By-Tor

They do? Just before the rev limiter?

Holger3.2

on different revs, depending on the shift mode your running (as described by Rick Bye, early tips had only 5 shift modes).
If i remember right you normally couldn't rev it to the limit even in manual. If you got the car in the 5 mode, finally revs went really up.

P-daddy

Bingo! Had a Tip few years ago along side with a manual. It was a blast to drive!

jrmdir

Yes, indeed.

Watch the in car track video above. It shifts up through all gears near redline with both hands on the wheel.

Peter65

Just found this (somewhat older) thread and reviving it. Good to read some more balanced experiences and opinions about the Tiptronic! Mostly the opinions on Tiptronics are based on hearsay or heavily biased.

Recently I purchased my first Porsche. A life long dream came true. The 993 was the logical choice for me, due to the combination of a classic air cooled engine and modern day driveability in traffic. Initially I had a preference for a handshifter and I had to make do with a fixed budget of which I thought it would give me enough opportunities. However, the hunt turned out to be a long process in which I saw many cars that left me disappointed. Due to the ever rising prices for a decent 993 I raised my original budget twice, but in the end I was faced with a choice:

1. Go for a manual 993 with at least 150.000 km’s (90,000 miles or more) on the clock, with often a ‘tired’ general condition, a good chance on mechanical problems lurking underneath and a worn interior
2. Consider the possibility of a Tiptronic, which in Europe is generally some € 10k less expensive than a car with a manual gearbox and more or less similar specs and condition

I went out to see quite a number of cars, handshifters as well as Tiptronics, and made some test drives with both options. Opening the Tiptronic option gave me access to low mileage cars in far better overall condition (mechanically and interiorwise) and in most cases better (original) paintwork. The test drives left me convinced that a Tiptronic can indeed be driven enthusiastically in manual mode and I was pleasantly surprised by the agility of the autobox (almost no slipping). So I decided to pull the trigger on this pristine Speed Yellow, low mileage, Varioram Tiptronic I came across in Germany.

I’ve owned it for several months now and the experience of driving it is building up.
On the plus side: with the Tiptronic in manual mode the engine revs up to the red line just as effortlessly and the shifts are smooth and quick (as quick as manual shifting would be, in fact). The ‘adaptive’ programming of the software for the autobox works surprisingly well. Especially the Varioram engine makes a good combination with the Tiptronic box, as it has more torque in the lower revs than a pre-Varioram.
Downside (and in fact the only one for me): the Tiptronic has to do with those 4 long gears, instead of the 6 shorter / closer ratios of the manual box. A 5 or 6-speed Tiptronic would have been nice.

Any regrets of the choice I made? No, not at all. Of course the manual 6 speed will give you a more pure Porsche driving experience, I will never question that. But in the given situation, with a limited budget in a bull market for 993s, I couldn’t have made a better choice. I was able to buy a far better car overall than when I would have stuck to a manual gearbox. I’m enjoying every mile in it with a big grin on my face (and the shifter in manual mode) and in the end that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

Meanwhile I'm in the process of bringing the car up to my personal taste with some slight modifications (the 'slippery slope', I understand?), which is a good part of the fun. Looking forward to spring, when I plan to take the 993 on some trips to the mountains and see how it performs on those twisty roads!