on something)

I'm please to say I was wrong, and driving feels so much better now. This is not only due to the extra weight of the knob which reduced the notchiness of changes, but also to how nicely the knob sits in your hand.

This thing really has been properly designed and engineered.

For anyone who is thinking about buying these parts, I would say do it. I honestly think I'm more pleased with these than any other mod I've done so far.

They may be a bit more expensive than other knobs and handbrake handles, but there's a reason for that.

Quality engineering costs money, and this is one piece that’s worth every penny.

Imolasport

Got my new titanium plated stainless steel v2 gear knob from storm motorwerks ……. WOW is one word for it!

it is one of the best mods i have done to the car, really has made a difference to the gear change.

it is so much more solid and fluid now and changing gear is a joy all the notchyness is gone and now a lot quicker due to it being shorter than the oem one. The finish is A1, really beautiful piece of engineering, machined from Stainless Steel billet.

You have to put it on top of your performance mod list.

///MrSingh

Got my V1 Titanium gearknob through from Storm and just fitted it... and what a massive difference!

It has seriously improved the gear change over the standard gearknob, and with a short shifter it is a must do mod for a better driving experience.

It matches the interior perfectly and the workmanship is astonishingly good!

michaal_the_king

Had a few interior upgrades last week, thought I'll show some pics .

The Storm gearknob was smaller then expected as my ACS one was taller, and it was also heavier than expected ……..

The handbrake handle is a piece of art, the button fits perfectly, and it’s also much bigger than the standard button.

I originally went for the plain version of the gearknob, but I’m glad I went for the engraved version as the ///M logo makes the gearknob BMW specific imo (especially for my 3.0 M3)

Overall, same as others have said, the gearknob makes shifting much smoother. I have a UUC EVO3 SSK, the Storm item creates a much smoother change then the ACS gearknob (which says Short Shift on top!).

The handbrake handle and button makes traffic stops and parking a joy, as said before the button is much bigger than std, which makes pulling/releasing the handbrake so much easier.

For those who are still deciding about the Storms items, Get them!! You wont regret!

They don’t just look good but also makes driving a joy.

beastofackworth

rec'd mine yesterday and fitted it last night in the dark. all I can say is, WOW, it's like fitting a new gearbox. All the notchiness is gone and gearchanging is so much smoother and quicker. Without a doubt the best performance product I've ever fitted to a car and worth every penny.

355Marcus

Today I fitted my M3 Evo with its titanium V1 and matching handbrake handle. Well what can I say that hasn't been said already? Not a lot really! So to begin with I have to say a big thank you to Storm, they’ve obviously put a lot of time and effort into these and it shows!! Secondly, I never had any problems with the standard set up but now the gear change has a quality feel and weight to it that is much better suited and in keeping with the rest of the car. All round a great success!

R80ter

Story starts with the leather coming away from my standard M gear knob, then a quick call to Storm Motorwerks and I couldnt decide between their V1 or a V2 Solid Steel gear knobs, so the guys there sent me both! I am keeping the V1. Driving with the V1 is a massive difference, just touch the knob in the right direction now and you are in the next gear, it has almost 400grams more weight than the stock item! love it, best mod I have done so far, would be interested to get a datalogger and see if it speeds up changes as much as i think it does!!