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Numeric Shifter and Cable Review for 991.2

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Old 12-03-2020, 11:04 AM
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rugu6869
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Default Numeric Shifter and Cable Review for 991.2

This review has been a long-time coming and I've chimed in on a few posts. I wanted to get more seat time to fully get the feel and use the shifter/cables to give a better review.

To help things along - WORTH IT!

Every single car that I've owned with a manual transmission I've put in a short shifter. This went for Firebirds (Hurst of course) to Corvettes (B&M and Callaway) to BMW (SSK) to my current GTI (APR). It improves the interface with the car, making the shifts more positive and not having to think about what gear you're in and where you want to go. I have my SCCA and BMWCCA comp licenses and quickly going from one gear to the next without thinking is critical during a race. I just can't do with something that is vague on the street either.
I had driven one 991.1 prior to getting my 991.2. It was a VERY low mileage S, fully loaded with the aero package. Super nice car, but the shifter left me scratching my head. It was hard to find gears, especially going back and forth between second, third, fourth and fifth (I know, familiarity with driving the car helps). It was noted in my mind that I should do some research regarding a shifter.

Enter the Numeric shifter and cables. I thought, wow, this is expensive for a shifter and cables. I then watched some Youtube reviews and realized this is the way to go and took the leap of faith.
I was placing a large order with Soul Performance for headers and sport cats and saw they sold the Numeric shifter. I just added it to the order. I did the 2mm that was recommended to my by John at Soul. It gives a great detent for the shifter and very easy to shift.
I had an Indy shop install. It is quite time consuming and not something that I was willing to take on as I don't have a lift. It's a buddy's shop and the tech I know personally for over 10 years, so everything is done to the Nth degree of precision. He did spend about 5 hours total doing the install. I kept the stock CF shift ****.

The first second that I moved the shifter once I got into the car to put it in neutral, I knew it was better in every way. The shifts are so much more positive, more substantial and way shorter than stock in every way. You don't have to guess if you're going into the correct gear. At first it was a little stiff, but now has loosened up a little bit where it's a snick, snicks into gears. It feels SO good moving the shifter. We buy our manual shift cars for driving interaction with the car. This takes that interaction to the next level. If you think about it, it's the most "touched" part that we interact with every single time we get into the car. Why wouldn't you want it to be the best it can be?

I can tell you this (as a second positive review for this product) - Chris, the tech who did the install, said he was pretty shocked at the price of the shifter and cables. He thought a little over $1K is pretty steep for a shifter. Then he drove my car before and after and he TOTALLY understands the cost now. He was blown away how much better the Numeric shifter and cables were than stock. He said stock felt meh, loose, vague not very good at all (his exact words). He said he was shocked how bad it felt for a car that costs this much. The Numeric is just on another level and he said it's very much so worth it. He also pointed out that the stock cables looked like toys compared to the Numeric.

For those of us that choose to drive a manual 911, this has got to be the best modification you can make to the car to enhance the driver interaction with the car.


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Old 12-03-2020, 11:49 AM
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Sarawnty
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I also have the Numeric shifter and cables in our 991.2 T and agree completely with your review. I find it interesting that few if any have installed just the cables. However, I think there are two separate problems in the stock setup that need to be addressed. First, the stock cables have a fair bit of slop which the Numeric cables fix. Secondly, the ball bearing Numeric shifter is much more precise than the stock plastic unit.
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Old 12-03-2020, 12:00 PM
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Tier1Terrier
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I've thought about either this or the Porsche factory OEM short shift kit. As I'm not too well versed on how these parts interface with the car/transmission, what if any risk is there to causing any kind of failure that would not be covered by either Porsche warranty or a Fidelity Platinum warranty. I'm reluctant to make any mods that could become warranty issues at a later time. Secondly, I'm curious how the Numeric kit compares to the Porsche factory OEM short shift kit which is available for about $250 (plus install). Any thoughts or knowledge about that?
Old 12-03-2020, 01:36 PM
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I know this is apples and buffalos, but my 997.1 had the OEM SSK from the factory and was OK-ish. After 3 years and 25k miles it was blah at best. At 40k I had the Numeric shifter and cables installed and the night and day difference isn’t broad enough to say the least. I would expect similar experiences on the 991 platform.

No doubt the best mod ever.
Old 12-03-2020, 02:11 PM
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Originally Posted by SoCal C2S
I know this is apples and buffalos, but my 997.1 had the OEM SSK from the factory and was OK-ish. After 3 years and 25k miles it was blah at best. At 40k I had the Numeric shifter and cables installed and the night and day difference isn’t broad enough to say the least. I would expect similar experiences on the 991 platform.

No doubt the best mod ever.
@SoCal C2S
If I read what you're saying correctly, that "the night and day difference isn’t broad enough" it seems to suggest that the Numeric SSK isn't very different from the Porsche SSK. Or am I misunderstanding? Or did you mean that the night and day difference IS very broad?

And not to derail the subject but I like the emblem on your front fender. Is that a decal or diecast? Curious about where you got it and if you have on both sides?

Last edited by Tier1Terrier; 12-03-2020 at 02:13 PM.
Old 12-03-2020, 03:56 PM
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I had the same experience when I put the cable and shifter in my 2011 Cayman S. Unbelievable difference, and worth every penny.
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Old 12-03-2020, 04:16 PM
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InTgr8r
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Originally Posted by Tier1Terrier
@SoCal C2S
If I read what you're saying correctly, that "the night and day difference isn’t broad enough" it seems to suggest that the Numeric SSK isn't very different from the Porsche SSK. Or am I misunderstanding? Or did you mean that the night and day difference IS very broad?

