Alcantara shift knob

[veryDisco]

So my newly acquired ZHP does not have the original shift knob. Apparently it went to shit. It was replaced with a taller oem knob but I want to get a ZHP knob.
It only seems to be available in leather. Is that due to the poor durability of the alcantara? Or?



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[KevinC]

You can find alcantara, but I doubt it would be very durable. Get the genuine leather one - it will last. Only the boot was alcantara, except the leather-equipped cars, where the boot was also leather.

[05Imola]

I have the Cobywheel alcantara knob. 8 months later it's doing well. I've cleaned it twice since I got it dirty after working on the car. Don't regret getting it at all

[SoCalZman]

You can find alcantara, but I doubt it would be very durable. Get the genuine leather one - it will last. Only the boot was alcantara, except the leather-equipped cars, where the boot was also leather.

My shift boot is alcantara, my seats are leather.

I can't imaging having an alcantara shift knob. The wheel is bad enough. Haha

[BADCLOWN]

The alcantara holds up rather well. But you can get ZHP weighted lesather knobs on eBay and various enthusiast parts websites

[NoVAphotog]

My shift boot is alcantara, my seats are leather.

I can't imaging having an alcantara shift knob. The wheel is bad enough. Haha

The leather cars came with alcantara wheel, shift boot and e-brake boots. Unless maybe the 06 coupes had full leather... :dunno

Either way, +1, never understood the appeal of the alcantara shift knob other than it not getting hot in the summer.

[san]

Unless maybe the 06 coupes had full leather... :dunno
.

Yes sir! 06 coupes came with full leather... At least mine did...


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[Vas]

Get a brand new zhp shift knob from tischer bmw

[az3579]

So my newly acquired ZHP does not have the original shift knob. Apparently it went to shit. It was replaced with a taller oem knob but I want to get a ZHP knob.
It only seems to be available in leather. Is that due to the poor durability of the alcantara? Or?


The factory knob is leather. If you see an alcantara knob in the form of the ZHP style knob, then it was wrapped after the fact.


The alcantara holds up rather well.

I do not agreee.

[veryDisco]

I will get the leather one. The car has leather seats but had an alcantara knob, shift boot and e-brake boot. The knob was done at 55k miles according to the PO. Thanks for your help.


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[Vas]

I love my Alcantara and it has been holding up very well on my imola sedan for the past 3 years.

[BADCLOWN]

I do not agreee.


i guess i should clarify: i would NOT get a full alcantara shift knob, that material/area of the car gets the most contact/use besides the steering wheel. other than that its all about how you the owner/driver treat your interior. i don't "slide" in and out of my car and tell all my passengers to do the same. cuts down on the friction against the material/damaging it. i "plop down" gently into my driver seat and thats helped keep the alcantara in both my ZHPs looking damn near factory new.

[ecrabb]

I've been back and forth on this one.

On one hand, the leather knob is how it came from the factory. So, it's more original. It's probably also more durable and "cleanable". But, leather doesn't look that great when it gets worn either, all super-shiny. Once it gets like that, it ain't coming back. You can clean it, but it never looks like it once did.

On the other hand, the steering wheel is Alcantera. Why not the shift knob? Exotics like Lamborghini have Alcantera on seating and dash surfaces, steering wheel, door panels, etc. Why not my car? Yes, Alcantera looks awful once it gets dirty and worn, but it took my car 10 years and 40k miles to get that way. I should be able to keep mine looking fresh for at least as long as I own my car.

So, I'm gravitating toward Alcantera knob to match the steering wheel, and for the luxury/high-end feel.

My car is an evening/weekend car, so it doesn't see daily use or drive-through duty, and I won't have to worry about dirty hands, french fry grease, etc. If I were going to daily a ZHP, then I might think bout a leather shift knob AND a leather wheel to match.

SC

[Go Horns!]

I have an alcantara knob I got from Coby wheel. I make sure to clean it once a month. I have about 15,000 miles on it, and I can see it starting to wear. But I'll be happy if it lasts 50,0000 miles.

[Jconlin16]

BMW performance knob is an option, I love mine. It has alcantara on it but it isn't completely covered with it.

https://www.ecstuning.com/ES46508/?gclid=CPy8oY-m1coCFQqPaQod2h4EDQ

[bosszhp]

BMW performance knob is an option, I love mine. It has alcantara on it but it isn't completely covered with it.

https://www.ecstuning.com/ES46508/?gclid=CPy8oY-m1coCFQqPaQod2h4EDQ

Do you like the performance knob more than the ZHP one? The leather on my ZHP knob is getting pretty shiny and since I have an alcantara shift boot I've debated getting the performance knob.

[Jconlin16]

Do you like the performance knob more than the ZHP one? The leather on my ZHP knob is getting pretty shiny and since I have an alcantara shift boot I've debated getting the performance knob.
I bought my ZHP with the performance knob, so I actually haven't experienced a ZHP knob. A good friend of mine favors the BMWP over the ZHP knob though!

[veryDisco]

So...it seems some ZHPs came with leather and some with alcantara.
The ZHP knob is said to be weighted. Is the Performance knob?


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[Jconlin16]

Yep, the performance knob is weighted.

[BMWCurves]

So...it seems some ZHPs came with leather and some with alcantara.
The ZHP knob is said to be weighted. Is the Performance knob?

In terms of seats, yes, our ZHPs came with alcantara/cloth upholstery by default and you could choose leather as an option. All ZHPs came with a leather covered ZHP shift knob, I do not believe an alcantara knob was ever an option or a standard feature. Several people have bought BMW Performance knobs which has some alcantara on it to replace their OEM ZHP leather shift knob. All ZHPs came with alcantara steering wheels, shift boots, and parking brake boots until late in 2005 when BMW switched the steering wheel to a mixed leather/perforated leather steering wheel and leather shift boots and parking brake boots.

[veryDisco]

In terms of seats, yes, our ZHPs came with alcantara/cloth upholstery by default and you could choose leather as an option. All ZHPs came with a leather covered ZHP shift knob, I do not believe an alcantara knob was ever an option or a standard feature. Several people have bought BMW Performance knobs which has some alcantara on it to replace their OEM ZHP leather shift knob. All ZHPs came with alcantara steering wheels, shift boots, and parking brake boots until late in 2005 when BMW switched the steering wheel to a mixed leather/perforated leather steering wheel and leather shift boots and parking brake boots.

well summarized - thanks Curves

[BMWCurves]

My pleasure :thumbsup

If you haven't read it already, there's a lot of good info on our cars in the FAQ. I certainly learned a lot about the Performance Package through it when I joined:

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?1789-Frequently-Asked-Questions-(FAQ)-About-the-BMW-E46-330-ZHP-Performance-Package-Option

[ryankokesh]

I just have both... one leather one I replaced when I bought the car, and an alcantara I just picked up from Mike. I love the alcantara, but my wife absolutely hates the feel of it. (Which is why I can't wrap the steering wheel.) She rarely drives the zhp anymore though, so alcantara it is! For now at least.