I too agree that the TIP will be faster, but may not be a fun (except in traffic).

 

Speaking of Bakersfield, I'm driving my 993 at Buttonwillow this Saturday, my first time to have it on a track, anyone else here going to be there?

 

It is a good track. They will be building another track just south right off hwy 5 and Taft Hwy.

 

My old man (83 in June) has had a Tip in his 02 TT and has been really good at Sebring. He talked me into one on my 02C2 and I found that it was "missing a gear" compared to the other C2s at tracks I use. He never had that problem with the TT. It has "extra power" compared to the regular cars!

 

LOL

 

From the Edmund's review it sounds like the Tip is not as fast as it looks on paper:

"Porsche's claim that the automatic is quicker might be true, but it's not entirely realistic. Here's why: You can't just put your foot to the floor and produce that 3.4-second 0-to-60 time. Here's the routine: Press the "Sport" button; engage 1st gear (the transmission defaults to 2nd); mash both pedals to the floor until the overboost indicator illuminates on the dash; release the brake; hold on.

When the brake is released, the Turbo reveals everything Porsche has learned about accelerating quickly in 43 years of building the 911. Which is, well, a lot, but because of the unpredictability of the time it takes for the boost to build with both feet pushed to the floor, it's virtually impossible to synchronize your launch against a stoplight. Get it wrong and the kid in the big-winged Mitsubishi Evo will get the drop on you.

http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpconta...1/pageNumber=1

 

I think the biggest negative is the lack of clutch pedal.

 

I have had both stick and Tip and have plumped for the Tip again this time around as the power delivery of the car means that the car hits the limiter far to easily IMO and its safer to keep your eyes on the road than on the rev counter?
The car has such blistering performance that to most mortals the Tip will be as fast as any road driving needs be.
If you are a track driver you may wish to play around with the stick more but thats high days and holidays for me. Most of the time I am enjoying the car at very normal speeds or around town and in places I cant get use the full Performance. Thats why I drive a Porsche.

That's my tuupence worth.

BTW- FYI Tips are the most desirable cars for resale in the UK by a long way!

 

The only caveat against the Tip might be resale value. With the 997tt being so new, it's hard to tell yet.

 

Over the past few weekends, I have done a lot of research from reading magazines, online articles, watching many videos and what-nots on youtube, etc. However, I still cannot come to a conclusion on what's better.

However, over this weekend, I have finally locked in my order with my dealer for the May production. I have decided to go with a tip and here is my reasoning:

1. I am sure a stick will be a lot faster around the track. However, given the fact that I have little track experience, I would say the tip will be more suitable for me so that I can focus more on my driving skills: driving lines, breaking points, apex, etc. After all, 480 is a lot of power!!
2. I don't see myself doing DE/track days more than 10 times a year, so something more "civilized" would be better in the long run.
3. The tip is faster only if you abuse it, especially the use of "torque braking" when it comes to making a blistering stand-still launch. Without it, the standing start with a tip will be slower than a stick (this is backed by a number of sources). Regardless, 480 HP is again plenty for me and I don't think I would be hungry for more power for a long time (oh wait... didn't I say that to all my previous cars as well?)
4. Clutch is considered light on the TT (at least from what I read, and I have no proof on this since I haven't driven one). But still, I want to fully maximize my driving pleasure with such a refined car.

Bottomline, there is no right and wrong, positive or negative answers. At the end of the day, it is what makes you happy with the car and what you want to get out of it. Personally, I wish PDK is available to make my choice a bit easier but after spending literally days and nights comtemplating with stick versus tip, I think I have made myself the right choice. However, I do miss the 6th gear and wish the tip has 6 gears instead of 5.

Cheers

 

I sold my 1996 993 turbo a couple of years ago (to pay for my wedding and put a down payment on a new construction), and my '03 carrera cab the year before (to pay for the turbo). I love driving the six speed, but practicality and use are making me think about the tip for my next turbo - which I will hopefully be able to buy after I finish my landscaping.

Besides using my next car for a daily driver I plan on using it as a touring car for long distance trips. The problem I had with the last 2 cars was that if I started getting tired I had no "out." My wife can't drive a manual and we ended up taking the family car on our trips in case she needed to take over for me on 10+ hour drives.

I love driving a manual, but I don't see the purpose in getting a car that is all about the passion of driving if I have to leave it at home when I plan on logging some serious time behind the wheel. I'm sure the tip is every bit as exciting as the 6 speed, especially if the car won't be tracked.

 

Funny, every Tip advocate uses their wife as an excuse... The gear lever isn't the only thing you lose when you get a Tip.

 

Actually I was using my inability to stay awake at the wheel for long periods of time as an excuse. Truth be known, I honestly have no idea if my wife would even entertain the thought of driving a turbo - an important thing to find out before considering the tip.

 

at least in my case, my wife never came into the equation. If she drove the TT I'd be amazed. For most women. driving that car has little appeal.

the only down-side to Tip is that you no longer feel like Speed Racer on the street. instead you have the ultimate Dr Jeckyll/Mr Hyde car on the street. Docile as a lamb when you need that, and as agressive as a tiger with a woodie when you want that.

women wern't made for such cars and any guy who even thinks that's a motivator should buy a Lexus instead.

There is NO down-side to Tip, except in your trousers.