Short shift kit

[Ben]

Hi all, has anyone got an opinion on the OEM short shift kit for the 987? I'm considering it as a potential next upgrade, as it looks reasonably easy to fit. Does anyone have one and is able to comment on the ease of fitment and the impact on the shift quality? 

Thanks! 

[Trickle]

Definitely improve shift, never had to fit mine though 

[Maxheadroom]

On 04/11/2018 at 18:15, Ben said:

Hi all, has anyone got an opinion on the OEM short shift kit for the 987? I'm considering it as a potential next upgrade, as it looks reasonably easy to fit. Does anyone have one and is able to comment on the ease of fitment and the impact on the shift quality? 

Thanks! 

 

Unfortunately I can’t comment on your post Ben, but like yourself it’s a mod I’d like myself ( my list of “ must haves” unfortunately is growing month by month  ) so I’m interested in any feedback too. Have you considered any other non OEM aftermarket options ? As there seems to be a few about.

[Peopleandcars]

15 hours ago, Maxheadroom said:

 

Unfortunately I can’t comment on your post Ben, but like yourself it’s a mod I’d like myself ( my list of “ must haves” unfortunately is growing month by month  ) so I’m interested in any feedback too. Have you considered any other non OEM aftermarket options ? As there seems to be a few about.

 

I hear only praise for the numeric shifter kits https://numericracing.com/store/shifter100/

 

Mind is not cheap!

 

I have installed cables only for now and picking up the car tomorrow

 

 

 

[Ben]

Thanks all, yes I had looked at some of the aftermarket options, which seem to range from worryingly cheap eBay stuff to the expensive such as Numeric.  I think the OEM kit may be the sweet spot for me as although perhaps not as effective as some some of the top end stuff, it looks pretty much 'plug and play' to fit, based on some of the YouTube videos I've seen anyway! Had a quote of around £290 delivered for the part which I thought wasn't too bad.  Will probably be the next thing I do after the Carnewal GT exhaust in January!  

[Maxheadroom]

5 hours ago, Ben said:

Thanks all, yes I had looked at some of the aftermarket options, which seem to range from worryingly cheap eBay stuff to the expensive such as Numeric.  I think the OEM kit may be the sweet spot for me as although perhaps not as effective as some some of the top end stuff, it looks pretty much 'plug and play' to fit, based on some of the YouTube videos I've seen anyway! Had a quote of around £290 delivered for the part which I thought wasn't too bad.  Will probably be the next thing I do after the Carnewal GT exhaust in January!  

 

Ok Ben, let us know how you get on fitting shifter as I’m interested in how easy it is to do yourself, and a good choice of exhaust. Heard a lot of good things about them, this is defo on my to do list but won’t be until later on next year  

[jdavis8361]

The OEM short shift kit was the first modification I had made to my 987.1 and remain as pleased with it 6 years later as I was the first time I drove with it.

 

jD

[Mavrik]

Any opinions on this short shifter kit??

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-Cayman-S-987-2005-Short-Shifter-Quick-Shift-Kit-WG247/322846678330?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

 

[Maxheadroom]

1 hour ago, Mavrik said:

Any opinions on this short shifter kit??

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-Cayman-S-987-2005-Short-Shifter-Quick-Shift-Kit-WG247/322846678330?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

 

Maybe the price says it all, it does seem a little on the cheap side, but then again it might be perfectly ok. I think, personally I’d give it a miss. Just my opinion though. 

[Maxheadroom]

Another option from design911 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 9, 2018 by Maxheadroom
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[Mavrik]

Probably the same part tbh?

[Ben]

They do look remarkably similar! I've read on a US forum that the ebay kits can cause trouble when fitting though. Not sure if I'd want the hassle tbh! It's what attracts me to the OEM kit, albeit at a fair bit more cost. 

[Woodhouse]

I fitted the Porsche short shifter to one of our two Gen 1 Caymans, with the other left stock.  Owning two at the same time allowed for side by side comparisons over the 3.5 years we owned both together.

 

The shifting action was one of several noticeable differences between the two cars.  The car that I fitted the short shift to always had a stiffer gear change, particularly when cold so my advice would be to only fit the short shifter if you are completely happy with the current shift action.  The short shifter will make it stiffer.  I actually preferred the lighter, though longer, shift over the shorter, stiffer one if I'm honest.

