hi everyone,

i'm considering buying a c2 tiptronic since i spend 70% of my time on the street in traffic. porsche quotes 5 secs for manual and 5.5 secs for tiptronic to 100kph and 11 secs for manual and 12 secs for tiptronic to 100 mph.

my question is: are the differences REALLY that big???
i've driven a 997 c2 manual since my brother owns one...will the tip feel much slower??

(pls answer only if you've driven both manual and tip)

thanks

 

Had a Tip on my 02C2 and it was good for city type driving. On the track it seems like it is missing a gear. You seldom use first and I wasn't good enough to get to fifth at WGI or anywhere else. I never did miss a shift however!!!

When driving with other C2s they would gently pull away from me. This is where the different gearing would help!!! I did my tracking in M mode!

Around town it was fine.....especially in stop and go!!

It's a toss up whether I'd get it again were it a no cost option. Since it costs more, I don't have it ordered on my 997!

 

I would recommend the 6 speed.

If you get the tip there will be the invetiable wailing and gnashing of teeth as to why it is no good, it's never in the right gear, it has lower resale vaule and people kick sand at you at the beach because you are a poser.

 

MANUAL!!!!!!

 

thanks boolala____i was just checking previous threads on the subject-
i didnt realize it was such a huge thing with porsche owners....
anyway...since i am not a race driver and my current car is a mercedes sl350 i think the tiptronic will be quite sufficient in terms of speed (i don't intend to use it in manual mode)

just one question: i read that the gearbox adapts to the driving style of the...well...driver. so if i buy a used car, will the gearbox have adapted to the driving style of the previous owner?

 

prb. will . but i think u can have that reset. also after u driving it for a while it will adapt to your driving style. doesnt take it long.

 

70% of your time in traffic and you're going for a 911? I love my 997 but they're crappy rush hour cars in 6 speed or tip. Why not get a commuter car and then get the transmission you want.

That said I have driven both and while I felt I was doing something sacriligious when I was in the tip, I have to admit it was pretty fun and did not seem to suffer a loss of performance.

 

I drive mine (6 speed) every single day in traffic and I have zero regrets. This is my dream car and I like spending as much time in it as possible (even if in crappy traffic).

 

The choice is yours...

I can say this...the TIP is NO slouch on the track...

See a video of a PDE hotlap in a 997S TIP HERE

It's AMAZING!!!

 

Sorry, didn't mean to sound condescending. It's just that driving a Porsche in traffic has always felt like rowing a boat to me. In traffic I prefer being in a car that if it gets clipped, isn't going to send me into therapy.

I prefer to save the Porsche for roads like this.

 

LOL!
boo you need to quit worrying about it.
some people consider ALL the water-cooled porsche owners poseurs
i consider everyone that calls themselves a purist . . . a poseur!

 

aphex, if you've looked at past threads on the subject, you'll see the pros/cons. The 997 C2 is a quick and fast car with either transmission, either on the street or track. Unless you're a drag racer, don't be concerned with tenths of seconds to 60mph and a whole second to 100...and if you are a drag racer, the 997 is the wrong car for you (buy a Mustang or GTO).

But there are definitely compromises with the Tiptronic, and as manumatics/automatics go, it is far from state-of-the-art (that would be Audi's DSG). From a performance standpoint, the Tiptronic is slower due to having only 5 gears vs the manual's 6 gears, and defaults to start in 2nd. This effectively leaves you with 4 gears as a default in daily driving, which makes it feel sluggish off-the-line when compared to the manual. This isn't a torque-monster motor, nor a flyweight vehicle, and the result is a flat spot between 2-3k RPM on the non-S models unless you manually select 1st gear every time. On the track with the Tiptronic, the taller gears makes acceleration out of slower corners relatively slow (about the same as a Cayman S with manual, in my experience).

Automatic transmission "adaption" is common on most transmissions today; don't let that be a selling point. Coming from a weekend at the track, in my experience it takes about a day of driving to revert to slow shift mapping. I don't find this a great feature; if after a long stint in traffic you are able to turn off and hit some twisties, you won't get quick shifts.

User interface is a matter of opinion, but many of us find the Tiptronic's switches annoying compared to steering wheel paddles and gear lever selection on other automatics with manual control.

And then there's the reliability of the transmission. Early cars have been recalled and the transmission replaced, and personally I continue to have a problem with the park/ignition interlock, which at times refuses to let the key out of the ignition.

Would I get the Tiptronic in my next 997? Absolutely not.

 

You didn't sound condescending. I hear what you are saying. That road looks FUN.

 

There is no question that, at some point, driving a standard shift in traffic becomes a chore. Where that point lies is a matter of personal opinion. Consider, however, that the Carrera is a very easy manual transmission to drive. The clutch has a soft pedal and engages smoothly, with a minimum of feathering. The engine lugs down easily to under 2000 rpm and pulls away on a light throttle.

While the tiptronic is undoubtably a fine car, there have been countless complaints, real or imagined, about it. The only adverse comments regarding the standard shift have been that the clutch will not endure many standing start drops.

 

I would get your dealer to lend you a car for a couple of days to do a real comparison, ideally from a Thursday to a Sunday so you can really try out each car. Alternatively, do what I do, I rent the cars I am considering and give them a good going over.

I have had or at least driven extensively Tip and Manual on 964's, 993's,996's and 986's, 987's and of course 997's. They are all good BUT, you always feel more involved in the drive in a manual. Even living in central Tokyo I am happy with my Manual transmission.

A friend bought a 997 with a Tip. It felt plenty fast when I test drove it, in fact, from a point a to b in Tokyo the tip was probably faster! Just not as much fun!

Incidentally, I tried a Cayman S with a Tip and the sports chrono package, it feels a lot more responsive with the Sports chrono - I would recommend getting it if you are going to go for a tip.