anyone know if the Porsche short shifter could be ordered from the factory on a 996? Or was it a dealer installed item?

http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessori...formance/n163/

And whats the consensus on 997 shifter **** alone vs 996 short shift kit? Looking for a shorter throw with bang for the buck. Thanks!

 

I have a 2004 996 C4S. Went on ebay and didn't see any Porsche 997 short shifter for $200 or under, but there were several non Porsche ones from $39 up. Are any of these worth considering, or are there other suggestions.

 

The 997 kit they're talking about is not a SSK, it's just the stock 997 short shifter. It can be found for about $150-$200 (check some of the vendors). I always believe you get what you pay for so I'd go with either the B&M or the 997. There are also factory SSK but they're closer to $500 I believe, and you can get a 997 GT3 shifter which is the same as the regular except it has billet aluminum bushings I believe.

 

Thank you all for the advice. After this and discussing with a Porsche Dealer Tech, I went with the B&K SSK and a new link. My main problem was between differentiating between 1st and 3rd. Is it Notchy = yes! Do I like Notchy + yes!. I would describe it as more crisp than notchy and no longer have any problem differentiating between 1st and 3rd. (although I do not know how much to attribute to the B&K SSK and to the new link).

 

Did you go with the Agency linkage?

My experience with my B&M and Agency linkage is that it was notchy going into first in the beginning. Over time, everything is perfect. Zero notchiness that most had experienced with B&M. Maybe I got used to it? I don't know, but I definitely can shift into 1st so easily with the notchiness no longer present.

 

I bought the Shift linkage from Deutsche Parts USA, on Ebay. It looks like the agency one, but is probably a knockoff, it cost 39.99 + 6.00 frt. As I said I am happy with the notchiness, hope it does not go away. It seems to click into each gear without undue force and cured my problem with the slopiness of not being able to tell if I was putting it in 1st or 3rd. (Didn't do well off the line in 3rd.) In that both were put in at the same time, I can't tell which one to attribute the improvement too or whether it was the combination of both of them.

 

I got my Agency from vividracing's ebay store for around $100. I too put both linkage and shifter at the same time but I can safely say, based on reviews i've read on the B&M alone, that the combination of both may have possibly contributed to the overall improvement.

 

I did the 997 shifter first then added the agency linkage, the agency linkage made first gear a little touger to get into to. I like the feel with the agency link not as sloppy as the OEM link.