Shifting cables

I was reading up recently on the problem a lot of owners having with their cables breaking and I was wondering how many miles most people are getting with their oem original cable? What cables did you end up going with as a replacement, the numeric cables or the updated oem cables? My cayman has 60k miles and I'm planning on preemptively getting the cables changed before they leave me stranded.

Just buy Numerics. They make a world of difference over stock and won't break, likely ever. The mileage range of broken cables is vast and there seems to be almost no rhyme or reason.

On my 2010 Cayman (my DD), the stock cables broke @26-28K miles. Leaving me stranded in a very busy intersection at evening rush hour. The car was only 2 years old and under warranty. So after pushing it to the shoulder, I called Porsche roadside assistance and had it flat-bedded to my dealer. They replaced with OEM (of course). But the experience bothered me so much that I was determined it would not happen again. So 6 months later I bought a Numeric set and replaced them myself. That was almost 8 yrs ago and I still think it was the best mod I've done.

searching a few old posts about numerics I see a few complaints about the sound, is it really that loud? keep in mind I have a fabspeed supercup exhaust so loud and more visceral is right up my alley

How do you feel about the increased noise that everyone seems to say comes from the numeric cables ?

Meh. I don't think it's a thing. I surrounded mine in rubber insulation/fuel hose and can't tell a difference from stock. I believe they sell them with insulation now.

If you do a thorough job with insulating the cables, and the grommet through the firewall, there is no extra sound.

Anyone install the numeric short shift kit w/ cables? Curious to see if it’s a fairly diy operation.. my 06 has 68k on it so I’m getting to consider doing it too, prihtvi

I plan on doing the shifter eventually but for now I just want to do the cables as I don't want it stranding me.

Replacing the shifter is easy, especially once you have the console out to do the cables. It's just a simple bolt-in.

I don't hear the noise at all with the top down (I have a Boxster). With the top up, I definitely get a mechanical buzz sound which you can hear at low/moderate RPMs (when the engine isn't roaring). I doesn't bother me all that much but I do notice it. Interestingly enough, the noise totally vanishes when the clutch is engaged which leads me to believe it is "gear noise" that is just being transmitted through the cables. Note, I reused the OEM foam cable covers and the rubber firewall grommet. I have the Numeric shifter as well. I didn't go through the more extensive measures that some on this forum have to try to eliminate the noise. I wouldn't call it a pleasant noise so you definitely don't want more of it

It’s not too much louder but you can tell you’ve installed the numeric cables You could always purchase some adhesive sound deadener and place some on the front and top engine covers to absorb some of the noise. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

what about installation for just the cables?

Installation of the cables is not easy, but definitely doable for the experienced home mechanic. The hardest part for me was working under the car on the driver's side. Access is tight and removing the old cable/replacing with the new one is a challenge. It helps to have a lift, but it can be done with the car on jack stands. I would recommend buying the special wrench that Numeric offers, it really helps. In the cabin, the center console needs to be removed to complete the job, which is why, if you're going to do the shifter, it makes sense to do it at the same time.

Yep, we do. It comes with our bundle. Which is the Shifter, Cables, Insulation Tubing, and the Bulkhead Wrench which is necessary for installation.

The installation is simple on jack stands. I did not have any issues accessing the transmission links on my 987.2 Base. It is however time consuming. On my first drive I did not have any additional noise. I did change the transmission oil while the car (new to me) was in the air with Mobile 1 0w40 Euro. I mention this because on my second drive and beyond I now have a good amount of ticking from the engine that does transmit into the cabin (sound comes from the center console) through the cables. My mistake was reusing the factory cable insulation as I thought the air gaps in it would be better than the supplied silicon tubing. Secondly the brake handle chassis does come into contact with the Numeric cables (I believe this contact transmits most of the sounds) as they are larger in diameter. I took everything back apart and installed the provided silicon tubing over the cables and added sound deadening to the brake chassis, numeric cables under the console, and the oem firewall grommet. This reduced the noise by 50% and is much more faint. I may take the center console off again and ad material to its underside. With your exhaust you probably won't hear much additional noise. The install was easy and I like the mechanical feel of the Short Shifter very much if you decided to purchase it. I vote YES! Buy the cables and follow Numerics instructions and install them yourself.

Does your car have the 5-speed or 6-speed gearbox? I believe the cable attachment points on the 5-speed put much less strain on the cables than the geometry of the 6-speed attachments. So if you have the 6-speed I'd say preemptive replacement is wise, but if you have the 5-speed, you can likely count on the cables lasting much longer. I've had three 987's with 5-speed transmissions and never had an issue with the cables.

I have the 6 speed so I think i'm going to go ahead and get the cables and the shifter once the weather starts getting better

I just installed the Numerics and the shifter a few weeks back. I have a lift at home so it made the job far easier. I cannot detect ANY additional noise. At all. Shifter as others have said is easy whereas the cables take a bit more effort. A great father / son YouTube video for DIY is on their website. Very pleased.

I just did the shifter and cables, about 6 hours drinking beers. Mine broke at 80k miles but I’ve only owned it for 10k so it might have been it’s second set of stock cables. The whole setup, shifter and cables are nice. Much more mechanical feel.

@NumericRacingDOM why does it take much more effort to get into second and forth gears? I’m sure it’s an adjustment issue but I didn’t get any instructions just a half *** instruction video on YouTube that’s not affiliated with you. I installed the cables and shifter.

I purchased a 2011 Cayman-S last December with 27K miles. Wasn't able to drive it when I got it because it had summer tires and the snow was on us. When the weather broke I took it out for the first time and BAM the cables went out and I was stuck in 1st gear. Towed to a local Porsche dealer they wanted $3,200 to replace just the cables with OEM cables only. I contacted my local guy that I used for other work on other cars and I had the car towed over to his place. Did some research on cables and liked the Numeric reviews so I purchased the package they offer (cables, short throw shifter and cage - $1,200) had him install the package along with a few other things I wanted done. Everything including the Numeric cables was all done for under $3,200. I love the Numeric set up. Sifting is tight and firm with no slop. Would recommend them to anyone.

I have the 5spd and just replaced the cables with OEM. It made a world of difference, shifts are a lot smoother and very precise. Took my about 6hrs and most of the work is inside the car, don’t need a lift. I need to replace the additional link that connects the two cables in the 5spd, planning to do that once I figure out the part number as there is some slop in that link.

The aftermarket link between the 2 cables is threaded like a turnbuckle. So I imagine it can be adjusted as wear takes place? I know they are pricey though. One fella bought the aftermarket threaded ball-ends and built his own linkage with a piece of inexpensive allthread. I'm swapping cables myself. They are ordered and just waiting on shipping. I too have the 5-speed, with 47,000 miles. I honestly don't know how it is supposed to feel exactly. But I know for sure I'd like it to be less spongy than it is now. Really looking forward to it because otherwise this car is outstanding in every visceral way. Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

Just get the Numerics and forget about it my friend. I do a lot of mountain trips and I didn't want the sword of damocles over my head, especially as my gf drives the car. I suspect you feel the same. The cables are firmer, no doubt, but that feels better and there is certainly no noise difference if you wrap the cables as Numerics recommend. I suspect that people who replace the cables listen to the new cables whereas they never listened to the old ones just prior to fitting. Its just the gears. 😊

I had a similar issue with 5th and 6th gear requiring much more effort to shift. I contacted Numeric Racing's tech support and they were very helpful. The tech said a small adjustment is needed where the cable is fastened to the bracket at the top of the engine on the left side. I moved the cable about 1/32" and it fixed the problem. Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk