Short Shift Kit Advice?

[blinkwatt]

Let me clear some stuff up.

THE NEW GENERATION 9X7 STOCK SHIFTING ASSEMBLY IS A REDUCTION FROM THE STOCK 9X6 ASSEMBLY.

As far as I know the OEM 9x6 short shift assembly is the same as the 9x7 short shift assembly. I can't verify this though. The B & M part no for them though is the same and B & M makes the OEM short shift kits.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by blinkwatt

Let me clear some stuff up.

THE NEW GENERATION 9X7 STOCK SHIFTING ASSEMBLY IS A REDUCTION FROM THE STOCK 9X6 ASSEMBLY.

I think that's been stated three or four times already.

Originally Posted by blinkwatt

As far as I know the OEM 9x6 short shift assembly is the same as the 9x7 short shift assembly. I can't verify this though. The B & M part no for them though is the same and B & M makes the OEM short shift kits.

According the Geoff, that's not the case. The 9x6 and 9x7 SS are clearly of different construction and from his statement, they are different in geometry. B&M does not make the 9x7 SS, only the 9x6 version.

[blinkwatt]

Originally Posted by blue2000s

According the Geoff, that's not the case. The 9x6 and 9x7 SS are clearly of different construction and from his statement, they are different in geometry. B&M does not make the 9x7 SS, only the 9x6 version.

Who makes the 9x7 Short Shift Kit?

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by blinkwatt

Who makes the 9x7 Short Shift Kit?

Looks like it's a Porsche design. Check out his link a few posts up.

[geoff]

Here are a few pictures that might help with understanding what the 9x7 short shifter looks like. To compare to a 986 shifter, lift up your leather shift boot and look inside. I took these pictures before I installed it a while ago, and it has the alignment tool snapped on. The OEM 9x7 short shifter comes in the shifter housing and also comes with a handy little alignment tool that helps you get the shift cables adjusted if you have messed them up or they have stretched. As far as I know, nobody has ever come up with a cable adjustment tool for the B&M short shifter, the Porsche 986 short shifter, Schnell or any of the other knockoffs

I hope these pictures help clear up any confusion as to what the 9x7 short shifter looks like. I haven't seen one of the regular (i.e., not short) 9x7 shifters, so I can't compare the two

Here is the assembly viewed from the left side. You can see the construction is like the stock 986 short shifter except the plastic is blue instead of white and there is a metal reinforcing or stiffening plate



And here is a view of the right side. You may or may not be able to tell that the bolt that the shifter pivots on is higher than the original 986 shifter



and just to help visualize how this fits on, here is a picture of the alignment tool that comes with the setup

[blue2000s]

Here's the standard 9x7 on my 2000. You can see, the pivot point is just slightly higher than the 9x6 stock, maybe a bit less than 1/4", and it uses the metal plate, like the 9x7SSK on the side-to-side.





I had the B&M clone before I installed this and thought I was happy. But after using this shifter, I have absolutely no desire for anything else.

[sb01box]

I decided to buy 9x7 standard shifter.
using all the recommendation and steps outline here, the effort took only 2 hours. hardest was pulling the knob off (fear of breaking anything).
did some measurements on the original 9x6 shifter and 9x7.
as blue2000 pointed out, the piviot point is about 1/4 of an inch higher. I did my best to measure from the piviot point to the ball end of the shifter where the adjuster piece is pressed in.
9x6 is about 3 inches, 9x7 is 2.5 inches.
no re-adjusting necessary the first time. very very happy.

thanks to blue2000 et al.

[sb01box]

correction, 9x6 is about 2.5 inches, 9x7 is 3.0

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by sb01box

I decided to buy 9x7 standard shifter.
using all the recommendation and steps outline here, the effort took only 2 hours. hardest was pulling the knob off (fear of breaking anything).
did some measurements on the original 9x6 shifter and 9x7.
as blue2000 pointed out, the piviot point is about 1/4 of an inch higher. I did my best to measure from the piviot point to the ball end of the shifter where the adjuster piece is pressed in.
9x6 is about 3 inches, 9x7 is 2.5 inches.
no re-adjusting necessary the first time. very very happy.

thanks to blue2000 et al.

Glad to hear it.

[23109VC]

so has anyone directly compared teh 987 standard shifter to the 987 *short* shifter to see the differences in feel?

I drove a 911 that had an aftermarket SSK in it and it had a VERY short throw, but it was really stiff and notchy.

It sounds like several people here have done the STANDARD 987 shifter and are very happy with the feel, but the throw is not that short. it's not miata short, but they like it.

would the 987 Short shifter be JUST Like hte standard one in terms of feel only shorter? or do you wind up with it being notchy and stiff too?

if both are direct swaps, and both feel the same, it would seem the 987 SHORT shifter woudl be better choice as you would get even shorter throws....

do they cost the same?

thanks!

[23109VC]

I"ve narrowed my choice for changing my shifter to the two Porsche 987 kits.

the "standard" 9X7 shifter: 997-424-010-00
or
the short shift 9X7 shifter: 997-424-983-00

i haven't priced BOTH. are they the same cost?
do they both "drop in" in terms of installation? i assume from the pictures posted above by geoff and blue2000 that they both pretty much just drop in.

apparently, no one here has tried both.

for those who "understand" how these both operate - does it appear that the Porsche SSK (997-424-983-00) will be "notchy" like hte B&M and toher aftermarket shifters out there?

the big benefit to the 9X7 standard shifter is that it still feels smooth and NOT notchy - but shortens the throws somewhat.

if costs are the same, and FEEL is the same, why not go with the 983 series part and get teh good feel AND a shrter throw??? unless you don't get both with this setup and it actually will be stiff/notchy???

