GT3 short shifter- is it supposed to be like this?

A previous owner put the short throw shifter on, and I can't imagine this is how it's supposed to feel, based on the seemingly universal love it gets here. it requires a good amount of force to get into gears which is no big deal, but 1 and 3 are sort of hard to know which you're grabbing sometimes and coupled with the force required to get into any gear makes me worried about tracking with this set up. Seems like a recipe for a disastrous money shift. I asked the indy shop who did the PPI if it was supposed to feel that way and they said 'yeah they're kind of hard' but I don't know if he asked the tech specifically to check the shifter out. I don't know if it's worth trying to find someone to check this out or just replacing it with the numeric bundle.

Fwiw, not sure how old your engine and transmission mounts are, but if they have never been replaced, you may see an improvement. Either way, given the age of the car, if they haven't been replaced you should consider it.

I can't speak to the shifter at all, but checking the mounts is definitely a good idea, since that can cause shifting issues. Also, does shifting get any better when the car warms up? When I first got my car it was difficult getting my car into first and second before the transmission warmed up especially when cold, and by cold I mean like even in the 60s. I changed to Motul 300 and it made a huge difference.

I have a B&M and 3rd is kinda weird... the previous owner said it became notchy after installing semi solid engine mounts. Not sure if that does anything.

The shifter by itself provides no feedback, it all comes through the cables from the transmission. There is an adjustment at the shifter end of the cables, possibly it wasn't well set up when it was swapped in, otherwise I'd +1 getting the rest of the linkage chain checked out.

To answer your/somethingclever's question: You're right and your feel doesn't deceive you. The way the short shifter works (I.e. to move the pivot point up to the end of the gear stick) also reduces the throw to cross the gate which makes it hard to feel whether you're shifting into 1st or 3rd. Add to this the greater force required to push it into gear due to the changed ratio of a short shifter and you have what you feel and describe. Techart had a nice short shifter kit that was mounted to the lever on the gearbox itself that yielded only a shorter throw between 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6 without reducing the amount of rotation required to cross the gate (as that lever on the gearbox was left alone).

My MY99 C2 has a GT3 short shifter as well. But mine is only tough the first 2 or 3 times I put it in 1st at start up. After that it�s short, smooth, and I guess the term �notchy� refers to the sense of there being six slots that the shifter sort of clicks (albeit quietly) into. I love it compared to the stock shifter that I had on my last 996 - a �00 Cabriolet.

Short shifters are usually hard, in general, to get into first when cold. After the car warms up they are fine! But definitely check engine and trans mounts! If they are worn sagging they can be big culprits. Both pretty easy to DIY!

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Interesting. Thanks for heads up.

Thanks all. I will check the engine and trans mounts.

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Any info on how to set that adjustment?

Once you have the shifter exposed its the same as a 997, getting the center console off will be different. https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...1-2-shift.html

^^^ That link is what I used to center my shifter when I bought mine in 2018. I was having problems getting into 3rd gear when cold. Centering it up shifted the problem to 2nd, but not quite as bad. So I split the difference from there. I needed to readjust it again when I changed the motor and trans mounts. Technically you don't need the green centering tool, but it helps if you've never done this before. Good luck!

I have the 997 GT3 shifter in my car and it's smooth shifting when warm. Sometimes it's a little hard first thing in the morning during the winter, but after the third shift it's great

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same for me, on my MY99.

Same here don’t regret the change but it does take some getting used to

OP - If you haven’t already, as mentioned many times; check the condition/age of your bushings, check age of your differential fluid, adjust the shifter cables properly. That green jig is a nice addition to your tool trove. Inexpensive, too, last time I checked. Any notchiness is ‘generally’ 75w90 or alignment of the cables if the driveline is straight. Has anyone looked at the cable ends at transmission selector lever side? So maybe try to get everything properly trimmed out as best you can for a baseline before you pop for a Numeric set. I’m not buying in to a lazy answer from that mechanic. Makes me wonder about the quality of the PPI. My 996 really perked up after doing what most of the other posters suggest. After engine and transmission mounts, new custom gear **** to replace the aged plasticky-throw OE, proper cable rig with the green tool and a SSK (ended up preferring it to the GT3): Yikes and bless me Porsche Jesus! I also experience the common cold gearbox shifts to first. Fresh Delvac helped that a good bit. Anything that makes the car shift better is great bang for the buck.

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Having set up multiple shifters in the 996, from stock, to short shift kits, to Numeric, both with and without upgraded cables� I can�t imagine that shifter performance could be improved by aligning the shifter. Doing this only affects where the shifter sits relative to the console. It�s not adjusting anything. I do agree with you that the alignment tool isn�t necessary, though. The first time I did a shifter install, I marked the the position of the threads. After in understood how it works, I don�t even bother doing that anymore.

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The engine and trans mounts were checked as part of the PPI. I am going to check out the alignment of the shifter cables. First I'm going to pop off the shift boot just to check what's actually in there. There's significant side-side play in the lever (when it's in a given gear) not sure if that's normal but feels like it could be part of the problem.

