I will be looking at a 2003 Tiptronic this week. I'm a bit concerned about the Tiptronic because I now drive an Audi 2.7T biturbo with a Tiptronic trans and it's the car's worst feature; slow shifting, imprecise; no manual selection of 1st. The Audi Tip performs better in auto mode than if manually shifted. Its a nice polite trans for normal driving, but has always been disappointing for more spirited driving. I realize the Audi has a completely different transmission mechanically, but if it shares the same OEM (ZF?) slushy shift logic, I would not like it in a Porsche. How should I expect the 996 Tip to shift? Is Porsche Tip sealed with "lifetime" fluid like Audi?

 

its ok the tip, i had it in my 996 cab, but now i drive 6speed.... way better....

 

I have a 04 C4S with Tiptronic transmission. I have had 4 Porsches before my C4S that all have been manuals. I have the "paddle" shifters, really buttons on the steering wheel. I have driven some of the older Tiptronics w/0 the paddle shifters and did not like the responsiveness. However I find that in the past 3 1/2 years I have owned my 04 C4S that I really like the Tiptronic and would not trade it for a manual ever again! Several reasons: 1. I live in SO Cal and our freeways are usually bumper to bumper almost all the time. 2.I can easily shift into first using the "M" mode for quick starts or leave it in "2" for cruising. 3. I can at anytiime shift between the auto or manual mode during the drive, and often put the Trans in M so that I can cruise in 4th and not 5th around town. 4. I find the responsiveness to be really pretty good, but again not like power shifting in a manual tranny. 5. In the M mode the car downshifts down to second when coming to a stop so, not like some auto where the it stays in the last gear selected. 6. The tranny adjusts to your particular driving style, ie if agressive on the gas it will shift later when RPMs are higher. My only complaint about the tranny is that it will always shift into 5th even when going 30mph, so then I put it into manual and downshift to 4th or 3rd to keep the rpms higher. I find that just playing with all the combinations between manual and auto and paddle shifters and floor shifters to add to the driving experience. I think that (at least the later model of Tiptronic) has gotten an bad rap and it is really a pretty good transmission, but again if your racing or if you like the feel of a clutch, then the Tip may not be your best choice. Hope this helps.

 

I have been happy with mine. Plenty of power and it sure is nice to leave it in drive while around town (stoplight to stoplight). I autocross mine too. It has done great. I never have missed a shift....I am trying to learn to bump the throttle when I am going into a corner to catch a higher gear. I normally just leave it in drive and go. Well I do use the manual selector to start so I can start in 1st rather than 2nd off the autocross start gate. I feel a little faster that way. As soon as I get going I put it into drive and just hold on......weeeeeeeeeeeeeee........
I change my fluid about every 60k miles.
You just need to go and get some seat time to see if you can overcome the automatic stigma.....

 

Have an 02 tip. I drive in NYC traffic a lot and I prefer the tip. The shifts are slow sometimes when you "get on it" but its a small price to pay for not having to shift manually. I will be doing the tranny flush per the users manual at 90k miles...

 

I have the Tip on my 996TT, a manual on my previous '00 C4 and every other sports car I've owned. I realize the 996TT is not a Carrera, but the tranny is the same. They are made by Mercedes-Benz. I've tracked the car for 3 years, about 27 days, and ran about 60 days of autocross. I drove the manual C4 about the same. For driving events, the Tip is faster than a manual for virtually everyone. If you're faster with a manual, you're making a living racing a car. So if your primary interest is going fast in autocross or HPDE, get a Tip. You can manually, or with a quick press of the pedal to the floor, shift to first. It will change its shift points based on how aggressive your driving is.

Will you like driving a Porsche with a Tiptronic around town or on the highway? That's another question that has been discussed many, many times on this forum and others. It's a personal decision. I think it's safe to say that it's not like the Audi.

 

off topic we are doing a long island vinyard run on sunday the 15 of nov, can you make it, check out the details on:
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/ny-tri-state/189855-long-island-vinyard-run.html

 

Correction to previous comment that the 996 TT and the 996 Tiptronics are the same. They are not. The two trannys have different part numbers, but both are MBZ transmissions. I am told by a realible source (PCA Tech) that the Turbo transmission is called the F-1 and is able to handle much more horsepower than the typical Carrera triptronic. The way I came about this information was in the form of a question to the PCA Tech about installing a Turbo engine in my C4S. I was told I needed to swap out the Carrera Tiptronic for the Turbo Tiptronic transmission as well, evern though they look similiar. I think the bolt pattern is different as well as there is more "meat" to the internal parts.

 

manual transition all the way. i drive in NYC everyday and wouldnt have it any other way.

 

If I lived in NYC. I guess I could drive a manual in NYC if I am in neutral all day waiting in traffic for some guy in a double parked truck to empty out his Chinese pirated DVDs. Don't knock Tiptronics until you have tried one, especially the Tiptronic S with paddle shifters, they are quicker than one might think and oh, I forgot, no missed shifts!