SHH Shifter Thorn - Advice needed (looking for good gear knobs!)

As of yesterday, I have actually only used it two or three times. One of the reasons being that I didn't do much simracing at all since I got it, and I was also frustrated about the lack of an ideal mounting solution on my desk.

That being said, I have since further modified the shifter to reduce the longitudinal resistance in H-Pattern mode by removing a washer plater, and also came up with a temporary solution to prevent accidental misshifts when attempting to go into 2nd gear (as I ordered the 7R2 plate, which is less than ideal for simracing as I found). The temporary solution consists of pieces of plastic stuck over the unneeded gear (and another one making it harder to accidentally shift into reverse) using double-sided adhesive tape - it ain't pretty, but it's cheap, simple and just flat out works!

Yesterday was the first time in ages I spent actively using the Thorn, and with the aforementioned modifications, it's quite satisfying to use IMHO. I still need a little more practice and the somewhat awkward mounting position on my desk (and some unwanted lateral movement) make it a little exhausting to use over time, but I'm really looking forward to either getting a cockpit to mount it to or coming up with a better (but still affordable) DIY solution soon.

As for the sound, when I actually paid close attention to it yesterday I noticed how subtle the gearshift sounds in H-Pattern mode are. There's not much noise honestly, to the point where I was surprised that the clicking sound of my ancient G25 shifter unit is much louder! Keep in mind that the sound is slightly different (probably more metallic and louder from what I remember) if the washer plate isn't removed (and it's not the only way to reduce resistance, so you may want to keep it anyway).

In sequential mode, much more force is needed for up- and downshifts, and the sound is much more pronounced as well. But due to the 3D-printed casing, the sound isn't exactly metallic, either - more like a muffled "thump" accompanying each gear change.


Last but not least I am still using the original shift knobs, as the one I ordered from Amazon never arrived. Aritz from SHH told me the silicone covering the plastic knobs could actually be removed so I did that. No more sticky silicone, and no more itchy burning hands for me! (Although I usually wear gloves during simracing anyway.)

Overall I think it's a really solid piece of gear, especially at that price point. Just needs a rock-solid mounting solution (and the right face plate). Considering the DIY desk I've been using for around 25 years (if not more) was never designed with simracing in mind, most of my woes are a "me problem" rather than an issue with the shifter itself.

 

Hey, not sure if this is still relevant to you at this point, but I just came across this video featuring the shifting noise in both H-pattern and sequential modes:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vL0nC1-bnjQ

In related news, I did a little more fine-tuning to my setup and I'm pretty happy for now. Even ordered a bunch (4 to be precise) of new gear knobs (2 for H-Pattern, 2 for sequential) off of AliExpress for a couple of bucks. Hopefully they're not lying about the predicted delivery date, I'd love to give them a try next week!

 

Yep, I saw this too, but thanks for letting me know just ordered one, seems pretty solid for that price. Can't wait!

 

Congrats! I'm sure you'll love it. The contrast between the relatively noiseless gear shifts combined with the 'chunky' feeling can take a little getting used to depending on your previous shifter, but then again all cars I've ever driven in my life weren't as loud as many sim racing H-shifters, either.

And now the hardest part begins... being patient until the package arrives! (I think their orders will take approximately a month these days until they're ready to be shipped?)

So far I've been using the Thorn for a couple of hours in AMS2 as well as American Truck Simulator, and the more I use it, the more I fall in love with it. So much so that I decided to keep it mounted to my desk for now instead of removing it every time I'm done playing... Well that, and the three desk clamp screws on the bottom that are kinda hard to reach on my table. If there was a more comfortable and easier way to tighten the clamp, the Thorn would easily be 11/10 for me.

While it's cool to see that (finally!) more manufacturers like Moza are embracing FFB-based gear shift solutions (the only other one I can think of right now is the MVH Bash Pro Active Shifter), with the Moza being over 700€ for base and knob, and the Bash Pro north of 1200€, these really aren't going to appeal to a larger playerbase anytime soon... So as cool as the FFB tech is, just a little over a hundred bucks for the Thorn really is a steal, IMHO. And the ability to quickly swap the knobs for a wide range of aftermarket ones is a big bonus as well... If the ones I ordered work well enough, I might consider starting a little knob collection of sorts...

 

Yes, orders take around a month, which imo is a good sign as it might have to do with high demand, which means they can make improvements and build better versions etc. Do you perhaps know a place where you can get mods for the shifter nobs?

I don't need a FFB shifter tbf, my sim racing shifter goal is this baby here. Fantastic, you probably need no other shifters in life anymore.
SIM Racing H+Sequential Shifter EVO2

They build components for motorsport and are also making some sim racing stuff. It's great.

 

This, and it's also reassuring to know they seem to be doing well. Especially considering their relatively low profile compared to other established manufacturers (I only stumbled upon SHH by pure chance!).

Mine are due to arrive this week (possibly as early as tomorrow), and I'll let you know if they are any good (and if they fit in the first place!). These are the ones I bought:
Racing Universal 6 Gang Auto Schaltknauf Manuell Automatisch Für 8 MM, 10 MM, 12 MM Schalthebel BX 102548 - AliExpress 34 (black)
Universal Auto Schaltknauf Aluminium Ball Schaltknauf Mit Schraube Mutter Manuelle Übertragung Fahrzeuge Innen Ersatzteile - AliExpress 34 (titanium)
13 cm Aluminium-Schaltknauf, Rennwagen, universeller Schaltgetriebe-Schalthebelknopf mit drei Adaptern - AliExpress 34 (titanium)
18CM Aluminium Carbon Faser Stil Schaltknauf Racing Auto Universal Schaltgetriebe Schalthebel Knopf Mit drei Adaptern - AliExpress 34 (carbon fiber)

Additionally, I was looking for potential gear knobs suited for truck driving, since I recently got back into ETS2 and ATS. There are a few such knobs on the market, some of which are less than 30 bucks, but they are usually made to fit Logitech or Thrustmaster shifters. I think the diameter of the Thorn's thread is different, and so far I've only found like two that specifically mentioned the SHH Thorn in their description (but they were much more expensive and/or only available in Canada, iirc).

