waiting for At to be released.....

 

me too, but lets not sit close to those 05 AT guys waiting for HONDATA.

 

oem leather knobs ftw

 

I know people hate "teaser" threads but I thought I'd let you guys in on a sneak preview of the AT version of the Maven Mark One.

Overall, it's almost identical in size and shape as the MT version, but the bottom and some of the angles have been reworked so it will have a "better than OEM" fit and finish. It will sit lower than the stock knob by a substantial amount. I'll have to measure once I have a prototype on a car. The material will be the same stainless alloy used in the MT version for scratch and tarnish resistance.

 

Nice! Please let us know when these are for sale!!!

 

The first photo appears to have a machine line at the axis. Will the production be as smooth and uninterrupted as the MT version?

 

Good eye!

There won't be any machining lines, it just doesn't render correctly on the screen. All curves are tangent to each other so there won't be any visible breaks when transitioning between radii.

The surface finish will be identical to the MT version, it won't be a polished finish like the rendering shows. There just isn't a spun finish texture in this CAD application.

 

tangential curve lines!

 

 

Hey Dan, will you be able to make a Titanium one too? Or if you want, I can be your test car for the AT shift knob test fit.

 

How hot/cold does this knob get in the summer/winter?

I currently have a MOMO Raceair shift knob on my 6MT. I love the spherical shape, but it's a bit light. This Maven knob looks great, seems heavy, but I'm a little concerned that I'll burn/freeze the crap out of my hand in non-agreeable weather...

 

Titanium defeats the purpose of the knob, since the weight is there to provide a smoother shift. Ti would be half way between the plastic and aluminium OEM knob, and the Maven one as far as feeling is concerned.
Pricing would be out there, since he doesn't have military buying power, which has driven up the price of Ti for some strange reason!

 

It does fluctuate quite wildly, but irrespective of the temp at first touch, it soon settles to body temp or a bit higher (on hot days) after a minute or two.
On those days, you'll have the AC on or the windows down, so it'll cool.
You could put a reflective "condom" on, on the hot days, if you park for long in direct sunlight.
A thermal "condom" for winter/colder regions - as already suggested by Aaronng.

Then again, you could just be a 'MAN' and grin and bear it, whatever the weather!

 

Titanium is very expensive and this is probably the worst possible application for it.

Usually you want to use it where high strength and light weight is needed. I don't want it to be any lighter than it is, and it certainly doesn't need to be any stronger.

I know most people go with titanium for the heat-treated rainbow look, but I just can't justify the expense. I don't know how many people would be lining up for a $200 shift knob...

 

While it does get hot, being made of stainless steel has one advantage over aluminum. The heat capacity of SS is higher than that of aluminum. So for a stainless steel knob like the Maven, it will take longer in the sun to get the same increase in knob temperature when compared to aluminum (like in the DC5R knob). So if you leave both knobs in the sun for say 1 hour, the aluminum knob would be hotter than the Maven knob. The reverse is also true. If you leave both knobs in the sun long enough that both reach their maximum temperature (where heat in equals heat out), then the Maven knob will take longer to cool down compared to an aluminum knob.

 

isnt that specific heat, not heat capacity?

 

Oops. For materials, yes, it's specific heat capacity.

 

WELL, I'm glad we got THAT straightened out!

 

Nerds!

 

does anyone have any side-by-side comparison pictures of the OEM TSX shift knob and the Maven knob? i'm really considering buying this knob if it's beefier than the OEM knob, don't care how hot it gets, I'd like something heavier and bigger since my hands are a bit big! Can someone also take a picture with their hand on the knob (man that sounds wrong)? Thanks in advance!

 

I've got one sitting around now, so with that, I have a double-reply for above:

1. This sucker is heavy! n1ke5h, its definitly heftier in girth as well, although its not very tall as its designed to sit low. It looks and feels awesome, too bad its just an MT version and I need to wait for the AT for my car.

2. It comes with a nice little velvety bag. A nice touch for shipping, but it could easily be kept handy in your not-an-ashtray to use as a knob condom (had to say it) for those winter or summer days for you complainers.

 

As for the knob condom, I wouldn't use the velvety bag I include in the summer time. The matte black finish will actually make the knob hotter in the summer. It works nicely on sunny winter days though for keeping it warm.

This will be the 3rd summer I've had a Maven knob in my car, and although it gets hot, it's really not as bad as some may think. It won't scald you between shifts. It's not like you hold on to it for a long time anyway. Because the knob is pretty reflective, it does a good job at reflecting most of the heat. It really only gets as hot as the interior temperature of your car.

As aaronng pointed out, it will stay cool if you've been driving around for a while with the A/C on and just need to run into a store. But if you go shopping for an hour or two, it will warm up along with everything else in the car.

 

I picked mine up about a month ago. This knob is nice. it has a good amount of weight to it. when I took of my stock shift knob, I though damn this is heavy. then I picked up the maven knob which is much heavier in comparison.

I've been very happy with my choice. plus it looks great.

 

Dan, will I be able to pick up the AT version locally? I don't wanna go thru e-bay and shipping...

 

hope these help. click for bigger versions

 

Actually, I find that the bag helps a lot. The heating up of the knob comes mostly from radiation instead of convection or conduction. So that thin black bag helps A LOT! (I like the bag heaps. I keep my DC5R knob in it).

 

If it's good enough for Australia, it should be good enough for any of us in North America. Thanks!

 

 

how about a comparison shot of how low the knob sits compared to the stock knob on the actual shifter

 

I would if I could, but my shifter assembly (everything underneath the gearknob) is not stock anymore. It actually sits lower than stock. So it'll be different from your car.

 

Bumping this because I just bought one, and can't wait to receive it. Decided it was time for a change from my Skunk2.

 

I dunno how much I can attribute to the knob's weight or shape, but it does seem to shift better. But if nothing else, it looks good.

 

Dan, when will your AT knob be ready??? I'm stillllllll waiting.......................

 

It's because most of the weight is centered at the top of the knob. That's the advantage of the Maven over the Skunk2 knob which has a similar weight.

 

I installed my Maven today. It's fantastic! Great craftsmanship, great feel, and looks gorgeous in the car. Dan even includes a piece of rubber tubing to keep the shift boot flush with the knob, which is great - I always used to have a tiny 1/8" gap or so with my Skunk2 knob.

Loving it. Time to go driving.

 

Nice man, can't wait to see it. I'm considering this knob myself, but I want to see how it treats you first during the dog days of summer...

Looks like you've been out all week - what you been doing, cruising around or something???

 

If you're afraid of the shift knob getting uberhot from the hot car in the sun, don't be.

I installed my Maven knob last week and it's been hitting 90s here in Cali. When I get in the car after leaving it in the hot sun for a few hours, the knob is actually cool to the touch vs. the hot air temperature inside. It dissipates heat very well. I also like how it's slightly larger than the stock knob (for my giant man hands).

I'd also like to say, Maven gives incredible customer service. My shift knob was lost in the mail, and Dan from Maven followed up immediately by sending me a new knob and keeping me updated on the lost order, with an e-mail almost every day.

 

The knob is great, and Dan's service is excellent as well. When/if he starts selling a version of his Maven knob with engraved shift numbers, I'm seriously considering getting one of those as well eventhough I already have one without the engraving.

 

^ That would be the best!

 

Well, I've had my car outside more lately, and it's been in the 90's, and the knob gets $&#*@-ing hot! I can hardly shift with it like that, although it cools after a few min. of A/C. I still like the knob, but I gotta work on the "knob condom" or find some other approach.