SUICHUUKA: Those weird shift knobs from Japan
December 5, 2008 12:30 amBubble shifters, dildo knobs, call them what you will, these unusual shift knobs from Japan are one of those souvenirs that everyone who visits a Super Autobacs on their compulsory trip to Japan ends up buying. To find the most awesome of models though, you really need to visit a truck parts shop.
In case you were wondering, the traditional name for them is “suichuuka”.
“Sui” means “water”.
“Chuu” means “inside”.
“Ka” means “flower”.
The name comes from the original design from over thirty years ago, where a small bunch of dried flowers were cast inside a resin shift knob. They’re most popular amongst truck drivers, with some models exceeding 30cm in length.
The original flower design is still available brand-new in a number of sizes, along with a multitude of bubble, glitter, diamond-cut and multicolour designs. Luckily, most of the thread sizes are common to the normal Nissan and Toyota shifter diameter and pitch, but if you can’t find one in your size, thread adapters are easily available.
Most drifters in Japan avoid using them despite their looks, as the greater leverage from the extra length of the knob increases the risk of forcing a shift, increasing the risk of breaking a gearbox. Drivers who like the style though, will just learn to drive around it.
“They’re so cool! I couldn’t drive with anything else.” said one driver with a suichuuka I spoke to. It turned out that his gearbox wasn’t in the best of condition, so he used the extra leverage to make it easier to find gears. That was his excuse, at least.
Tags: suichuukaCategorised in: Random その他
This post was written by Alexi
13 Comments
R154’s <3 Leverage
you can still shift at the lower end of the knob so it wont hurt your gearbox.
you know hold it like a sword!
holy wow those top ones are huge always wondered the history of those nice info
Alexi I put the purple bubble one in my s14, it’s made shifting heaps easier then before and you can’t notice the crunching as much!
The big F**ker is in my R32 and it’s really weird now lol
水中花 is more like Sui-chu-ka instead of Tsui.
夜路死苦!
I didn’t even write it out in kanji to realise that…
how can i get one of them knobs
have you ever found a cherry blossom dildo shifter in your travels? i’ve been searching for one for a long time, i’m interested in knowing if they actually exist or not
I WANT ONE OF THOSE SO BADDD………….
does anyone know where to buy a cherry blossom bubble shift knob? i needa get one ASAP!
if you do then pweaseee email me!
kimvisionphotography@gmail.com
where can i buy one of these gear sticks from.i live in aus melbourne
Man I’d be in that store for days! Me and my girl have managed to collect a few rare ones. A Dragon, Lucky Cat, Maiko and Geisha . They’re awesome 🙂
What is the longest bubble shifter you make. I am looking for one about 30inches long can you make that