Tiptronic Owners: Super Happy, Just Satisfied, Regrets?? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

pcar-yvr · 02-02-2008, 08:49 AM

They say in life you sometimes must compromise. My question to Tip owners is that do you feel you are compromising by having a Tip instead of a 5/6speed? Any regrets - or do you think that perhaps it's even a better system?

I found a '01 S that I'm pretty interested in - but it's a tip instead of the 6 speed. I wasn't used to the system (having always driven a stick) so I gotta tell ya it felt a little clumsy. Hard to tell what gear I was in without looking at the dash. HOWEVER - I'm sure with time and practice though, I'd get over it.

For spousal approval, wife's asking for the tip - but ultimately, it is MY car. BTW - it will be a daily driver for me....

Really appreciate your comments / advice ...

waynes986 · 02-02-2008, 09:10 AM

I've always driven a manual but moved into an suv when the kids came about... My wife knows how to drive a manual but hates to... She has a bmw with tiptronic but never uses it.. i've tried using the tiptronic modes on it when i drive it and its not just the same... just can't do the + - shifting with no clutch i just feel ridiculus when i do it... when i bought my boxster i said screw it and bought a manual and i love it...no better feeling then downshifting and popping that clutch when you take the turns...

rzucchet · 02-02-2008, 12:17 PM

"My question to Tip owners is that do you feel you are compromising by having a Tip instead of a 5/6speed? Any regrets - or do you think that perhaps it's even a better system?"

I wouldn't call Tiptronic a better system, but I don't consider it a compromise either. Mine is a daily driver, and I sure don't miss a manual transmission when I get caught in traffic.

I felt the tip to be a little odd at first as well, but you definitely get used to it. I just got back from a twisty mountain drive. IMO, using the tip in manual mode did not degrade the experience at all.

shaman1204 · 02-02-2008, 12:57 PM

I've had my tip for almost a year and love it. I looked for one because I mainly do city driving, from my place to a major road I have to go through 6 blocks/stop signs. I would be replacing the clutch every 3-4 years probably. And it is nice to have that free hand for coffee, etc since the cupholders are pretty much useless. Overall I'm pleased, but, if it wasn't my DD I would probably go for a manual for spirited weekend driving.

cvhs18472 · 02-02-2008, 02:42 PM

I have been driving sticks for all my life from Alfa's, MG's to dump trucks and have never found them to be a problem. I have my tip for about 15 months and only 1 or 2 times in that time period did I wish I had a stick. I have driven it, tracked it, and been on a number of rides and did not feel any less satisfied than if I had a stick. Go for it . Real men wear pink shirts and drive Tips. Ed

JJJ · 02-02-2008, 04:19 PM

super happy with my Tip...although I tend to leave it in automatic mode the whole time...still get plenty of speed in automatic mode...

if i need to keep it in a lower gear, then i switch over real quick to Tip and it works well...

I do not miss driving stick at all.

JCL12 · 02-02-2008, 05:21 PM

i'm quite happy with my tip. when i was in rural upstate NY, i sometimes wished i had an MT - but the car was still a blast to drive. plus, our tips have steering wheel shifters which IMO makes the tip 100 times cooler than the 'manual' controls on the joystick

since i knew i'd be living in the crowded suburbs with lots of stop-n-go and lights, tip was a great choice for me. if you plan on using the car as a dd pr partial DD in that type area, its definetly something to consider. btw - i don't feel at all like a 'wimp' for getting a tip and the steering wheel controls provide me all the control i need.

FWIW, my father bought a 330 with a stick at my urging but hes since regretted the MT and wished he bought a steptronic. . . . lots of city driving = auto > MT

Lil bastard · 02-02-2008, 06:21 PM

The TipS is great.

It may be a selectable automatic, as opposed to Ferrari's F1 SuperFast, Toyota's SMT, Volkswagen's DSG or the BMW SMG, but it is a Porsche selectable automatic and is manufactured by ZF Getriebe GmbH who make some well respected gearboxes for many premium mfgrs.

This box, the ZF 5HP19FL is also used in the Audi A4, A6, and A8 as well as the VW Passat. It is a close cousin to the 5HP30 box which is used in all BMW Steptronics, Bentley GT, Aston Martin DB9 and Vantage.

Bosch makes the Electronic Control box and the only thing I would like is to see a dual mode controller with a normal and sport mode as available in the audis and beemers.

One plus is that the Tip S cars enjoy a somewhat reduced incidence of RMS and IMS failures because of their fluid, as opposed to the direct link (for the MT) to the crankshaft.

mikefocke · 02-03-2008, 03:38 AM

Grew up on Model As, Alfas, 914s, etc. for probably 25 years of driving. Then as traffic increased and I borrowed my wife's automatic one day I realized how better rested I was when I got home from work. So when it came time to buy another Porsche, I looked for a TIP. First a '99 which was less desirable than later versions because you had to be in manual mode to down shift from the buttons. Totaled that and bought an '01S which is pleasure in all respects. Try one and drive it both sedately and super aggressively and see how the transmission shift point change and how it comes alive when you press it. No problems in 4 years of TIP ownership.

