Gery,

Not to lash out at you, but have you been following this thread at all? Everyone here who actually owns a Tip agrees that it is as good or better performing than a 6-speed manual! Yes even on the track, unless you're a Michael Schummacher type.

 

Trojan,
I am just expressing my opinion. What is your complaint?
I do own Tip and think 6 speed does feel more precise and you control the action, not the software program...

 

Luckily for Porsche they began development of their"PDK" gearbox some 15-20 years ago that has morphed into Audi's DSG gearbox. By all press accounts so far this wipes the floor with SMG.

As to the 996 being a GT cruiser, you're probably right. It really comes down to the driver and what they can get out of it, rather than any failing of the car itself. I always think this kind of comment is particularly amusing when you read the lap times of various cars around the Nurburgring to see which is fastest. Kind of sorts the men out from the boys, or the cruisers from the racers.

 

Gery,

It's not so much a complaint as it is a comment. Of course everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, but the overall consensus feeling that I gathered from this thread (and my personal experience) is that the TIP tranny does NOT lag and furthermore 99% of drivers cannot take full advantage of the manual transmission's "precision" that you speak of.

If you happen to be one of the 1% who can shift like a race car driver, then kudos to you.

I'm really not saying this to be derrogatory or insulting to you at all. I just disagree with your comment that the PORSCHE TIP lags, although I would say that the AUDI TIP does lag.

 

A little fuel for the fire ( I said this in old thread on the same subject)...


A Porsche with a tip is like sex with a condom.

 

Does that make a clutch pedal like "coitus interuptus"??? At least witha condom you don't have to worry about "over-revving" :-)

 

Of course, you get the fuel cut off at redline.

 

My only complaint about the tip is that it is self-learning rather than having distinct shift programs. Problem as I see it is that I go from slow boring commute (but ok w/ top down!) to redlining through back road twisties. Little in between. The transmission has probably learned something "average" which is not very appealing to the backroads. Of course the solution is simply to flick into "M" mode and do the shifting manually. No big deal, but having distinct auto shift patterns for "sport" and "cruise" modes would make the sporting drives in "A" more enjoyable. But like I said, all problems solved "M" mode.

 

Redcab- I don't think so. It learns within one or 2 corners that you are trying to go fast. Try this next time. Find your favorite road with curves. Go hard into the first turn, brake late and be going fast enough to load the suspension-the outside front should significantly dip. Then concentrate on pushing the throttle to the floor as quiclky as you can on corner exit. By that I mean the throttle must go all the way to the floor, and you shouldn't "feed in"" throttle but completely and rapidly depress it. If you keep hard on the gas to the next corner, when you brake, the tip will downshift going into the turn and it will hold the gear when you let off the gas. If you floor it on the way out, you'll get full red-line upshifts. The most crucial elements are the speed at which you stomop the throttle, and how hard you brake and corner. I learned it with Derreck Bell in the driver's seat with me in the passenger side. Initially, I wasn't loading the car enough. Try it, you'll like it. AS

 

AS -
I'll try it, and I'm thinking of just the road to do it on. My only concern is that with my foot pumping the floor so much I'm going to see my speed well above the limit physics will allow me for the next corner. Maybe what I really need is a DE day.

-jerry

 

AS -
Just thought about your reply a little more...are you saying that the tip's program inputs also includes steering angle, braking %, suspension compression, in addition to accelerator position? That would be cool.

-j

 

Great thread,......

I'd just mention that the Tip's used in the 996's are chippable and it makes a very nice difference.

Shifts are quicker, full-auto upshifts are held to redline at WOT and overall, its much better behaved,...

We've been pleased with the results and if anyone is interested, contact me directly for more info and details.

 

Redcab- my impression is that you've got to be braking hard and turning. Just braking hard and accelerating hard doesn't seem to get the aggressive downsifts under braking and prevent the upshift on cornering. Agreed that its easier to figure out on a track. On the street, the most you can generally appreciate is the change in the downshift timing and pattern (1 downshift or 2) dependent on how quickly you mash the gas. Slow push to the floor generally gets only one, but really fast and hard push generally downshifts 2 gears) The car quickly reads the depression rate of the throttle.
In my experience, the button upshifts are hard to do at redline, wheras the full auto upshifts are right on red line. Lastly, it's much easier to learn a course with a 4 speed manual compared to a 6 speed. You wind up needing multiple laps just to figure out ideal shift points. The tip in full auto solves that, and one more benefit. There are some sweeping corners like the backside at Gingerman where you top out a gear in the middle of the corner. You can't upshift in a manual because the pause unsettles the rear and provokes a spin (if your're near the limit). The tip in full auto can successfully upshift in a sweeping corner and get the power back down, so the rear stays down and the car stays in control. I have absolutely lost it there when I tried the upshift in my Lotus Elise 190R. AS

 

Just to sum it up. It's great, but the little troll that controls shifting can fall asleep during commute and needs to be awaken..
BTW, maybe it's my troll in particular, but going from slow to fast shifting takes time, and I would preffer ability to control that fuzzy stuff

 

I'm very surprised that "chipping" Tips hasn't become more popular (or is it that Tip owners generally don't worry @ such things) since it works well and has fewer drawbacks than "chipping" Engine controllers. I've driven a modded Carrera Tip and was very impressed with the shift speed, low RPM operation, and overall feel. In fact, we kept a Tip "in the pack" at a track event last fall - many were amazed that an "automatic" could hang with the "sticks".....
J
PS - yes, I'm biased. I own a Tip!