m42b32 Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 I have always thought the BMW Motorsport 'golfball' shift knob would be a cool OEM addition to my e30, but they were NLA from BMW for a while and very hard to find. They apparently made another run of them a few years ago and ECS (https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-motorsport-parts/bmw-motorsport-golf-ball-shift-knob/25118277905~geb/) has them available for like $120 a piece, which is ridiculous for pretty much a little rubber ball. They also list this incorrect part number, 25118277905, which if you search for it comes up as an error on real-oem. They are pretty commonly found in BMW race cars, including the WTCC cars: I did some digging and found that BMW actually issued a new part number for the new run of golfball knobs: 25008322191. The actual part number of the old knob, according to real-oem is 25112483255, which was ended in 2008. I called BMW of Milwaukee North to order something else, and figured I'd check to see if it was even possible to order this part number and what it costs. Turns out you can! And, its only about $65 after the CCA discount. ECS is making a pretty nice profit off these things... There was one left in Florida (dibs), but they can still be ordered from Germany. I googled the part number I found to make sure I didn't end up with some random part before I ordered it, and this part number is indeed the golfball knob (not my photo): Just figured I'd pass this info along to anyone who would be interested or wanted one. I'm a sucker for less common OEM parts, and being able to order one for less than the price of a ZHP knob is just a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassboy3313 Posted February 8, 2017 Report Share Posted February 8, 2017 Awesome. Was looking into one of these for the e21. Thanks for the info! Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk m42b32 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsbimmer1 Posted February 9, 2017 Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 Interesting, I always thought the golf ball shift knob was a VW thing only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasnt m3 Posted February 9, 2017 Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 1 hour ago, patsbimmer1 said: Interesting, I always thought the golf ball shift knob was a VW thing only. Same here. I'll stick with the good old zhp knob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straight6pwr Posted February 9, 2017 Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 is it weighted? how do they wear? when people ask you 'do you like golf' what will you say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyhundley Posted February 9, 2017 Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 5 hours ago, straight6pwr said: is it weighted? how do they wear? when people ask you 'do you like golf' what will you say? Golf is lame! m42b32 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted February 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 6 hours ago, straight6pwr said: is it weighted? how do they wear? when people ask you 'do you like golf' what will you say? 1. Apparently it is, once I get mine I will weight it and post the results. I also have a zhp knob I can weigh to compare. 2. No idea, though I would imagine pretty well as it seems to be a hard rubber, it might 'polish' a little if anything. 3. See Andy's post above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted February 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 The golfball arrived last week, its pretty interesting for sure. I put both the golfball and a zhp knob on an unnecessarily precise scale at work to compare, here are the results: The zhp knob is about 150g while the golfball is 80g, quite a big difference. Definitely go with the zhp if you are looking for an upgrade on a stock style shifter. I did not buy it to put on a stock one though, so weight isn't a big deal to me. I am working on a DTM style setup for my e30, similar to the AKG stage 2 short shifter, so it will look a lot more at home on a tall rod like you see on the wtcc cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasnt m3 Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Featherweight...the TWM knob I installed in my LS e36 weighs in at 565 grams! Makes the t56 feel a little less notchy. I agree, that knob will look great on a taller style shifter. m42b32 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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