And keep in mind that resting your hand on the knob is a bad manner, bad taste and too chilling to be cool. Regardless how comfortable the knob feels when you grab it :) Now, the heat... I left the car on the direct sunlight for a whole day... Several times... But my windows are tinted 28%... But it's Florida... But the sun doesn't shine right on the knob... But the car is black... But... Well, the bottom line is it gets hot but not extremely hot, you still can rest your hand on the knob without imprinting dimples on your palm a-la Indiana Jones's german friend. But I can't guarantee that the knob didn't cool down already before I touched it... And it cools down extremely fast, expecially when the AC is blowing... It doesn't get any hotter than the OEM one, especially when it comes to the aluminum dimpled ring on it. Ok, so you've heard all my "wows" and "buts". I do beleive that keeping the top spherical and aligning the knob with the "neck" diameter-wise would greatly help but these are such a bitchy "buts" that others might not even notice them. Other than that - just purely great. Half an inch shorter than the OEM, it reduces the throws and makes them smoother. Shifting is a pleasure and the feelings are over the top. Gene 10/29/02