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The way to correctly check the transmission mount is to remove the undertray and the transmission mount and check the bushing. Most PPIs won't go that far to check. Sagging engine mounts can be overlooked if the tailpipes have been adjusted. Again, I don't believe most PPIs look that closely at the mounts if the tailpipes look good. Unless the mounts have been replaced at some point, they likely need to be replaced due to age. Take a picture while the shifter boot is off.

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Looks like OEM 997 SSK, no? I think I'm going to try the function first shift right kit. It does feel like there's excessive lateral play in the lever, which is definitely making it hard to find the gate going into 3/1

IMHO, I would replace the plastic bushings with aluminum and try it as-is first. https://phenixengineering.com/shop/p...t-bushing-kit/

I guess I feel that since there's significant lateral play, I'd rather do the whole shift right solution, since it seems likely that the plastic shift yoke is likely part of the problem?

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Tex, you are a font of info. I think I will try this. I don't want a short shift kit, just a more precise shift. Hope this helps.

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if that's what you are going for, get yourself a brand new (or low mileage) 997/987 shifter. slightly shorter throw then the 996/986 more precise, and provides effortless shifting. i don't believe you will have an issue sailing the one you have, and end up with some pocket money. from the Suncoast website: If your shifter feels sloppy on your Boxster or Carrera (986 or 996), there is an upgrade available with factory parts. We consider this a conservative and comfortable short shift kit. A conservative upgrade which will still be comfortable for a daily driver. This reduces shift throw by 15% over the stock version, while still delivering comfortable and smooth shifting. This is a direct fit with no modifications, comes with a centering tool (shown in green) to make installation perfect and centered. the part number is 997-424-010-00

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I disagree. Stock 996 and 997 shifters feel sloppy to me. I would recommend a Numeric on the lowest of the three holes. That is plenty easy to shift, but yet still precise. The stock 997 shifter will feel like a bowl of soup if he�s coming from a short shift kit� even if he doesn�t like the currently installed GT3 SSK. Ill caveat that my 997 didn�t feel sloppy to me with the stock shifter because I had no point of reference to an SSK at the time.

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If you�re going that route, you may want to get a used 997 shifter off eBay and use that for the upgrade. Still slightly shorter throws than the stock 996, but not notchy like the 997 SSK. Or get a 997 GT3 shifter. I went that route as the end prices seemed close and it wouldn�t require me to take something apart without breaking it and successfully putting it back together again. 😂

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It's actually a 997 SSK that's in there. I may try 997 GT3.

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I wouldn�t waste time/money on a 997 GT3 shifter. The only difference between that and a regular 997 shifter is the metal bushing, which seems to be intended to increase durability rather than performance. I already gave you the answer to the test. If you want a more precise feel without notchiness, buy a Numeric and put it on the most conservative setting, which it the bottom hole on the lever.

I have the Shift Right in my car and I'm a big fan of it. It's probably the best option out there without spending the money for a Numeric.

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Agreed. I would definitely do that over trying a stock 997 or 997 GT3 shifter.

Installed the shift right kit today. It definitely is much better. The 997 SSK definitely has a character of 'notchy' but now the lever feels much more positive when it's going into each gear. Just the smoothness of having fresh bearings and grease helps some I'm sure. The lack of slop helps some too. I think getting the lever vertical helps some too. I know people have questioned how the alignment tool and getting the lever vertical/perpendicular could help gear selection- but I adjusted it (without the tool) and I think it may have something to do with why the lever wants to pop to the center somewhat, lining it up for 3rd coming out of second. That's my theory anyway. Definitely got rid of the questioning of whether I'm going to third orr back to 1st on quick shifts. Combined with getting rid of the clutch pedal helper srping- it shifts like a sports car now!

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Did you swap the shifter cable ends?

nope

Firstly, getting the cables right makes a hell of a difference imho. Also, getting it slightly wrong makes the change feel spongy as it slots into gear, especially 2nd to 3rd and back. So do adjust. The thing many miss on these is the detent spring wears with age, you can look under the car and see if there is any play at the gear box end. If there is it doesn't matter how much you change at the shifter end, all you are doing is reducing the effect of the issue. A new detent spring is around $5 from Porsche. You can also add an 8mm ball bearing between the spring and the detent too, this really does take away any slop and give you that rifle bolt change as you slot it into gear. I have a video at work to show what I mean, I will upload it on Monday. I find the SSK and the Chinese SSK too short and too much like hard work, to me the 997 shifter (15% reduction rather than 30% I think the SSK is over the standard 996 one) with metal bushing the sweet spot without spending loads of money. Which is pretty much what the GT3 997.2 shifter is. Combine that with a new detent spring and well adjusted cables and you really do get that rifle bolt, gated, gear change feel but really easy and fast changes too.

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I'd be interested in your vid.

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Thanks very much for the information. Are you talking about the detent spring in the Pelican Parts tech article? https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart...Detent_Pin.htm

P/N listed here, incl. picture http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=149...3f07e815bb7071

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Yep! They even reference the Pelican Parts article in that thread. As some commenters on Pelican have noted, it is tough to get in there when the gearbox is bolted in the car. Pelican did theirs with the gearbox out on the bench, which is why they say it takes 15 minutes! More like 4 hours and 15 minutes, once transmission R&R is factored in! I would love to see a thread on getting to that spring/pin assembly with everything still in the car.