texas911

So I've had my 997S for about two weeks now and I'm loving the short shifter. It makes the 997 feel sportier. Its short travel is great, and I am loving the harder shifting cause it makes me feel like Juan Fangio. Highly recommed it. Of course it doesn't hold a candle to the shifter in my S2000.

BD997

which one do you have? B&M, EVO or Porsche? And did you install the EVO Billet "shift link"? Im going to install my short shifter next week (B&M and evo shiftlink) wanted to see how the shiftlink feels when added to the short shifter.... good look with your 997!!!

Gary R.

Be VERY interested in knowing how you like it vs. the OEM you had BD.. how's the weather up there?

anthement

I'm actually not too impressed with the Porsche sport shifter option on my 997S. It does not seem as precise to the B&M shoft shifter I had on my 996 cab. (and really not all that short considering the stock 997 is supposed to be shorter than the 996 anyway).

I have never driven a stock 997 without the sport shifter option, so I cannot compare, but I am considering replacing it with a B&M).

BD997

Hey Gary...how you been...it wasnt as bad as they predicted...and hopefully it will be over soon...I just ordered fab's maxflows from Joe and I have the B&M and EVO shiftlink ready to go... now just waiting for this damn snow to melt to have them both installed...I dont mind the stock shifter now...much more precise than my 996...but I know the B&M's will be a whole different ball game...Ill keep you posted...

texas911

I have the OEM factory installed.

OCBen

Are the shifts really harder, requiring much more effort? I sat in a 997S in a showroom that had the short shifter and, albeit the car was stationary, the shifts felt really crisp and the shifter fell right in the gears as though pulled in by magnets. It didn't feel like the effort was appreciably more than a std shifter. It had a real precise feel with no ambiguity or vagueness about whether it fell in gear or not. I was so impressed I ordered it. I just hope it drives the same way.

Another poster mentioned that with the short shifter he was able to rest his arm on the center console and just shift using his wrist and hand without having to lift his arm at all! Anyone with similar experience using the factory short shifter? And what about stiffness when the tranny's cold, do the shifts feel notchy? I'm wondering if any initial stiffness will eventually wear away with time.

Steve Davidson

the S2000 shift is a problem... once experienced, everything else is cr*p!!

I've speced my 997S with the short shifter + chrono + sports exhaust (only just available in the UK).

Steve

VB997

For what it’s worth…I had the B&M shift kit in my 997 for about two weeks and did not like the second to third shift combo. Third gear was just a little right of where you expect it and the travel seemed way too long. I removed the B&M and installed the Porsche OEM sport/short shift kit made for the 997 and like it much better...Way tighter then the B&M on travel and third gear is where you want it...Picture going from fourth gear to fifth gear…that right push into fifth...now split that distance in half and that’s about how far right my third gear was...it was like was like going up and to the right to get into third gear. On my Porsche sport shifter it’s just about straight up from second...When I did my installation on the B&M I was so dissatisfied on my test drive that I left the console off for a week trying to find that perfect set up. After several attempts at the perfect setup, I ordered the Porsche OEM sport shifter just to get a reference. I installed the Porsche shift kit, took the car for a test drive with what was my best B&M setup and drove back to my garage to reinstall my console…It was perfect.

Admittedly, the quality of the B&M is much better but the performance in my car was a let down.

OCBen

I would argue that performance is a measure of quality. And that the Porsche engineers more than likely have designed the shifter to be of the utmost quality. There have been other posters here who have wrongly assumed that the use of polymeric materials is an indication of inferior quality. As an aerospace engineer I know first hand the durability and performance of these materials, which we use all the time in spacecraft applications. In the right application they perform much better than metallic components, which tend to develop stress cracks and eventually fail in fatigue. To me, a shifter that is made entirely of metallic components is inferior in quality, and sells well to those who think otherwise. But the proof is in the pudding. And you have proved to yourself and to me that the OEM shifter is a superior shifter. Thanks for the demonstration.

TT Surgeon

Hate to burst your bubble, but at least in the 996 the ssk kit from porsche was manufactured and designed by BM. Porsche outsources alot of work on their cars. In the last Panorama mag (Porsche publication), they listed about a 100 different manufactures that they use for various parts, from all over the globe.
I don't doubt that plastics are better in some situations, but I think Porsche uses it because the plastic bushings require no adjustments unlike the metal ones, just removes a human variable. Plus it's cheaper.

VB997

Can’t argue with you OCBen, as the Pres/CEO (engineer) of a tech company, my livelihood depends on modern methodologies...Maybe I was trying too hard to be PC…However B&M is an excellent company with a long history and dedication to motor sports. I would not want my opinion of one experience to come across as brand bashing.

Here is a look at the workmanship under the boot…

VB997

You’re not bursting a bubble, you’re just misinformed.

The 997 is not the same car as the 996. The majority of the parts on the 997 are not interchangeable with 996 parts.

Gary R.

VB, wasn't the B&M you installed actually a 996 part at the time? I do remember that you preferrred the OEM short shifter by a large margin. Is the reason you are going to try B&M again because they are producing a "true" 997 part or because you want to try out the new link?

TT Surgeon

I never said a 996 and 997 were the same car, just stated that BM made the 996 ssk for porsche, which they don't deny. The Panorama article was about the 997, not the 996, clearly alot of both cars are/were outsourced, prob more so in the 997. How's that misinformed?