Yessir. The 997 standard is nice, but I don't mind the long throw of the 996. I've never had any issue keeping up with gear selection in any sort of heel/toe rev matching shift and the slick feeling of the 996 leverage keeps my shifting procedure smooth which keeps the gearbox alive. The 997 could and does make it faster, but then this thread wasn't about how quick you could bang through the gears and rough up balk rings

Just my opinion. Take it with a grain of salt.....

 

symptomatically, that's back asswards. strange. are you SURE your GEAR OIL was changed at 30K service?? that is ( again ) NOT recommended, nor would it just happen.

think of a dealer 30k service as changing the oil+ filter/cabin filter, couple other little things.. and if anything falls off or is about to, they might see it, and tell you about it. they sure wouldn't mess with the clutch, beyond a press of the pedal or two.

if you aren't certain about when or if you've changed gear oil, you might want to invest in a bottle of gear oil. i only say this because it's less about the low mileage of your car, than it is how long it may have been sitting inside of your trans. fresh gear oil usually results in smoother transmission function. in my limited experience. again, redline 90 is good. good luck

 

With all this talk of the gear fluid being the culprit of hard shifting > then why does it not show up on stock shifter but only when it is switched to a short throw shifter?..lol..
When I had my stock shifter and went to B+M short shifter, which was installed at dealer,it was notchy and hard to shift when cold BUT then I went to the 997 short shifter which was installed by same tech at dealer it was alot smoother and felt perfect...My point is that I never did anything with trans fluid and still havent...
Just Saying..

 

i don't know about "all this talk" i only know that lousy ( read old ) gear oil can contribute to difficulty with gear engagement, esp at cold startup.

i also believe that you and i might be able to quickly discern the difference between imprecise shifting caused by the shifter cables being misaligned, as opposed to old coagulated gear oil that is no longer functioning optimally.

i don't think that someone that is relatively "new" to 996t's would as definitively know the difference. is all i'm sayin'. hence my suggestion to think about trans oil as a contributant, if not even possibly the problem. having said all that, it's probably IS the cables. lol.

 

I'll give the dealership a call today, but I suspect that if they don't change the gear oil unless upon request, then they definitely didn't do it lol. Thanks for the advice!

 

yes, do. they don't change the gear oil unless you specifically requested they do so. it takes them minutes to check/adjust the shift cables inside the cabin or even switch out a shifter if they know what they're doing.. a bit longer for gear oil but at this juncture i would do it, given your issues. but check both, you'll find your problem i bet. again, good luck with it.

 

Makes sense. So plan of attack will have them change gear oil and reinstall the shifter. If that doesn't work, either 997 or 996 standard towers. Would you recommend upgrading to billet shift linkages if I go with a new shifter? More as a preventitive measure over time

 

my only experience with shifters is from stock to a 997ssk. i've never had any issues beyond difficulty engaging a gear while engine/trans was cold. it was much worse until i switched out OLD gear oil. how old? anyone's guess. it's oil, ya gotta change it. as to switching to an aftermarket shifter? i ( personally ) would stick with OEM. either a 997 stock or 997 ssk though many here and elsewhere have zero issues running b&m for example. i just like certain things to be oem if possible. that's just me.

ps they don't NEED to re-intall the shifter per se.. just check the linkage/cables for proper length etc. it's a few minute job, but don't worry, they'll charge ya an hour min. lol.

 

Yea I'll make sure to specify that. So I just scheduled an appointment for next week. I asked for full fluid change because that's do. I'll ask them to make sure the cable lengths are all good and if not they should reinstall the shifter. Anything else to add on that may help with my problem?

 

just share with them the info you've gleaned here. since if your actual transmission is ok, which presumably it is(!?) it can only be one or a combo of the things we've gone over.

also, a really good idea is to try and befriend some local guys with these cars as any number of folks could tell, at least within the range of an educated guess, what might be causing it. i HATE diagnosing stuff at btw $100.00/$200.00 hour! that's usually fraught with misinformation and expense while they scratch their collective heads. at least, in here.. ya get what ya pay for

 

Thanks for all the advice! I know of a few members in my area that are extremely knowledgable so I'll try to get in contact with them.

 

no prob man.. in a year, you'll be sharing the info you get here and through your ownership with the next batch of guys lucky enough to be hangin on for dear life on the "porsche turbo learning curve". cheers
... and report back so we know what it was.. or wasn't!

 

Not kidding you... That 996 TT is wickedly fast and you will learn to treat that throttle with respect (especially in the twisties).

 

I bought my car with a Schnell SSK installed. I hated it -- vague and artificial-feeling. The gearbox also was very "notchy" when cold. My mechanic put a GT3 shifter in the car and changed the gear oil to a synthetic (Amsoil/Redline?). That combination has transformed the shifting. I still think that the 1-2 shift is not great, and the box is certainly not as smooth as my 987 was. However, it is very precise, if not the ultimate in smoothness.