Modern Opinions on Shifter Upgrades

[Bhom]

Looking to rebuild the shifter on a G50 whose shift bushings are completely gone.

At first I was going to go full OE Porsche rebuild, but then googling around I found the JWest and Wevo shifters.

I haven't seen any recent threads that discuss the currently available options, I'm curious if there's a consensus on which is best? The car is mostly going to stay stock for the foreseeable future, just want it to feel good to drive

One question I have is whether the JWest or Wevo kits need all of the bushings and other parts that you'd find in, say, this OE rebuild kit https://www.*******.com/products/porsche-manual-trans-shifter-rebuild-kit-genuine-porsche-95042402803kt

Or do those kits replace those parts with aftermarket equivalents meant to work with the different shifter?

Thanks for any thoughts and opinions!

[Mtsurfposse]

Jwest
Can’t say about wevo, lots of people like. I went with Jwest. He will answer your email questions if you have particular questions that arnt answered in either his many YouTube videos or website. I love mine with the longer shift arm. The spring reverse lockout is not perfect on my car but my shaft might be slightly bent and that might be affecting how perfect I can dial things.
Installation was easy. I spent more time dialing in the collar attachment then the lever. 10x better than stock with short shift kit.
Use the stock plastic bushing or jwests at the rear shaft. The all metal is noisy and harsher and has less forgiveness. Jwest will tell you that, my mechanic told me that
Just do it. Do it. Do it. Do it

[tobluforu]

Do a search, it's getting up just like oil threads.

[Arlo911]

I had a Wevo G50 shifter for about 1 week didn't like it to be honest. Also don't like it on a 915. But that's personal opinion.

[faverymi]

Never like the feeling of short shifters in older 911s.

I end up just rebuilding the original parts.

On race cars I like a gated shifter but that is for another conversation

I like my street cars soft and comfy.... just an opinion

[Lyle O]

FWIW, I have had the JWest in my '87 G-50 for like 10 years. Great product and feel, and relatively easy to install.

[AlBackus36]

I'll throw my vote in for wevo. I've never tried the jwest.

Adding the wevo and psj to my '87 was a marked improvement. The g50 shifter is already pretty good, but I'd be lying if it doesn't feel like a bolt action rifle now.

There is some increased noise from the PSJ, but it's minimal.

I have zero regrets in my street car.

[Bhom]

Thanks to everyone chiming in!

I'm thinking I might want to restore the stock shifter to like new spec before I decide to put in a whole new shifter. What's not very clear to me is whether or not any of the more expensive new OE shifter parts that I'd have would be getting replaced by aftermarket versions if I do decide to change away from the stock shifter setup? Or is it mostly just the shifter lever itself that's getting replaced?

Generally, from searching, I haven't been able to figure out whether there's a clear preference between certain OE shift mechanism parts and aftermarket versions, and what the tradeoffs between them are? If there was a list of aftermarket parts out there that are unanimously agreed to just be better than the OE versions that would be super helpful to know about.

One example that comes to mind is the shift coupler with the big rubber disk on it. A new OE one is ~$500, and I see a few aftermarket solutions. Other than being cheaper is an aftermarket one (like the JWest plastic one) sacrificing some of the smoothness of the original rubber?

[Rodsrsr]

The Wevo made the car fun to drive.

[Ok here we go]

Despite what anyone says, there is no real noticeable difference between the OEM or the plastic G50 coupler except for the price.

I rebuilt my G50 shifter and coupler using the JWest kit, and it works fine, albeit there's still a lot of lateral slop while in gear (and that's more because of the 1980's exactingness).

Pick a shifter, install it and try it out. If you don't like it then sell it, and buy a different one. Or you can keep it and have some cool wall art. Pick your own adventure

[AG81]

I've owned a Wevo for the G50. It was fantastic. I have owned a Numeric and a J West for my 915 and the J west is superior in MHO. The Wevo coupler and the Numeric coupler are both great.

WEVO - G50


Numeric - 915


J West 915

[mark4ton]

WEVO really modernized the feel of my 87. One of the best improvements i've made

[AG81]

Originally Posted by mark4ton

WEVO really modernized the feel of my 87. One of the best improvements i've made

^
I said the same to everyone about the Wevo in my 88.

[r55forme]

I installed the JWest shifter in my 87 G50 and replaced the shift rod coupler at the same time. Having been used to shifting a modern car with very little throw, the JWest kit made my 911 throw more reasonable and the shifts are solid. I wasn't removing the center console, so I appreciated that it fit back underneath the stock console.

I couldn't be happier with their support. When I ran into an issue trying to access the bolt to release the shift rod from the transmission, JWest not only responded to my inquiry within an hour, but texted me a picture from the shop manual and explained how to move the boot without damaging it. Definitely made a positive impression on me.

[dkirk]

Installed the JWest shifter into my '88 G50 this Spring. I'm totally pleased with it in all respects.

[AG81]

Got agree with the comments regarding J West. James is extremely helpful.

[ccallana]

Question on the Jwest - If all my bushings and coupler were done recently - can I swap the shifter without messing around with anything else, or is it going to require re-adjusting the coupler?

[pmax]

Originally Posted by Bhom

...
Generally, from searching, I haven't been able to figure out whether there's a clear preference between certain OE shift mechanism parts and aftermarket versions, and what the tradeoffs between them are? If there was a list of aftermarket parts out there that are unanimously agreed to just be better than the OE versions that would be super helpful to know about.
...

Great question !
The personal anecdotes are great but lest this ends up just like an oil thread ... let's see if we can help make a little headway towards that discussion. Note this is all random musings on my part, no expertise implied.

Comparing the JWest with OEM, I note the former having a lot more components held together by additional bolts 5,9 which needs to be torqued correctly and set screws 14 which I believe is one more than the previous version. IMO the OEM design wins here on simplicity, the equivalent basically a solid piece. In addition, bolts may loosen and set screws tend to loosen, that may well be the reason for the change in design.





Second, given the OEM lever at the business end is completely vertical as opposed to the angled "attack" for lack of a better word of the Jwest, I suppose the shift action differs.

[pmax]

Originally Posted by Mtsurfposse

Jwest
Can’t say about wevo, lots of people like. I went with Jwest. He will answer your email questions if you have particular questions that arnt answered in either his many YouTube videos or website. I love mine with the longer shift arm. The spring reverse lockout is not perfect on my car but my shaft might be slightly bent and that might be affecting how perfect I can dial things.
Installation was easy. I spent more time dialing in the collar attachment then the lever. 10x better than stock with short shift kit.
Use the stock plastic bushing or jwests at the rear shaft. The all metal is noisy and harsher and has less forgiveness. Jwest will tell you that, my mechanic told me that
Just do it. Do it. Do it. Do it

Isn't that a 915 in your SC ?

[Mtsurfposse]

Originally Posted by pmax

Isn't that a 915 in your SC ?

Oh SCHNAPP! I was shopping two years ago and I didn’t pay that much attention to the G50 version. I assume they were mostly the same with a minor change, looking at his webpage it’s a whole new beast. Anyway, JWest makes great stuff with great support