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Dirtyblueshirt
Award Winning Taste™
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2015
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- Messages
- 1,371
- Reaction score
- 579
- Location
- Anaheim, CA
- First Name
- Aaron
- Vehicle(s)
- 2022 Ford Ranger Lariat Tremor
Yeah, but lumping EBers into the JDM/Ricer crowd is dumb, that was more my point. The comment was tongue in cheek.
Dirtyblueshirt
Award Winning Taste™
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2015
- Threads
- 33
- Messages
- 1,371
- Reaction score
- 579
- Location
- Anaheim, CA
- First Name
- Aaron
- Vehicle(s)
- 2022 Ford Ranger Lariat Tremor
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Mishimoto
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #22
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
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
krahooligan
Well-Known Member
my wife would love these. 
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Mishimoto
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #27
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
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
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