Tiptronic

[Guest]

I've seen a couple of these on my travels around the net, was it ever any good , not an option I'd personally want but be interested to here your views all the same.

Mike

 

[Guest]

fine i guess if you want to go that bit slower than everyone else[]
but very good for town driving, apparently[&:]

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: mikeh

I've seen a couple of these on my travels around the net, was it ever any good , not an option I'd personally want but be interested to here your views all the same.

Mike

Horses for courses I guess. As an autobox with a manual option its fine for the auto loving driver, me personally wouldn't have anything but a manual [] change

 

[John H]

I came close to buying a tipronic. From the 0-60 times you would think it was much slower. The reality is that it is slower to pick up speed in the lower ranges, but once up and rolling, it feels almost as brisk as the manual car.

JH

(still glad I bought a manual though!)

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: John H

I came close to buying a tipronic.
(still glad I bought a manual though!)

*****************************************************
[8D]Yeah there is nothing better than having cogs to swap IMO not too mention more mpg and mph too []

 

[Buddy]

I've been running my Tiptronic for almost a year and a half and find it great, when I was looking for a 968 I drove about a dozen and found more differences than any other cars I've driven. I settled on the Tip' because of the gearchange speed 0.2 sec's which when you want to drop a cog and get going is quicker than the manual. They are slower off the line but there is a big step in the ratio's from 1st to 2nd and unfortunately only 4 gears but at speeds where you are working in the top 3, I doubt if there is much difference in the performance.

As you'll have guessed by now, I drive in Tip' mode but don't use the auto.

 

[John H]

Buddy,

I think you may be the first contributor here who drives a tip (unless I've not been paying attention) As someone who very nearly bought one, I'd be interested to hear more of your opinions, especially the bit about how the cars you tried varied so much.

Cheers

John H

 

[Guest]

I've never driven a tip, but auto lovers seem to like 'em. I think the reason that the Tip is often overlooked, or even looked down upon is beacuse the 6spd manual is considered to be one of the finest gearboxes of its time. If I ever need and have the money for a 968 as a daily driver, I would certainly consider a tip for the South East - I do get leg ache in stop-start traffic, and the car don't like it much either!

 

[Buddy]

As I said before, I drive in tip mode and do not like auto. Driving in tip is much like any other manual but without a clutch and with a quicker gearchange otherwise I would have bought a manual. The 6 speed is the best manual box I've ever used and apart from it's pinion bearing problems is probebly well upto Porsche's usual standards of 'bullet proof'.
Ideally, I would like a gearchange that was totally tip but with 5 or 6 gears.
Last week I drove a friend's 968 Carrera 4 tip, 5 gears, beautifully spaced ratios and power that seemed to be there at any time I wanted it, I just wish the 968 tip box was so well sorted but we have to remember that it was one of the first tiptronic systems in production. Previously most auto's had only 3 ratios and the only control over selection was to use D1 D2 or D in my view damn terrible!
I have said that I found many differences between the 968's I test drove, mostly it was in their feel and responsiveness. Of course it didn't help when I turned up at one garage and found that the car I wanted to test had a 'dry tappet' which took about a mile to clear, I tested several Sports but didn't like their uncomfortable standard seats, they didn't have side bolsters like the proper leather sports seats which I have had in all 3 of my Porsches, so I was biased before I drove them but for the right car would have changed the seats myself. Only three of the cars felt lively although none were slouches, tyre mixes altered the handling feel. It probably came down in several that a service and matched tyres would have levelled the playing field but when a car is up for sale the seller should have done that. I was also driving to try these cars in my 944 turbo which although only a 220 was pretty quick so the only back to back comparison I could make was with that.

 

[John H]

I tested several Sports but didn't like their uncomfortable standard seats,

Interesting, I wondered if I was the only one that thought this, but obviously not. I don't actually like leather, it feels too hot and sticky in warm weather, so I would have preferred cloth finished seats. The various Sports that I tried all seemed to have seats that had seen better days, and were not very comforatable, whereas the leather ones in my coupe are still like new.

JH

 

[Buddy]

I've rarely found the leather hot and sticky but each year about March/April I do go over my seats with Auto Glym Leather Cream, any more often and it can get a little tacky less often and the leather can feel dry.

Any seats with Vinyl get painfully hot but as long as you can keep the laether out of direct sunlight it's not so bad, so a sunblind in the front screen is usefull.

 

[Guest]

I am not a big fan of leather seats - I actually preferred to have cloth in my Sport. Most of the cars with Sports seats I looked at were very scuffed on the bolsters. I am amazed that anyone finds the standard seats uncomfortable - they are just about the best seats I have ever sat in! Apart from some recaro racing seats I had in my Racing Puma. I often get out after long journeys feeling much better than after such journeys in other cars though. Depends what you are used to I guess...

 

[John H]

The seats themselves are not inherently uncomfortable, but in all the Sports I looked at, the drivers seat was invariably knackered, and you could feel the frame members through the foam. I wonder if the leather is better at protecting the seat from this kind of wear.

JH