docmirror

Looking at a tip car. Never had one, don't know anything about them, and I've done some searching, but no threads on the overall viability etc.

What say you on the tip?

968 GUY

I have one, at 100k miles the damper went out. Cost 900 for a new one. I replaced it myself.
I could tell the torque converter hat been replaced at one point.
I do enjoy it. It of course is not as quick as my 6 speed, but still fun.

jeff968

There are some great tip 968s out there. The tranny cost $5K extra when new but really took a bite out of the 968 performance. There is a period car & driver article that you should look for. I believe the 0-60 with the 6 speed is 6.1 seconds and 8 seconds plus with the tip. Still, if cruising is what you are looking for and you don't want to shift there is nothing wrong with a nice 968 with the tiptronic.

docmirror

I just don't want to get one and have to deal with a bunch of crap for a few years. My wife could drive it and we could use it for some trips and be more comfy than the the damn Mini.

Wonder how much work to convert to manual. Yuch job too.

jeff968

You won't have to deal with a bunch of crap. The car should be fine, and they typically sell for 20% less then a like 6 speed. Conversions can be done but it is a big job.

tamathumper

You won't have to worry about pinion gear failure, but you will have to worry about the damper plate going and they're one of those scarce items ($$$).

Tranny swap would include a chip change, too, IIRC.

968 GUY

A swap may cost more than trading.
As I stated in my first post, the damper went, it is slower, but for the average person who wants a 968 and not interested in racing everyone and everything, it is a good car.

docmirror

Man, I'm reading the WSM on the tip and it doesn't look promising. Every fault devolves to "replace HCU" for all detected mechanical faults. There's miles of wiring and connectors. I'm gonna have to test the car with a Bosch hammer to verify it's all working right now. Maybe I'll go back to the 6 sp.

User 41221

For what it's worth, I've had my '92 968 cab/tip for 13 years and it's been dead reliable and I love it.

bbain

I've got a tip. Here's my input:

- The damper plate will go out and will need to be replaced. I paid around $1700 to have it serviced. It seems it was about 90k miles when it went again. At that time, I had my tip modded to use a clutch plate instead of the damper. No problems since. The mechanic that works on my car does the damper plate service fairly regularly (big fleet of customer tip cars) and says he has had no problems sourcing the part.

- One of the switches in my shifting circuit board (board under the interior shift cover) went. Porsche does not sell individual switches for the board, only the entire circuit board itself. I can't remember the exact price, but I know it was expensive (over $1000). Luckily, my mechanic fitted a used switch sourced from a cabriolet mechanism and it has been working good as new. I'm told that the switches are typically bomb-proof. Guess I'm special like that...

- Noises started coming from the tranny. Upon inspection, there were metal filings in the fluid. The tranny was cleaned, but the verdict was that it would happen again. Options: rebuild the tranny (very expensive) or get another one. Luckily, I found a used tranny for under $500 the next day and bought it. No problems since. I've been told that this issue is rare for a tip. My mechanic works on many tips and has never seen one fail like mine did. Guess I'm special like that...

For me, I really like the car so putting the money into it wasn't a debate. Ironically, when I first started looking to buy a 968 the "tipping" point (pun intended) for me was the widely reported pinion failure (which I believe has been sorted out to some extent..?) of the manual tranny. So I chose the tip. I'd buy another one again. And if I bought another one I would mod it to use a clutch plate when the damper plate went on it.

Cool that you have a Hammer.

Damian in NJ

Make sure the motor mounts are ok, they are tip specific and as I recall reading very expensive. As for driving one, one up to speed they handle as great as manual 968's do.

Grandpa#3

Hi bbain, Can you get the type clutch plate to use in the 968 Tip from your mechanic in case I should ever need one?

Cheers,
Larry

User 41221

Indeed. I got to experience the thrill of doing motor mounts twice as the manual ones (which look exactly like the tip motor mounts) rattled my teeth out. Once I got a set of proper tip mounts, I was amazed at the difference. They aren't all that experience, relative to factory mounts, but are a bit hard to come by. Order them from Sunset and you'll be fine.

Seriously, all the cabs should have come with the tip imo, its really great for that. Its not the ultimate for performance, but it really fits these cars well.

bbain

Hey Larry,

The mod is a bit more involved than just swapping a clutch plate for the damper (isn't it always). The guys that did my mod had done it on a couple of other tips, so I was comfortable with them doing it. Also, they were able to source used parts from a 944S on the cheap. That said, here is a basic list of what was changed:

- 944S flywheel
- 944S manual pressure plate
- manual clutch plate
- 944S manual drive shaft and tube

When I had my done, I left it at the shop for a while so they could source the needed parts. With all the parts and labor, it only cost me about $350 more than having the damper replaced again.

VGM911

The tip. vs manual choice is always a personal decision, but considering the declining number of manuals sold in this country (I think it's about 7% of new cars), and the fun you can have with a manual, I'd suggest a manual for the OP. The tip sucks the fun out of driving the car, in my opinion.