hiya all, popped over from the 944 forum, i am thinking of changing over to a 968 in the spring. in general what are the more desirable re auto or tiptronic,?. i wont be buying a club sport as i need a little more comfort and dont do track days ,also are cars with working air-con rare? and are 968s in that lovely purple{imho}even rarer?
968 manual or tiptronic
- Thread starter jasonp
- Start date
Neil Haughey
New member
Well the aircon works ok in mine, its just a weak system compared to that found in many modern cars. I have a tiptronic and tbh I don't really like it, we got it as both of us drive the car and Stephanie really likes the ease of it all. As a passenger I prefer it as I am sure to get a smooth ride. Some of the unexpected benefits of a tip are they are generally very quiet, mine has a slight whine in 1st and I am sure will need a new pump at some point but it does have 156K on the clock so its doing fine, its far quieter then the transmission in any manual 944 I have been in for example. My brother tells me when he was working at an MB garage they used to rebuild these boxes somewhere near to 200K miles then they would be good for another 200K miles. I haven't had the chance to drive a manual 968 much but I would imagine it will feel a lot more lively, my S2 is certainly far more lively but as the car has morphed into a track car then a race car it has been much lighter then a stock S2 for some time.
Chrishazle
Active member
Following on from a 944 lux then a 944S, both manual, I've had my 968 tip for 10 1/2 years now and absolutely love it. I seldom if ever drive it in full auto, I use it as a clutchless manual - and the box is clever enough to compensate when you get forgetful. In manual mode, red line it and it changes up rather than bouncing off a rev limiter (which is what a M3 Evo steptronic did to me). Equally, slow down and, once the revs drop below about 1K it will change down 4-3-2 so you do not end up stationary at a roundabout in top (which the M3 also did to me!). !st can only be selected manually and is very low - but you accelerate pretty quickly! There's quite a gap between 1 and 2, but you soon learn. It means I can drive it in quite a spirited way if I so desire (and herself is not sitting beside me) or either of us can drive in a very easy and relaxed way. My wife loves driving her - but mostly I grab the keys!
I don't have aircon, it would cost a lot to retrofit, but to be honest there have been few occasions where I would really have welcomed aircon - especially when we take the roof panel out.
I don't have aircon, it would cost a lot to retrofit, but to be honest there have been few occasions where I would really have welcomed aircon - especially when we take the roof panel out.
Hi, I have had a Tiptronic 968 Cabriolet (Tahoe Blue) for 5 years and have found the tip box to be an excellent drive. I use the car every day, round town, and I live in the country so it gets the full spectrum of use. It is very responsive and easy to drive. If you want to drive with more excitement, put it into tiptronic and away you go! Gear changes in Tiptronic are quicker than in a manual. I must admit though, due to the weight of the cabriolet frame coupled with the tiptronic box, it will be slightly slower I think than a manual or a coupe, but as an everyday driver, not a track-car, I don't think you would be disappointed. I always drove a manual before this car and I find it so much more relaxing to drive (it has cruise-control too, but no air-con), and I wouldn't go back to a manual personally. It's the best of both worlds really. Good luck in your hunt for a suitable motor!
Big Dave
New member
Well, my foot is in the manual camp...
Ive driven a Tip cabrio 968 ,back to back with a manual cabrio 968 [ both in Horizon blue],+ whilst the tip was good, it seemed to me to be missing something...
It all depends what you want out of the car. If its a lazy cruiser, then opt for the Tip. If its a sports car,, and after all the 968 Porsche is just that, then definately go for the manual.
PLEASE be aware that just because its a tip, you might think theres no clutch issues to worry about, whilst thats correct, there are issues with the vibration dampener + other transmision related parts that can add up....Just check the last 2-3 years history for work done to make sure...
The A/C cars are rarer than non A/C cars, + it doesnt always work that well, + can cost £££££££ to get working correctly..
Ive driven a Tip cabrio 968 ,back to back with a manual cabrio 968 [ both in Horizon blue],+ whilst the tip was good, it seemed to me to be missing something...
It all depends what you want out of the car. If its a lazy cruiser, then opt for the Tip. If its a sports car,, and after all the 968 Porsche is just that, then definately go for the manual.
PLEASE be aware that just because its a tip, you might think theres no clutch issues to worry about, whilst thats correct, there are issues with the vibration dampener + other transmision related parts that can add up....Just check the last 2-3 years history for work done to make sure...
The A/C cars are rarer than non A/C cars, + it doesnt always work that well, + can cost £££££££ to get working correctly..
Neil Haughey
New member
Correct, rubber drive damper fails, the part alone costs 800 quid. Mine came with a 2 grand bill that included replacing the damper. The selector switch can fail (mine has been replaced) and like any other ECU on a car the tiptronic ECU could play up.
Unlike Dave I haven't driven a 968 tip and manual back to back but I can compare with my nearly 9 years of S2 ownership. In terms of responsiveness there is no comparison between tip and manual. The tip really blunts the car, even more so in only having 4 speeds. The torque converter locks solid in 4th but at low rpm in 1st and 2nd the drive is pretty slushy. Just ask any tip driver how often they get wheel spin? The only times I have managed it in my 968 is in the winter at very low speeds. The S2 on the other had has always been able to break the rear tyres loose in any conditions, changing hard from 2nd gear to 3rd gear will spin the wheels even in the dry. You can make quick progress easily enough in a tiptronic car but IMHO it definitely takes away a lot of the excitement and sensations as you just don't feel the torque of the motor in the same way because of the torque converter.
I don't mind our 968 tip but one always has to remember it is just an automatic gearbox with a manual override. If it was purely my own personal decision and it wasn't a car for the both us then manual all the way.
Unlike Dave I haven't driven a 968 tip and manual back to back but I can compare with my nearly 9 years of S2 ownership. In terms of responsiveness there is no comparison between tip and manual. The tip really blunts the car, even more so in only having 4 speeds. The torque converter locks solid in 4th but at low rpm in 1st and 2nd the drive is pretty slushy. Just ask any tip driver how often they get wheel spin? The only times I have managed it in my 968 is in the winter at very low speeds. The S2 on the other had has always been able to break the rear tyres loose in any conditions, changing hard from 2nd gear to 3rd gear will spin the wheels even in the dry. You can make quick progress easily enough in a tiptronic car but IMHO it definitely takes away a lot of the excitement and sensations as you just don't feel the torque of the motor in the same way because of the torque converter.
I don't mind our 968 tip but one always has to remember it is just an automatic gearbox with a manual override. If it was purely my own personal decision and it wasn't a car for the both us then manual all the way.
Neil Haughey
New member
Forgot to add, the thing that really annoys me in tiptronic mode is the delay between flicking the lever and the gear change. Loads of posts on PH saying the same thing suggest this is a problem that has carried on with the newer tiptronic models.
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