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by 23109VC

I"ve narrowed my choice for changing my shifter to the two Porsche 987 kits.

the "standard" 9X7 shifter: 997-424-010-00
or
the short shift 9X7 shifter: 997-424-983-00

i haven't priced BOTH. are they the same cost?
do they both "drop in" in terms of installation? i assume from the pictures posted above by geoff and blue2000 that they both pretty much just drop in.

apparently, no one here has tried both.

for those who "understand" how these both operate - does it appear that the Porsche SSK (997-424-983-00) will be "notchy" like hte B&M and toher aftermarket shifters out there?

the big benefit to the 9X7 standard shifter is that it still feels smooth and NOT notchy - but shortens the throws somewhat.

if costs are the same, and FEEL is the same, why not go with the 983 series part and get teh good feel AND a shrter throw??? unless you don't get both with this setup and it actually will be stiff/notchy???

Call suncoast and ask them about the prices, these things change often. The SSK is probably more expensive.

As the lever increases, so will the force required to move it. There's no way to get around it. You can somewhat mask it with friction or counterweights, but overall force required HAS to go up, it's a matter of physics.

I'm surprised you haven't made a decision on this yet. I'd hate to know how long you spend on a trip to the grocery store

[Boxtaboy]

Originally Posted by 23109VC

I"ve narrowed my choice for changing my shifter to the two Porsche 987 kits.

the "standard" 9X7 shifter: 997-424-010-00
or
the short shift 9X7 shifter: 997-424-983-00

i haven't priced BOTH. are they the same cost?
do they both "drop in" in terms of installation? i assume from the pictures posted above by geoff and blue2000 that they both pretty much just drop in.

apparently, no one here has tried both.

for those who "understand" how these both operate - does it appear that the Porsche SSK (997-424-983-00) will be "notchy" like hte B&M and toher aftermarket shifters out there?

the big benefit to the 9X7 standard shifter is that it still feels smooth and NOT notchy - but shortens the throws somewhat.

if costs are the same, and FEEL is the same, why not go with the 983 series part and get teh good feel AND a shrter throw??? unless you don't get both with this setup and it actually will be stiff/notchy???

I've tried out the B&M, Schnell, 997 standard, and 997 short shift kits in various friends' cars at Pcar events. Here's my take:

B&M: Too notchy for my tastes. I did not like the feel of this shifter. It did not feel refined or smooth. Very short feeling throw though.

Schnell: Smoother action than the B&M, but still not smooth in action as I like. It was a bit of a longer throw than the B&M.

997 standard shifter: Very smooth and buttery. Nice action. I like this shift feel, although it is longer in throw than the B&M and Schnell.

997 short shifter: Short throw and yet very smooth. IMO, this is the best of them all. Precise, smooth throw, and refined feel. It's a winner. However, it is also like $400 bucks from the dealer I think.

[23109VC]

i went to ****************************************************.com and confirmed the 997 SSK is $419

the "standard" 9X7 shifter is $169.

I haven't had the opportunity to try them all. I don't know if the 997 SSK is twice as good to justify the $250 premium... is it THAT much shorter????

I guess if you were to rate my 986 stock shifter as a 5/10

is the 987 standard shifter only a 6 but the SSK is a perfect 10?

or is the 987 standard more like an 8 nd the SSK is a 9.5??

bang for the buck, I'm guessing the 987 standard shifter is the way to go.

[Boxtaboy]

Originally Posted by 23109VC

i went to ****************************************************.com and confirmed the 997 SSK is $419

the "standard" 9X7 shifter is $169.

I haven't had the opportunity to try them all. I don't know if the 997 SSK is twice as good to justify the $250 premium... is it THAT much shorter????

I guess if you were to rate my 986 stock shifter as a 5/10

is the 987 standard shifter only a 6 but the SSK is a perfect 10?

or is the 987 standard more like an 8 nd the SSK is a 9.5??

bang for the buck, I'm guessing the 987 standard shifter is the way to go.

It all depends on how short a throw you want/need. Both the 987/97 standard and SSK versions are smooth in action. The SSK version definitely feels shorter, but I can't give you an exact measurement of how much shorter.

My personal rating given your questions would be:
986 stock shifter: 5/10
987/97 standard shifter: 8/10
987/97 SSK: 10/10

[23109VC]

it's tempting to spend the extra money for the "best" SSK I can get - given that the shifter is one of the few parts that you use/touch/interact with EVERY time you drive the car.

maybe I'll go into a porsche dealer and sit in a standard boxster, play with the shifter, and see if it's "good enough" to make me happy and save $250.

[23109VC]

just ordered the 997/987 STANDARD shifter. will post a review when I get it.

[ekam]

Porsche factory SSK on sale now at suncoast.

http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=P&Product_Code=99742498300&Category_Code=TeqSale

[23109VC]

i cancelled my order of the standard kit - and am now debating if I should shell out the extra for this SSK which is on sale. $169 for the "regular" one and $350 for the OEM SSK. now it's only $180 more.... arrgghh..

maybe I'll wait for Santa to bring it and get the more expensive one....

[23109VC]

i put a review in another thread....

i ended up doing the standard shifter anyway. I've had it in the car long enough to say that overall - it was a great mod.

I might have liked it a bit shorter. but for $169 - it was a good deal.

shift FEEL is a lot better.