To short shift or not to short shift.

I am very tempted to get a short shift kit installed in my otherwise 100% stock '99-996. Would this enhance the driving experience that much to make it worth doing? Cost is about $300-$500?

I installed the B&M Short Shift kit and I love it. I drove a car without it the other day and seemed like there was something wrong with the shifter... hehe I guess I'm spoiled by the nice short throws. The B&M kit has great instructions... except for the one they left out. Just remember to mark the shift cable positions before you remove the old shifter and the new one will likely not need further adjustment.

I agree with Loren here- the B&M made shifting easier/quicker and more precisely(no more misshifts)-always felt the stock one was bit long. You notice about 25-30% reduction with B&M which is just right. IMO anything more then 40% will have the shifts too darn close which result in mishifts. Also I heard if you don't want to go to center console remove for the B&M the other ones RUF and Techart are mounted on the transmission which seems less invasive and are adjustable but more expensive. Regards and good luck. Mike

So which short shifter would be easier to install? The ones where you have to remove the center console or the ones that bolt onto the transmission? For the B&M shortshifter, do you have to remove the entire center console or just the boot around the shifter?

I've had B&M for a couple of years. It is a must do mod. Drove my friends Carrera and hated it (no shorty). Drove my buddies Viper last night...what a piece of junk! Felt like driving a school bus. Anyways, do it. I would not make my decision on which is easier to install but which is the best feel for you. <img src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" border="0" alt="[bigbye]" />

ckl93, The B&M took me a couple of hours but then I did some vacuuming and leather treatment at the same time. You really do need to remove the entire center console (not really that hard). It took me longer to read the 22 pages of B&M instructions than to remove the console! (Not that they are bad... just real detailed) The transmission installs take under an hour if you have the right (lifting) tools. But you need to lift each time you make adjustments... so perhaps they are about equal?

If you are not mechanically inclined like me and B&M is your choice get it installed professionally. As soon as I read the instructions- little parts here and and there and adjusting cables I said it's outa my league. Loren is a guru so I'm not in his league : ). Regards. Mike

Mike, How much for the install??? Thanx.

Looks like B&M is the way to go. Since I'm not mechanically inclined I'll ask the dealer, when I take it in for the CHECK ENGINE light matter, how much they charge. I assume that externally everything looks the same? Shifter ****, boot, etc?

Should be a 1 1/2 -2 hr job at $75 /hr(in San Francisco). Also ask your dealer if they do that kinda mod-some do some don't. I used an independent Porsche service shop. Regards. Mike

The install is less than 30 minutes for an average person. It will look different. The shifter in the car is lower than the stock. You can see in this picture it is a little lower...

It didn't sit any lower after the B&M was placed but then again Rods got a carbon one I have the stock one which looks the same heightwise. Rod I'm way below average and my mechanic too : ). Mike

B&M vs. stock? No comparison. Had one on my '00 C-2 and just installed one on my '02 twin turbo. Very straight forward installation. Six or seven torx screws hold the console in place. Easy removal. Be sure to mark the shifter cables as to where they sit in the connectors. The most difficult part is removing the stock shifter from the shift tower. You will need a utility knife and lots of patience. Remember, once you remove the stock shifter, it's history. Cannot be reinstalled.

I purchased the B&M Short Shifter Linkage in March when I ordered the car, after reading a concensus of raves about it on the discussion boards. I installed it yesterday in about 2 hours of which 45 minutes related to obsessing over cable connections for the smoothist operation, positioning & shifter height. I decided on a centered shift lever positioning in the neutral center gate resting detent with the lever in bottom most (lowest) position. IMO, whether you install this yourself or not, this item is a no-brainer, must have in any 996 as it makes shifting far more precise & an amazingly tactile experience, curiously absent from the original design of the car. <img src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" border="0" alt="[bigbye]" />

Great info guys! I most definitely will make this one of my initial mods. I talked to my dealer about it, and they will not add anything that is not Porsche. I think that is kind of silly, but that's their way.

I'm ready to put a B&M short shifter in my 01 Cab, so I went looking to purchase. Just to be sure I went to the B&M Racing Products site, the Porsche Short Shifter list: 1998 - 2000 911/996 and 1997 - 2000 Boxster. Does this mean that the B&M Short Shifter will not fit/function in an 01 and beyond? I don't want to make a big mistake. Any comments?

Just call Performance Products and they can assist you on the right B&M shifter is for your car-didn't know there's any difference for 99-01 models. Regards. Mike

It works well on my '02 as I was told that it would by Performance Products.

Will the B&M work for an AWD '02 C4S? (I'm reading this thread late at night and have yet to check their website. BTW, I think they could have chosen better letters. )