It's definitely something I will be looking into further in the future, as I'd love to have a proper shifter for an 18-speed Eaton Fuller transmission. So far I've been using the buttons on my G25 and its GT face plate for range and split, but it just isn't the same.

Looks damn solid! Pretty cool there's a switch to get a 4-speed mode as well; which is great if you're not just into older cars, but stock cars as well. (I think NASCAR and TA2 both use 4-speed transmissions?)


In any case, I'll report back once the new gear knobs arrive.

 

So my package arrived today and I am happy to say that three out of four gear knobs work great... But what about the fourth one, you ask? Well, I'll give a brief review of each one below:


Cone-shaped knob (black):

This one is the smallest of the knobs overall, and weighs in at 131g (I put all of them on an electronic scale to get their exact weight). It fits well in my hand - but I have small hands, so if you have hands like dinner plates you might find it too small.

The shape, mass and length make this the most versatile gear knob, as well as the easiest to get used to. The mass is low and distributed throughout its length well enough so it doesn't add too much inertia to each gear change. Due to the cone shape it also adds a bit of extra leverage compared to a spherical knob or the default cone knob that comes with the Thorn, as it is slightly longer and sits a bit higher on the gear lever. This means it can also be used reasonably well in sequential mode, although a dedicated sequential knob will obviously offer much more leverage depending on its length.


Spherical knob (titanium):

The spherical knob is the heaviest of the three I tested at around 143g. Don't let the seemingly small difference in mass compared to the cone knob fool you, though; the more compact shape and lower center of mass means there will be a lot of extra inertia with each gear change. This and the large dimensions (well-suited for large hands) means it feels right at home when paired with vintage vehicles that don't require many quick, consecutive gear changes, i.e. C3 Corvettes, classic 911s and the Mini Cooper.

The size, mass and added inertia takes a bit of getting used to; when attempting rapid (successive) gear changes, I sometimes found myself hitting the gate or selecting the wrong gear. However, this probably largely depends on the shifter position and resistance setting, so isn't necessarily a problem for everyone.

Overall the hefty size and mass lends a certain gravitas to each gear change; depending on personal preferences you might like or dislike it.

Note: I did not test this knob in sequential mode. It should work, but I reckon the shape and lack of extended leverage won't make it preferable over the other gear knobs.


Sequential gear knob (13cm, titanium):

Weighing in at a lowly 111g one might think this feels like a toy... But it doesn't! The weight balance is good IMHO, and since dimensions, sturdiness and resulting leverage are more important for a sequential shift knob it gets the job done just fine. Even at "just" 13 centimeters it delivers enough leverage to make shifting through gears in sequential mode a breeze (even for a skinny pushover like me ).

The length should probably be sufficient to get a good grip even if you have very large hands, so no complaint there, either. The other sequential knob I ordered is a whopping 18 centimeters in length, which is probably absolute overkill unless the shifter is mounted in a very low position.

I did not seriously test this one in H-pattern mode because it doesn't make much sense to me and feels awkward. While possible, the odd shape adds unwanted inertia despite the low weight, and not being able to comfortable grip it from above doesn't help, either.
EDIT: This might actually not be a problem depending on your shifter position.

All in all it's a very solid sequential gear shift knob, though.


Last but not least there is the final knob which I sadly didn't get to try. While the carbon fiber look is cool and the knob generally looks to be decent in terms of material and manufacturing, the thread doesn't mount further than around 25 percent onto the Thorn's lever. From what I can tell the thread is cut just fine, but there must be some sort of deformation or narrowing past the first quarter of the core thread, leading to serious resistance - I didn't dare turn it any further as I didn't want to damage the thread of the Thorn's gear lever.

Maybe this is normal and the enclosed adapters fit just fine, but since I have no use for them I can't use this gear knob, either.

Looking on the bright side, the 18cm knob was only 99 cents, and I only paid around 15 bucks for all knobs plus one other item... So I really can't complain.


Final verdict:
Out of the three knobs I got to try, the cone-shaped standard knob is the most versatile. If you only want to have one without having to worry about changing them whenever you switch between H-pattern and sequential stick shift cars (although the actual switching can be done in a few seconds), then this or a similar one should do the trick. Especially if you mostly intend to use it with H-pattern cars and only drive sequential stick shifts on occasion.

Otherwise I recommend getting this or a similar one for manual transmissions, and a dedicated cylinder-shaped knob for sequential ones. The spherical one is a bit of a novelty, though. While I personally enjoy it, it's not as versatile or easy to use (especially when many hectic gear changes are expected), and it's probably near-useless in sequential mode. If you have the money to spare and would like to try something different for a change, I do recommend giving it a shot though.


Anyway, that's my review for today... I hope that helps!

EDIT: Forgot to say - now that I have decent gear knobs for the Thorn shifter, I am seriously enjoying H-pattern and sequential stick vehicles even more than before... So much so I don't really see the point in driving paddle shifts (or, god forbid, automatic transmissions ) anymore! I honestly think the next way to step up my game and reinvigorate my simracing enjoyment even further would be a move to a DD wheel... I think I could make a Moza R3 or R5 and its pedals work even with the desk I'm using, but right now financial considerations are still holding me back... Then again, you only life once, right? RIGHT?