Hello All,

I just picked up my first Porsche 996 C4S and wanted to get input on options for tightening up the shifter. I know Porsche makes a short shift kit for this platform, but some say it's very notchy. Others have told me that people prefer swapping the shifter from a 997.

Please share any input on best course of action, whether it's genuine Porsche, Rennline, B&M etc for short shift kits.

Thanks

 

I have a 997 GT3 shifter with a Function First **** and a MOMO Prototipo steering wheel.
IMHO it's the perfect combination.

 

My 996 C2 had a 997 Porsche SSK when I bought it. I find it stiff and notchy, not bad, but not what I expected. I would consider the standard 997 shifter.

 

I upgraded to the standard 997 and has been great.

 

Mike, it comes down to what has been done to the car by the previous owner and what you are looking for. New engine amd trans mounts do wonders for tightening up shifting if they haven't already been replaced. Do you want shorter shifts or just tighter shifts? Plenty of things you can do to accomplish both.

 

997 gt3 in my 99 and I love the action

 

Hah, I did the $40 ebay shortshift kit and love it for spirited driving sessions. It's tight and does what I like, how I like it I guess if I tracked it, I'd go the 997 route....

 

I did my motor mounts. Trans mounts look like a much bigger process. My 2nd is hard to get into when cold, wondering if pursing trans mount will be beneficial, 100k miles.

 

Second has always been hard to get into when the car is cold ever since I bought the car 21 years ago. You gotta warm up the trans and then it works beautifully. Run good trans fluid as well and get on a rotation to change it every so often.

I never wanted a short shifting kit in the car. What I want is precise shifting.

 

How about a full Numeric system, shifter and cables? Pinnacle of design and execution. I have a buddy that is parting out a car with a full Numeric system that I believe isn’t spoken for yet.

 

Congrats man! I have the factory 996 short throw with the Rennline Aluminum ball and I think the combo is perfect for both daily and AX/track/weekend road carving. It is slightly notchy, but it doesn't bother me as I like the feel and "gate to gate" feel. You learn to ease and finesse it, and it's very quick with a great feel.

Great to see a lot of the options others selected.

Enjoy the car and let us know what you go with!

 

Sorry for the double post, but if you can PM me, curious how much, when and how long it took to do the motor mounts. Thanks!

 

PM’d you

 

If you are happy with the length of shifter throws but unhappy with general sloppy feel there are aftermarket solutions . The problem with the stock shifters are the plastic bushings . As they wear the sloppy feel increases because tolerance grows .

Aftermarket solutions use aluminum and metal bearings which have much tighter tolerances and they tend to stay tight because they don't wear down . Many guys say the shift action feels like a rifle bolt due to the precision.

No setup is going to fix a bad transmission . No setup is going to fix cold shifting . No setup is going to fix aging shift cables . The entire " system " has to be maintained to include engine and transmission mounts , shift cables , shifter bushings and transmission fluid .

 

I installed the Numeric shifter, very pleased, dramatic improvement. Using it on the middle position which is just right for me, shorter throws and higher effort than stock, but not objectionable for daily driving. There are two other positions (easy to change in a few minutes just by removing the boot), one shorter, one longer. Rifle bolt action is a good description of how it feels.
this is also a thing of beauty, a shame it’s covered and hidden by the console. Highly recommend it.