I have a 2009 997.2 C4S with the 6-speed tranny and it is my experience that this transmission is real notchy/clunky (doesn't shift smoothly), especially the 1st to 2nd gear shift and then again going back to 1st. Not nearly as bad shifting to 3rd and above. Anyone else experiencing this problem? And it is real hard to do a nice hard acceleration with an agressive shift from 1st to 2nd without a real "clunk" from the tranny. Just not right!! I have had the car for 1 year and it hasn't gotten any better. Doesn't matter if it is cold or hot or after lots of driving, it is still real clunky. My previous Porsche was a 2003 996 C4S and its gearbox was just fine.

I took the car into my Porsche dealer and he said my tranny operated just like any other 997.2 and was OK (although he noted that the transmission design on the 997.2 is a new design). I didn't ask whether he actually did a road test to experience the clunky shifting or whether the mechanic just shifted the box sitting in the shop. I am not sure if that was the answer I was looking for but I was in a hurry so I left. The more I thought about it the more I wasn't happy. A $100K high performance car shouldn't have a clunky transmission - period! I just complained the problem to PCNA and am awaiting their reply. I am really not sure if this is just one car with a bad shift linkage or perhaps we might have a system problem with the new design in the 997.2's.

Anyone else having this problem or have any input? Thanks.

 

Im having the same issue but my service department said that it's NORMAL? Occasionally, I have problem shifting back into 1st gear from 2nd or 3rd.

 

I have the exact same issue, when the car is cold or at operating temp. It's about 60 - 70% of the time, you practically have to force it in to either 1st or 2nd . . . something I'm always leery about doing for fear of damaging something.

Alas, I just think it's the way it is (although that's a bit annoying).

 

1-2 is always notchy imo.. every 6 speed ive had has been the same. i think its due to 1st being very short gear and the Tq transformation from 1-2 just gives you that notchy feeling..

i just leave it in 2nd unless i really need 1st. i only use 1st for starting from a stop.

 

Same issue, same feedback from the dealer. I feel like pegging the clutch to the floor helps a little bit (I have a tendency to push it in very far but not all the way when I'm shifting). I think letting the car warm up a bit helps too. Very anecdotal so far. But shifting into the higher gears is A-OK.

 

For me, shifting into 1st, especially if the car is not warmed up, is notchy to the point of it feeling like I'm going to bend the shifter. 2nd is notchy when cold if I shift from 1st at a low RPM. The rest of the gear engagements feel OK. After the car is warmed up, most of the notchiness disappears. Nothing bad enough to visit the dealer, yet.

 

things i find that help:

car warmed up....(double clutching the transmission warms the tranny up faster... like.. clutch in, gear to N, blip gas, clutch in, next gear..)

when i have sport chrono on i noticed it helped, but thats because it holds the gas a little longer.. so if you blip the gas a little sooner than usual it helps w/o having sport chrono on..

like i said, i would just go down to 2nd as 1st is really never needed unless starting from standstill.

 

I bet it's normal; my 350Z was very harsh and notchy 1-2. You have to let the car warm up. that was a short shift as well which will exacerbate the feeling.

 

I've owned manual transmission sports cars for the last 26 years. I had two Mazda RX-7's, an MX-5 Miata and now a 997. Before I could drive (legally) I had two motorcycles which were also manual (most bikes are). Here's my take on this. The 911 has been noted for having one of the best shifting manual transmissions on the planet and now that I own one I totally agree with the critics. Words such as "notchy" are very subjective. You want each gear to have a definite "feel" when it engages. Have you ever driven an economy car with a manual such as a Honda Accord or Toyota Corolla, especially older models from the 90's or even the 80's? You almost have to "hunt" for each gear until you get used to the car.

Here's another advantage to the 911. Most cars have their engine in the front with the transmission lever and clutch attached "directly" to it. With the engine in the rear as on the 911 there is significant linkage between the gear shift lever and the transmission. The clutch pedal is connected by a steel cable. The result is much less vibration and smoother shifting compared to a "conventional" car.

