Hardbar
December 25, 2001
By:
N4C5S
Member Rating:
Total votes: 60
Shift knobs come as varied as their owners tastes which makes this review that much harder. But let's dig in and see what the fuss is about.
The Hardbar is manufactured of Black Delrin stock, a very hard plastic type material that is quite strong. It stays relatively cool in the summer and not quite as cold as bare metal in winter
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The Hardbar is styled after a knob which rides on Corvette Racing's C5R racecars and provides a positive grip when dry, I say that because in cold weather or with sweaty palms it can get a little slippery, not a good thing for a piece of equipment in control of 400 horsepower. Fortunately, I've made lots of high speed runs with the knob and never had a problem yet.
With that said, the quality of the unit is pretty straightforward, there is only the one piece but I did find some cosmetic blemishes on mine resulting from what looks like the piece being held in a vice during manufacture. No big deal, but noticiable to the scrutinizing eyes of a Vette owner.
I've found that over the past 15 years of driving manual transmissions that there are 2 types of people when it comes to shifting, those that use their palm face down on the knob and those that circle the knob from the side. If you are a "topper", this is probably not the knob for you, however if you shift from the side, you will probably love the Hardbar. I, on the other hand (no pun intended) fall somewhere inbetween and sometimes find the Hardbar awkward for my style. Of course, this has nothing to do with the review in question, but is of mention because your shifting style will dictate the type of knob you will like.
With all that said, the Hardbar is still in my Z06, and while my quest for the perfect knob trudges on, the Hardbar will make a fine replacement for the squarish stocker.
