915 questions

[jurhip]

I have been looking for a G50 carrera for quite some time. The more I look the more I think a really well maintained '86 is better for me. Cheaper mainly.

My questions are:

1. Why does everyone talk about the poor shift quality of the 915 only on 3.2 carrera's. Is it better on lower HP cars? I never here anyone complain about the 915 in an RS. or earlier car. People race these all the time, obviously you need to be careful.

2. I have a 914 with the 901 tranny. Is the 915 a step backward in feel? i understand the racing gate loss, but what about feel. I actually like the feel of my 901 and the 930 I once drove also felt really good. I rally like how you can "feel" the synchro rings as opposed to a more modern trans.

I am driving a '86 tomorrow, so i should find out for myself. But, I would like to here a few comments so i can ascertain whether the tranny is in good condition.

Thanks

[john walker's workshop]

915s are fine. when they wear out, they shift differently, just like anything else when it's in need of repair

[4flyboy]

The 915 is an acquired taste and if you like fine sports cars with character you will relish the
involvement the '86 Carrera offers. I faced a similar dilema. I chose an '85 in much better shape with lower miles over a poorer example '87 with half again as many miles. I've never looked back. I do strongly recommend that you drive examples of both if you are able. I owned two 915 equiped 911's prior to my '85 so I knew what to expect. I like a car that is a bit more demanding and I rarely allow anyone to drive mine not because I'm selfish but because it is demanding and can be difficult to drive smoothly. That said my sister drives a pristine '87 Turbo Carrera quite well and loves it. If you fall in love with the '86 tomorrow have a thorough PPI I done and forget about the G-50.

Just my .02 best of luck,

Scott

[Peter Zimmermann]

The 915 is a wonderful transmission, but for it to shift like a proper 915 everything internally, as well as the clutch, clutch linkage, and shift linkage must be in good order. The 915 car relies on many adjustments, and all must be correct to give a good driving experience. Today, the newest P-car out there fitted with a 915 is more than twenty years old (is that really possible); so much can be wrong with any given car that you must try to find the most knowledgeable (with the '80s cars) technician to do your PPI. Also, when you drive a 915 try to never exceed 4500 rpm in 1st gear, and always use a two-part shift (remove the trans from the gear that you're in, find the pressure point for the gear that you want and feel the lever into that gear), before long you'll figure it out. The 915 is all about touch, you must adapt to it, it cannot adapt to you.

[Roger 911]

As the previous posts suggest, a 915 in good working order is fine. I certainly wouldn't pay much of a premium for a car ONLY to get a G50. I would also add, that perception is relevant to one's experience. You're coming from a 914. An '86 911 w/ a 915 will be a noticeable improvement from your 914 (I had two 914s, '74 and '75). On the other hand, I had a '94 Miata that had way better shift feel than any of the above mentioned cars...but the engine was in the wrong place!

[jurhip]

You just have the drive the miata backwards.

Even then, it probably outperforms most of the mentioned

[gerrygug]

Originally Posted by john walker's workshop

915s are fine. when they wear out, they shift differently, just like anything else when it's in need of repair

+1 to John's observation
Most of the time the problem is not the transmission but the bushings and linkage being worn out or out of adjustment. The only thing I would add is that if you are short like my wife (5'3") you can't get the seat close enough to reach the clutch properly with out hitting the seat in 2nd gear.

If you are performance oriented, some feel the solution is a Wevo shift kit.

[84_Carrera]

Agreed with everything the guys above mentioned. I just had my 915 rebuilt, new clutch, shift bushings, new engine & trans mounts, and it's a MUCH better (read: predictable) shift now. I still find an occasional 3rd gear bind, but that also seems to be rpm-related with the new aluminum clutch... a slightly higher blip of the throttle seems to help there.

I think it just adds "character" which is half of what the car's all about anyway... being able to drive an M3 fast vs. a 3.2L 911... "better driver required" should be the warning sticker on the sunvisors of the older cars.

[Matt Monson]

jurhip,
If you are coming from a 914 into driving a car with a 915 you won't have anything to complain about other than maybe having to "learn" a new shift pattern. I agree with the others here who say it's about maintenance and upkeep and respecting the tranny. If you drove a 930 and liked it, you will like the 915. They use the same 1-2 and 3-4 shift mechanisms in them.

As for your question of why you see more complaints about 915 equipped Carrera 3.2's it's probably because the same car was offered later with a G50, which many consider better. You couldn't even get a '73 Carrera RS with a G50. But you often see similar discussions about buying a long nose 911 and guys invariably say to buy a '72 or '73 because they are "upgraded" to the 915. It's the same sort of thing. You've got a model with two options side by side, and the newer option tends to get favoured because rarely did Porsche go backwards on their designs and release something that was worse than what preceeded it.

[RWebb]

the 915 does not have quite as good a feel as the older 901 and 911 tranny's - not sure how many of the above have driven both, but I have

the difference is small, however.
915 shift pattern sucks.

[htron435]

My first 911 was an 88 carrera with the G50. It shifted pretty much like any other car out there. My next two 911's were (and are) SC's with the 915. Basically, if you're used to powershifting a 5.0 Mustang, you'd be fine with a g50 but you'd destroy a 915. The main difference is that you have to shift a bit slower and a bit more deliberately. If you can do that, you'll be fine with the 915. If it grinds going from first to second, you probably just tried to shift a hair too quickly. I tracked all three cars, and never had any issues.

[jurhip]

Well,
I did drive the car and decided to pass - not because of the tranny though.

Today I drove an 87. Seemed to be very well kept, 58K miles but no records. All appeared really well but I noticed the a pillar on the door was rubbed from a metal tab sticking through the felt seal on the door. All gaps appeared good and I couldn't find any evidence of crash repair, so I am not sure what is going on there. Anybody else experience this.

I am actually going to have this car inspected but would appreciate any input on the a-pillar deal.