qWhat's a tiptronic?
qWhat's a tiptronic?
Author
Discussion

carparkno1

Original Poster:

1,438 posts

189 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
Okay, silly question for the veterans I suppose!

I am a first-time buyer looking for a decent 996 - still split between a cheap carrera or going all out for a top turbo (either way I want a 996, which some may consider lunacy).

Anyways, I have always been a manual man, never liked automatics. I read about how the tipronic puts a lot of buyers off but I am intrigued. I just want to know how it actually works? Is it literally an auto box and the car changes for you, or does it have flappy paddles or anything for a semi-auto feel? Any helo would be good - if it is literally "put it in drive and hit the pedal" then in the words of Duncan Bannatyne "I'm Oot" and it will be a manual for me.

Ta fellas.

davek_964

11,373 posts

206 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
It's got buttons, so you can change manually if you want.

It's still absolutely horrible in my opinion though - I would never buy a tip. But try it - some people like them.


Junior Bianno

1,400 posts

224 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manumatic#Tiptronic

It's a torque convertor. IMO (and countless others), it's poor and should be avoided, with the possible exception of the Cayenne.

Judging by your post, manual is the way forward for you.

carparkno1

Original Poster:

1,438 posts

189 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
is it horrible because it is unresponsive? I don't like the idea of having 300bhp and then finding the damn thing doesn't get off the line fast because it is playing catch-up.

Manual sounds right!

agtlaw

7,432 posts

237 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
tip is the german word for wk.

jonny996

2,718 posts

248 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
I am a fan of the Tip & in the cayenne it is great.

I thought my 996 tip was magic, then I tried a manual it was pure joy!!!!! if it is sports car you want you have to have manual they completely transform the car & the feel of performance diffrence is far greater then the facts on paper. if it is a city show off then tip.

davek_964

11,373 posts

206 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
carparkno1 said:
is it horrible because it is unresponsive?
I thought it was horrible because in fully automatic mode there only seemed to be two options - drive slower than walking pace (the car only seems to think it has two gears, 2nd and 5th) or use kick down and go flat out. Personally, I wanted something in between.

If you're going to switch to manual mode all the time to avoid this, then I couldn't really see the point of not having a manual.


mollytherocker

14,472 posts

240 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
It really depends what you want. You will get arguments either way on here. PDK splits opinion too!

You need to drive one and decide for yourself.

MTR

boxsey

3,579 posts

241 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
davek_964 said:
If you're going to switch to manual mode all the time to avoid this, then I couldn't really see the point of not having a manual.
Because the tip manual mode is very different from driving a manual. Think of it as a halfway house between a full auto and full manual. I drive my tip in manual mode for 99% of the time because it makes me think about the road and conditions but it's more relaxed than a normal manual gear box because of the absence of the clutch pedal. I don't drive it in manual mode because I wish was a manual....I have the other one for that. biggrin


carparkno1

Original Poster:

1,438 posts

189 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
boxsey said:
....I have the other one for that. biggrin
you are my hero.

I am looking at it for a daily commute of just a few miles, and the pdk doesn't actually upset me form the sound of it. I do a few 900 mile round trips to Scotland as well and the auto idea appeals there.

Tiptronic seem to be cheaper as well?

996ttalot

1,931 posts

206 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
boxsey said:
davek_964 said:
If you're going to switch to manual mode all the time to avoid this, then I couldn't really see the point of not having a manual.
Because the tip manual mode is very different from driving a manual. Think of it as a halfway house between a full auto and full manual. I drive my tip in manual mode for 99% of the time because it makes me think about the road and conditions but it's more relaxed than a normal manual gear box because of the absence of the clutch pedal. I don't drive it in manual mode because I wish was a manual....I have the other one for that. biggrin
The problem with tiptronic is not the tiptronic - it is the drivers who don't know how to drive it. It is that simple.

Like someone said, there are always going to people who prefer manual to pdk to tiptronic. Personally I prefer the one that shifts the fastest, and that puts the manual at the bottom of the list

996ttalot

1,931 posts

206 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
mollytherocker said:
It really depends what you want. You will get arguments either way on here. PDK splits opinion too!

You need to drive one and decide for yourself.

MTR
+1

996ttalot

1,931 posts

206 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
Junior Bianno said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manumatic#Tiptronic

It's a torque convertor. IMO (and countless others), it's poor and should be avoided, with the possible exception of the Cayenne.

Judging by your post, manual is the way forward for you.
It is not a torque convertor

Jackgreen

27 posts

184 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all

[quote]It's a torque convertor.
[/quote]

No, it's not torque converter, it's just old conventional auto box (with torque converter indeed), allowing in certain extent control gearshifts by buttons.

BertBert

21,344 posts

242 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
yes it's a torque converter based auto box with up and down manual controls. You can manually shift on all auto boxes. So if auto is good for you (it's ste for me), then go with it. Personal choice.

Bert

Sunnysidebb

1,385 posts

198 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
I think some people on here should read up on Tip boxes, as Ken says its not a Torque converter. At the front of the box is the Torque converter then the auto box. It has gears made of steel just like other manual boxes, arranged differently but still steel gears. The shift is done by hydraulic pressure and not by hand, but still each steel gear has to be engaged. It doesn't have synchros like manual boxes but has clutch packs to transfer the drive form one set of steel gears to the other.
The Torque converter locks up once your out of 2nd gear and once it does you have the same dirrect drive form the engine to the box as a manual clutch gives. Their biggest problem is they need more power to make them turn hence they sap a bit of your Ponies. However once you go Shire Horses and not wee Ponies the tip box comes into its own.



ps I still like manuals as well, and in balanced a bit more than tips, but please lay off the Tipnaphobia.



Edited by Sunnysidebb on Wednesday 28th September 22:30

anonymous-user

85 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
As someone who is about to get a tip with 420 ponies behind it, it seems plenty to me.

But then (to paraphrase Soovy) I don't wear Nomex underpants, and I don't nail each corner in the Tescos car park with my awesome heel and toe downshifts.

Maybe I'm missing out tongue out

Callughan

6,313 posts

223 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
996ttalot said:
boxsey said:
davek_964 said:
If you're going to switch to manual mode all the time to avoid this, then I couldn't really see the point of not having a manual.
Because the tip manual mode is very different from driving a manual. Think of it as a halfway house between a full auto and full manual. I drive my tip in manual mode for 99% of the time because it makes me think about the road and conditions but it's more relaxed than a normal manual gear box because of the absence of the clutch pedal. I don't drive it in manual mode because I wish was a manual....I have the other one for that. biggrin
The problem with tiptronic is not the tiptronic - it is the drivers who don't know how to drive it. It is that simple.

Like someone said, there are always going to people who prefer manual to pdk to tiptronic. Personally I prefer the one that shifts the fastest, and that puts the manual at the bottom of the list
yes

rimkah

1,057 posts

197 months

Wednesday 28th September 2011
quotequote all
996ttalot said:
mollytherocker said:
It really depends what you want. You will get arguments either way on here. PDK splits opinion too!

You need to drive one and decide for yourself.

MTR
+1
+2

gaxor

333 posts

284 months

Thursday 29th September 2011
quotequote all
As far as I remember when I had the 996tt tip the box does have a torque converter, (I thought all auto boxes as opposed to paddle shift boxes) Also it is a modified Merc M class box in the turbo tip

For too and from work tip was ok, and I had 600bhp on tap. However if you want any kind of driver involvement then manual is the way for me