M5 shift knob vs M3

aus335iguy

Colonel
Nov 18, 2017
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Down under
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335i DCT 2009
So if youre like me, you want to pay as little as possible for parts if you can.

For my M3 conversion i noticed that M5 gear knobs go for much cheaper than M3 ones and look exactly the same.... well, not exactly.

This is an M3 knob

IMG_0848.png


And this is an M5

IMG_0849.jpeg


They are also different in that the m3 one illuminates the “+” and “-“ only when they are available ie no “+” when in 7th gear and no “-“ when in 1st gear...I dont care much about that functionality. If it matters to you though buy the M3 one..

If you want to save a few bucks then you can use the M5 knob it will need to be re-pinned when installing. The M5 knob has 6 wires and the M3 one has 9.

The M5 one has a smaller leather boot also and I don’t know if it will fit on the standard 335i surround


I found some helpful articles where others have figured some of the wiring out before



DIY: BMW E90 (pre-LCI) - M5 SMG Knob retrofit - Team-BHP



M3 DCT shifter wiring guide help



348482d1273879860-diy-bmw-e90-pre-lci-m5-smg-knob-retrofit-01-bmw-m5-smg-knob-retrofit-_e90_e91_e92_e93_-wire-splicing-diagram.jp

IMG_0847.jpeg


DescriptionM5M3
Night illumination-41
Night Illumination +52
R13
N24
D/S35
Arrows6
+ gear7
+12v68
- gear9


I won’t be installing this myself for a while but I know a few of you are looking to convert so hope this saves you some dollars!