Shifter change out Question

Is there any advantage to swapping out my standard 99' shifter with a 997 shifter? I think its shorter and supposed to be better built. (PN 997 424 010 00) and will it fit ? (I dont have any trouble now but was thinking of doing a short shift kit when I this fell out of the sky and hit me in the head) Thanks for your input.

IIRC, they did shorten the throw on the 997 shifter, but not by much, because Porsche still offers a Sport (a.k.a. Short) Shifter with shorter throws for the 997.

it is a shorter throw but minimal... but also smoother IIRC.

I have this mod and I LOVE it! I went through stock, then Porsche SSK, then 997 regular shifter. Compared to stock, the shift is a little shorter (but quite noticeable) but it's a LOT more precise. The reason is there's quite a bit of slop in the stock bushings whereas in the 997 shifter, the bushings have zero slop. The Porsche SSK is too short and notchy for my taste. I would say the 997 regular shifter is the best compromise for me.

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WOW, that makes me want to take the plunge and get it in (cold this week, if it snows and I have the day off, I might get 'er done!)

I completely agree with Ahsai. I went from stock, to Porsche SSK, and then the 997 too! I also changed the **** from stock to the thicker carbon fiber **** and few times. The 997 with our stock **** is perfect IMO.

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However, if you have not gone through SSK, you may not appreciate fully just how balance, precise and smooth the 997 shifter is. In any case, it's worth the upgrade from stock IMHO. Let us know how you like it when you're done

i am interested ....how easy is the replacement and how much is the unit........just did my ignition replacement took mr 2 hours also stupidly removed completlety the 2 tiny screws....what a pain in the a**

Quite easy and painless DIY with the B&M SSK instruction on how to remove the center console. The unit comes pre-assembled and it's trully plug-and-play. No need to break stock bushings and reuse the stock shifter hosuing like in the SSK install. The whole mod is reversible if you don't like it. I got it for ~$170 from Sunset Porsche half a yr ago.

Swapping the shifter is probably a 1.5 to 2.0 hour job the first time. If you do it a second time it would take a little over an hour. Not that difficult.

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got a link for a DIY with pictures (I dont read well, I seem to miss words here and there making things turn out wrong.) For example a couple weeks ago travelling on a section of freeway I normally dont use in the carpool lane, there was this huge sign "HOV Exit to southbound 405 from this lane" I thought wierd, I dont remember that...another sign, same thing... HUGE SIGN... then another... OK... ZOOM right past my exit........ WTF!! where is this new exit!!! A week later with another passenger I was showning them how stupid these HUGE SIGN were.... as we pass the first one I point out. Look at that damn thing... My passenger looks at me and says "It says 'NO' HOV Exit to southbound 405 from this lane" Pictures are better for me

B&M Racing Installation instructions, with pictures Since your new shifter is already in the tower (black base), you can skip steps 21 through 32. That will save you 20 minutes or so. B&M Shifter Instructions

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Swapping out my shifter took only an hour. That was the time it took me to drive to the dealer to have him do it. That's DIY, right?

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I think in only 30 minutes you could have had it simply removed....

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< sigh > Phil, Phil, Phil! What in the world am I going to do with you? <sigh > DIY means D o I t Y ourself! DIY does not stand for D ealer I nstalls for Y ou. However, in your case, I think it really means D ealer I nstalls, Y anks your wallet!

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One of your better ones, Tim!!! Love it.

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You know that old saying "an idle mind is the devil's workshop" don't you? Well, sans job, I have all day to think up this stuff, and unfortunately for you, your name keeps popping up to the top of the list!

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I should be paying your unemployment. Good luck with the job hunt. Hope the 'sans job' period is very short-lived.

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Thanks, I certainly hope so too!

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when discussing off topic on MY post, pics would be helpful... (I am partial to the Far East type ) Yea, GL Tim, we are all hoping for bright skys for you and yours... SAMPLE PIC to get my point across - surely you can do better

My 996 had the regular shifter in it when I bought it. I bought the Porsche SSK and installed it. I helped a good friend buy a 997 and spend a good deal of time driving it. I hated the long throws of the stock shifter. The SSK is way shorter but pretty notchy. I find it funny when I see people describe the SSK kit as being more precise, but I digress. It took be a long time to adjust to the SSK and decide to keep it. When this question first came up of putting the 997 shifter in, I went and drive the 997 around to get a sense of which I preferred. In my opinion, the 997 shifter is fine. If I had gone that direction first, I probably would have stuck with that instead of going to a SSK. Now that I have adjusted to the SSK, however, it has grown on me, and I decided to keep it. If I had to do it all over again, I think I would go with the SSK. The SSK is slightly harder to install than the 997 shifter which replaces the mounting bracket, but either way, it is relatively easy.

is replacing the shifter linkage needed

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Nope.