And not to derail the subject but I like the emblem on your front fender. Is that a decal or diecast? Curious about where you got it and if you have on both sides?
I believe that he's saying "night and day difference isn’t broad enough"
In other words much better than night and day difference.
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Old 12-03-2020, 04:30 PM
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Joec500
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Yah, aftermarket cables are HUGE game changers for this car's manual transmission. I didn't get Numeric Cables, but have the shifter and waiting on my pedals. Cables REALLY ad that last 25% of connectedness from human to transmission. I also love the slight transmission whine that comes into the cabin. Some people may not like it.

Also install NOTE, I had my tech add zip ties around the bracket near the transmission for extra security as I can see the lock nuts that hold the cables to the transmission loosen over time with all the vibration, especially in my car as I installed the FF transmission mounts.
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Old 12-03-2020, 04:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Joec500
Yah, aftermarket cables are HUGE game changers for this car's manual transmission. I didn't get Numeric Cables, but have the shifter and waiting on my pedals. Cables REALLY ad that last 25% of connectedness from human to transmission. I also love the slight transmission whine that comes into the cabin. Some people may not like it.

Also install NOTE, I had my tech add zip ties around the bracket near the transmission for extra security as I can see the lock nuts that hold the cables to the transmission loosen over time with all the vibration, especially in my car as I installed the FF transmission mounts.
Which cables did you go with, the precision works? Any feedback from overall experience and install?
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Old 12-03-2020, 05:21 PM
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rugu6869
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I just got back from a short drive (picking up my daughter from school).

Without a doubt, it is the single best modification you can do to your car - bar none. How many times did I shift the car on this short trip? 50 or 60 times? Probably and every single one is so much better with this setup than stock. I cannot recommend this any more.

Tier1 - the "Night and Day" difference isn't enough means that it's not enough of a spread to show the difference. This is accurate. The stock shifter feels vague, loose, sloppy and not very positive compared to the Numeric. The Numeric feels like a rifle bolt.
Trust us, you'll be extremely happy with the outcome.
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Old 12-03-2020, 05:31 PM
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Originally Posted by Tier1Terrier
I've thought about either this or the Porsche factory OEM short shift kit. As I'm not too well versed on how these parts interface with the car/transmission, what if any risk is there to causing any kind of failure that would not be covered by either Porsche warranty or a Fidelity Platinum warranty. I'm reluctant to make any mods that could become warranty issues at a later time. Secondly, I'm curious how the Numeric kit compares to the Porsche factory OEM short shift kit which is available for about $250 (plus install). Any thoughts or knowledge about that?
To answer your first question, I think there is 0% risk in the shifter or cables causing a failure of any kind. Both the shifter and cables from Numeric are much better quality. I have an old post with pictures of both the OEM short shifter and the Numeric shifter.

Also, any dealer can deny any warranty claim they want to whether they're justified or not regardless of modifications existing or not. Would they? Maybe. For an expensive enough repair, the legal route is the only one that typically works.

The OEM short shifter is a plastic body with a metal shifter. It's light, it feels cheap and has a lot of flex. The Numeric is aluminum, slightly stiffer, and much, much higher quality. It is heavier though if you care about ounces.
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Old 12-03-2020, 05:33 PM
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Joec500
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Originally Posted by 911.
Which cables did you go with, the precision works? Any feedback from overall experience and install?
Yah I went with the precision works cables, from what I can tell they use similar quality raw materials with pretty much the same design. Install and functions are awesome, I would be curious to try my car side by side with a Numeric Cable'd car, but my guess is they would be almost identical.

NOTE: you can research online of companies that make custom shifter cables for other cars and general push/pull cables for things like boats and heavy equipment and this manufacturer continues to come up as the component supplier.

https://www.cablecraft.com/cables/
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Old 12-04-2020, 01:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Tier1Terrier
@SoCal C2S
If I read what you're saying correctly, that "the night and day difference isn’t broad enough" it seems to suggest that the Numeric SSK isn't very different from the Porsche SSK. Or am I misunderstanding? Or did you mean that the night and day difference IS very broad?

And not to derail the subject but I like the emblem on your front fender. Is that a decal or diecast? Curious about where you got it and if you have on both sides?
The difference is huge...:Numeric is 10
levels above the OEM SSK.
Old 12-04-2020, 01:52 PM
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So I've been watching the video and this is a mod I definitely want to prioritize. I do plan on having it professionally installed, particularly if I go with the cables which I realize makes a difference.

I watched this VLOG video from Numeric Racing where they show the install process. During the process, it appears that there are two brackets that require modification according to Dan the "head honcho" who I presume is the owner of the company. The briefly show the modification process, but I wonder for those of you who have had this installed if your mechanic/installer performed this modification? It seems like it would be a step that could be overlooked. Also, on this video, they are installing it in a 991.1. I wonder if this same modification is still required on the 991.2? Here's the video: At 4:42 and 12:02 you'll see what I'm talking about with regards to the mod. There's also a cable boot that needs to be cut and put back together with zip ties. I just worry that a mechanic/installer might overlook these steps or do them improperly unless I was watching over them and I personally don't have the kind of mechanic that would allow such a thing. EDITED TO ADD: I just checked the Numeric Racing website and indeed found two authorized dealer/installers in my area and my guess is that they would know exactly what and how to modify so that concern is no longer valid for me but maybe for others.


Lastly there's another video by Numeric Racing where the guy shows the complete installation process for the shifter only. Granted, it's probably the head honcho himself doing it and with much experience but he shows that the shifter-only install is quite simple and can be done in about 15 minutes (for me it would be more like an hour). Here's that video:


Last edited by Tier1Terrier; 12-04-2020 at 01:57 PM.
Old 12-04-2020, 04:27 PM
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Wow this feedback is incredible! Thank you guys for the kind words and we are thrilled you are loving the products!
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