996 OEM & Cup shifter --> Teardown & SHIFT-RIGHT Solution upgrade

The Cup shifter came standard on all factory 996 GT3 Cup racecars. It is derived from, and nearly identical to, the street 996 shifter - the cradle, shift lever and housing, and shifter yoke are all carried over from the street unit. (OEM Cup Car shifter) The only upgraded components are the shifter bushings (that the shift lever housing rotates left-right within). The street unit utilizes rubber/plastic bushings: (OEM 996 shifter bushings: plastic sleeve bearing > rubber insulator > plastic snap-in housing) Whereas the Cup version replaces these with plastic-lined aluminum bushings: (Cup shifter bushing: plastic sleeve bearing > aluminum threaded housing) This one difference makes a big improvement over the street unit through increased durability and enhanced shifting precision by eliminating the flex that plagues the plastic bushings. A couple drawbacks, however, still remain with the Cup shifter: EXCESS SHIFTER PLAY � The aluminum bushings eliminate flex in the shifter mechanism, but the bushings (sleeve/plain bearings) require axial and radial play to prevent binding. When shifting gears, the loads on the shifting mechanism are increased, which further exaggerates the loose tolerances, resulting in imprecise shifting action. Similarly, the shifter yoke rotates about a plain bearing with loose tolerances, so there�s a delay in actuating the shifter cable with side-side shifter motion. This plastic bearing continually degrades over time, resulting in further diminished performance. (Cup shifter components: plastic yoke sleeve bearing, plastic yoke, and aluminum bushings) LONG SHIFTER THROW � The throw of the 996 Cup transmission is shorter than on the street transmission - so with equivalent shifters, the throw will always be longer on the street car. (fore-aft cable travel on the 996.2 Cup car is 38mm, whereas cable travel on a 997.1 Carrera S is 49.5mm) Therefore, using the Cup shifter on your street car will yield noticeably longer shifter throws, especially when installed on a 997, since the 997 standard throw shifter already reduces shifter throw by 15% versus the 996 standard throw shifter. In order to address the shortcomings with the OEM shifter, and those that remained with the Cup unit, Function-First Performance developed the SHIFT-RIGHT Solution as a comprehensive kit to transform your OEM shifter into an exacting instrument with which to control the transmission. The retrofit kit replaces the flexible and imprecise OEM pivot points (shifter bushings and yoke) with billet aluminum and heavy-duty ball bearing components, while retaining the factory shifter�s reliable parts (shifter cradle and lever) to ensure longevity under all driving conditions. (Cup shifter with SHIFT-RIGHT Solution � now essentially a standard 996 shifter with SRS upgrade) I�ll dissect the SHIFT-RIGHT Solution in an upcoming post to showcase its features and the decisions behind the design, but for now I thought the teardown of the OEM and Cup shifter units would provide some good insight into the inner workings of the factory shifters. .

Very nice. Thanks for the informative post. You're making this really tempting but I already swapped out my shifter 4x since I bought the car. I...must...resist... So even with a cup shifter that uses aluminum bushings, you are saying the SRS modification is still noticeable in feel or both feel and precision? TIA

+996 ^^^^ Its Stupid Tuesday for me today... so from my understanding the retrofit kit does NOT shorten the throw, only makes it more precise?

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Exactly. The real benefit of the SHIFT-RIGHT kit is that it eliminates free play in the shifter mechanism. By using tightly toleranced machined aluminum components and ball bearings in the major pivot points, the rotating parts can be fully pre-loaded to eliminate end play, while still allowing for full range of motion. With the sleeve type bearings the Cup and 997.2 GT2 shifter use, it's impossible to eliminate that free play without them seizing. The vagueness and imprecision that drivers often complain about with shifting is due to a combination of the flexing and free play in the shifter mechanism, so it's important to address both problem areas. Eliminating both of those yields sharp and consistent shifts...which much better suits the Porsche driving experience Correct. With the kit, you re-use the existing shift lever, so the throw remains unchanged.

what about those with short shifters already installed?

This will fit every OEM short shift kit and every aftermarket short shift kit that I know of. Fitment has been confirmed on the following short shift kits: 996/996 OEM 987/997 OEM B&M Ralco RZ Schnell EVOMS It may fit the knock-off SSKs available on Ebay depending on your luck, since the tolerances of those kits are all over the place. Specifically the ball-end of the SSK shifter is not perfectly spherical and may bind in the SHIFT-RIGHT shifter yoke. You would likely have to sand the SSK ball-end smooth to ensure proper operation.

Thanks FF for the response. I should've stated my question a little more precisely. Does this upgrade still make the shifting feel like a Porsche shifter, or does it transform it and morph it to feel like something else, like a s2000 or Skyline for example? I'm not sure if you've felt either of those shifters before. To me, those feel very tactile and precise with a certain mechanical clickity click action which I prefer. That's the only way I can describe it. Lol.

