[CJ_Boxster]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

Having the Tip S transmission is a reason NOT to go with the 'S'.

This is because in low gear and in second gear, an auto transmission acts as a torque multiplier.

Low gear, the gear used when getting under way, climbing a steep hill, or sometimes when pulling a very heavy load, has a torque multiple of around 3:1.

Second gear has a torque multiple of about 2:1.

In High gear, used at highway speeds, the transmission uses a direct drive gear, meaning that there is no torque multiplier.

And if you have a car equipped with "overdrive," like 5th gear in the Tip S, the torque ratio is in the neighborhood of 0.8:1.

Every auto transmission establishes its multiples with slight differences, depending on what the designers determine to be the most efficient torque multipliers for a given engine in a specific car.

You'll feel less torque in a Base w/ manual transmission than you will with a Tip S.

Good info, Thanks Jim... I mean Lil_bastard.