Voodoo Shift Knobs
 

Has anyone added a new shift knob for their RX-8?

I have been looking at the various sizes and finishes. I am leaning towards a pearl finish 2" sphere. Has anyone tried the pistol grip style voodoos?

Voodoo Shift Knobs

Those are awful, they look like some of the bad shiftknobs from ebay. No offense, but just not my taste.

NO WAY!!!

Don't even consider it - they are disgusting.

I dont know, but I think they just took door knobs and called them shifters :)..... Not my cup of tea but if you like them go for it....

I have only seen web photos, never one in person. I have read a few posts that imply that they are nice shift knobs...

What would guy recomend as a replacment? Or just keep the stock one (it is stylish, but not super comfortable).

voodoo knobs
 

I had one on my Miata, and still have one on the wife's SVT Contour, and I'm ordering one for the RX-8. Wouldn't live without it. And you know you can have it engraved by Joe Portas the Knobmeister.

Re: voodoo knobs
 

Which style/color do you think matches the RX-8?

(ETC!)

You guys are obviously unfamiliar with the legendary Voodoo shift knobs - They're more than just shift knobs, you should know...

Seriously, they have a huge following in the Miata world - they were patterned after the classic Ferrari spun aluminum shift knob, and are machined from billet aluminum with threaded collar (no lame set-screws here). I own two of them - a crinkle-black regular Voodoo knob, and a polished aluminum Magnum Voodoo knob (I also have a custom wood shift knob made by one of our local Miata club members). They really do enhance the shift feel of the car - major functional improvement, if lacking the flashiness that impresses the cruising crowd these days (avoiding the rice word). I've thought of getting one for the RX-8, but figure Mazda put so much effort into providing that rotor-shaped shift knob that I feel obligated to stick with it a while longer! ;)

Regards,
Gordon

Not my cup o tea, but if it works for you then that's all that matters. Personally, I can't use a solid metal shift knob here in Phx, It gets to dang hot. I tried that before with a brand that had thier logo engraved on it and the first time I got in the car to drive somewhare after the car had been sitting out in the sun all day, I felt like that Nazi guy in Indiana Jones when he brands his hand on the medalion.

Nope, no way for me. While I can see the apeal to these replacement knobs, one of the things I like best about my 8 is the rotary-shaped shift knob it came with. Plenty of other things to spend money on too. :)

One thing to remember if considering a replacement shift knob: the OEM knob is quite heavy. I suspect that this is to improve shifting feel and/or reduce vibration; replacing it with a lightweight alternative may be detrimental in one of both of those areas.

i like the stock knob i dont see myself replacing it unless i get the leather light up one

I also like the look and style of the stock shifter. There was a post however of someone having trouble with the finish wearing off. Has anyone else had this problem? I haven't yet and I am at 2500 miles.

I think the only people with wear problems are those that like to fondle their knob while they drive. ;)

This is a ferrari-style knob, not a pistol-grip clear plastic LED-ridden ebay knob. This coming from Mr. Function-over-form :)

I had a team voodoo knob in my acura - it helped out shifting feel because the stock knob was very tall, and the thread only ran up about halfway through the knob. In extreme summer/winter temps here it wasn't too bad in that respect.

But since the stock knob in the 8 has a good feel already, I don't know if I'd spring for one.

I can attest to the amount of thought that went into the Voodoo knob. As I recall its development stemmed from a lengthy thread on the CompuServe "Miata-ville" SIG, which I frequented back in the day. (This was a few years before Al Gore invented the Internet).

Aluminum was chosen for its light weight, which results in a lower moment of inertia (quicker shifts), and also reduced thermal mass (so it doesn't burn through your palm on a hot day). Titanium would have similar properties. The sphere also serves to lower overall height, resulting in a shorter throw (quicker shifts). I sense a pattern...

My idea of a copper knob was shelved because of the thermal issue.

Somewhere I have the 5 1/2" floppies which I used to download the message threads to my C64 at a blazing 300baud. Serious! Funny, there seemed just as much good information available then as there is now with high-speed internet. Maybe that represents some kind of universal constant :)

Anyway, I never got over my copper jones and put off my purchase; ended up cancelling CompuServe at some point (it did cost $6 per hour!). Nice to know the legend survived. It must have been 12 or 13 years by now. I still have the Miata too, but I think it's going to be swapped for an 8 pretty soon. Maybe this time around I'll use some VooDoo. The pearl aluminum looks fine.

Voodoo Bob does offer a Titanium Voodoo Knob, but it is a little pricey. but it is pretty nice. i am still debating on ordering the Ti knob or the regular polished/chrome piece.

santino

Well, I took the plunge and ordered a 2" pearl shift knob. I will post again about it once it comes.

voodoo
 

I'd like to see that pearl knob installed. Almost went that route myself but have ordered the smooth black instead with the thought of getting it engraved.

Hey,

If you're interested in some Titanium shift knobs or similarities, check out:

obbnmotorworks.com

Look around :D

knobbers
 

Trouble is, many of those look like beer tap handles, golf clubs, or marital aids. Where do I put the batteries?

Read POS for 'company cars' on Carlson's sig line. (Speaking of thread drift... ;-)

Speaking of that sig. what year Lotus Elite, I don't suppose you have any digital photos of it? ;)

And to stay on topic, I'll take a Momo knob, or my current Prodrive knob. The Voodoo knob just looks cheap and cheesy to me, maybe they are great knobs but I'm not impressed by the pics.

I still don't get what can even look cheap about the voodoo knobs. They're so simple. Maybe if you have a black spun one with an 8-ball engraved on it, but this does not look cheap to me:

http://www.maserati-sudan.ch/Ferrari...20Interior.jpg

Especially when compared to this, for $70 and from what I can tell is a set-screw universal knob:

http://www.flat4engineering.com/prod...ro-0008bkd.jpg

The momo knobs I see are similarly brand-name over-priced and are set-screw mounted. I'd rather have something that threads directly in.