I hope so Jon, cause I'd have a bad taste in my mouth about doing business with them otherwise.

 

I got one at $65. I had a feeling they might jack the price once they ran out.
At $65 it's a must have, at $223, not so much.
Looking forward to shorter throws! For a performance car, the Factory throw is just to long.

 

Speaking of throws, I know that this kit only changes the front/back distance, not the side to side. That's fine. But if using this SSK with the factory shifter, does it need any cable adjustment?

It got me thinking to look at mine: once in gear, the (factory) stick can still be moved side to side about 1/4" or so (from memory, not sure exactly what it is).
Can that be dialed out, or is that wear? Or is that normal? Would it adversely affect this SSKs working well?

 

I bought my kit from Titan Motorsports http://www.titanmotorsports.com/bmshsh.html for $75 last month. Their website only shows the gearlever kit now, but they may still have the undercarriage kit in stock, which is B&M # 45183. I have not driven a car with the console short-shift kit installed, but my mechanic has and said he preferred the action of the undercarriage version.
Disabling the clutch delay switch has removed a lot of the drive-by-wire feel from the accelerator. It drove me crazy that every shift I was either over-revving or lurching, even if minimally, and consistent smooth gear changes seemed impossible. Now shifts feel natural again and I can do them without having to think about it every time. No downside for me. One poster in another thread somewhere said that the cruise control cut-out still worked after disabling the CDS, but I have not tested it myself. My habit has always been to cancel CC manually or with the brake pedal when approaching traffic or if a gear change may be required.

 

Thanks Ian. I also just found the kit on Titan, and they had it, and I ordered it! I'm OK with $75 instead of $65, and certainly instead of over 200 bones!

Thanks too for the description of your problem and how the switch made the car drive different. I thought I just didn't know how to modulate the clutch properly and was hoping I'd get better! Lol! Now I know it's not just me having the issue. I'm gonna try the switch mod and see what happens. I always thought I was good at clutching (we won't go into heal-toe though!) but I started to doubt myself with this car.

Just as a note, a friend let me drive around his '05 C2 when I went used P-car shopping, and its clutch felt much smoother on take-off than the '99s to '01s that I drove around. Maybe the newer P-cars have updated software??

 

Just got mine today from AWE for $65 + $6.51 S&H, ordered yesterday, I'm only a few hours from them. The ad DID say clearance discount, so I'd guess they ran out. Phew! Can't wait to throw it up on the lift and install it! Instructions are pretty well illustrated and look pretty easy, with a lift or stands. We'll see how well it works with a 997 console shift assembly. I'll take some pics.

 

huh!

The things you learn trolling rennlist.

 

Cool. Mine shipped yesterday from Titan, $75 with $7 for shipping (FL to CA), will be here Monday. I'm stoked to see what difference it makes

I'm gonna bypass the clutch microswitch first, to get a full set of data: no-bypass/stock-shift, bypass/stock-shift, no-bypass/SSK, bypass/SSK. Maybe I'll completely dork out and take full notes so I can fully analyze the experience.

Whenever I get the time to do the work, I'll take picts of the SSK install and switch bypass and post them here and on the DIY section of RennTech.

 

FWIW

I have two 996s in the garage right now. The cab has the B&M undercar SSK and the coupe has the console SSK (not sure about brand, might be B&M). Keeping in mind that the undercar SSK has about 2X the miles on the tranny and shift mechanisms, here are my comparison of both types of SSK:

- Both shorten the front/rear shift throws.
- The left/right stick movement is near identical as far as I can tell.
- Both make the shifting action a little more notchy and stiff compared to stock.
- I have the undercar SSK set at the maximum reduction, 30%. This makes the front/rear shift distance slightly shorter than the console SSK. If I had to guess I would say the console SSK reduces the shift in the 25-20% range.
- I don't know if this is attributable to the difference in the SSKs or other factors e.g. different wear and tear, but the shift action on my undercar SSK feels slightly more "spongy" H gated feeling. The console SSK has a slightly firmer H gated feeling, more rifle bolt-like if you will.
- The undercar SSK has 3 settings: 30%, middle, and 15%. I don't know what the middle setting is.

Here are the instructions for the undercar SSK posted on renntech.org

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index...e=post&id=3859

Keep in mind that the stick throw distance is also a function of the length of the shift ****. If you have an aftermarket shift **** and like to keep it short and stubby, 30% shift reduction will probably make it too notchy and stiff. Whereas, if you like a longer extended shift **** so it's closer to the steering wheel, 30% is great.

 

Thanks, that's some great information.

Do the ball joint connectors (at the transmission end of the cables) get worn? What are they--delrin or something?

 

I'll be trying the under car at 15%..i hated the notchiness of my console B&M so I yanked it out and put in the 997 with a shorter Porsche "S" ****. I've been very happy with this combo, the **** made a huge difference, more noticeable than the 997 shifter IMHO. For $65 it's worth trying to shorten it a little. Easy to resell, if I don't like it.

 

Also interesting to note that the shift cables were superceded FOUR times--every year from 2001 to 2004 there a new part number. Wonder what the problem was...

 

Awesome, thanks for the feedback and instructions smackboy1.

 

I have installed the B&M undercarriage short shifter kit, along with a standard 997 shifter in the console. I put in this combination because I had read so much about the how notchy the B&M console SSK felt. I have to say that I am extemely happy witht he combination. The 997 shifter is really smooth and the 30% reduction in the throw via the undercarriage shifter is heavenly.

Installing both was pretty straightforward but a little time consuming. Having a lift will make it easier to install the undercarriage bracket, which pretty much is all it is. Remove (2) cables from bracket, take out bracket, install new bracket, re-attach cables, and your done. No alignment of any type necesssary. Plug and play.

 

Gents - I have a problem with how my shifter is handling - some advice please.

I have no short shift of either kind installed, but my previous 996 did so I am very familiar with the ssk feel. I have also driven a third 996 with a stock shifter and it feels different (better) than mine so...

Since I've owned my car (5 months now) second gear hasn't felt quite right. Basically, it doesn't feel like it's landing all the way. I also heard a story once, that the G96 boxes have an issue from the factory with the dogs not always engaging completely - leading to failure....I only heard the story once, but putting it together with my impression of my second gear engagement and I'm a bit concerned.

The question is...can I adjust the length of the throw on a stock shifter. Naturally I would be trying to extend how deep I go when I go to second. Is there any adjustament mechanism either under the console or at the transmission???

Thanks