997 Shifter assembly INSTALLED!!

[23109VC]

I finished up my install tonight. I bought the 997 shifter assembly which has been discussed and written about here before in other threads. I had wanted to do a short shift kit of some kind since buying my car a few months ago - and based on what I read here - I decided to go with the factory 987/997 shifter, instead of "true" SSKs like B&M. A relative of mine has a 996 with the B&M and I don't like it - it's very short but very stiff. The stock shifter on my 986 base 5 speed wasn't what I would call "too" long, but it wasn't short either. I have driven a few cars with nice shifters recently - I test drove some RX8s and S2000s before getting my boxster and those cars had great gearboxes. I did think my cars shifter was a bit loose - perhaps being a 2000 with 75k miles on it was part of the problem - my shifter was simply well worn.... the install was pretty easy. I got the B&M short shift install instructions online which did a great job outlining how to get the shifter off and center console out. I took my time - I was so anal that I put most of the screws into little bags and labeled them so they would all go back in the exact same place, not get lost, etc... I also only worked on the car a little bit at a time, so I spread the job over several days. If you sat down and tackled it all at once, you could do it in a few hours. Now having done it, and knowing how to get all the little pieces apart - I could uninstall/reinstall this part in an hour max. Now to the good part. How does it feel? It's GREAT! It's much tighter than before. Shift effort is slightly increased, but the feel is better. The shifter doesn't have that loose/sloppy feel that it used to have - it feels more like a newer car - which I guess it should since the entire assembly is new. the throw is not THAT much shorter, but it is definitely SHORTER. It's not lightswitch/toggleswitch snickety snick like a miata or anything - but it is noticeably reduced. I never measured it b/c I didn't really car - but it almost looks like the shifter is lower in the car - maybe an inch or half inch? anyway - if you have an older car like mine, and have some miles on it - this is a great little mod you can do yourself. I ordered the part from suncoast and paid $169. Bang for the buck on this is off the charts. Since the shifter is something you inteface with everyh single time you drive the car - you get your money's worth. I highly recommend this mod. cheap, easy, and while it's not going to transform your car or anything - but you will notice it and like it. thanks to everyone here for your threads on this topic - your help, suggestions, ejtc. this is a great board!

[986FortyEight]

I recently propped my shifter assembly by about 3 inches and although it definitely helps shifting faster, it is still the same old shifter assembly. I think I will follow your example based on your feedback. thanks for sharing.

BTW. for those of you who don't care to keep the inside of the care looking stock, raising the shifter makes a huge difference in efficiency!

Michael

[Adam]

+1 on your comments. I just finished the standard 997 shifter install a couple hours ago and took it for a drive and all I can say is I LOVE IT! Much much better than the B&M. I hated the B&M. It's shorter than stock without being too short or stiff. More precise and if anything easier to select the gear you want without the huge shove you have to do with the B&M and similar SSK's. The shifter has always been the weak spot on the boxster, now the thing is up to snuff with the rest of the car. Two thumbs up!

[23109VC]

great to hear!!

i am enjoying my 997 shifter - although Ihave to say - I wouldn't mind it a bit shorter, as long as it's not too stiff/ notchy.

i wonder if i would have been better off to buy teh 997 "short" shifter.?? it was twice the price, so I went with the regular 997 shifter.

i wonder - if I wanted to make my 997 shifter even shorter - how do you do it? buy a B&M for the 997 shifter? or is there something better??

honestlyk, what I have is good enough... but if you really want it to feel "short" you need a real "short" shifter. the 997 shifter is much better than the 986 one - but it's not what I would call a "short" shifter. it's shorter and better - but not real short.

i'd put it this way - YOU will notice that it's different. if you let a friend drive the car before with the 986 shifter, and then you changed it, and a week went by, and yo let hte friend drive the car again - and didn' ttell them you changed the shifter- I don't think they would notice the difference. I noticed the diference, immediatley - but I drive the car every day.

having tried some short shifters - i think the "friend" would notice that immediately b/c the difference is SO drastic....

whichever way you go - the 997 assembly is a good bang for the buck change.

[Adam]

I've never tried the 997 factory short shifter, but I have a feeling it's going to be shorter at the expense of harder/stiffer gear engagement like the B&M and like SSK's. It's simple physics, the SSK's reduce leverage on the cable by moving the pivot point. The shorter the shift, the more effort it's going to take to get it into gear. I think the standard 997 shifter is the perfect compromise.

[23109VC]

not to hijack my own thread - but Adam - your garage is awesome.

I almost bought those tiles, but instead just did the epoxy coating on the floor.

yours turned out great! with thseo tiles - do you find that you have problems with either dirt/moisture getting under them, or they discolor, or feel weird when you walk on them?

[Adam]

Originally Posted by 23109VC

not to hijack my own thread - but Adam - your garage is awesome.

