After a long time thinking about, researching, and corresponding with vendors I finally got the DeMan 2-5 short gear set installed and have been driving for about a week. I am very happy with the quality of the product and how efficiently DeMan Motorsports was able to complete the work. I did need to ship my transmission to them and they even helped me find reasonably priced reliable shipping when we weren’t able to on our own. Someone was always readily available by phone or email (despite them having much bigger projects going on at the time) throughout the process which I appreciated as well. After installation, the local shop I work with who specializes in Porsches (Modern Aircooled in Houston) also commented that the transmission rebuild quality was excellent and the turn around time was very fast in comparison to other transmissions they have installed in the past.

I have driven mostly on streets and highways and wanted to share my comparisons to stock before I forget what stock feels like for those who are interested. I was not in the camp of people who hated or even noticed a huge deficiency with the stock gearing. I could have lived with it as is but wanted to know what the car felt like with shorter gearing because it seems to be such a hot topic with reviewers and has caused a lot of fuss. I would say the spacing of the gears now feels perfect – not too long or too short. With the stock gearing I felt like in order to stay in the right part of the powerband, I had to use 1st gear like an actual working gear that I would even frequently rev match and downshift into for slow turns and corners. Cruising around at lower/regular speeds on the street I felt like I was either too high in second or too low in third. I don’t think I ever felt the need to go to 4rth or 5th unless on the highway or freeway. With the shorter gearing 1st is still the same, but 2nd is now reasonable so I only really am using 1st for startup and initiation like any traditional manual. I no longer feel the need to downshift back into 1st for any reason. Shifting into 3rd from 2nd is a lot more frequent and I am almost always cruising comfortably in the right part of the powerband in 3rd on the street and then shifting into 4rth as well when the speed picks up. 3-4-5 shifting on the highway is great and closely spaced. 6th is still the same as stock and great for freeway cruising. In addition to shifting more frequently, the RPM drops between the gears when upshifting are closer spaced so you don’t start so far back in the powerband when say you are shifting from 2nd into 3rd or 3rd into 4rth. You are generally still in the same part or near the same part of the powerband from where you shifted so the transition between the gears is smoother and you are faster between shifts. These impressions are all from daily street and some mild/moderate spirited driving as I’ve been limited by weather, time, and traffic. I am planning to do some real spirited drives and some laps at the local track very soon (although I am not a hardcore track guy) where I am sure the shortened gearing will shine even more.

Important to note, I am still not redlining second and third gear (very often) any more frequently on the street and I still don’t think I need to. This is a high revving high speed car and if you want to redline the gears you still need to get out in the open roads without many other drivers obstructing you or to a track. If the gears were much shorter I have a feeling you might have problems putting all the power down or with traction or be shifting too frequently. I am, however, engaging with the shifter more upshifting/downshifting and finding myself in a preferable part of the powerband instead of being in an awkward part of it.

All in all very happy with the new gearing. The shorter gearing also works in conjunction and brings the best out of the other mods I have (Ninemeister lightweight flywheel and sports clutch, Numeric shifter, Kline exhaust and headers, Softronics tune) since you are shifting more, getting higher in the rev range for the same given speed, and correspondingly getting to hear the engine and exhaust react. If you are thinking about regearing, I would highly recommend DeMan Motorsports due to the product quality, efficiency, and being customer friendly. If you live in Houston and are looking for a shop that does quality work at very reasonable rates I would highly recommend Modern Aircooled who I have trusted for all my mods.

If you’re looking for “long term feedback”, I had a set in my 981 for over two years and had zero issues. When I bought the 718 it was a foregone conclusion that I would put in the shorter gears; they work great with the 4.0L’s power band, make the car more of an occasion on the street, and keep you in the power band more effectively on track. Literal no-brainer if you’re thinking of doing it.