[pbanders]

Just saw this post, I know it's old, but here's a suggestion based on a trick I've learned with Tip, it's what Tony C. was talking about. When you're approaching a fast turn, right before you hit the braking point, "Tip" the throttle (i.e. depress the throttle to the floor very rapidly) and release, then start your braking. Tiptronic will downshift the engine smoothly and hold the gear as you finish braking and turn in, putting you in the optimal gear as you come off the apex and accelerate. I might mention it takes a bit of getting used to, as the last thing you think you'd want to do is floor it at the braking point, but if you do the "Tip" quickly it doesn't upset the car at all. By using the "Tip" feature, and the double-"Tip" feature (do it twice, will downshift 2 gears if possible within the allowed engine speed range), you can nearly eliminate any need for using the manual mode. Note that you're using the "Tip" to downshift for acceleration, you have to hold a fairly aggressive throttle angle (~75%) after doing a "Tip" if you want to keep it in the lower gear.