Riz

I know this has been discussed quite a bit. I have driven a G50 88 Carrera but never an earlier one with the 915 gearbox. I am looking at getting an older 911, either a Carrera or SC. How is the 915 to shift, is it just not as smooth or precise as the G50? Is it as durable as the G50? I had a Lotus Elise, I thought the shifter in that car was horrible - is the 915 anything like that. If anyone has an Elise/Exige that can compare the shifting to 915/G50, that would be helpful.

whalebird

The differance is subtle, A good 915 is as easy to shift as a g50 IMHO; the gates are a little more vague in a 915. A slow and deliberate shift is recommended in any 911. The shifter responds well to gentle inputs as does the entire car for that matter. Careful modulation of all the inputs of a 911 is rewarded.
I have no problem whatsoever with a 915 and see little advantage over a G50. I do like the hydrolic clutch for stop and go traffic, but again, a properly adjusted clutch in a 915 is a breeze to live with. There seems to be a bit of an obscession over the G50 cars as "better" than a 915 varient and I feel it is not well founded. The charm of the Carrera over the SC is quantifiable in many ways beyond the gearbox. Even then,the divide between the two is small.

dshepp806

What was considered bad in the Elise's box? Curious,..I've not driven one.

I'm with Bird on the comparison,...I own a G50 and love it (I like hydraulics)...I would think the throw is a bit shorter in my version (I like that),..however a well-sorted 915 is just fine (and was for many, many years,..BTW).

Best,

Doyle

Riz

The Elise box is very vague - sometimes getting into 1st is tough, the 2nd to 3rd many times becomes 2nd to 5th! I have Exige S now, which is a little better than my Elise was but still not very precise especially when rushed. The S2000/Miata are the best, 996/997, BMW M3 are very good.

Marlon Targa 86

My 915 shifts fine. Haven't driven a G50 tranny. But I have no complaints about my 915 what so ever. I had the bushings replaced recently and now it shifts even better.

RL911

I have a 915 in my 86. It's a great transmission. I have the car a year now, it's got 103k miles on it and as best I can tell, the tranny has never had work done. I put swepco in it shortly after buying it. Before I bought my car, I drove an 87 with a G-50. Honestly, I liked the 915 in my car better. My car has a short shift kit so don't know what it's like to shift a 915 without one. Second gear can be a tad notchy, but it and overall shifting have improved greatly after I recently replaced the transmission mounts. I highly recommend that repair for those with older cars, it's a cheap repair that pays a big dividend.

Riz

Thanks to everyone who replied. I need to test drive an older Carrera with the 915.

Ed Hughes

Keep in mind there are many 915's that can use TLC in the shifting mechanism, so if you find a car you like but you think shifting is suspect, a ppi is your best friend.

mck911

915 + WEVO is a great set up. Perhaps you can find an RL'er with this set up to drive. I certainly wouldn't pass on a solid 915 car at the right price.

rusnak

I think Whalebird put it quite well. If the 915 is not shifting well, chances are it needs new shifter bushings and maybe clutch cable adjustment.

911Dave

I was right with you up until this last bit. All of a sudden you switched from comparing G50 vs. 915 to comparing Carrera vs. SC.....and they have the same gearbox. Not sure what you were trying to say here.

Edgy01

By this time most 915s have probably had a lousy shifter (driver) own them by now--so who knows. I have had a couple of 915 tranny 911s and they were great (when they were young).

rusnak

the later 3.2 Carreras came with G-50, compared to 911SC, all of which came with 915s.

I was talking once to a guy named Christopher or something in the early '90s when I was suffering from 911 envy with my 356 and 914-6. He really wanted to buy my 356, bad. He mentioned something to me once about the 1980s 911s. He said that there is a huge difference between the later Carreras and the 911SC. The 3.2, to him, absolutely flew. My 914-6 used to beat me up on three hour drives. When I got the 911SC, I thought "this is so civilized it's boring". Then I got the 3.2 911 and I thought "I won't even spill my coffee". Porsche has continued to refine and refine the 911 until it's become absolutely rock solid and competent. Some say the old character was lost in the refining process.

Part of the decision of 915 vs G-50 is to decide where your cut-off line is on the refinement/ character equation, which has been fairly continuous as I said.

whalebird

I'm with you rusnak. The Carreras are superb cars no doubt. That being said, my best money on an early car would have to be on a 72/73 911 because of the 915, but many contend that the 915 removes character and would prefer the early 901 in that era. It's all part of the charm in owning one of these cars...no one model/era is better, just different. The slight oomph a 3.2 has combined with the G50 is a GREAT car. I would get any of the 915 cars and never look back however.

rusnak

That's a great point regarding the 901. I never knew what a good shifting 901 really was however because the shift rod on the 914-6 feels like it might be 12 feet long. It's got this awful side shifter and the nose is way at the rear because the engine and transmission were flipped 'round relative to the 911.