Manual transmissions are notoriously difficult to operate when cold and this problem can get a little worse as the car ages. Here are my personal tricks to get smoother performance. If it's really cold outside let the car warm up for 3-4 minutes. The heck with what it says in the owner's manual about not letting the car warm up. When it's like 10 degrees outside or less your car will thank you for a warm up. If you live in suburbia try driving down your street in first gear and then not shifting to 2nd until you turn the corner. When you do shift to 2nd, try double clutching. From 1st push in the clutch and shift into neutral then release the clutch. Quickly push in the clutch in again and then shift into second. The usually eases the "notchy-ness" or even the "clunk" that is sometimes heard when shifting from 1st to 2nd on a really cold day.

Now as far as technique goes, there isn't any reason to shift into 1st gear when coming to a stop. Drop into 2nd and then go to neutral. Better yet, when coming to a dead stop such as at a red traffic light simply drop into neutral from wherever you are and start braking. Downshifting causes additional wear on the synchronizers. I know this personally because two of them went on my Miata at only 50,000 miles and it cost me $2,800 to have the transmission rebuilt. The only time I downshift in the 911 is when I am slowing down but not coming to a stop such as entering an interchange.

For those of you that can't break the habit of downshifting try to learn the heel-toe technique (Google "heel-toe downshifting" - there are also videos on youtube showing the technique) which will minimize or, if you learn to do it really well, possibly even eliminate wear to your synchronizers. Be warned however that it's pretty tricky. DON'T practice this in traffic! Even if you can master heel-toeing you still don't want to shift into first when coming to a dead stop. There's just no reason for it. It does work if you are going at the correct speed for the first gear synchronizer. If you are coming to a stop and you are at about 7 mph push in the clutch and hold slight pressure against the shift lever towards 1st. When it reaches the right speed it will "fall in" to place. This takes practice but again, there really isn't any real reason to learn this. It's more like an experiment so you can see how the synchronizer works. Again, for your safety remember to focus on the road and not the shift lever, speedo or tach. Try this stuff in a parking lot on a Sunday morning and be safe.

 

No clue about the .2 but sometimes on the .1 the links on the two selector shafts need to be adjusted. When I installed my short shifter I had to tinker with these to make the tranny feel 'smooth' and I understand that sometimes from the factory it has been less than perfectly setup and can use some adjustment.

Hope this helps. Another option would be to take a tester for a ride and see how it feels in comparison.

I really hate when service advisors write stuff off instead truely investigate the complaint.

 

The standard 6-speed was smooth as butter except when dead cold and maybe only then going into first.

The SSK I added recently improves the throws a lot and makes the box a little "notchier" but not in a bad way IMO

 

Mine is also notchy when cold. Smooth once the oil warms up. I asked my service manager and was told it was normal but he'd look at it next time I brought it in for service. I have also noticed that it shifts smoother with higher rpm's.

 

I dont know if the .1 box is different to the .2 but if you've got unusually tight shift between 1st and second then the pressure plate may not be releasing fully from the clutch plate properly. There are a few reasons that can cause this. My .1 had ongoing issues along the way which ultimately led to gbox failure on Ist. This could have been avoided. BTW the new box was perfect.. no shift issues. Do you have any minor shudder at all in reverse or from take off in ist?

 

First, the 911 uses balk type synchros that are, well, balky. These tend to last longer. Shifts should be a two step process without forcing the synchros. Quick and aggressive shifts will give you the opportunity to buy a new transmission ( or rebuild) sooner than normal. Aggressive downshifting on streets came from the old days when brakes were quite bad compared to those in today's cars and one needed to slow the car quickly. I can hear the synchros bump in my 911 on the 1-2 shift but this does not bother me. The manual transmissions that go snick, snick are the ones that also grind, grind earlier than I would like. Remember also that the heavier the clutch, the more the impact on shifting.

 

My 997.2S shifter is smooth as silk (which I don't like actually). Having the short shifter put on next week. Should require my shifts to be a bit more deliberate = more fun.