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I recently bought a 2011 GT3RS and I'm finding that the shifter on my car requires a bit of effort to click into gear, especially from 1st to 2nd. Is this the normal behavior of the oem shifter? I don't get any grinding or noise and I'm matching revs. Is it supposed to click in with a tiny bit of force or is it supposed to be completely smooth?
How many miles? My shifter felt somewhat notch and firm at first for the first 2500 miles, and then kind of got looser and smoother after that. Kind of like it had to break in...
did you check the tranny oil drain plug for filings?
I just had the transmission oil changed and it was very dark, almost black, but there weren't any filings in the fluid itself. I didn't ask the shop to examine the drain plug.
It will always be a lot stiffer when cold. They are also a lot tighter without a lot of miles. Mine actually tightened/became stiffer around 10k miles. At 15K it really smoothened out and became a lot lighter. Put a few DEs on it and it should loosen up.
Some additional thoughts for you. Before my current 2011 GT3, I owned a 997.1 Carrera S and a 997.2 Carrera S. Both Carrera S's shifted like butter. From Day 1 the GT3 has always been stiffer, with some notch. It definately requires more deliberate effort, and that is one of the things I like about the car. Could be my imagination, but when I put in sport mode, the shifting feels even stiffer. It is just my opinion, but I feel this is normal given heavier shifter cables. Now if your saying you are having difficultly going into 1st or second, as in the car won't go into gear, that doesn't sound normal.
I agree with Bono. My 997.1 GT3 has 60,000 km and the shifter is still a bit notchy. I think what you are feeling is probably normal. They are a robust trans. I would not worry about it and enjoy the car!