[tofu-]

well, it looks nice. it's completely plug and play. no fiddling with wires. socket sizes for the wires are the same. takes about 10-15 min to install depending on how much fiddling you have to do with the spring clip for the airbag

if you're interested in doing this, you probably are already aware the cutout and paddle backing do not align properly. the new info i have to offer is that there is not only a gap, but the paddles will sit farther from the wheel than intended. fortunately, they are not so far that the paddles feel unnatural or difficult to pull, and i feel this would be true even for someone with short fingers.

alas, the nonalignment presents two problems:

1) aesthetics - i personally think it looks fine. no one is going to notice it anyway, and you can't really feel it because the gaps are in places that your fingers never naturally are.

2) the upshift paddle is too close to the windshield wiper stalk. - for someone with big hands/fat fingers, you're going to end up being annoyed by this, as the paddle is directly in front of the stalk, and your fingers/hands naturally place themselves in the area where you'd hit it if you're used to there being a lot of room back there.


i'm going to leave things the way they are because even with these two downsides it is still better than the oem plastic shifters, but i do plan on purchasing an m3 wheel in the near future solely because of the stalk issue. i could probably dremel out parts of the wheel to make it fit better, but for me personally it is not worth the effort when m3 dct wheels can be had for 200-350

[snakes1021]

does this make the car shift + right - left or deos it still ship as the old paddles push/pull?

[tofu-]

Originally Posted by snakes1021

does this make the car ship + left -right or deos it still ship as the old paddles push/pull?

the stock paddles have three wires, these have two, thus disabling the "push" function. they work exactly as a dct would. left pull = downshift; right pull = upshift.

aside from that, they can't physically be pushed forward, so that's moot

[tofu-]

these also feel a lot more satisfying in comparison to the stock paddles when executing a shift

[edirtaynine]

good to know and awesome reference photos!

[dwells]

Gorgeous. Shame these are so expensive, though. An aftermarket company could make good money selling these for $50 or so.

Anyone got access to a CNC mill and aluminum?

[NightStalker]

Originally Posted by dwells

Gorgeous. Shame these are so expensive, though. An aftermarket company could make good money selling these for $50 or so.

Anyone got access to a CNC mill and aluminum?

do you think with good specs we can mill one out?

and tofu, you should of gotten a upgraded wheel rather than paddles.....this is what i did m sport wheel with alcantara trim and i modded the cluster myself (white led)

[dwells]

Originally Posted by Romiie

do you think with good specs we can mill one out?

It's a chunk of aluminum, an SPST normally closed switch, a spring or two, some plastic, and some wire. $20 to manufacture, tops. As for actually milling the aluminum, it's a very simple shape, anyone who works in milling and has the original should be able to make a few quickly and easily.

[NightStalker]

Originally Posted by dwells

It's a chunk of aluminum, an SPST normally closed switch, a spring or two, some plastic, and some wire. $20 to manufacture, tops. As for actually milling the aluminum, it's a very simple shape, anyone who works in milling and has the original should be able to make a few quickly and easily.

ill jump on this if i can find a company who can mill a few.......there was a vendor who was selling milled ones with illuminated signs + - for 250$ish

id like to add this to my set in the interior

[tofu-]

Originally Posted by Romiie

do you think with good specs we can mill one out?

and tofu, you should of gotten a upgraded wheel rather than paddles.....this is what i did m sport wheel with alcantara trim and i modded the cluster myself (white led)

i'm getting m3 wheel next. it wouldn't have been responsible for me to do it all at once.

personal opinion, but i'd take a stock wheel with well fitting m3 paddles (dremeled out hole) over mtech/m3 wheel with stock paddles.

[styler]

Sorry to revive an old thread. But if the m3 paddles are set further back on from the wheel do the paddles interfere with the stalk if you flash your headlights for example?

[techwhiz]

No. It just works. I did the swap on my car.

[thefull9yards]

Do you need a sport wheel to do this? If I don't have paddle shifters already, can I just do the mod, do I need to get a new wheel, or am I just shit outta luck?

[1QuikWS6]

Originally Posted by thefull9yards

Do you need a sport wheel to do this? If I don't have paddle shifters already, can I just do the mod, do I need to get a new wheel, or am I just shit outta luck?

1st on your list:

You need a wheel with shift paddle cutouts/mounting points - so you have to have a wheel specifically FOR paddle shift.

If you currently don't have paddle shifters, then new wheel is your 1st purchase - there's prolly 20 of them, of various types for sale in the forum classifieds...

And if you want the M3 DCT paddles, then I would highly suggest you buy an M3 paddle shift wheel made for the DCT paddles

[peterparker]

I just did this. Thanks for the inspiration!

[roadkillrob]

Dct paddles are so much better than regular paddles, extended dct paddles make them even better!

[peterparker]

I agree! the feeling is so much better. I'll post a before and after video later this week.

[N54 TuNeR]

Originally Posted by ivtecc

I agree! the feeling is so much better. I'll post a before and after video later this week.

Nice!Can you tell me what I need to do to convert a standard 335i sport year 2008 with paddles to this?

[peterparker]

Originally Posted by N54 TuNeR

Nice!Can you tell me what I need to do to convert a standard 335i sport year 2008 with paddles to this?

M3 paddle assembly from euro_speed. $200 bucks.
Extended Paddles
$150 http://europeanautosource.com/bmwped...r-paddles.html
or the smaller and cheaper one from amazon
$70 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...m3+dct+paddles

Everything bolts into place pretty much. Optional: Trimming of leather. See the post below

[peterparker]

Originally Posted by tofu-

2) the upshift paddle is too close to the windshield wiper stalk. - for someone with big hands/fat fingers, you're going to end up being annoyed by this, as the paddle is directly in front of the stalk, and your fingers/hands naturally place themselves in the area where you'd hit it if you're used to there being a lot of room back there.

I trimmed a little piece of the leather on the back, Logically this should make the DCT paddles sit 2-3mm closer to the steering wheel. It's just soft leather and can be cut with a xacto knife. Not really sure if it made a difference but you can let the pictures between tofu and mines.


Here's what I did:

-Line up the DCT paddles. Mark the extra area of the DCT paddle and cut/trim.
** You'll have to cut from the bottom too. Don't worry it's metal on the bottom so you cant mess anything up.

-Test fit again and trim again if needed.

-Bolt it into place and see if both sides are even. My extended paddles sit at 2.25cm from the steering wheel.
** One side was sitting lower so I had to mod and fiddle around with it to sit higher. I ended up using some of the leather waste as a cushion/spacer. It worked great! Just remember to bolt it down tight!

[N54 TuNeR]

Originally Posted by ivtecc

M3 paddle assembly from euro_speed. $200 bucks.
Extended Paddles
$150 http://europeanautosource.com/bmwped...r-paddles.html
or the smaller and cheaper one from amazon
$70 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...m3+dct+paddles

Everything bolts into place pretty much. Optional: Trimming of leather. See the post below

I have these style paddles heres link to it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E90-E91-...bc457f&vxp=mtr

is there a diy? How to remove the old silver paddles pre lci to retrofit the flat m3 extended paddles?My pre lci paddles both work up & down not individually,is there a diy?thx.

[peterparker]

There's a bunch of DIY for steering wheel removals. Like this one..

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=946180

Also here's a comparison video.