[Maxheadroom]

16 hours ago, Mavrik said:

Probably the same part tbh?

 

They do look extremely similar, I’d be inclined to give Design Tek a call if I were interested. 

[Maxheadroom]

4 hours ago, Woodhouse said:

I fitted the Porsche short shifter to one of our two Gen 1 Caymans, with the other left stock.  Owning two at the same time allowed for side by side comparisons over the 3.5 years we owned both together.

 

The shifting action was one of several noticeable differences between the two cars.  The car that I fitted the short shift to always had a stiffer gear change, particularly when cold so my advice would be to only fit the short shifter if you are completely happy with the current shift action.  The short shifter will make it stiffer.  I actually preferred the lighter, though longer, shift over the shorter, stiffer one if I'm honest.

 

Thanks Woodhouse, good side by sid comparison, lucky chap to have two Caymans to choose from  

[ian964]

I fitted the OE kit to my CR a couple of years ago - a few details here https://www.caymanoc.com/forums/topic/342-cr-short-shift-kit/?tab=comments#comment-3282

 

Glad I did it!

[Ben]

Thanks Ian, that's really useful. I think my desire for a shorter shift stems from my previous cars - the mk 1 mx5 I once owned for example had a fantastic rifle bolt action. 

[jdavis8361]

On 20/11/2018 at 00:18, Ben said:

Thanks Ian, that's really useful. I think my desire for a shorter shift stems from my previous cars - the mk 1 mx5 I once owned for example had a fantastic rifle bolt action. 

 

If you are after rifle bolt action, which the OEM short shift doesn't provide, you'll need the Numeric shifter cables. 

Edited November 26, 2018 by jdavis8361

[Ben]

11 hours ago, jdavis8361 said:

 

If you are after rifle bolt action, which the OEM short shift doesn't provide, you'll need the Numeric shifter cables. 

Yes I've looked into that and you're right, it does seem the cables help with the shift feel - the only issues I hear being they are tricky to fit and can cause noise from the transmission to enter the cabin?  But another possible future upgrade to add to the list!

[Ben]

So, finally fitted the OEM SSK yesterday, and thought I'd share a few observations/tips!  Purchased it from OPC Portsmouth for £250 (with PCGB discount), the cheapest I could find. 

There are lots of guides/videos on how to install the SSK but a good place to start as others have mentioned is here:

 

https://www.planet-9.com/987-cayman-and-boxster-service-and-tech/59444-porsche-short-shift-kit-diy-guide.html

 

Although there is another guide which I also used which isn't as picture rich, but is much easier in some areas as it shows you how to remove the gear knob and gaiter as a single piece and how to disconnect a single wiring connector to remove the centre console rather than all the individual connectors.  I'l try and find the link to it and post on here later.

 

I would recommend using proper trim remove tools as I really struggled trying to remove some bits of the trim without them (such as the gaiter).  The gear knob itself, which can be removed by unlocking the collar under the gaiter and pulling upwards, was a real PITA, but finally shifted when I stood up in the car (as best I could) and pulled directly upwards with as much force as possible.  Easier in a Boxster I imagine!  The rest of the dismantling was pretty straightforward.  

 

I marked the position of the gear link cables in neutral before I removed them, which I don't think is necessarily required if you have the OEM kit, but came in useful when I tested the new SSK in situ and they popped out!  I don't know if it was just me but I found reconnecting the cables a real pain, as one wouldn't fit properly, and it took a lot of fiddling and effort before it finally went in correctly.  Can't say I'm massively impressed with the mechanism, doesn't look all that robust!   Anyhow, after that reassembly was no problem, other than ensuring that you push the gear knob fully down when reinstalling (I couldn't initially work out why it wasn't locking in place).

 

All in it took me a full afternoon of labour, but I am fairly risk averse so was taking things pretty easy, and I don't count myself as particularly mechanically minded, so others may find they get through it a lot quicker.  I also gave all the parts a good clean whilst removed. 

 

The end result was well worth it though!  The shift is massively improved IMO.  The throw feels stiffer all round (in a good way), and I would say is 30% shorter than stock, and much more positive and engaging.  Very happy!