Soetekouw · 02-03-2008, 04:22 AM

I have a Tiptronics, but seldom use it in that mode. My car is a daily driver so it stays in automatic. I would not trade it for a manual.

rick3000 · 02-03-2008, 06:53 AM

My car is a DD, and it is a manual. I love it, it just adds a whole other dimension to driving. If you battle LA traffic everyday, I guess a tip makes sense, but I wouldn't trade the manual in for a tip. In my opinion, having a manual, sort of shows that you know how to drive an not just press down on the gas, like most drivers these days.

Allen K. Littlefield · 02-03-2008, 01:18 PM

Since I have nerve damage to my left leg, clutch work is taxing and traffic is deadly for me. Have had the Tip for just over a year now and absolutely love it. Wife loves to drive the car where she didn't like the '83 911 SC with probably one of the most stiff clutches in the world. Like most replies here, I drive it in Auto mode and then manually downshift if I feel it is necessary.. Drawback is it adds weight to the car and about 50 some pounds if my guess is correct. Also adds a second to zero to 60. I can live with it and once up to speed will run with the rest of them and I would not go back to a stick even if I could. No regrets and would buy another. Now if I could lose about 100 lbs in the car........

AKL

boxstershorts · 02-03-2008, 04:39 PM

Tip was the only option for this marriage.
Having said that, I kinda like controling the downshifting with the gas pedal that tip allows you.
Downside: The tranny gear ratios are different than with manual. So the 0-60 on the tip is a fraction of a second slower.
Learning to optimize gear changes isn't easy with a tip, so achieving your best 0-60 time can take more time and practice.

Personally, I don't a manual in traffic.

Overall personal choice: Although I don't mind the tip, I would prefer a manual ... if I had the choice of course!

Cheers!

pbanders · 02-04-2008, 08:46 AM

Tip is fine, but personally, I prefer manual for fun driving. Tip is awesome in traffic, my wife loves it, and it's essentially hassle-free, but for me, it lacks the direct connection and fine control you get with a manual. I've found that for those times that I want control, I just leave it in D and take over on the downshifting and upshifting from a corner, instead of putting it in manual mode.

Eventually, I'll get a newer S, and that will have the 6 speed manual.

PSP · 02-04-2008, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allen K. Littlefield

Since I have nerve damage to my left leg, clutch work is taxing and traffic is deadly for me. Have had the Tip for just over a year now and absolutely love it. Wife loves to drive the car where she didn't like the '83 911 SC with probably one of the most stiff clutches in the world. Like most replies here, I drive it in Auto mode and then manually downshift if I feel it is necessary.. Drawback is it adds weight to the car and about 50 some pounds if my guess is correct. Also adds a second to zero to 60. I can live with it and once up to speed will run with the rest of them and I would not go back to a stick even if I could. No regrets and would buy another. Now if I could lose about 100 lbs in the car........

AKL

Like you Allen, I have nerve damage in my left leg which makes using a clutch difficult but not impossible. I've had my 2001 with Tip for about 3 years now - very satisfying.

I really can't complain about the Tip adding 50 lbs to the weight of the car - since my fat a$$ adds about 240 lbs

cfos · 02-04-2008, 11:21 AM

I enjoy the Tip -- like many others, I generally keep it in Auto. Never really concerns me about 0-60 times, car weight or impressing others, etc.

Thumper · 02-04-2008, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfos

I enjoy the Tip -- like many others, I generally keep it in Auto. Never really concerns me about 0-60 times, car weight or impressing others, etc.

Me either. The first Boxster I test drove was a manual and I do have to admit it was some of the most fun I've ever had driving that car around town. But it hadn't been taken care of and was a complete pig sty. I bought the tip because it was the best deal on the nicest Boxster at the time I was looking. With the heavy DFW traffic, I've really come to appreciate the tip.

I have also gotten pretty good at working the steering wheel shifter switches when having a spirited drive down a twisty country road. It's almost (I said almost) as gratifying as driving a manual. Should something ever happen to this one, my next one will probably be a manual, but I wouldn't kick a tip out of the garage.

pcar-yvr · 02-04-2008, 04:43 PM

Thanks for the advice guys. Although I probably won't be actively looking for a Tip - I definately will no longer pass on a great buy if it comes with one.

Anyone know if the Tip unit in the "S" is the same as the base 2.7 trannie?

Thumper · 02-04-2008, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcar-yvr

Anyone know if the Tip unit in the "S" is the same as the base 2.7 trannie?

Should be the same.

Lil bastard · 02-05-2008, 06:18 AM

The box is the same - ZF Getrieb model ZF 5HP19FL. But the software in the Bosch TCM (Tiptronic Control Module) has been altered so that the shift points better mesh with the different torque curve of the 2.7 and 3.2 and communicate with the Motronic 7.2 and 7.8. And, it has different (better ?) adaptive memory.

You can't re-flash the earlier cars TCM because it won't talk to the Motronic 5.2 DME.