My new shifter, and is my car weird?

Hi,.. I just installed my 997 shifter into my 2000 996 Cabrio. Initial install took about 30-45 minutes as there were screws I couldn't find but what to me is weirs is that I read throughout this and 6speed that there are adjustments,.. markings etc., that have to be made but all I did was pop the cables off and connect to the new shifter?... One thing I did make a mistake on is that,.. you have to watch the cable/bushing that mounts to the white plastic part on the drivers side (not the actual ball - in - socket vertical shifter portion). I popped this on backwards. Didn't know until, as the last step, popped on my shifter handle and the cable popped off underneath. //sigh//. Everything had to come off again and cable placed properly but,.. that second time (timed) only took 27 minutes... completely off to completely back on and on the road for testing. Anyone that wants to attempt it,.. go on and do it,.. piece of cake to do and not the horror you read on all the sites. Also,.. as far as asking if my car is weird,.. there's a lot of other stuff I see on the sites like,.. if your battery dies, you have to connect a battery up to open the trunk? Mine is strictly cable actuated so,.. is that odd? I mean, I DC'd my battery, locked the trunk and popped it using the lever. No fuss, no muss. Shifter feels nice,.. not too terribly different but a little more "direct". Not as major a different as when I stuck a SSK on my M3... just VERY slight difference in action. I was even concerned when replacing the piece that the car already had the 997 shifter in there as I could not find more than an 1/8" difference in the shifter height etc. Nope.. the one in the car was all plastic and had a 996 ... ... stamped on the side. the one I put in was a 997 ... ... part number and had a metal plate in the major pivot bushing. Bill 00 996 Cab 96 E36 M3 03 K1200LT more, too tedious to list.

I also installed the 997 shifter in my 2000 Cab. Subtle but nice upgrade. A bit shorter, more direct shift. I think the pre-2002 trunk and engine releases are cable while the MKII are electric. Just one less thing for us MKI's to worry about!

I'm considering using the 997 shifter assembly to upgrade my stock '99 996 C2 shifter assembly. So I have a few questions to the folks who have specifically done this upgrade. 1. Was it a completely direct bolt-in or did you have to modify or adjust anything like mounting screw placement? 2. Did you also upgrade to newer shift cables at the same time? I understand that over time the stock cables can stretch or slide out as much as 5mm from the swedging. 3. Did the upgrade require any modifications at all to the stock console? 4. Were you able to use the stock original 996 shift *** and skirt on the 997 shaft? Any modifications needed to the shift ****? Thank you so much for your replies. To others, I am not interested in any B&M or Sport Shift Kit or GT3 Short Shift kits, etc. But thanks anyway for almost responding with those suggestions. I have already considered those possibilities and discarded them. But if you have experienced some problems with the stock original cables after installing your kit of choice, please feel free to jump in with your problem and solution. Thanks!

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2000 was the last year for the beautiful aluminum levers which have been foolproof on my car. 2001> cars have the electrical switches.

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No mods required for the Porsche OEM shifters. The 997 shifters are an exact replacement. for the old shifter.

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fixed it for you.... my battery died today..... thanks to the levers, new battery install was a breeze.

Byprodriver, You are totally correct about the beautiful aluminum(-look) levers. They are so much nicer than small black electric buttons that can short out if you get them wet getting in or out of the car on a rainy day. SSST, Thank you!

TT: Why did you consider then reject the GT3 shifter? I was reading about it the other day and it seemed like a good way to go (other than the price). Maybe I missed something. Thanks!

Down South, Don't panic. I don't think you missed anything. My reason was $200 for the 997 system vs $600 for the GT3 system. For way less than the total price difference I can have the dealer install it for me while I get a free brand new Porsche (Cayman/Boxster/Panamera/Cayenne) to drive around in for a day or so. I am just looking to upgrade to a newer and better engineered system than what came on my '99 C2 coupe (get rid of the aging plastic bushings and exchange for new metal bushing, etc). I don't need extremely short shifts. In fact, after driving those on GT3's and GT3RS's, my personal preference is to avoid them, especially since I drive my car all year round. The general consensus from my research here on Rennlist is that real short shift kits "warm up" slowly in cold weather and thus require more muscle and patience. I don't have much of either. LOL!!!! I only average one or two DE weekends a year lately, and zero club races. The rest of the year is all on the street. So I don't need the extra 10,000th of a second reduction in shift times. I'm really not all that unhappy with my current original stock 996 shifter assembly, but I NEED to MOD something soon. It has been over a year since my last mod to the car. That itch has to be scratched. My car currently has 78,000 miles and was a December '98 build date.

Thanks for the insight, TT. I as well have a '99 and although the shifter feels OK, I have been thinking about my next mod and was leaning toward doing the shifter. Someone described the GT3 shifter as having the precision feel of a rifle bolt action. That and the fact that is mostly metal (I think) versus a lot of plastic. The 997 shifter is definitely a better priced option.

I installed the 997 shifter, and when I first tried it, it felt shorter and more precise. After driving around with it for a year or two, I don't notice the difference anymore. But the metal parts make the mod more than worth the money, I think.

Thanks, Andy!

AndyK, Just to clarify for Down South and myself: you are confirming that the metal parts of the 997 (vs 996) assembly are worth the $200 price to make that mod. You are not saying that the $600 GT3 assembly is worth the higher price (because it too has metal). Just trying to clear this up - especially for myself. (The spoken-then-written English language and the Internet are often not compatible subsystems). And I fully expect that, after a year or so, I too will wonder if there is any difference, because I will have by then grown accustomed to the new feel and no longer recognize the improvement on my buttdyno (wristdyno in this case - LOL!) right up until I drive somebody's 996 C2 with stock, original shifter. As an aside (and really Off Topic): I have steadfastly refused to test drive any 997's, or the 991's whenever they arrive. This keeps me perfectly happy with my current 996 (I have owned two newer 996's than my current 996 - a 2001 and a 2003). I have driven a 2007 997 GT3 and then a 2010 997 GT3RS at the track. The GT's were fellow instructors at DE's offering me an opportunity to enjoy their new cars for a 30 minute track session. Nothing more. Easy in, easy out. The GT's are hands down totally superior vehicles in all respects, and I lust forevermore for the 997 GT3RS. Thankfully I cannot afford either one and I am unwilling to commit financial and marital suicide by just going out and buying either one. In the past, I have sold off or traded off a dozen perfectly excellent Porsche 911's of every generation simply because I entered the web of the Porsche salesman and took a test drive of the newest version just for fun. No obligation. Right. I have not fallen into that slippery sand trap since just before the intro of the 997. LOL!

Well, I didn't pay $200 for my 997 shift assembly (got it on the Renn classifieds for less, I think $150), but the shorter throw, more certain shift points, and better construction makes a better shifting experience. The stock shifter throw is silly, so this mod is great, especially if you don't want the sport / short shift kit. When I say I don't notice it, that's not totally accurate. I DO notice the better overally feel, just not as much as when I first tried it out.

Thank you!

Sure. Also, getting the damned center console out was WAY more difficult than actually changing out the shifter assembly!

Thanks again, Andy! And I agree with you, TT, I've purposely not driven a 997 or for that matter my buddy's 996 TT for the very same reason. I'm happy and want to stay that way.