Thinking about an early 996 C4 with, gulp....Tip
06-12-2009, 01:06 PM
#16
Drifting
Thread Starter
if you buy a tip, 02+ is a very very good unit, mercedes built fully electronic 5 speed, excellent in all cars I've had with it from Benz/AMG and Porsche. The version in C2/C4S is not the same exact unit that's in the turbo, it's a variation of the same unit from the same manufacturer but rated for less torque, and in the case of the C2 lacking output to the front diff. I personally like the unit much, much more than the earlier tip, it's night and day for me, even though I don't have as much seat time in the older unit as I've only actually owned the newer one.
Whether or not you'll like it depends on how you drive. Above 2.5 - 3K rpm it feels fully locked up, the most manual like of all automatics I've driven, but below 3k it'll lag a little, still has a torque converter after all. It shifts very smoothly, and is a dream in heavy heavy LA or NYC traffic, especially because it will hold and "creep" in 2nd gear to and from stops, so its smooth and saves on gas, and is also handy in wet weather. This same feature can also get annoying since the car is not fast starting in 2nd and sounds awful starting in 2nd, so if you're into a more spirited experience, you'll need to grab first manually, which is not exactly a chore since 02+ are all Tiptronic "S", meaning the steering wheel shift controls work even when the shifter is in fully automatic mode. On the plus side, 1st is good for like 45 mph, but expect MPG in the high single digits driving around like that.
It will not hold a gear at redline and bounce off the limiter in manual mode though, it will shift up instead. Meaning you have to have a pretty good understanding of weight transfer and throttle application in large radius turns, and be able to plan accordingly. It's a non-issue around town, but if you plan on any HPDE events, make sure you look at the course from the perspective of 5 speed gearing.
It's a great option for heavy urban traffic, and for those of us who are stuck in those types of areas.
One word of advice, if you live in a big city with awful roads like I do, don't buy 19 inch wheels, stick with 18s, and a stock suspension.
Whether or not you'll like it depends on how you drive. Above 2.5 - 3K rpm it feels fully locked up, the most manual like of all automatics I've driven, but below 3k it'll lag a little, still has a torque converter after all. It shifts very smoothly, and is a dream in heavy heavy LA or NYC traffic, especially because it will hold and "creep" in 2nd gear to and from stops, so its smooth and saves on gas, and is also handy in wet weather. This same feature can also get annoying since the car is not fast starting in 2nd and sounds awful starting in 2nd, so if you're into a more spirited experience, you'll need to grab first manually, which is not exactly a chore since 02+ are all Tiptronic "S", meaning the steering wheel shift controls work even when the shifter is in fully automatic mode. On the plus side, 1st is good for like 45 mph, but expect MPG in the high single digits driving around like that.
It will not hold a gear at redline and bounce off the limiter in manual mode though, it will shift up instead. Meaning you have to have a pretty good understanding of weight transfer and throttle application in large radius turns, and be able to plan accordingly. It's a non-issue around town, but if you plan on any HPDE events, make sure you look at the course from the perspective of 5 speed gearing.
It's a great option for heavy urban traffic, and for those of us who are stuck in those types of areas.
One word of advice, if you live in a big city with awful roads like I do, don't buy 19 inch wheels, stick with 18s, and a stock suspension.
