Short shift kit

Don't get anything but the one put out by Porsche. It's 139$. It comes with everything including the main shaft etc. The Weltmeister, Perf Products ones do Not bother with.
It does make a difference. 20% shortening is boasted, and you get it.


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Kurt B
1984 911 Carrera Cabriolet
75 914 1.8

Can you get a short shift kit for a 911sc(1981) and if so is it worth doing the conversion, I mean what is the point?

Nick.

I have a 1979 911SC with the factory short-shift kit. It is a worthwhile improvement. It does not shorten the shift pattern as much as the Weltmeister kit "but" I had to completely rebuild my tranny and according to my mechanic the Weltmeister kit, installed by the previous owner, was responsable for the premature wear. He said that by shortening the throw too much, the Weltmeister changes the leverage and causes hard shifts. My tranny, now shifts as smooth as butter, including those occasional redline power shifts

N11, your mechanic is right, but remember, the same principle that causes the Weltmeister kit to prematurely wear out the trans ALSO causes the factory kit to do the same thing, only to a somewhat lesser degree.

I've looked at every option I could find to solve my shifting problem. If you are tall and/or have long legs then the seat is too far back to engage 5th gear without taking your back out of the seat. A shorter shifter will do nothing to remedy this. You MUST have a shorter shifting pattern with a stock size shifter. The Weltmeister kit is the best one on the market for specifically addressing this issue. I plan to install this kit during the winter and will report on the results. Premature tranny wear is up to YOU not the shifter. The shifting in these old 911s has never been as good as front engine cars due to design limitations. Making them perform as well is a compromise.

So if I continue to be gentle towards my gearbox even after installing a short shift kit there should be no extra wear and tear?

If the factory short shift kit is the same as the one installed in 85s and 86s from new, I can't see what should be wrong in getting such a kit? Right...?



[This message has been edited by Mikkel (edited 11-21-2000).]

No, I do not believe it is the same one installed on the 85's and 86's. I think the shorter shift pattern on those cars is the result of other changes, although I do not know what they are, since you can still use this kit on them as well except that you only get a 10% improvement.
The fact that this short shift kit is going to cause premature wear on my transmission is a problem for me now. I did not know this when I bought it. I may consider going back to the original depending on the nature of the wear.
If it's a lifetime of 98% what it would have been, then I'm fine with 98k miles instead of 100k. But if it's a 10% or 15% difference, I will definitely put up with the larger pattern!

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Kurt B
1984 911 Carrera Cabriolet
75 914 1.8

[This message has been edited by Kurt B (edited 11-21-2000).]

I have seen several discussions on the short shift/transmission damage issue, but I have never seen an explanation of what causes the purported damage.
As far as I know, the only thing that either the factory kit or the Weltmeister kit does is raise the pivot point of the shifter relative to its bottom end and shorten the height of the shifter from the pivot point to the top. Because there is less leverage, the shifting action becomes a bit stiffer, as well as shorter.
I don't understand how this can damage the transmission, which remains untouched by the modification.
If anyone can explain this further it would be great.
Joe

I don't see how there can be increased wear/damage unless the driver is slam-shifting. If you take your time and match your revs properly then the gearbox does not 'see' any difference in the shifter mechanism. But I suspect that many guys with the SS kits think they can 'speedshift' the car, which the 901/915 trannies may not like much.

I installed the Weltmeister kit in my 78Sc a year and a half ago. Took about 1-2 hours. No problems, fit well and the shifiting is much better. Just a little difficult to get used to the shorter pattern from 2nd to 3rd.
Re excessive wear on the tranny - the shorter throw is less tollerant of improper shifting because there is less time in which to make a more precise shift. It doesn't make sence that a shorter throw would in itself cause the damage.

I can see how tranny abuse could be a real issue. If you look at the Weltmeister design as an example: the lever is stock, the patern is shorter than stock. This means the force (or leverage) is increased mechanically. So if the driver slams the gears in the same manner with the SS as stock the shock is greater. This is what I meant when I said that tranny abuse is an operator function. Getting to the next gear quicker is OK as long as everything is lined up correctly and the shock is not excessive enough to damage the lincage and ultimately, the transaxle. I plan to use the short shift only because I physically cannot shift all the gears and stay in the seat. If you are using the short shifter to slam gears faster you probably should also slam more "gently". I'll post my findings when I get done with all the bandaids I plan to put in the shifting/lincage mechanism of this car.

I had the same problem with reaching the shifter. I had to pull myself forward to go from 2nd to 3rd. To correct it I installed the short shift kit, added a 3inch extension to the shift lever then bent the lever back about 2-3 inches. I'm now looking at a robotek shifter kit to center the shift lever between 2/3 with a spring. Anyone ever try one of these? I don't drive my car that often so I don't have a good feel for the gates.
Chuck

If you slow your shifting speed down after installing a short shift (ie. shift slower), the gearbox would not know a difference.

But, if you use the same hand speed moving the lever, you are forcing the trans to shift faster.

Most people will still shift at their "normal" speed after putting in a short shift. Some probably shift even faster! The laws of geometry (maybe physics, too), dictate increased trans wear in that instance.