BMW Performance Automatic Shift Knob

You gotta love an installation that involves pulling up with a little force and snapping out a small leather boot, taking a mere two minutes. That's all that's involved in installing the new BMW Performance Auto Shift Knob. The new knob is the first and only automatic shifter replacement for the E90/E92/E93 BMWs with Steptronic transmissions.

It looks good with some Alcantara trim and smooth black leather. The shifter also is a bit bulkier than stock and has a very nice, sturdy, sporty feel to it. The boot that can be ordered continues the Alcantara and leather theme.

I took some photos comparing the new knob to stock to help everyone see how the two differ. Hope you like what you see. I've had some great compliments about it from the E90Post board and even Tischer BMW asked to use one of my photos for their online product catalog.

Price for the item is $115 ($185 with the boot) from Tischer. Details are on this group buy thread.

Next up, a leather split armrest...

Is This Too Much of an Exhaust Note for a BMW?

One of the best parts of making the car you have "yours"is the research in finding what performance and cosmetic modifications make sense to your car and your taste. Choosing a pedal set or a front lip is pretty simple stuff. Deciding which exhaust upgrade to buy is the most complex of all, in my opinion. Sound, look, cost, and performance gains all go into one of the most cosmetic performance upgrades you can do to your convertible. Most performance changes you can see when you pop the hood, exhausts can beautify and increase your horsepower gains.

After spending a little time in my friend's new 2008 E93 M3 and hearing how amazing the quad exhaust of the M3 is, I decided to spend some time researching exhausts. I had narrowed down my choices to two: Active Autowerks and BMW Performance. I thought for sure I'd order one of these in the coming month that was until I heard the Eisenmann quad RACE exhaust and how amazing a quad exhaust looks on an E93.

Of course, going with a quad exhaust requires some other cosmetic changes to the rear end of the car. The best look I could find is using the 92/e93 OEM M-Technik Rear Bumper with a carbon fiber rear diffuser. An example can be seen on the E93 at right; though, not with quad exhausts. The M-Technik gives the rear a clean look in my opinion, add quad exhausts and you'll have a very sweet custom change to your E93. Non of this is cheap when you add the $2,300 for the quad exhaust and about $1,800 for the M-Technik parts.

For those interested in a less dramatic and less costly change, the BMW Performance exhaust is getting some great reviews on E90Post.com and you can pickup this exhaust for about $1,500 and it is a simple bolt-on installation.