bushing upgrade for OEM sport shifter

Hey guys, Was wondering if anyone was familiar with the OEM sport shifter (XCZ), and whether there are bushing-only upgrade kits compatible with it. I'm thinking of grabbing the numeric cables , and would like to rework the bushings while I'm in there. Thanks!

I'm not 100% sure but the only bushing kit I'm aware of is the pieces Function First sells, you may want to check it out... FUNCTION-FIRST > Shift-Right Solution

There are four different upgradeable items attached to the shifter rather than just a bushing while you are in there. A shorter throw is preferred by many. A rifle bolt action type that is metal to metal is an option ( Numeric ) or maybe plastic/aluminium (Function First) is to your liking. How the shifter transfers the signals from the transmission wheel rubber rollers to your hand that is available only through steel Numeric cables and the upgraded shifter (steel rifle bolt is most effective, Numeric Shifter , me thinks). The position of the shifter base can be raised equally or tilted forward or back with raiser pegs depending on your arm and wrist angles. I like feeling of the synchro's detents as you push the shifter into a gear. The OEM system does not have that feeling, rather its sloppy, vague and no transmission engagement signals. The Numeric shifter and cables together provide a top notch solution to the Cayman 's shifting woes. It's a short shifter, metal to metal engagement, can be ordered with support pegs to lift/slant the base to fit your hand grasp of the shifter stock. The cables are an extension of the shifter, steel, very little slop, so you feel what the transmission is doing.

Antone tried the function first Shift right ? I already have the OEM short shift with numeric cables but could be improved

I installed the Function First shift rite kit in my 987.1S 6-speed's shifter. It reduces the shifter free play, and provides a more direct feel than the stock mechanism. It was a bit of work to do the removal, modification, and installation, but I'd say if you're handy it's worth the effort. Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

So quick update, I went ahead and purchased the shift-right solution following Croc's suggestion. I went to install it today, but was a little surprised by the part; the company seems to have made some downgrades. For one, the part was previously advertised as having an anodized, teflon-impregnated coat. Mine now just looks to be raw aluminum. The inside of it also looks like it has a lot of chatter marks from machining... i'm wondering if it's going to wear down the square nylon peg which sits inside as a result. Finally, there's an ominous pack of shim stock in the packaging. I assume it's to fit in that chatter-filled yoke, but it's not actually mentioned in the official website's instructions. Croc, was this this part like that when you got it? Pictures attached.

xtracrispy, Anodised aluminium can be colorless, FYI. I don't recall the quality of the machining marks on my kit being significantly different from your photos. Can you catch a fingernail on the marks? Does it impede the sliding action of the square bushing? If not, it's likely to be ok. I didn't need to use any of the supplied shim stock. My kit also included two Belleville washers, which were unaccounted for in the instructions. When I called Luka, he explained that they were leftovers from a previous iteration and were unnecessary extra parts. I'd suggest you call or email Luka with your concerns. He's responsive and easy to work with in my experience. Good luck, and please keep us posted on your progress. Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Took similar approach to shifter with FF Shift Right solution as last step. I do not remember shim stock with mine. I did spend some time in fine tuning the amount of tension to make sure I took out as much slop and did not cause any binding. It did take care of quite a bit of slop. I have had in place at least two years. I think it could use an adjustment now but not to the point to dismantle the console, etc. Happy with the entire setup as it is markedly superior to stock.

I got a reply back from the company, and indeed the part has been downgraded to remove the anodize and Teflon coatings. The machining and chatter marks are indeed felt with a finger nail, and I expect that over time the metal would wear down the plastic block to once again incur slop. After all, the original block was designed for plastic on plastic friction, and not plastic vs. metal. I was told that it should be within tolerance, and to just grease it up. Parts are installed now, leaving info for future members considering this. The kit reduced approximately half the slop, but there's actually still a fair bit remaining. The main contributor to this is the remaining plastic block, which holds the steel shifter shaft. It's a simple press fit pin in plastic, which the FF kit won't address. Roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch lateral "jiggle" remains on my car that has a total of 30k miles logged. Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Even with all the investment in SS kit, Numeric cables , and FF bushings, there is still remaining slop. Take a look at the transmission side. In my opinion, the majority of the remaining slop is there. It is not eliminated at the shifter, but majorly reduced. Let's not forget, the feel and accuracy in shifting now is light years ahead of stock.

That's exactly my experience: I have the Numeric cables and the Function First kit, and there's still quite a bit of slop at both transmission inputs. I mean, the shifter with the upgrades is lot more direct than stock, but there's still play. I can have someone wiggle the shifter while I have a hand on the transmission inputs and I can tell there is literally zero play in the linkage forward of the transmission. The Numeric cables were the biggest improvement over stock. Adding the Function First Shift Right kit later on did not do much, and honestly I don't think it was worth it. Maybe it does more with the stock cables.

...and here's one source of the play at the transmission, the left input has rubber rollers in it to buffer the shifting. This adds some slop. https://www.planet-9.com/987-cayman-and-boxster-modifications/154537-cayman-shifter-linkage-mod.html Guy at the link replaced them with delrin, but in my case I really don't want to add any additional NVH.

Interesting!! Thanks for the link. Update on my own journey, I spent some time tonight fine-tuning the shifter adjustments on my stock cables. One interesting thing I discovered is that there is a wide range of possible positions, even when the shifter is locked in place with the green alignment tool. So in one run, I tried to maximize tension in the cable by tugging on it before clicking in to remove free play, and also biasing the shifter one way by pushing down on the linkgages before clicking the cables in. Long story short, I was able to get large differences in feel even with a 1 or 2 notch difference. I speculate that a large portion of the improvements that people report from these upgrades, is just the sheer act of realigning the cables. In my case, the car is 12 years old and things likely stretched. Now taking a step back - I see a lot of mods that are essentially jamming shut, or removing rubber that porsche obviously placed in the linkages for a reason. Has anyone suffered a transmission failure as a result of all this? If nothing else, could the stock "slop" that we hate be actually put there to allow the gears to settle into its desired positions rather than running too tight?

A lot of good info in this thread....adding more to my winter list..lol