Porsche OEM SSK first thoughts

Okay, I picked up the car today with the OEM short shift kit freshly installed. After having read about this product for some time now and admittedly having some minor concerns about the occasional negative comment, here are my thoughts: 1. It is awesome. 2. Did I mention it is awesome? 3. Seriously, the shifts are really short throws. I know, no **** sherlock. But I mean it. Porsche mentions a 30% reduction in throw. I can't comment on specifics, but it feels infinitely quicker than stock. You push, you are in gear. You pull, you are in gear. There is barely any travel. 4. It is not that strenuous at all. Based on some commentary, I had images of needing two hands to shift. While it does require a bit more effort than stock, the SSK is not unweildy; rather, it just requires intention. 5. It is crisp as hell. There will be no missing shifts. You need to push in and pull out. There is no stock jello feel. Transmission engagement is essentially identical, so once you get used to this shortened and more accurate throw, you can rip it. 6. There is not stickiness or notchiness at all. Perhaps my install techs did a super job relative to some others, but the shift travel is very smooth. The only difference is that it is definite relative to stock. It does not swoosh jello-like. Basically, I am very happy with the purchase. It is very fun to drive and the quickness of shifting because of the reduced travel is actually a little peculiar at first because you're in gear, but the habit of taking a touch longer to shift with the stock unit actually delays disengagement of the clutch a bit. I got used to it pretty quick, but it was a gas to see the disconnect between mind and body at first. ????? One parting question for everyone out there with an OEM SSK, though: When shifting into 1,3,5 gear, does it feel like the shifter is pushing flat against something very hard and flat? The old shifter used to just kind of end in a nether space and you 'sensed' that you were in gear. With the SSK, is it customary that the push forward 'slams' into a 'wall or barrier' (whether it's plastic or metal I have no idea). The only reason I ask is because it comes up quick. I push, and it's like there is a wall there immediately stopping the throw and I am in gear. Is this by design, or adjustable to minimize this sensation (if one would even ever want to)? I should mention that I do not notice this sensation when shifting (pulling back) into 2,4,6 gear. Well, there it is, my wordy review of my first major modification to the car. I also installed some 5mm spacers (I'll post review in a bit). Cheers, Edward

Thanks for that...I've been mulling over the OEM SSK. Your thoughts are encouraging. John

Mine has the same sensation. glad it's not just on mine. I love the SSK also.

Love that bolt action rifle feel when you SLAM into that next gear!

If it feels like something hard and flat when shifting, it is not adjusted properly. When I first installed my SSK, it felt like it was hitting metal or something in certain gears. Just needed to go back and adjust the cables a little - no big deal. Now all the gears feel the same. Good Luck!

Good to hear you are enjoying the SSK. I think a SSK is one of the best mods for the buck.

That's just the gear level hitting the gate. Nothing needs adjusting. The only adjusting that would be done is if there is difficulty getting the tranny into gear becasue the threads are not in the correct place in the connector.

OK, Im sold. Anyone have one for sale at the moment?

I had lot's of debate with my dealer about the notchy/hard feeling when shifting from 2 to 3 with my OEM SSK. The conclusion was that if I try to jam the gear in 3rd hard, the likelyhood of hitting the (small) space of btween the gate accurately was slim. What works like a charm is to pause a nanosecond once you have the shifter out of 2nd gear. The shifter kinda fall into a natural spot from which it's very easy to push in 3rd gear in a straight line. It's difficult to discribe in words but the movement from 2nd should NOT be a straight diagonal to 3rd but more like straight out, pause a nanosecond in neutral, the push straight forward. It may sound like this lsows you down but it really doesn't once you're use to it. I remember a German race instructor who because of his limitied knowledge of english, use to say "fast on outside, slow inside the car.

I haven't noticed that at all. My dealer mentioned that the newer SSKs use a hard plastic body in place of metal in prior units. I don't know the purpose of this but perhaps it was changed in order to facilitate smoother shifts and throws. In my very short experience with it, it already seems to be getting better and even smoother as I get used to it. I have not experienced any difficulties at cold start-up with getting into first gear, and the hard diagonal throw in to 3rd has been fine. However, I might add that I have always shifted as mbergeron above described because my father, who has driven p-cars for years and raced/rallied when he was younger, always reminded me that shifting is meant to be gradual. You don't push so much as steer the lever into place. Perhaps it's because he used gated shifters (like on the Ferrari) and it worked in your favor if you didn't slam things around. But I digress.... The shifter is worth every penny. If you are hesitating, don't. Run straight to the shop and put it in. Now bear in mind that I can't comment on other companies' short shifters, only the OEM unit. But I already love it. I'll report back on the subject after driving it much harder and longer over the weekend!

Isn't the OEM the same things as the B&K? Well, apart from the price.....

Ive heard that they are basically the same. I think someone once posted that Porsche orders the SSK from B&K, but Im not sure.

Yes, the B&M short shifter is essentially the same as the Porsche SSK. The Porsche SSK is a little bit easier to install because you don't have to mess around with the cables. The B&M isn't that difficult to install though and it is about $200 -- much cheaper than the Porsche SSK.

Programmatore, Do you have one in your car?

I have the B&M. Paid $199 for it.

Where did you get it, Brandywine? I'm set on one. If you have experience, think you can help me install one on my car?

From my recollection, and some of the posts here, I think that the B&M still uses a metal joint which might contribute to why some people think shifting is a little stiff and/or unsmooth. While the OEM is more, it's not THAT much more so it seems smarter to stick with it. Meanwhile, on an unrelated note, my installer mentioned that he had to 'break out' the old shifter when putting in the new shifter and that, as a result, the old parts were basically useless. Any truth to this? I had thought to keep the old parts so that I could offer them to a future buyer in the event that he wanted the old shifter. Also, the installer said that the new OEM shifter was a bit more difficult to install as a result of the plastic housing. As I'm not about to rip the center console to find out, was wondering if anyone else had heard about this installation difficulty.

I also have the B&M and am very happy with it. I beleive it is the exact same as the OEM except for the color (blue vs black), got it from Brandywine for about 200. Installed myself one evening in about and hour or so, not too difficult.

I had thought that the OEM unit came in a pretty large plastic housing whereas the B&M did not. I'll have to verify.

As Ed McMahon used to say "You are correct, sir!" The plastic housing makes it easier to install because you don't have to mark the cables/count threads like you do with the B&M. Anyway, the installation of the B&M short shift kit is quite simple -- in fact, the hardest part was removing the center console and trip pieces. Detailed instructions are available on the B&M website (they include instructions with the short shift kit package as well). -Gary