Porsche 997 or Porsche short shift

[geoff]

Originally Posted by jaykay

Thanks this is exactly what I was after.

So how do you like the factory SSK over the standard 9x7 or in general; or as compared to the B+M? Is it worth it for the driving feel? I want to stay away form notchiness this time around.

Where is the best place to buy either one. It strange that suncoast shows the standard shifter as a different part number; I will ask Suncoast what the deal is.

I'm not sure if it's been explicitly said or not, but in general the short shifter won't enable you to shift any faster. The shift throw will be shorter and the shift effort will increase. Basic physics, since there's no power assist on the shifter. The synchros in the transmission only spin up so fast, and shoving a short shifter into the next gear as hard and fast as you can force it won't do anything good for your transmission.

The main difference with the short shifter is feel. As many posts have pointed out, a short shifter is harder to use when the car is cold. I suggest you try a car with a short shifter in the coldest conditions you expect to drive and see if you still like it then. It all boils down to personal preference for the shifter feel, and Porsche, in their infinite wisdom, set up the stock shifter feel to appeal to what they expected most drivers would be happy with. The same rationale applies to lowered, stiffer suspensions - preferably by enthusiasts in the minority, but less comfortable for mainstream Boxster drivers.

In today's economy, dealers work all kinds of specials. If you find a good price somewhere for the OEM 9x7 short shifter, definitely shop around and see if anyone will beat the price. Your local dealer might surprise you, especially if you have been a good customer in the past.