Description
BEN AUTO DESIGN – 986 to 997.2 Shifter’s Side lever upgrade.
The lateral movement of your transmission’s shifter has to be converted into a longitudinal movement in order to actuate the cables and shifting mechanisms. This is done the same way on the Porsche Sports Cars from the 986 (from 1996) to the second gen 997 (up to 2010).
The system works fine when new, but it is not designed to last… And it doesn’t !
The original plastic parts rubbing on each other will wear, no matter how well maintained your car is.
The only solution so far was to replace the whole shifter assembly. Most of the play will be located between the plastic shaft, and the plastic lever. Add to that the play that can appear between the shifter’s ball end, and the plastic lever too and you can end up with a very blurry shifting feel, even with a new short shifter kit !
Now there is a cure!
This kit replaces the whole “side lever” assembly with a beautiful CNC machined aluminum part. The plastic shaft is replaced with a steel one, the lever now rotates on ball bearings, and the ball end of the shifter rides on a replaceable Delrin insert. (Two included in the kit, each one can be flipped to be used twice !)
This kit will bring your shifter beyond what it was when it was still new !
Compatible with most Short Shifter kits on the market.
Remember: No matter how expensive and nice your shifter is, it can only be as good as your engine mounts. Boxster and Cayman especially suffer from worn front engine mounts that can negatively impact your driving experience. The 911, with it’s backward configuration suffers less from this phenomenon.
Here are the install instructions:
RICHARD FUERSTENBERG (verified owner) –
Just received the part so haven’t installed yet but it looks and feels like a quality part .
Gary (verified owner) –
Haven’t installed it yet, but looking forward to the improvement.
Eric Schmidt (verified owner) –
I already have Ben’s short shift kit and it works great. This is the next add-on that will make it even better.
Wallace Sparks (verified owner) –
Love this side shifter , very sturdy and looks and works great as it should.
Thomas Willis (verified owner) –
Michael B. (verified owner) –
Craig M. (verified owner) –
Awesome product
KANG JEN WU (verified owner) –
Johnny H. (verified owner) –
No problem work as designed
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Directions could be clearer. Especially with regards to installing both upgrades at the same time.
TOM (verified owner) –
Nice direct shift feel.
anthony davenport (verified owner) –
Gabriel C. (verified owner) –
Incredible upgrade over the stock side lever. Beautifully finished.
David C. (verified owner) –
The part came just as expected and installation took about 2 hours from start, (ie removing the shift console – under 30 min), to finish (ie reinstalling the shift console – 30 min). I did drive the car a few miles to make sure it was shifting properly before reinstalling the console.
Kurt F. (verified owner) –
Great quality , thanks
TERRY JONES (verified owner) –
Definitely the finishing touch, especially when you remove the plastic original and see the wear, and I really would not want to reuse that with the finely machined short shifter. This side lever is a fine piece of work as well–they are a great pair!
Evan P. (verified owner) –
Another quality product, compliments the shifter and brings it all together nicely.
Doug B. (verified owner) –
Great machined upgrade.
Ron Martinez (verified owner) –
Haven’t installed my new shifter kit yet, but the product quality looks great as advertised and it was delivered very quickly with excellent packaging. Look forward to getting it installed!
Jeremiah S. (verified owner) –
Great design and build quality.
Joshua (verified owner) –
Nice product
R John K. (verified owner) –
James (verified owner) –
Along with the short shifter, this totally changes the feel of driving my car. This is what Porsche should’ve used in the first place. Pretty straightforward installation.
Bob H. (verified owner) –
Make sure you pull the trigger on this one when purchasing the BED Short Shifter to complete the upgrade and get the maximum performance. It’s worth it! Sent all my old 911 (996) factory plastic to the trash and recycling bins and now enjoy sharp shifting in both forward and reverse.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Very nice quality piece
Steven K. (verified owner) –
Excellent product and service , highly recommend
Mark S. (verified owner) –
A very nice piece of engineering. It takes the slop out of the left-to-right movement that you get in other high-end shifters,
Bryan S. (verified owner) –
Chris V. (verified owner) –
Make sure you add this to your shifter purchase. Very easy to install.
Edward (verified owner) –
Took all the slop out of my shifter along with the short throw I installed at the same time.
Stacy L. (verified owner) –
Very well-made part.
Chris J. (verified owner) –
Anybody that has a 986/996 needs to purchase this part. It is a necessity! More important, the customer service handled by the owner himself. What a great guy & experience!
Joseph J. (verified owner) –
Ordered the Ben Auto Design Porsche Short Shifter
and Shifter Side Lever Upgrade, parts came quickly and the quality looks amazing, will be a shame to hide them under the shift boot. Look forward to installing them and providing additional feedback then.
Kenneth K. (verified owner) –
Quality part
Dan (verified owner) –
Very easy to install.
Taylor I. (verified owner) –
Excellent craftsmanship, the piece I received was a different color than the photo, but it was super high quality and fit perfectly