I installed the B&M SSK with an Evoms billet link on my 02 996 yesterday. I like it much more than stock, but am not in love with it. I pretty much hated the stock shifter. It is perhaps the most disappointing design on a "drivers" car. Looking to see if anyone local has it and it feels any better, in case I didn't get everything right. I'm an engineer and understand the linkage design, and there is only a limited number of ways that it can be improved.

The only thing that is adjustable on the B&M is where the shift lever angle is relative to the neutral position. It is essential to get the blue, left hand connection correct as that indexes the tranny forks (I assume) in the correct location for the correct gear pairs. The right hand gray one, is the throw. Too short and the forward gears (1,3,5) may pop out because the shift lever hits interference before the gear is fully engaged. Too long, and the same applies to 2,4,6. There is some adjustment to set how far forward you want 1st to be, before you hit interference. I wanted the forward position gears as far back as possible.

The relative effort is determined by the angle of the cable relative to a tangent to the arc that the lower end of the shift lever prescribes. It appears you can only rob Peter to pay Paul, ie: making the neutral to 1st easier makes neutral to 2nd harder. If in neutral the right hand link is directly below the pivot of the shift lever, then both directions are equal. This appears to be the default if you install the B&M with the cbales insertedin the same positions as the stock shifter. (Soley based on my one shift exchange experience). Of note, I installed the Evoms billet link with the B&M (bought the whole assembly including the cage, used from Joe, and he had already set it up for his GT3(?) and it seems fine so far for mine) and while I don't think that there is any weakness in the original link, it IS looser on the pivot, and weighs a lot less, so the extra mass and tightness help the shift. The OEM link head is rubber formed over the plastic ball socket so there is probably some noise and vibration isolation that is reduced. I haven't had the B&M through all its paces to be sure yet.

It is a much more solid mechanical & noisy shift, and the gates/gears can be easily felt. It is dramatically less civilized feeling than the stock, and I suspect that is what people here are calling notchy. I don't think the effort of the shift is anything to speak of at all, EXCEPT if you are comparing it to the effortless, vague shifting of the stock arrangement. I honestly think B&M went too far in shortening the shift, based on SSK's I've used on other cars. So far I like it more than stock, and have no problem with shifts in any gear even when cold (65F) but I am intrigued by the tranny link option that I've read about on other posts. I've never heard about that kind of option before.