thank you Mr pants!!!! you are most kind.

 

No dealer is going to want to do this. They will want to put in a new shift tower.

 

This thread is quite interesting.

I just had a B&M short shifter (bought from Evo, along with their metal cable end) put in my '04 TT cabriolet.

I like it better than the stock shifter because it seems to reduce the uncertainty of which gear is being selected. Perhaps I'm peculiar, or have imperfected shifting technique, but the B&M is pretty nice AFAIAC.

Some older BMWs and a Triumph TR-3A were among the better shifter feels I have experienced over my nearly 40 years behind the wheel.

Porsches that shift well is an oxymoron to any early 911 driver. The IROC car was a little like stirring a keg of nails with a broom stick! The 996 shifter is soooo much better, but the short shifter in my car is better yet. The only imperfection is a slighty too high effort, but it is more than overcome by the improved confidence of finding the correct gear in a hurry.

YMMV,

 

mike you dont get it because B&M makes sense in a TT, not in a GT2 which has a much better shifter

 

watt: I wonder how much of the different feel for the GT2/GT3 shifter is the transmission rather than the shifter? Porsche refers to the GT3 trans as "evolved" from the GT2 transmission so they aren't identical but I think they're somewhat beefier than the stock TT gearbox and definitely stronger than the standard 996 trans.

 

OK, watt.

I guess I must not have been able to figure out when/where the subject changed from 996 to GT2. I thought Colm was talking about a 996 as compared to the feel of a GT2 (different car?).

 

Mike,

Both Colm and Watt seemed to be referring to GT2's so it seems apropos.

In my GT3, the shifter is great and I think it's the same as a GT2. I did notice it was better than a TT and a 996 I drove once

 

The above is where I must have gone wrong.

Watt, it's cool. I can get on with it OK now.

 

In the GT2 and GT3, the shifter is supposed to be ~15% shorter than the standard Carrera and TT shifter. I installed the B&M in my GT3... that is one shortshifting tranny. Shift effort and notchiness has increased, but the shifter feels very direct and very short.

 

Our local group put in the B&M in Colm's 996 last year. He also has a GT2. Colm told me he thought his GT2 had some type of short shift kit in it from the factory. It does not. But it does have a different transmission.

I have measured the throws on a stock C4S and a stock GT2. The "difference" was 3/8". Due to the play in the in the system the throws could be identical - it depends on how you measure. As far as I am concerned the throws on a 996 and a GT2 are identical. I do not know where 15% comes from. The Boxster special edition has a 15% shorter throw than a normal Boxster - but that is because Porsche cut 1" off the shift lever.

When I get my hands on a Turbo and a GT3 I will measure the throws.

 

4 3/8" ... damn that is a long throw. Just IMO of course. A properly adjusted B&M is a whole lot better than that if you ask me. The increased resistence you get used to, no big deal. I could never get used to the stock shifter ... it just doesn't belong on this type of car if you ask me.

 

The reason they use the cheap plastic shifter in these cars is 95% of the drivers are fine with it and never complain. It's just the small enthusiast population that wants a better shifter, so they repackage a $200 shifter and sell it for $700. You don't get to be the most profitable car company giving the good stuff (GT1 based engines etc) away.

 

On the C4S the throw was reduced to 3".

 

Toolpants - was the 3" reduction on the C4S with the B&M SSK? I was planning on installing one on my C4S Cab (due to arrive in a few weeks), but frankly, after reading this thread, I'm totally confused as to whether or not it's worth it...

Thanks

 

We put the Porsche unit in on that C4S but the Porsche unit is identical to the B&M. I suggest people try it out first to see if they like it.