I have a b&m on my e46 m3 and I love it. It is notchy at first, but it makes the gears feel so much more sporty over time

 

I know B&M made the oem 996 ssk, they were both high quality metal just different colors. I'm not sure about the 997, as the oem is plastic. Can anybody confirm?
I have the oem in the turbo and it feels great. I also used both B&M and OEM ssk in the 996, they were equal in terms of performance. Neither was any more notchy than my current factory installed ssk.

 

BM is not the OEM supplier for the 997 ssk, as they were for the 996, this is why their (BM) 997 kit is basically a retroverted 996 unit. I believe a polish company has that deal now. The bushings on the OEM are plastic/teflon, where the BM is steel, the rest of the shifter is steel. On a 996, the BM is the way to go, on the 997, go OEM. I have it and love it!

 

I just installed the B&M SSK and its great. Adjusted it a little tighter than OEM and I like the click in. The entire kit is aluminum not steel. The OEM bushings are Plastic(cut it out). The other plastic clip that fits over the ball pointed end that sits in the channel to the left of the shifter is also removed and the new SSK has a larger ball that sits in the channel. Grease it up and let her rip.

The color is Black(larger) bushings or Blue(Smaller Bushings). I used the Blue Bushing the black ones are too large.

I had European Auto Garage do the work for me in Knoxville, TN. I was up there for a meet and greet and had them do it. Great shop and great people. I think some of you know David Hinkle and of course MiniDHinkle. They were very thorough and friendly.

Thanks David!

Also thank you Eric for the great price on the B&M and very fast delivery!! Great experience everytime.

 

Just installed the OEM short shifter. What a huge difference! The OEM SSK is clearly different than B&M in design. It's not just a straight piece of metal but actually angled slightly above and below the ball. Dealer installed it for $200, fully warrantied, worth it to me.

 

i have the b&m shifter in my car and i think it sucks! i can never put it in first gear. when tha car is cold its so hard to shift gears! go with oem!

 

Sorry to hear that. The OEM is nice and snug. Completely satisfied. It may cost more ($350 vs $175) but for piece of mind, it was worth it to me.

 

I went with the OEM ssk part about 4 months ago. Started out quite notchy but is improving. The throw distance is not grossly changed but definitely better. But I miss the smooth operation of the original. It was amazing. I suspect it will end up there, but not yet. I'd likely do it again, but I expected something a bit better. IMHO, a cable-operated notchy stick just feels a bit low rent.
If the non-OEM is even more notchy (notchier?), I'd recommend against it.

 

i might change it. who knows?

 

Oh no, you wimped out?! I thought you were going to do it yourself. j/k

I have the B&M as well, I've driven a car with the OEM SSK and mine with the B&M, to me for $199 you can't beat the price. I know some people are wild on OEM but for the price difference and quality I'd rather go with B&M.

If you have the patience and the ability, do it yourself and save the money, you can't beat this mod for $199.

 

Something is wrong with your installation. I have the B&M and yes, when cold it takes a BIT more to put it in first (and it's in the 20's here in the morning), but nothing like you describe. Sounds like the cables just need adjusting.

For all the back and forth, here are the facts:

Yes, if you are a worry wort about warranty, and do not have a good relationship with your service folks, spend more money on the Porsche version.

If you want a perfect product for the money, and don't sweat minor mods like this with your dealer/service folks, get the B&M.

B&M DID make the Porsche shifter years ago. B&M does not make the 'oem' Porsche shifter today. Does that make one better than the other? Nope. Both are high quality products. B&M is a great company with a superior warranty to any shifters we've seen, and stands behind their products 100%. We are a primary distributor for a reason - the product works. And it works well and drivers love it.

So if you want the plastic bushings and such that come with the factory unit, or you want peace of mind or you worry about warranty (it would be a far cry for a shifter to cause a warranty issue, but I'm sure someone could find a way), then go with the Porsche branded product. If you want something just as good, if not better, B&M will do the trick, and for less money.

You won't go wrong either way.

 

so eric what do you think it is? the cable??? thanks for your help!

 

I can tell you that I got the OEM shifter from Suncoat for $345 and the dealer installed it for $200. It works beautifully. So I paid about $150 more and for piece of mind, it was worth to me. If I didn't like how they installed it or nicked/scuffed something up during the center console removal then I know the dealer would cover it. Also, it is fully warrantied.

 

I'm a bit late to this party, but I had a Schnell short shifter installed that I bot a couple years ago for about $175. The gears seem to shift ok, but is this a quality product?

 

I installed the B&M in my TT and had the OEM short unit in my 7GT3. The 7GT3 unit was stiffer and notchier than the B&M. I prefer the B&M unit, but both are much better than the OEM (long) unit.