997 Shifter on sale at Suncoast. - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

AWay · 06-12-2009, 06:59 AM

I'd planned on replacing my stock 986 S shifter with this 997 version after reading the DIY on this site. Supposedly it makes for a much smoother gear change and also slightly reduced throws. It's a drop in part as well so, just a simple job of removing and replacing. When I emailed Ric at Suncoast this morning he offered to put it on sale until the 18th for anyone else interested. Just thought I'd pass the info along.

Search "GB510" on the parts page to find the 997 shifter on sale.

Adam · 06-12-2009, 07:19 AM

I bought a 997 shifter from them about a month ago for $169.99. How much are they going for now? I was also wondering why it's always referred to as a "997" shifter? Isn't the 987 shifter the same as the 997 shifter?

AWay · 06-12-2009, 07:55 AM

Same, $169.99. I think regularly it's $180 thought it says on their site.

How did you like the upgrade? I also have an 03 S and think my stock shifter is quite poor. The shifts aren't smooth, sometimes they're clunky and I feel the gates could be better defined. Hoping the 997 shifter would remedy the situation.

jmatta · 06-12-2009, 08:10 AM

The 9X7 shifter is an upgrade to the 9X6 part...slightly shorter throw than it's predecessor, but not nearly as short as the B&M (my preference).

I felt the stock 9X6 sifter was way too long and vague; the 9X7 is improved and liked by those who don't like the aftermarket shifters.

Adam · 06-12-2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWay

Same, $169.99. I think regularly it's $180 thought it says on their site.

How did you like the upgrade? I also have an 03 S and think my stock shifter is quite poor. The shifts aren't smooth, sometimes they're clunky and I feel the gates could be better defined. Hoping the 997 shifter would remedy the situation.

The throws are noticably shorter, but not drastically so. The shifts feel about the same going into the gates and shift effort remains the same so I feel it's a good upgrade but not perfect. It has a slightly more positive and precise feel, but again nothing night and day. Nothing is going to transform the box shifter into a S2000 shifter, so I've come to accept this is probably as good as it's going to get which isn't half bad.

blue2000s · 06-12-2009, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWay

Same, $169.99. I think regularly it's $180 thought it says on their site.

How did you like the upgrade? I also have an 03 S and think my stock shifter is quite poor. The shifts aren't smooth, sometimes they're clunky and I feel the gates could be better defined. Hoping the 997 shifter would remedy the situation.

There might be one of a few things going on with your shifter.

1. Shift action becomes more difficult when the front motor mount deteriorates due to cable routing.

2. The 2nd gear syncro on our transmissions has a tenancy to wear out. The gears will tend to grind a little going into second, especially cold, or will even pop out in extreme cases.

3. The bushings in the shift lever wear out, making the shift action "sloppy". The new shifter will fix this.

The shorter shift mechanism of the 987/997 does not make shifts smoother or less notchy than the 986/996 mechanism if both mechanisms are in good shape. The 987/997 mechanism shortens the shift and actually increases the actuation force a bit, but not to levels that most of us would find objectionable.

turbo23dog · 06-12-2009, 09:15 AM

I ordered one this morning.

AWay · 06-12-2009, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blue2000s

There might be one of a few things going on with your shifter.

1. Shift action becomes more difficult when the front motor mount deteriorates due to cable routing.

2. The 2nd gear syncro on our transmissions has a tenancy to wear out. The gears will tend to grind a little going into second, especially cold, or will even pop out in extreme cases.

3. The bushings in the shift lever wear out, making the shift action "sloppy". The new shifter will fix this.

Nice info regarding the motor mount. I wasn't aware of that. It definitely feels "grindy" going into 2nd and oddly enough 2nd gear has popped out twice now... This isn't sounding good for me. Are either of those two items easily replaceable? The motor mount sounds it, but the synchro does not.

Oh and I ordered the 997 shifter just now as well.

blue2000s · 06-12-2009, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWay

Nice info regarding the motor mount. I wasn't aware of that. It definitely feels "grindy" going into 2nd and oddly enough 2nd gear has popped out twice now... This isn't sounding good for me. Are either of those two items easily replaceable? The motor mount sounds it, but the synchro does not.

Oh and I ordered the 997 shifter just now as well.

Motor mount is a pretty simple job, especially if you have ramps and a jack.

Syncros, as you guessed, is not a small job. Porsche used to replace transmissions, they now rebuild, I think. there are other companies that now rebuild our transmissions too. You can get different gear ratios and they probably upgrade the syncros too.

http://www.****************************************.com/ShowItem/208345%20Porsche%20Boxster%20Rebuilt%20Transmissio n.aspx

http://www.motormeister.com/suz/trans/clutch_trans.htm

Hopefully the new shifter takes care of your issue.