mtmd

HI, i'm new to the 996 turbo. have always driven standard transmissions and of course automatics but have no experience with tiptronics.

Do most use this feature or do you tend to just keep the transmission mode as automatic.

I thought it would be just like a manual transmission without the clutch pedal but for some reason it doesn't seem to feel exactly the same as i would have envisioned.

I'd sure appreciate some pointers, thank you.

Kevinmacd

Tiptronics are automatic transmissions. There is a lag in changing gears manually. You can buy an upgrade software for the tiptronic which helps somewhat. Since this is a true automatic it will never feel like a manual, or the new PDK dual clutch system Porsche now uses as a replacement for the tiptronic. Even though the tiptronic is one of the best shifting autos it still does not have the manual or pdk feel. My only suggestion is to use it and get used to it.

grayman

I think there was an article in Excellence or PCA Pano a few years ago about why Hurley Haywood loves the Tiptronic.

When I am just putting around I leave it in auto mode. When I am on tight twisties, I use the buttons and shift manually. I still own 3 manual cars, but I have really warmed up to the tip over the last two years of ownership. True, it is not as fast or as "smart" as the PDK, but it does shift quickly, probably as fast if not a little faster than I shift a manual (I go kinda easy shifting my manual cars "Mechanical Sympathy" as I think Vic Elford calls it) The TCU supposedly has around 250 different shift maps programmed into it. The way I figure, every system is tied together (engine, tranny, AWD system) with sensors, and the ECU make all of those systems work together in harmony (think about a modern fighterplane and how all of its systems are tied together via computer). My driving skills are no where close to being able to do what this modern system can do.

I'm sure all of the "Chicktronic" haters are preparing to flame me, but to each their own. Just play around with it and have some fun.

fanny bay r1

I simply can't understand why anyone would ever buy a Porsche with a Tip - well unless you can't teach your wife to drive a manual I guess!!!

grayman

I bought a 996 Turbo Tip because my wife has plates and screws in her ankle and cant work a clutch anymore. My other two Pcars and Volvo are manuals, so I feel I have the best of both worlds. And after two years of ownership, I have as much fun in the tip as I do in the manuals.

John 996 TT Cab

I specifically went looking for a Tip as my wife had broken both wrists and they didn't heal properly. She couldn't use the manual shifter any more.
I did the Transmission software upgrade when I did the Evoms chip for the engine. It certainly shifts faster than I could with my previous Porsche.
Also, I switched to the RAID paddle shifting steering wheel and I much prefer that to the buttons on the oem wheel.
I seldom use the automatic mode except in heavy traffic. Otherwise I use the paddles.

John in Vancouver

grayman

Hey John, beautiful car.

Ive heard both pro and con ref the TCU upgrade. Does the increase in the speed of the shift only occur in auto mode, or does if shift faster using the buttons as well? My turbo tip in auto mode shifts kinda lazy when i poke along. When I am in auto mode but driving aggressively, the shifts are noticably faster and more positive (no lag)