F10 M5 shift knob installed

[Brn2Drive]

Has anyone tried to fit the M Performance knob and boot?

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...catalogid=4462

[hpc3]

Originally Posted by rgi

For those that installed the F10 M5 shift knob, can you describe how it feels compared to the stock M3 shift knob? Does it help with shifting (especially 1->2)? Do you find it too low? Does anything get in the way?

Thanks guys!

The additional weight. The height takes a little getting used to though, if my fingers are draped over the front of the knob they can get pinched now between the knob/shaft and the boot ring in 3rd and 5 th changes. Not a big deal but another difference.

[Merlosso]

Originally Posted by Jason@Tischer

BTW - we finally have these in stock and ready to ship!

Order here.

Just placed my order (finally). Hopefully it's in stock so I can swing by and pick it up on Saturday.

[///M_Monster]

Has anyone found the plastic boot ring part # so I don't need to cannibalize my stock shifter?

[W///]

Originally Posted by rgi

For those that installed the F10 M5 shift knob, can you describe how it feels compared to the stock M3 shift knob? Does it help with shifting (especially 1->2)? Do you find it too low? Does anything get in the way?

Thanks guys!

I have the ZHP knob (which is the same) and that was my first mod on the car as I couldn't stand driving with the stock knob. It helped my shifting tremendously, especially 1st to 2nd. I can shift quicker with the ZHP knob, so there wasn't as much delay as the RPM's are dropping in between each shift.

HIGHLY recommended.

[Chris22]

This is by far the best mod I have done. It is a pain getting the M3 boot seperated from the plastic frame (much harder than the M5 boot), but definitely worth it. Thought I was going to tear the leather a few times, but just need to be patient. Used needle nose pliers to seperate once got a smaller corner started. Also, didn't need to cut M5 boot, just cut holes for clamps to peak through.

All the M's I have had, couldn't stand the throw. This shortens it up and like the weight. Concerned the shifter was going to be too short, but it is perfect. No issues.

[mdosu]

Originally Posted by FrankThomas

You can use a universal type like the Momo knobs. They secure with 3 allen type screws. As mentioned above, BMW knobs snap into place. No Threads

Originally Posted by Snig

No threads, it's notched and snaps in. SS and Ti knobs would look retarded on an M3.

a few questions as I'm doing my own project, similar steps, just different BMW OEM knob:


1. you mentioned the extra materials from the M5 boot, how did you clean it up?

2. Does even the F30 OEM BMW knobs snap-in in the same manner and fit as this swap? I'm using a F30 M Performance knob.

[mdosu]

Originally Posted by Chris22

This is by far the best mod I have done. It is a pain getting the M3 boot seperated from the plastic frame (much harder than the M5 boot), but definitely worth it. Thought I was going to tear the leather a few times, but just need to be patient. Used needle nose pliers to seperate once got a smaller corner started. Also, didn't need to cut M5 boot, just cut holes for clamps to peak through.

All the M's I have had, couldn't stand the throw. This shortens it up and like the weight. Concerned the shifter was going to be too short, but it is perfect. No issues.

what do you mean, don't need to cut the M5 boot and just cut holes for clamps? are you talking about the extra leather b/c of the smaller ring on the M3?

[Bubbles]

Nice work. I did the conversion a while back with the $99 option and pulled the stock 6mt cap from the stock one. Lighting is a bit off but not noticeable to me. The lighting on this is spot on.

[Merlosso]

Originally Posted by mdosu

a few questions as I'm doing my own project, similar steps, just different BMW OEM knob:


1. you mentioned the extra materials from the M5 boot, how did you clean it up?

2. Does even the F30 OEM BMW knobs snap-in in the same manner and fit as this swap? I'm using a F30 M Performance knob.

I did mine similar to this. When you remove the ring from the M3 boot you'll see how the leather is folded over the ring and there are slots for the tabs. I made slots in the M5 boot for the tabs of the M3 ring, then I trimmed off the excess material. In the end it looked as OEM as it could be, though it was quite difficult to get the ring to clip into place. Once it was on it stayed on and I haven't had a single issue. I took pics but haven't had a chance to post them. I'll try and get them up tonight or tomorrow.

I'm local if you want some help. Just let me know.

[mdosu]

Originally Posted by Merlosso

I did mine similar to this. When you remove the ring from the M3 boot you'll see how the leather is folded over the ring and there are slots for the tabs. I made slots in the M5 boot for the tabs of the M3 ring, then I trimmed off the excess material. In the end it looked as OEM as it could be, though it was quite difficult to get the ring to clip into place. Once it was on it stayed on and I haven't had a single issue. I took pics but haven't had a chance to post them. I'll try and get them up tonight or tomorrow.

I'm local if you want some help. Just let me know.

thanks, it's still a bit hard to visualize. Can you please post that pic? thanks!

I'm also not doing the F10 M5 swap, I'm doing a F30 M Performance swap, but I imagine I would have the same issue, there appears to be a lot of excess material on the F30 boot and the M3 ring is smaller, so I'll have the same issue. I appreciate this.