I almost bought those tiles, but instead just did the epoxy coating on the floor.

yours turned out great! with thseo tiles - do you find that you have problems with either dirt/moisture getting under them, or they discolor, or feel weird when you walk on them?

lol....no that's not my garage, it's my friend Andy's. I was over at his place and wanted to get a shot of the box with his nice garage floor. He is a licensed dealer for Swiss Trax flooring. Here is a pic of my garage...not quite as nice.

[Boxtaboy]

Originally Posted by Adam

I've never tried the 997 factory short shifter, but I have a feeling it's going to be shorter at the expense of harder/stiffer gear engagement like the B&M and like SSK's. It's simple physics, the SSK's reduce leverage on the cable by moving the pivot point. The shorter the shift, the more effort it's going to take to get it into gear. I think the standard 997 shifter is the perfect compromise.

I've tried the 997 factory short shifter on my friend's 997S cab, and it is much better than the B&M. It is slightly more effort than the 997 standard shifter, but still buttery smooth in action. I think it is a terrific SSK. The B&M is my least favorite choice, as I've found it notchy and stiff. JMHO.

[jaykay]

Originally Posted by 986FortyEight

I recently propped my shifter assembly by about 3 inches and although it definitely helps shifting faster, it is still the same old shifter assembly. I think I will follow your example based on your feedback. thanks for sharing.

BTW. for those of you who don't care to keep the inside of the care looking stock, raising the shifter makes a huge difference in efficiency!

Michael

How did you raise it....with stand offs on the shifter base? Do you still have a console? How much adjustment did you need on your cables

[roadracer311]

I installed the short shifter version of the 997 shifter in my 2003 Boxster S. I like it a lot. Not stiff or notchy at all. Expensive, but as someone mentioned, it's something you interface with every time you drive the car. For me it was worth it.

[Cartel]

Originally Posted by roadracer311

I installed the short shifter version of the 997 shifter in my 2003 Boxster S. I like it a lot. Not stiff or notchy at all. Expensive, but as someone mentioned, it's something you interface with every time you drive the car. For me it was worth it.

You live life once!

[jaykay]

I am just putting in my 997 SSK in place of the B+M now!! I will let you know how it compares...any thought on cable adjustment....I am not sure how to use the green tool.

[jaykay]

...seems to be pretty good at stock settings....had to adjust across the gate for reverse/to avoid contacting the housing

....any value in shortening or lengthing the throws? Don't want to go out and drive half apart!

[roadracer311]

Probably too late for this input, but you snap the green thing in place, then set the cables to match the position of the shifter while it's being held by the green thing. Really, you just want the shifter to be able to reach all of the gear positions without contacting anything surrounding the shifter. For example, if the shifter is hitting the housing when you shift into 2nd, then you may not be getting it all the way into 2nd before you let out the clutch.

[sb01box]

this may also be a little late; I installed the 997 stock shifter into my 01 boxster and in the process, asked lots of q's and got many recommendation on another thread couple of years ago.
what confused me was a step to mark the cable before taking it off the original shifter. this step I believe is only good for aftermarket shifter.
for Porsche, using the green clip to lock the shifter in and dropping the cable in the linkage cradle does the job.
perfect alignment first time.
good luck

[jaykay]

Thanks.....yes it is already buttoned up! I still cant envision exactly how it works but I think this process would still require you to have cable markings............the green thing locked to the shifter is way too far away to indicate cable placement..............I am really curious now

[sb01box]

Originally Posted by jaykay

Thanks.....yes it is already buttoned up! I still cant envision exactly how it works but I think this process would still require you to have cable markings............the green thing locked to the shifter is way too far away to indicate cable placement..............I am really curious now

Based on my one time experience of swapping out 01 shift lever with stock 997 shifter.
I think the green clip holds the shift lever for both the up/down and left/right "by-design" neutral position. With the Transmission set at neutral, cable acts as intermediate piece connecting the two ends.
my installation had the driver side cable 1/4 of an inch short of the original resting point on its cradle. The passenger side cable/cradle was exactly at the marking.
In retrospect, had I removed the green clip and pulled the driver side cradle back to match the marking, the unit would have been tight in engaging 1st and 2nd gear.

[ohhh my]

Originally Posted by jaykay

I am just putting in my 997 SSK in place of the B+M now!! I will let you know how it compares...any thought on cable adjustment....I am not sure how to use the green tool.

Sorry to bump old thread, any comparison? thanks

[Bigsmoothlee]

Well, I cant compare it to a B+M, but I just installed a 997 shift box in a customers 986. Its about as short as I'd ever want it, perfect.

[Mark_T]

I did my 997 shifter install this weekend. The difference isn't huge, but it does feel much better. Worth the price of the job.