The black/chromed T-handle from MGW arrived this afternoon. It only took 5 minutes to install, and it looks great. I had hoped it would be larger, as it does not quite fill my large, hairy hands well, but it's MUCH better than the little, cutesy, nobbie thing I had on there before.
You can see this product at:
The black portion of the handle isn't plastic. It appears to be some sort of anodized aluminum or something similar, however it looks to be very durable. The chromed pony logo in the center is very heavily plated and looks nice, however I'd prefer they offered a solid black handle without it. The chromed post under the handle provides plenty of grabbing-room, and keeps the boot from getting in the way.
How does it work? Oh, sooooo very nicely! The added mass makes shifting nearly effortless, and allows you to keep your wrist horizontal while grabbing gears, and gives you a very nice place to rest your hand while waiting for the next one. Mated wtih my Ax, the trademark 'snick' sound you get when changing gears is more pronounced, which is good. The transmission also lets more 'scraping' sound get through with this shifter handle in place, which is bad. But the newfound ease of shifting FAR outweighs the added noise.
Finding a gear is MUCH easier now. Before, it was a struggle to swing the shifter over to the 5/R slot. Now, it is not only nearly effortless, but a LOT more fun. Gear to gear movements are now much more precise, and more importantly, FASTER. Oh yes, much, much faster. I can now see why people like large, heavy shifter handles: just a little push and it glides right into place without having to search for the gate, or 'palming' the handle in hopes that the internal springs will find the way for you. For me, holding the handle while the wrist is vertical was a struggle; this is a much better setup.
The handle sits up a bit more than most, so dropping the Ax's shift lever to the lower setting may be optimal. I like it sitting up in the high position, with the handle bolted to the right of the shifter; this keeps the handle centered in the console, and gives me more leverage. With this great-looking T-handle, the Ax is a hell of a lot more fun to play with.
MGW didn't noodle around with the 2-day air freight either. I ordered Monday morning from their facility in GA, and it was on my doorstep in CA Wednesday afternoon. At $50.00, it wasn't cheap, but like the Ax, it's a very solidly built handle that nicely matches the rest of the interior, and makes shifting a breeze. Highly recommended.
-JD
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