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Son of a..... I cant get thru step #2 (though I passed it and took out the shifter) How the h*ll does the shift **** come off ?????? So far so good.....gave up on fixing the car, just playing with mods that don't have to be done... add some fun value since I am frustrated looking for the squealing pig. Thnakx for quick help today

If it is the slimmer standard ****, it just pulls off (some take more effort than others). If it is the "squattier" type (see pic), there is a small allen screw that must be removed first.

Ed, As Don said above if it is the stock shift **** (right pic above ^) it pulls off. It is VERY hard to pull off. However, once it breaks loose, it will fly off. Do you have a vice? You could clamp the shifter shaft in the vice and pull the **** off. Here is how I removed the shift ****., but the shifter was still in the car. o - I took two screwdrivers and placed one on each side of the shifter shaft. The screwdrivers face in opposite directions so you can hold the handle of one screwdriver and the shaft of the other screwdriver in each hand. o - Sitting in the driver's seat, place your left forearm on your right knee. With your palm facing up, grab the left side of the two screwdrivers (already on each side of the shifter shaft) with your left hand. o - Then grab the the right side of the screwdrivers with your right hand (also facing palm up). You can now use your left knee as a fulcrum and pry the **** off. It may go flying straight up, but you won't knock your teeth out. I am serious about that part!

OWF TA - that sucker was on there.... re-installing my 997 shifter now, lunch time (thanks for the food hunny!) and back to man's world!! (not the sofa - till tonight LOL )

Ed, test drive it before you put the rear center console back on. That way if you have to make some adjustments to the set screw you can do so easily.

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Back from test drive.... damn windows were down and I didnt have switches to put them up!!! Anyhow, swung into the shopping center near my house and there was an 04' GT3 sitting there, pulled up and shot the breeze for a couple minutes. NICE CAR! you kid, maybe 20's he said.. Nope, it's all mine! Wish I had that at his age (or even at my age!) Back to re-de-un-dis- assembly

DONE!! There isn't any reason to post a pic, looks exactly like the old one. I measured and they are the same height exactly. Seems to shift nice and accurate. I will report after a put some miles on it.... So far all is good and worth the effort. the old one was a bit worn out, didn't know it was but glad I replaced it.

Follow up after 150+ miles w/ new shifter. If you have a chance to do this on your older car, I would highly recommend it. The shifting is so much more precise and accurate. I really didn't even think I had a problem before, but am SOOO glad I changed this out. The swap took me about 2 hours with a lunch break and some time here asking questions. It was very easy (except getting the **** off) I used step by step directions from the link Tim provided thru B&M. I rate this an "excellent" upgrade from stock. It did not change my shifter overall height at all. I feel like it added 20 HP to the wheels though Total cost should be under $200. I think this is easier than the SSK as you dont have to change any internal working of the shift assembly, just swap the new one in. I think if you watch the auction sites you might find a take off for less. GL and thanks for looking

I did mine last year and am still very happy with the result. It's a great upgrade, very noticeable, and reasonably priced.

Same here. Still have the B&M SSK I installed in a separate in a console assembly, in case I really want to try to go shorter again, but the 997 is the way to go IMHO. Just couldn't get myself to love the B&M SSK feel.

Good job! I'm glad you like it!

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Excellent! Glad you approve. Maybe you should let someone else get your **** off next time!

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I am SOOOOO sick of doing that by my self!!!!

Just finished this mod on my car ('02 C4S). Easy DIY following the B&M instructions. Nice improvement in shifting force and precision, but I didn't notice that the throws were any shorter. However, I'm happy that I made the change, but then I LOVE working on this car. It's clear that the engineers were really thinking about the guys working on the car, most things are designed for easy access. BTW - the project just about pays for itself; I found 87 cents when I removed the console. Taking the wife out to dinner tonight!

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DUDE!!! Those 02's are awesome... my 99' only gave up 16 cents from the DIY. We had to go to a drive thru... but you.... well, you can have a real meal !!

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Glad you like the mod. Re Porshce design though...wait till you need to change the spark plugs

Just did the change yesterday and added the Alcantara GT3 ****. Think I gained 13 HP and 8 Ft/lbs TQ at the wheels Seriously the shifter has a much more precise feel and noticably shorter throws. Took 45 minutes. Would have been less if I figured out the spring retainer clip on the right side cable. Have to set it in place in front of the plastic boss before you snap the cable down into the tray. Haven't driven the B&M SSK but I am much happier than stock. Steve

This is catching on... soon to be a "required mod"

Loren at RennTech gave me a hint when it comes to taking off the shift ****. I was pulling and yanking on it....and he said....Watch out for your teeth....that thing comes off and your hand will hit you in the mouth.....then the revelation.....Just TWIST it from side to side then pull up and it should come off. Since it's a friction fitting, it's really just jammed on there using a tapered hole....so why fight a friction fitting by pulling straight up? I've replaced two since then and the twist routine seems to work much better. The problem comes when folks have never done it before and because of the force needed, they think that they'll break something. I wonder how many dentists have had calls from guys trying to install shift *****? Oh...also, open your sunroof so that if your hand does fly up, you dont bonk your headliner.