Tiptronic Shifting
 

When I am accelerating under light load and the transmission shifts from 3rd to 4th the engine really bogs down. It seems like it is shifting to soon. Under moderate and hard acceleration it shifts as I would expect it to. Just wondering if this is normal?

Yes, its one of the maps the transmission uses. Under light loads it will up-shift pretty quick, I can get into 5th by 38mph. Trust the transmission, it selects the gear best for the situation. Don't believe me? Next time you go into 4th and your just taking it easy, hammer the throttle and see what gear it selects...don't forget to hang-on!

That is what I figured. Now the next question is how many maps does the transmission have/use, I was told it had 25 different ones.

Totally normal. The map used when you're just tooling around is optimized more for fuel economy than for performance, it's pretty sluggish.

While on this topic, is there a trick to get Tip to select 2nd, going into and holding through your typical city 90-degree corner? Thought I read something once about a rapid throttle stab as you approach (sounds exciting).

I read somewhere that there are 5. I'll do some research and get back to you. The nice thing to remember is that it's not just on the upshifts, it's also on the downshifts.

Update; I did some poking around the Internet, it does have 5 different programs. It also said that if you were in the manual mode and forgot about shifting and went into no mans land (red-line) the computer will shift for you. I won't test that theory for fear of posting an event in the diagnostics that will be permanent...showing possible abuse.

i wondered about that as well.
pulling out of a gas station one day, my elbow clicked the shift button on the steering wheel (which put it into manual mode) and the car TOOK OFF!

i had never used the manual mode since owning the car (just about a year) and that was the first time i ever felt like i had some torque in my car.

it scared the ******************** out of me and i panicked because i didnt know how to get it out of manual mode while in gear (wasnt sure if it was safe to move the stick while driving). i just slowed down realllllly slow to bring the rpms/speed down and then flipped the shifter to M then back to D.

i was wondering if "red lining" it while in Manual mode would kill the car or if it would shift on its own to prevent damage?

does anyone on here drive a Tip in manual mode on a regular basis?

FWIW, holding down the throttle in manual mode makes nice, crisp upshifts at redline. I cite from the manual (2003):

"If the engine-speed limit is reached, an automatic upward shift is performed'

Didn't see anything suggesting this was forbidden, not recommended, or considered to be any form of abuse.

BTW, if you want Tip to kick into the Sport map while in Drive, here's what it says to do:

"Conditions: Speed is higher than approx. 33 mph (54 km/h)

> Depress accelerator quickly.
The Tiptronic changes temporarially to the sportiest gear changing map, i.e. to the highest possible gear-changing points. Correspondingly, the transmission shifts down immediately by one to two gears.

Ending the function:
> Release the accelerator markedly (by approx. 25%)"

I've used this mode many times for passing on mountain roads, very effective.

How do you drive a Tip for spirited drive?
 

Bumping this old thread to get some current advice.
My wife drove our Tiptronic 99 for DE and her instructor told her that it felt really sluggish to him. When we talked, he was not really familiar with the 1st gen Boxsters or Tiptronic. He thought that the throttle might be binding a bit or that there was an issue with the car. I took it out for a drive today and for me everything checked out good.
Push it hard and it goes hard, drive it easy and it shifts to the highest gear that will maintain.
Do you guys that drive a tip for AX and DE (Luv2Box, Newart, etc...) have any recommendations I can pass on. Use the manual mode much? Get it to stay in the high performance map somehow?
I read that in AX, you rarely get out of second. I think that the sluggishness at that track was from coming out of the wider turns still in third gear at lower rpm.
...I'd rather she be happy with her car and get the most out of it, than have to share mine. :eek:

I only use manual mode because it feels like the car has more performance and my '99 has the LN bearing and they recommend 2K or higher rpm as much as possible and it's easier to keep the revs up that way. The Tip has over rev protection and will shift at red line and not go over even in manual. It's another reason I'd take a Tip over a stick any day.:cheers:
And I should add keep up on the Tip service and think about service at 50K instead of 90K.

When I started DE I used the "D" mode and my instructor was complaining about the downshift intervals, they really wigged him out so I went to "M" mode and he had no complaints. It is very important to keep your hands in the 9 and 3 position, when using "M" mode so your thumbs are resting on the shift buttons other wise you can easily miss a downshift when coming into a tight corner or hair pin and lug down.
In AX I start off in first to get the revs up then pretty much run the rest of the course in second gear which has plenty of torque to carry you through.
These Tips are built like tanks so don't be afraid to get the most out of them and keep that left foot tapping to the sound of your flat six.:cheers: