I owned a '14 981 cayman s 6MT before going to a brand new 991.2S 7MT. I quantify the difference in the shifts being 10-15% better in the cayman.. at first. It took some getting used to with the clutch and gearbox in the 991.2 and after 10K miles I feel that the gearbox on the 991.2 is a bit more settled in and shifting a lot nicer than when I first bought it. I'd still say the Cayman's shifts are a little better, but not to the point I would want to go back to a 981. I also had a TPC tune on the cayman which I really recommend if you do get a Cayman S. The 991.2 gearbox you need a very positive action from 1-2 under WOT and it's less forgiving if you get lazy with shifts.

I drove 2 hours in my 981s to the dealer to look at the 991.2s and immediately went for a test drive, I was not smooth at all.. how you work the clutch and gears is different, but not necessarily worse. Either car is awesome and 981's are holding value for a good reason.

 

Pretty solid on roads like i80 through nebraska where you're cruising 80ish+
Also I thinks it's a perfectly great transmission.

 

Different in what way? The 7MT in my 2015 4S is “different”’ but I enjoy it a lot. Each of my cars has a different shifting feel which I suppose match each of their character well. I think sometimes thats important and frankly maybe a reason why it is a good thing that not all manual transmissions feel the same.

 

Can’t compare to Cayman but I enjoy my 2013 MT. I drove an S2000 for 7 years - and it’s not as smooth - but feels great. Main difference for me is that going into 2nd gear is not forgiving.

 

You’re overthinking it. In an S 9A1 engine if you want power and you’re under 70mph you can use 2nd for the most rabid thrust, 3rd for decent thrust. Over 70mph and below 90mph use 3rd only never lower. Above that you’re going too fast but 4th is the next choice etc etc. I don’t need to think how many gears I’m “skipping“; I just need to choose the right gear for the right engine speed.

Find each gear’s limits by accelerating to near redline, observe the speed before shifting to the next gear. You want to be a little lower than that speed you were at if you want to downshift back into that gear and use it for maximum power. Takes some careful experimenting to memorize this.

Finding 3rd and 2nd is easy if you always go to neutral first and adapt your hand/palm position so the palm of your hand is always positioned to push the shifter in the direction you want to go. Think of it as two-three actions as opposed to one continuous action. Shifter to neutral, palm the top of the of the shifter tilt wrist down and push straight forward for 3rd using palm. Shifter to neutral, palm on the right side of the shifter like you’re holding a glass, semi-gentle left and down for second. You’ll never “miss” if you do it this way. IMO the 7MT is actually very forgiving and hard to mess up if you have good technique.

 

Also a quick pause in neutral for a split second allows the intermediate shaft to accelerate/deaccelerate and reduces wear on the synchros.

 

981 GT4 marked a new high point among Porsche shifters, imo. First time any Porsche had a shifter as good as Honda's S2000, even if its style was not the same.

991.1 7MT shifter was a bit odd, with a strange "roll-over" point as it went into each gate—probably as the shift mechanism was converting the bizarre PDK shift pattern into a "standard H." Multiple test cars I drove were like this, and then the 991.1 GTS marked the first improvement.

Then came the sublime GT4, and then the 991.2—which has a 7MT nearly as good as the GT4 6MT but less sporting. I had a GT4 for 14,000 miles and found it to be every bit as wonderful as the various test cars, followed by 25,000 miles in the 991.2 Carrera 7MT. Agree with the post above, that the GT4 shifter is ~15% better…but the 1-6 gearing in the 991.2 is much better for all use cases and 7th is sublime for freeway cruising. And the GT4 shifter, as used in the Carrera T, is an easy OEM upgrade. But I go back and forth on whether it's worth it. The stock shifter isn't bad at all. And particularly by historic Porsche standards, from 356 to 996. Until the GT4, it's hard to think of a Porsche shifter that was on par with the very best out there.

Fwiw, I too have experienced the recalcitrant 2nd gear when the car is cold. Doesn't seem to get worse, it just is.

 

Nothing like old Ferrari 308s and the like that flat wouldn't go into second gear until the gearbox warmed up. Could take ten minutes.

 

So I finally got around to install my new shifter cables to go with my Numeric Racing Shifter. I was going to get the numeric racing cables, but decided to roll the dice with these after reading some reviews from 997 guys. I ordered them from this ebay vendor:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Precision-Works-RACE-SPEC-Shifter-Cable-for-fits-Porsche-911-991-Carrera-GT3-RS/184333226041?hash=item2aeb1dd039:gqUAAOSwiN1dYPKG

Review from the 997 guys:

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...es-review.html

They arrived quickly and appears to ship from the San Francisco Area so I received them within a couple of days.

The quality looks awesome, especially for $200! Cosmetically they look identical to the numeric racing ones, I have never seen the Numeric Racing ones in person so I can't really compare. But I did do research on getting custom cables made and I found they can be made for around $100/pair using what appears to be these same materials. Since I didn't have the dimensions I went with these Precision Works units.

I installed them yesterday without a hitch, except for pinching a wiring harness when re-installing my console, that was a pain. Once all the wires were mended and everything put back together, I can say the results are fantastic. I think you get about 70-80% of the way there with just numeric racing shifter, but once you add the cables you get a VERY direct feel. I got some Noise and Vibration in the lower gears as I didn't use any silicon tube damping materials as others have, but I like the gear whine and vibration you can feel in the shifter. There are zero extra noises on highway cruising speeds, which is great, but at lower speeds you will most likely will get some.

In hand I feel like I can actually feel the gears engage and brings a really awesome tactile mechanical feel, where as the stock cables with all the rubber bits really isolate the mechanical vibrations and noise from the driver. Which makes sense as most Porsche customers will prefer a more refined feel. If you want a raw direct feel with shifter feel that can be compared to the S2000, you deffinitely need the numeric racing shifter and either these cables or the NM ones.

My one regret is not getting the bulk head wrench for install, it would have saved me a ton of time and making sure I get them installed properly, especially on the transmission side as there is very little clearance there.

 

I have driven far more MTs than autos through the years so did not really experience any real issues, though the seventh gear on my 991 probably made things a bit trickier. Took a little getting used to but now find it okay. I do however find it to be a car that "lets you know" if it "thinks" you are in the wrong gear.

 

I know I post too many times but I honestly don’t get it. The 7MT is great. Maybe there are better but okay what to do about that? I will say the shifting and car in general feels greatest above 70mph vs in city and for that it is truly a German autobahn stallion that sometimes needs its proper playground and environment. But the sense of joy I get as I rip through the gears is unequalled and its the most precise manual transmission I’ve driven and yes I have driven the S2000. I have two other manual BMW’s as well.

This car makes me look like a pro driver every time. I honestly love it. Just don’t get this discussion sometimes. When I hear of people missing gates, not having the muscle memory to find the right gear, etc. None of these things are issues for me, maybe on the track but there its unclear whether its the car or driver for me and based on it being the best of all my cars in that regard I tend to lean towards the latter in a track scenario. Sorry guys

 

991.1 shifter is great. No complaints. Better than the 997.2 shifter by leaps and bounds. Very easy to drive. PDK are cool but not for me.

 

is this the shifter that everyone is suggesting to upgrade to for the 991.1?

https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/PK9X1SSU.html

 

Never thought the differences were dramatic in the various/many MTs in 911s driven, It is a driver's challenge (RPM/shift) to adjust to the particular transmission,
it may take a while though. Most reports are quite positive on sport shifts. Not sure if I could get to like a PDK,

The short shift I had in my '11 C2S was smooth, not sure if it was sport. My '11 997.2 GTS had the short/sport shift: it was great, very sporty -precise - and allowed quick shifts.
It was acquired w/ it installed, so It could not be compared... Do not know the cost.

Current 991.1 4 GTS has OEM shift (now 24k miles / mine ~1200mis); it has a gated feel (did ~600 hwy miles this week) It is precise and quick, but it feel as if the 'throws' are
a bit long - not faulty and easy to upshift every time. Actually no stalls, easy up or down shifts too. While driving evaluated the expense ($ 0.8k (?),
will consider it but its really not needed as an upgrade.
Rather get a Sharks Werks or Fab speed exhaust for added ~20hp! (~$ 1200(?)