I have a base cobalt and I really wanted to change my shift knob. I can't seem to get it off so I was thinking about getting the cutting wheel out and just cutting it off. I also was thinking about cutting 4 inches or so off the shifter to make it a lot shorter?? Is that a bad idea? Could I damage anything by doing this?

 

You won't damage anything by cutting the post but it's kind of rice. I don't know bro I have mixed emotions about it. It would make the shifts shorter. 4 inches is a lot.

 

HOLY **** .... are you serious, you want to cut 4 inches of the stock shifter. is there even that much to cut.

Short shifters are not just shorter, they are angeled differently to shorten the distance between gears also. just hacking off part of the shifter is total rice, and pointless.

 

No No No!! Here is some info for you

5 Speed
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/how-guide-43/how-remove-shift-knob-5-speed-4864/

Auto
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/how-guide-43/removing-automatic-shift-knob-21914/

Always make sure to check out the HowTo area tons of good info
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/how-guide-43/

 

i looked at that how to already.. For some reason my shift knob just won't pull off. I have to pull really hard and then it feels like i'm going to break my shifter so I stop. I just like the look of hte short shifter I dont' really care about the shorter throws. But I guess I can live with the factory knob and shifter.

 

Today is your lucky day. I happen to be the engineer at GM responsible for that shifter. First off, the knob is pressed on and not intended to be removed. Secondly, if you took as much as 4" off of the lever, essentially your throws would be cut in half, but your shift efforts would double. I am pretty confident that you would be unhappy with that combination. Also, if you cut the knob off, there would be no way for you to reuse it, unless you own a milling maching with a boring bar and can clamp the knob in a vise tight enough to hold it and not do damage to it. Since I do own a milling machine and am very familiar with that knob, I can say with a high degree of confidence, that you would ruin the appearance of the knob. I will pm you with my work email address, and if you send me an email, I will check next week to see if there are other vehicles that use your transmission that has a shorter lever. And by the way, the bends in the lever are not to shorten the throw, they are there to reposition the knob within the opening.

 

If you are the engineer responsible for this shifter than I have to ask this: Why oh why did you guys go with a pressed on shifter? Was there that much of a difference in cost/long term quality with using a screw-on knob or one with set screws? I mean, you had to have had an inkling at the time that these cars would be more than just regular joes daily driver, there had to be some thoughts that, maybe, the younger tuner market that cant afford 30,000$ cars would slightly gravitate towards these cars, escpecially the SS/SC.

 

cheaper to produce,
that and knowing that there would be after market short shifters out anyways, so why waist mony on cutting thread.

 

ya im kinda upset at that also, my wife suprised me with a shifter the shape of a ball and ingraved something nice on it now i cant put it on so it sits in my glove box....

 

Only way that I know of to remove the stock knob without damaging it is to remove the silver insert and black trim from the top of the knob by prying it with a small screw driver. Then remove the torx screw on the top of the shifter underneath the insert. Remove the shifter assembly from the car including disconnecting the two shift cables. Use a wide blade flat screwdriver and insert it between the shift knob and the reverse lockout ring. Tap the end of the screwdriver with a rubber mallet and the knob should slide off. I know it sounds like a lot of work having to remove the shifter, but its the only way I found to do it without ruining the stock knob. And don't bother trying to twist it off as its pressed with vertical threads (kinda like the end of a driveshaft).

 

Witt, you just gave him a procedure for removing the handle off of the SS/SC shifter. He has a base car. Different shifter. BTW, the torx screw is not on every SS/SC shifter. That was put in after start of production because people were pulling the knobs off on an aggressive 1-2. Another little known but useless fact. The SS/SC shifter is a Saab 93 shifter. No investment (ie-tooling cost) and lower piece cost due to increased volumes.

fastfreddy7 - You obviously have not made it to the business world yet. 1. We did not design that shifter, it is a carryover from a european program. 2. To take this carryover knob and change the attachment method to one of the excellent methods that you suggested would have cost about $400,000 in tooling and would have doubled or tripled the piece prices, all of which would have been passed on to every purchaser of a manual trans Cobalt. 3. Do you really think that the engineer makes the decision on the attachment method? If so, why don't you see if you can work shadow someone in the industry for a month and learn a little about how the decisions are actually made rather than getting up on your high horse and assuming.

 

Dude...just spend a little more $ and get a B&M...dont go rice and cut it....get REAL performance.

 

Are you offering? I'll take you up on that

 

woa soccer. I just think he was asking a question as to why, not placing blame on you. BTW: you have a PM.

 

Your probably right. I can get a little defensive when I feel attacked. I responded to your pm

 

I like to see people with ambition like you and 05BlackCobaltSS. I really don't know what it takes to do a work shadow, but if you pm me, I will give you my work email so you can send me a reminder to find out and get back with you. No promises, but as I always say, "If you don't ask the question, then the answer is always no".

Mike

 

Exactly, I wasnt placing blame, I was just inquiring, sorry if it came out wrong. Thanks for the answer.

 

No harm no fowl

 

Mine is super easy to remove - just wait for it to pop off again