MOMO shift knobs (EBAY)

[G.T.Subie]

I found some inexpensive MOMO 5MT knobs the same as SUBARU sells very cheap. I picked it up 42.00 shipped.

[firedawgs]

DO you have a link? Picture?

[G.T.Subie]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MOMO-Air-Race-Chrome-Black-Leather-Shift-Knob-New_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33703QQitemZ8002458456QQrdZ1#ebayphotohosting

[c_hunter]

Those are not the same ones Subaru uses. I have had both and would not waste the money on these "generic" Momo knobs on eBay.

 

The Subaru-specific Momo knobs are threaded to screw on to Subaru shifters, and they include a barb to hold up the shift boot. These are direct swaps for the factory knobs.

 

The generic Momo knobs use spacers and set screws to attach the knob to the shifter shaft, and they do not have a barb to hold up the boot.

 

A couple things I hated about the generic knob was that it came loose a lot and the boot flopped around and looked like crap. You can look on NASIOC for some kludge fixes to both problems, but for an extra few bucks, the Subaru-specific Momo knob is a slam dunk. I paid about $55 shipped when I got the Subaru/Momo knob for my WRX.

 

Craig

[TSiWRX]

Not quite the same, but almost.

 

A bit of change off the Scooby-specific, if you're willing to go the extra step to secure the boot by yourself (ref: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18037&page=3&pp=10&highlight=shift+knob - posts 24 and 28, both very, very easy, "5-minute mods") it may be worth the price differential.

 

As for the rubber bushing needed to adapt "generic" MOMO and other aftermarket, non-screw-on knobs to our stalks, like Keefe said, certainly, they're not without their problems, however, there is a side benefit in that they can serve to further isolate vibration from the knob.

 

With regard to the three set screw setup?

 

That's not a bad thing at all, per se. Many lasersights and other high-precision devices are thus zero'ed or secured on firearms. As long as you lock down the set screws tightly, this method is just as good as having a threaded knob - which itself should see some teflon tape or low-strength threadlocker solution to prevent it from unscrewing itself over time.

[G.T.Subie]

I guess Ill have to work with it a little. Thanks for the info.

[PhilT]

I have the "generic" Subaru knob, with the threaded socket, to be honest I'm not impressed at all. I've had the knob on and off maybe half a dozen times whilst fitting a Cobb STS and adjusting it a few times. The female thread is only cut from teflon and it is already beginning to wear, I'm sure another dozen times and it would be completely stripped.

 

In this respect the 3 screw set up is actually superior !

[firedawgs]

Its kind of hard seeing a shifting knob that you really can't see. You see the box, with a little bit of the top of the knob.

[G.T.Subie]

Similar to this.

[c_hunter]

With regard to the three set screw setup?

 

That's not a bad thing at all, per se. Many lasersights and other high-precision devices are thus zero'ed or secured on firearms. As long as you lock down the set screws tightly, this method is just as good as having a threaded knob - which itself should see some teflon tape or low-strength threadlocker solution to prevent it from unscrewing itself over time.

 

 

Keep in mind they are small set screws and you're not getting a positive grip with them like you would in other cases (for instance, set screw/collar on a keyed shaft works great). You're tightening the set screw over an insert which itself slides over a threaded rod. I could never get my generic knob to stay on tight, and it was a common problem noted on NASIOC. Some people resorted to loctite and other "semi-permanent" kludges to keep it on.

 

In contrast, the factory knob spun on, tightened down, and didn't give me a problem for as long as I owned the car. For the extra few bucks it was well worth it.

 

Craig

[TSiWRX]

Keep in mind they are small set screws and you're not getting a positive grip with them like you would in other cases (for instance, set screw/collar on a keyed shaft works great). You're tightening the set screw over an insert which itself slides over a threaded rod. I could never get my generic knob to stay on tight, and it was a common problem noted on NASIOC. Some people resorted to loctite and other "semi-permanent" kludges to keep it on.

 

I honstly do not feel that such installs were proper installs, then.....

 

Either they did not properly install the rubber isolator/buffer/adaptor - thus causing the top of the knob to be loose, or they are not properly tightening down the lock/set screws.

 

The "generic-fit" MOMO knobs do not place their set-screws over an insert - instead, they dig directly into the metal of the shifter stalk upon which they're installed. With sufficient pressure, you're essentially cutting your own pinholes/groove for a "keyed shaft."

 

Don't get me wrong, Craig - I, too, think that a properly seated set of matching threads will definitley give a firmer hold, but even that in and of itself still suffer from the need to utilize either a soft-to-hard mating (such as that of the Subaru OEM, which uses plastic female to bond and "lock" the metal male shaft threads - this has inherent problems with knob durability, particularly with dis-install/re-install cycles) or will need variable wrap thicknesses of teflon/plumber's-tape in order to both isolate it from vibrations (loosening over time) as well as to insure proper knob alignment (my GReddy and Skunk2 knobs both needed this).

 

Properly locked-down, such set-screws should not back-out or loosen (here, just a small dab of low-strength threadlocker or barely a thread of teflon tape should do)

 

My absolute first experience with this setup was on a MOMO Race knob, on my very first DSM, when I was a youngster not yet out of high-school. At the time, I also noticed a need to constantly re-tighten the set-screws after several weeks/months of usage. However, now, some 15 years later, revisiting the issue after having more experience with both firearms and laboratory equipment - many of which use accessories that require precision alignment and vibration-resistant lock-down using these methods, my views have totally changed.

 

Overall, what I thus truly prefer in terms of threaded knobs is that on-average, they seem to be more heavily weighted than your "generic"-type knobs. This not only adds a counterweight effect, helping further make shifts feel more positive and connected, but also, in the case of metal-to-metal threading, can help heat-sink the knob in hot- and cold-weather extremes. My GReddy Counterweight never got scalding hot nor frostburn cold, no matter where or how long I left it, and I suspect that both its mass as well as its direct tie-in to my massive B&M stalk (on my DSM) produced this heat-sink effect.

 

With the "generics," I look to them for style, a wider selection of fitments/physical design and, as with what Keefe noted, that the rubber adaptor cups can help isolate this cabin protrusion from a little bit of NVH.

 

Brother Craig, it looks like you and I just have differing opinions on this issue.