short shift kit

[David Lovelace]

I have recently installed a Weltmeister short shift kit in my 912E. The shift now feels "spongy" and 3rd is a B***H to hit! downshift from 5th to 4th or 3rd isn't fun either! Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Weltmeister clamed it would cut the travel of the shift almost in half. I can say that this statement is true. It would be a blast if the shift felt better.

[Rick Becker]

David:

Have you checked your shift coupler in front of the transaxle? When the bushings get worn the shifter gets sloppy...with that short shift it any wear in the bushings would be more evident....

Ditto for a worn/ cracked ball cup bushing, but you probably would have noticed that when you installed the short shift kit.

Cheers,
Rick Becker

[Wayne 962]

The following paragraph is from our 914 shifting improvements article, but the advise holds true for any short shift kit:

Some people also install what is called a short-shift kit into their 914s. This will not solve any problems, and will in most cases make a poorly shifting car shift even worse. The reason for this is that the torque arm on the shift lever is much shorter, giving you much less 'resolution' on your shifter. It's similar to having a gas pedal that only travels 1 inch over its range instead of 2-3 inches. You would have less precision in how much throttle you wanted to give the car. In a similar manner, you will have less precision on where the shift rod is placed.