[s-cars] Rieger shift knob installed

[Matt Molyneux]

I just thought I'd do a little product review for the illuminated shift knob
I just picked up. I suspect some of you may already have one, but for those
of you who don't, I would like to say, first off, that it's a great
aesthetic upgrade. The red illumination matches the rest of the backlighting
perfectly, as does the style and the layout of the shift map and numbers.
Ever since I saw the illuminated knob in an M3, I felt like that was
something the S cars were missing.

The other major plus is the boot that it comes attached to. I had always
disliked the way the stock boot had those rubber inserts that made it look
all boxy and rigid. It takes a bit of work to get the base of the new boot
to fit correctly in the factory bracket, but it looks a hell of a lot better
than stock once it's in. Surprisingly the materials are very nice. It
appears as though the leather is the real thing and it certainly looks
better than that which is 10 or more years old. The stitching is also very
well done, everything is tight as a drum around the actual knob, and the
seams on the boot are backed by black fabric so you'll never see any spaces.
I don't know what the stock S4/S6 black leather knob feels like (my car came
with a burled walnut knob installed) but the Rieger feels like it's
relatively small, I like it, again it's sort of reminiscent of the E46 M3
knob.

Finally, if you have a 6-speed and need a 6 ratio knob that looks somewhat
stock, this is it. It's made in both a 5 and 6 gear pattern.

They are available online through http://www.riegeretc.com (I'm not
affiliated with them in any way, just wanted to pass along a good buy).

I'll get some pics up as soon as I get a chance.

--
Matt Molyneux
UrS6
MTM Stage 1+, EDU 6-speed