987.2 Short shift

Have a 2011 Boxster hopefully on the truck tonight coming to my garage. Have been looking at the various short shift options available and the range seems to be $40 to $400. Help!

I have the Porsche OEM short shifter - love it!

I would vote for Numeric short shifter and their steel cables, well worth the initial cost allowing downshifting into first gear while moving, even when cold. You can feel the synchro detents while the shifter fork engages the gear. Metallic feeling when shifting.

I have the Numeric shifter and cables on my Carrera T and agree, it is a terrific set up. Was just wondering if anybody had any experience with the B&M clones that are on ebay that use the existing shifter console. Would probably do the Numeric cables anyway.

I can speak to the fleabay clone SSKs. I wish I had gotten the full Numeric shifter. But, due to my upbringing and sub-six-figure career, I sometimes take frugality to extremes. I decided to compromise with the Numeric cables and a $35 billet SSk. Pro: Cost. Adjustable aluminum bearing races with delrin inserts, just like the high priced name brands. Solid metal construction, adjustable tension on pivot. Con: my unit was doglegged and not straight at the shifter stalk. Must be for Ricky Racer Fast & Furious kids to look badass from the drift circuit. In a Porsche, it doesn't look badass, it looks stupid. Had to tweak adjustment to compensate, which added lots of force necessary to reach Reverse. I have learned to sort of like it, as I don't accidentally find reverse anymore. Makes getting into First gear harder, however. Another negative is that the Porsche shifter knob/boot lock ring does not complete, meaning that the boot is 90 degrees off, giving a twist to the alcantara fabric. Again, doesn't look right in a Porsche. Might be fine in a Miata. Overall, it is not worth the stress of replacing. It works for me and is probably better for me than the OEM. If I ever have to take the console off again, I might take that opportunity to do the Numeric shifter assembly properly.

I have Numeric cables and shifter in my 987.1. When going from the stock shifter to short it was a big jump and moved it in between the two for a few months. After that going to the short setting was fine. I’m definitely a fan of the shifter and cables, much cleaner feel.

As the old saying goes, buy once cry once.

+1 on Numeric

Numeric all the way.

Numeric for me too.

I am curious how much this set up would cost? Is DIY recommended? I was planning to sell my 987 after getting 718 with PDK a few months ago but ended up keeping 987 instead.

If you are moderately skilled with a wrench, this is a DIY. There are lots of instructions here and Numeric sends you a good set of instructions for final adjustment. I just went to their website and it looks like they are having a sale. Looks like a little over $1.1K for the shifter, cables and wrench (get the wrench).

This is a pretty easy install. No special tools needs, just patience. We sell the shifter for $699 and the cables for $486.

I don't know what brand mine is since it came on the car, but I absolutely hate mine. Mechanic said it's sure to wear out the synchronizers as well. I can barely get it into 2nd, drives me nuts. And for what? You're kidding yourself if you think a millimeter or two of throw is going to shave off your track or 1/4 mile time. Spend your money on something that will boost horsepower or reduce weight and leave the useless mods to the rice rocket crowd.

Numeric shifter and cables. Amazing. The cables do increase cabin noise as they transfer vibration directly into the cabin. But the feel is worth it.

I put on the OEM short shifter on my 981. Was not happy with it as was difficult to get into 1st on cold mornings. I had Numeric cables installed, and it now works great. Much better shift feel. Installation of the cables, by a reputable independent shop, was pretty expensive.

Yeh, I purchased a short shift kit as the stock shifter has a bit of play and the race shop who takes care of my car advised me not to install it as they have seen them wear out the synchros and I do 20+ track days a year. Took me a while to get used to the stock shifter but now I find it easy enough to use and I'll just chuck a normal shifter in when the play becomes a little worse.

I have a new-to-me 2011 CS w/ B&M SSK and a ball knob. I don't care for it either. I track it and there is so much less room for error shifting, and less leverage means more effort required. I'm sure that I can shift faster and cleaner w/ the stock setup in my old '06. I'm going to put the stock lever on and see if that helps.

Not sure Numeric Racing short shifter and their steel cables should be relegated to the "useless mods of the rice rocket crowd". I use my car about 80% on the street, where the downshifting of the Numeric shifter really comes in handy. I trust the bolt action mechanism much more than the sloppy worn out OEM setup that I had before the modification @25k miles. Not only that, but 1st gear is now useful for the 180 degree corners as the steel cables simply do not compress. I have used this shifter/cables system for over 25,000 miles without damaging the synchro's or having a missed money/downshift. A quote from Flat6MotorSports, "The one and only ball bearing adjustable short throw shifter for Porsche! Now used in almost every Porsche race team in America." So the Porsche US racing group certainly approves of the short shifter and cables kit, the worldwide use of Numeric Racing equipment though may vary.

To close the loop, after much cogitation I went with the Ben's Shifter from France. Won over by the four roller bearing assemblies replacing the usual Deldrin bushings. Installation went very smoothly and delighted with results which I would characterize as about half way to the feel I obtained with the full Numeric setup I did for the Carrera T. For me, for this car ('11 Boxster Spyder) it is the ideal solution.