Porsche 997 or Porsche short shift - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Adam · 10-13-2009, 09:58 AM

I put in a B&M several years back, hated it and got rid of it. A few months ago I got the 987/997 standard shifter and I like it much better. About 15% shorter than stock and maybe a very slight increase in shift effort. A nice upgrade over the 986 shifter especially if it has a few miles on it and getting sloppy.

blinkwatt · 10-13-2009, 10:54 AM

The majority or short shift kits around are based off the B & M design,as is the OEM short shift kit,eBay clones and the 'in house' brand offered by Suncoast.(not sure about the 9x7 generation thought).

Loved the feel on my 5-spd,99'. HATED the feel on my 01' 6-spd. I will NEVER touch one of those again on a 6-spd,they are much too picky to be messing with. I tried adjusting the cable so many different ways and it just sucked no matter what I did. Too notchy and too hard to find gears.

Cloudsurfer · 10-13-2009, 05:08 PM

I have the B&M on my 6-speed, and while notchy, I still find it very accurate and don't mind the added effort. However, I think the way to go, if it's within affordability, is the 9X7 short shifter.

jaykay · 10-13-2009, 06:02 PM

Thanks all for your input. I have 6-speed so it more finicky that the five...I was after performance and driving feel; the fluidity is not there at all. The shifter is a major interface so.....

Yes I am a bit leary of the Porsche SSK being too close the B+M. 2nd to 3rd is nasty! Just wondering if had tried it at 410(suncoast)

roadracer311 · 10-13-2009, 07:10 PM

I've got the short 9X7 shifter in my car and I love it. Got it from Sunset Porsche in Oregon. I think it was around $350.

Prior to this, I had one of the Ebay knock-off shifters installed. The short 9X7 shifter was a huge improvement, in terms of smoothness and slop-reduction vs. the Ebay shifter.

Pirate50 · 10-13-2009, 08:17 PM

I've got the Schnell SSK in my 04 base, took a little to get it right, but love it now. Also, each September, Sunset Porsche has a garage sale. Picked up a take off (used) 997 stock shifter for $10. They had 3 or 4 of them. Try calling them and see if they have any used ones left laying around. You never know.

Banana S · 10-13-2009, 09:34 PM

I'll be the dissenter here... I have a B&M shifter and LOVE IT. However, it is VERY notchy when the car is cold. Annoyingly so. If you only drive the car 2 miles at a time, you'll hate it.

BUT...

Once the car warms up, the shifter loosens up considerably, and the shifts are very smooth yet very positive. No more notchiness.

Your mileage may vary. I've installed six different shifters in four of my cars over the past 15 years, so I had some idea of what I was looking for, and what to expect.

Blue-S · 10-13-2009, 09:34 PM

I have the 997 Tequipment short shifter and like it pretty well. It was a distinct improvement over the worn, sloppy stock 986 shifter. It is smooth and precise, with no troubles "finding" any gears. There is a definite increase in shift effort, which is to be expected given the reduction in travel. I got lucky and bought my shifter "lightly used" from a guy who had removed it prior to trading in his 997. For only $200 shipped, it was a deal. I wouldn't have paid full price for one - the stock 987/997 shifter is good at 1/2 the price of the short shifter.

yellowboxster01 · 10-17-2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blinkwatt

Loved the feel on my 5-spd,99'. HATED the feel on my 01' 6-spd. I will NEVER touch one of those again on a 6-spd,they are much too picky to be messing with. I tried adjusting the cable so many different ways and it just sucked no matter what I did. Too notchy and too hard to find gears.

My thoughts exactly. I installed a B&M on an S and when I drove it, it was way too notchy and I couldn't tell what gear I was in some of the time. I drove another non S with a short shifter and it was fine. I purchased the Schnell short shift kit with billet linkage. I installed it all at the same time and have since gone back to the stock linkage. I could never get that billet linkage adjusted correctly and now it just sits in my toolbox. My mechanic also told me, he's never seen the stock linkage fail and it smoothes out the shifts. When I went back to stock it was smoother and I actually like the short shift kit I've got now.

jaykay · 10-17-2009, 05:14 PM

Ahhh this is what was confusing; have a look at this link:

http://www.drivepoint.net/paddock/ShortThrowShifter.html

This porche short shifter looks like a black B+M. Very unlike the blue plastic of the 997SSK???? Are they one and the same?

Blue-S · 10-17-2009, 08:20 PM

It is my understanding that the Porsche 986/996 short shifter is actually made by B&M. The Porsche 987/997 short shifter appears to be made by whoever makes the stock shifter, but the center section is made from bright blue plastic and has modified geometry for shorter lever travel.

blue2000s · 10-18-2009, 05:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue-S

It is my understanding that the Porsche 986/996 short shifter is actually made by B&M. The Porsche 987/997 short shifter appears to be made by whoever makes the stock shifter, but the center section is made from bright blue plastic and has modified geometry for shorter lever travel.

Bingo.

The 9x6 factory ssk is made by b&m and is anadized black aluminum. It is identical in geometry to the b&m. This has a 996 part number. Most of the knock offs are copies of this version. The 9x7 ssk is made from a blue plastic and has a 997 part number.

Everyone should keep in mind, the 6 speed in the 986 is a different transmission than the 987. So the any particular kit may feel differerent whether its in a 5 or 6 speed and 986 or 987.

jaykay · 10-18-2009, 12:53 PM

Ahhhh thanks; yes so the black is actually a Porsche 9x6 model very much like the B+M i have now. ......finally getting to the route of it!

What I need to try are the 9X7s stock and short.

Yes I have a B+M now on a 986 s 6-speed. For some gear changes it is fine but a lot the time it is pretty notchy especially 2 to 3.

Great suggestion on heading to a showroom. Ususally they dont let you shift stationary cars

j

clickman · 10-17-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaykay

Ahhh this is what was confusing; have a look at this link:

http://www.drivepoint.net/paddock/ShortThrowShifter.html

This porche short shifter looks like a black B+M. Very unlike the blue plastic of the 997SSK???? Are they one and the same?

Forget the colour! The B&M style, including knockoffs, comes in black, blue, purple and probably other colours.

What you should be asking yourself is:

Do I want a short shifter? TRY THEM OUT if you're not sure.

Which one do I want? The B&M style like in that ad, where I've got to do surgery on my existing shifter tower to install it? Or the stock units for the 9x7 that are easy to install and smoother shifting? And easily reversible if I really can't stand it.

That linked ad price is a joke. If you insist on the B&M style like that, I've seen them on eBay for as low as US$50, but again it's more work to install and notchier than one of the 9x7 stock units. And you can't go back if you don't like it.

I've heard of the stock 9x7 shifter going for around US$150 and I bought my short 9x7 shifter for US$280 on special. One of those will take no more than a couple hours to install, and most of that is getting the centre console off and on.

clickman · 10-18-2009, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaykay

Ahhh this is what was confusing; have a look at this link:

http://www.drivepoint.net/paddock/ShortThrowShifter.html

This porche short shifter looks like a black B+M.

This ad just burns me up no end. This is a great example of how dealerships get called stealerships. Their "deal" is $670, with 40% off. So the regular price is over $1100!!!

You can buy the knockoffs on ebay for not much more than $50. Even if you bought it from B&M it's no more than $300. You don't have to be that handy to install one yourself; the B&M instructions are excellent.

$1100?? Come on!