[Merlosso]

Sorry for the delay in posting these; it was a busy weekend. I didn't take a picture of the M3 boot as I was removing it from the ring but here are some pics of the M5 boot as I was trimming it and shaping it for the M3 ring.

I started by hanging the knob between my knees and fitted the ring to where I wanted it. Then I folded the leather over the top, held it with the clamps, and cut small slits where the tabs would poke through.



Then I trimmed off the excess leather leaving small flaps to go around the plastic tabs of the ring.




I used Gorilla Glue and would put it on the boot/ring, clamp it, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Then I would move on to another part and continued to trim off excess leather.



These last two were near the end; I didn't take a pic when it was fully finished but this should give you a good idea of what I did. The leather is glued to the ring and trimmed off at the edge of the plastic ring. Only the little flaps that go over the plastic tabs go over the ring.




In the end it all worked out great with one minor exception. The leather of the M5 boot was thicker than the M3 boot. This made it very difficult to get the plastic tabs to click back into place on the center console trim. I ended up pulling the center console off, turning it over and clipping the boot back into place. It's a tight fit but it went on and I have no concerns about it coming off.

Was all this necessary? As others have shown, no, it was not. I worked on this over the course of about 4 days in the evenings after work. The same thing can be accomplished by just poking holes for the tabs and snapping it in but I wanted it glued to the ring like the stock one was ensuring it would never slip or move. Plus, it was more fun to do it this way, for me anyway.

[mdosu]

Originally Posted by Merlosso

Sorry for the delay in posting these; it was a busy weekend. I didn't take a picture of the M3 boot as I was removing it from the ring but here are some pics of the M5 boot as I was trimming it and shaping it for the M3 ring.

I started by hanging the knob between my knees and fitted the ring to where I wanted it. Then I folded the leather over the top, held it with the clamps, and cut small slits where the tabs would poke through.



Then I trimmed off the excess leather leaving small flaps to go around the plastic tabs of the ring.



I used Gorilla Glue and would put it on the boot/ring, clamp it, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Then I would move on to another part and continued to trim off excess leather.



These last two were near the end; I didn't take a pic when it was fully finished but this should give you a good idea of what I did. The leather is glued to the ring and trimmed off at the edge of the plastic ring. Only the little flaps that go over the plastic tabs go over the ring.

Attachment 818305
Attachment 818310

In the end it all worked out great with one minor exception. The leather of the M5 boot was thicker than the M3 boot. This made it very difficult to get the plastic tabs to click back into place on the center console trim. I ended up pulling the center console off, turning it over and clipping the boot back into place. It's a tight fit but it went on and I have no concerns about it coming off.

Was all this necessary? As others have shown, no, it was not. I worked on this over the course of about 4 days in the evenings after work. The same thing can be accomplished by just poking holes for the tabs and snapping it in but I wanted it glued to the ring like the stock one was ensuring it would never slip or move. Plus, it was more fun to do it this way, for me anyway.

I appreciate this detailed write up and pics. I'll post pics of my upcoming project. I'm attempting a F30 M performance knob install. I'll have to trim and glue the boot to the M3 base ring as well.

I'll probably try gluing it to a smaller surface area to ensure the snap goes in easily.

[Sales@Carrozzeria]

wow very cool.

[ashtaron14]

I Installed Mine Recently, using Glue, and Clips, a lot of Clips

[mdosu]

Originally Posted by ashtaron14

I Installed Mine Recently, using Glue, and Clips, a lot of Clips

someone raided their office's supply cabinet

[ashtaron14]

Originally Posted by mdosu

someone raided their office's supply cabinet

Actually, I borrowed Clips from my Colleagues. And then I returned them after I finished

[330iTiAg]

It seems like everyone is keeping the F10 M5 boot and just reusing their M3 ring. Is it possible to separate the M5 boot from the knob (without trashing the knob) so that it could be combined with IND's tri-color stitched M3 boot?

[mdosu]

Hey, let me know if you're interested in a custom extension piece from IND. We can try to do a group buy.

I've emailed them for a price quote for an extension adapter (behind the boot) that extends the stem by about 1 inch. So this piece would snap in to the OEM stem on one end, and your knob on the other. And I suppose since IND will be making a few at a time, you can ask for different lengths. Let me know if you're interested.

[cidle323]

Originally Posted by ashtaron14

Actually, I borrowed Clips from my Colleagues. And then I returned them after I finished

Ashtaron14, great mod for the "office"
Used the same clips myself, was amazed by how well those little clips work....

[e92 M3]

Originally Posted by cidle323

Ashtaron14, great mod for the "office"
Used the same clips myself, was amazed by how well those little clips work....

+1 same here. Those binder clips worked like a charm. However, I wish my M5 boot was in better condition. Mine was delivered wrinkled .

[cidle323]

Originally Posted by e92 M3

+1 same here. Those binder clips worked like a charm. However, I wish my M5 boot was in better condition. Mine was delivered wrinkled .

Hopefully the wrinkles are just due to packing/shipping and should come out. Post pics of the finished swap/install