PFAR

Hi all. I still cant believe that, today, i put money down on a 2002 Porsche 911! Silver on black. It has literally been a couple of decades since I started admiring the 911.

I have a question regarding the shifter feel of a 996. When I test drove the car, I felt that the shifts were very , for lack of a better word, 'light'. I have never driven a 996 before, but have driven a 997 on occasion, and I remember the shifts requiring a bit more force. What is 'normal' for this car ... Should the shifter require a bit of a force to shift gears, or is it supposed to be light?

Also, I had forgotten about how hard the clutch was on a 911. My question is, where is the 'sweet spot' supposed to be, i.e. where it engages the gears gear? High up or somewhere in the middle of the full clutch motion? I found it to be a bit on the high side during the test drive.

Thanks for your feedback. Many appreciations.

silotwo

Welcome! A clutch that engages high and feels hard is typically a sign the clutch is nearing its' end of life. I have an 04 996 and the first thing I did after I purchased it was to have short shifter installed because I felt that the shift points were long and a little sloppy, not sure if that is what you mean by "light" - but ssk made a world of difference, short and very positive shifter throws.

I'll spare you the usual lecture about being very careful when selecting a pcar, but I sure hope you have the opportunity to have it thoroughly checked out - a "good deal" can end up being very expensive if you are not careful.


There are a lot of really good and knowledgable people on this board so you are in the right place.

DaveSpeed

You must have a PPI from a good pcar shop (private or dealer)!

+1 on what John said.

My car shifts worse than the 1992 VW Jetta I use to own. My next mod is going to be the 997 gt3 shifter.

ivangene

lol @ light.....yea they are light!

I never really got use to how light and numb the clutch was in my 996. The 3.2 on the other hand is HEAVY and you know when it engages. I used to fear hills in the 996 but never in the 3,2 - its very easy to drive

good luck getting used to it, if you get a chance try a Turbo...WOW they are even worse - they are wierd!!

DCP

The 997 may have had a short shifter. They require more effort. Regular shifter is very easy to move.

francars

Yeap, the shifter is "soft". The engaging should be somewhere middle / top (I think)