Neat. So it sounds like the cup shifter isn't as much an improvement compared to the cup cables? P.S. I also got my classic **** earlier this week and been driving with it for 2 days now. HUGE improvement over the oem hallow plastic/leather ****! Also discovered I have a B&M short shifter when I did the install. lol

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I'm always a little hesitant to describe how something feels, because that's always very subjective. But here goes... It really depends what shifter you're coming from. If you currently have the plastic bushings in your shifter, then the SRS will feel a lot more "clickety-clackety" due to the flex being eliminated. If you already have a shifter with metal bushings, the SRS will eliminate the end-play throughout the shifter. Basically, the shifter is only 1 component in the mechanism that controls shifting, but needs to be addressed for optimal performance. Cables are also a nice upgrade to remove flex out of the system. A billet shift **** will also help eliminate some of the sponginess. Stiffer trans and engine mounts prevent the drivetrain from moving while you're trying to shift. All these upgrades put together will give you the best shifting feel possible in your Porsche, short of breaking open the transmission.

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I would say that together (shifter & cables), they make a big difference. And they should both be addressed for optimal results. And nice find on the short shifter! So I actually saved you money

In continuation of the original post, I wanted give everyone a deeper look into how the SHIFT-RIGHT Solution improves upon the strengths of the OEM shifter assembly while eliminating its shortcomings. To sum it up, the SHIFT-RIGHT Solution replaces the plastic bushings and pivot connections of the OEM shifter assembly with ball bearings and machined aluminum parts, eliminating the flex and excess play that plagues the stock setup. Plus, it preserves the strongest parts of the OEM shifter assembly for increased durability and reduced cost. But here�s an in-depth look into how and why all that was achieved� DESIGN REQUIREMENTS Implement high-capacity ball bearings. The only way to remove endplay from the pivot points, while simultaneously allowing for smooth operation, is through utilizing ball bearings in a configuration that allows for pre-loading them. And a key design consideration is the selection of an appropriate bearing to deliver durability and reliability. The front and rear bearings, within which the shift lever assembly rotates left-right, experience a majority of their loads axially (in-line with its axis), so high-capacity hardened steel thrust ball bearings were chosen. The shift lever assembly is entirely supported by these 2 ball bearings, and are pre-loaded via the rear set screw to eliminate all fore-aft play. Their high-capacity is especially important under repetitive and high stress conditions like track driving, and in shifting configurations that remove dampening features (rubber cable ends) as with Cup shifter cables. And to ensure that all left-right shift lever force is transferred to the transmission, the shifter yoke is mounted on 2 deep-groove ball bearings to eliminate any lateral play when transitioning between the gear rows (i.e. shifts 2-3 & 4-5). Tightly tolerance machined parts for unprecedented fit and operation. In order to deliver superior fit and operation, all machined parts need to be tightly toleranced to both each other and the existing OEM shifter mechanism in which it�s being installed � any failure here would negate the benefits achieved with the ball bearings. As such, special care was taken in the design and tolerancing of all 6 unique machined parts of the SHIFT-RIGHT Solution retrofit kit to guarantee a close-fitting assembly � all slip-fits are within 0.003� of one another (see pics below). Additionally, in order to safeguard the high wear contact points of the shifter yoke and preserve those tolerances, it is hardcoat anodized with a Teflon impregnation for reduced friction. Utilize the OEM shifter cradle and shift lever assembly to ensure factory fitment and keep costs down. The OEM shifter cradle is a one-piece design molded from glass-fiber reinforced plastic, and as such is extremely rigid, making it an excellent platform within which to upgrade the shifter mechanism. And the OEM shift lever uses a beefy steel lever that can reliably handle the abuse of repetitive high loads. By re-using these OEM pieces, durability is preserved and upgrade costs are minimized. RESULTS So what does all this mean for the driver, in practical terms? Fewer Missed Shifts. Eliminating shifter play yields predictable and consistent shifter feel for confident gear engagement � no more second guessing whether the car is in the desired gear or not. Each shift is delivered with certainty. Efficient Gear Changes. Reducing the friction in the shifter mechanism delivers smooth and uninhibited shift lever path of travel. Reducing shifter flex maximizes the shifting energy transferred to the transmission gear selector arm. What you put in is what you get out. High Quality Feel. Removing the flex, play, and overall sloppiness of OEM shifter assembly eliminates the cheap feel every time you reach for the gear lever. You�re driving a Porsche!

I've had this for roughly 6 months, and I'm really pleased with it.

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Thanks, Quad - Glad to have improved your Porsche experience!

Installation Instructions are located at the bottom of the product page: http://www.function-first.com/produc...right-solution

The SHIFT-RIGHT Solution is back in stock! Combine with the a Trans Mount Insert and a Classic Shift **** for ultimate shifter feel and precision. We also just rolled out the SHIFT-RIGHT Solution CORE EXCHANGE program for the OEM 986/996/987/997 shifters ! Please click here for full details. Feel free to reach out with any questions. Thanks, Rennlist!