Tiptronic in manual mode - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

So I have a Tiptronic as my daily commute consists of highway parking lots and far too much stop and go traffic... anyways, i've always been a bit "scared" to use manual mode for fear of breaking something expensive (you know how that goes) one day, i accidentally hit the button when turning out of a gas station (without knowing it) and went I went to accelerate, it was like an ENTIRELY different car!! the thing almost went to redline and pulled SO Much harder than in auto mode. it was one of those "holy crap was that MY car that did that?" moments anyways, i've been wanting to start using the manual mode a bit more, but wanted to know more about how it all works. i read somewhere on here about the different "patterns" or something that the transmission has programmed (like 20something of them for different types of driving) my main question is, will the car shift itself even in manual mode to keep it from redlining? and is there a way to put it back in auto mode without using the shifter? thanks fellas!

Once in manual mode, the car shifts up for you once you get to redline. It's a bit annoying when you are really pushing it since you can end up up shifting twice (once by the car, and then by you). You're going to have to slide the gearstick back to auto mode to resume automatic gear shifting. However, I believe in manual mode the car will downshift at really low RPM's to stop itself from chugging. However I'm not sure since I have a manual :P.

I'm still very new to my Boxster and also getting used to it. Certainly on my UK Spec 2.7 Tiptronic, if you use the Tiptronics gear selectors on the steering wheel, you can see on your dashboard indicator that it changes from "D" to "M", then depending upon how hard you are driving, it changes up and switches back over to Automatic. If you move the gear-shift lever across into "M" out of "D", then you are "on your own" and as you describe pretty well, you end up having one of those " Oh My God!!! moments all the way to the Red line.

if you have the shifter in "M" position and you're going along and let's say you're in a high RPM, if you move the shifter to "D", would it damage anything, or would it be fine?

99.9% of my driving is in manual mode. only once i get on the highway and plan to cruise for a while do i then shift over to "D". you will not break anything shifting between M and D while moving. it was designed that way. if you slow down more than you should for the gear you're in, the car will downshift for you, but it will not downshift for you if you mash the accelerator for overtaking when in manual mode. again, you won't break it by shifting between "M" and "D" while moving. i do it all the time - it's just computers, not actual linkage. if you're driving along in "M" in 3rd gear @ 70mph and then shift over to "D" you won't break it. it will instead go ahead and upshift to 5th for you. same thing if you're driving along in "D" in 5th gear @ 70mph and move the selector to "M" - it won't break anything because of your change in modes. "M" is manual mode that lets you have more control. shift when you want. but the computer will still take over if engine damage could occur. short answer - you won't break it by change selections or shifting gears.

ahhh man great information! i think this: "it's just computers, not actual linkage." was the root of my concerns to be honest. Guess you know what I'll be doing this weekend roaaaaaad trip. i'm not the greatest manual driver as I learned on a Kia Sportage what are some scenarios where you would need to downshift (other than the obvious speed reduction) if you're cruising along in 5th doing, let's say 60 and you want to overtake someone on the highway, i notice in Auto mode, there's some "delay" in throttle press to actual "get up and go". Would downshifting to 4th in manual mode be a better option for a quicker burst of acceleration?

what are some scenarios where you would need to downshift (other than the obvious speed reduction) if you're cruising along in 5th doing, let's say 60 and you want to overtake someone on the highway, i notice in Auto mode, there's some "delay" in throttle press to actual "get up and go". Would downshifting to 4th in manual mode be a better option for a quicker burst of acceleration?[/QUOTE] You are correct....when in auto mode ..a quick toggle and downshift to 4th will bring you into "manual mode" for a short period, is going to be much more fun and you avoid the lag that occurs in "auto" However, the car will return you to "auto" mode in short order...so if you are going to drive in a more sporty fashion for a longer duration, hard shift into "manual" as tony says and enjoy the wider rpm band available! I tend to downshift (when in auto) both when playing on the highway and again when coming to an intersection, etc (save some braking) ... or will shift to "manual" depending on the length of the skirt when going through town...lol

Through about 2000, the only way to manually shift was to be in manual mode, auto was auto. After that, they changed so that even in auto you could down or upshift and still stay in auto more. I mostly use it when I'm going up a hill and just want to be in that lower gear. Not sure about the 20 shift patterns, I think I remember 5. But it definitely learns from how you drive and will get more aggressive as you do. Yes there is rev limiting built in to the logic. But only get hard on it after everything is warm...usually ~12-15 miles or ~20 kilometers. Based on owning a '99 and an '01S.

ahh. I have a MY00 base. another question that may or not be related is, when I have the car in "auto" mode (stick in "D"), the car will be in 1st gear when cold (not been started at all for the day yet). after that, the car always starts in 2nd gear on the indicator. does it do this if you start out in manual mode and what is the reasoning behind it going straight to second when in auto mode? seems like i'm missing out on the power available in the 1st gear, when in auto.

i believe MY00+ has the temporary manual mode even when in auto. so even if you're in auto mode you can hit the button to downshift. ( which is what i believe sparked your original post ). you're correct. after the car has moved a short distance ( for me from the garage to the end of the block ) it never goes to 1st unless i mash the accelerator from a standstill. ( one of the reasons i'm usually in manual mode ). if you're in manual mode and let the car downshift for you it'll do the same thing. i won't go back down to 1st. why - i guess because that's what the designers decided. i suppose it might be easier on gas since it's a lot harder to do a "jackrabbit" start in 2nd gear. the other reason i don't stick with auto mode is stop/go traffic. there have been times the car is in 5th gear at 25mph. that's just not acceptable to me. as far as learning it seems to have short-term memory. once you start driving more docile it'll go back to "grandma mode" in auto. as far as when i shift? though by no means definitive, i've noticed for me: to 20/25 = 1st to 45/50 = 2nd to 75/80 = 3rd above 80 = 4th/5th not always true, but generally true unless i'm just "cruising". since i learned to drive using a manual and most of my cars have been manual i tend to shift "when it feels right" depending on what i'm doing - overtaking, on/off highway i'm more aggressive. otherwise not so much. side streets are less than above. here's an onramp situation (and yes i know i was in 4th @50 ): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8OQKWWhfBs

Tony, many thanks for this good information. As a newbie myself I had similar concerns about "mucking-about" with an automatic gearbox, however I went out for a reasonable run last night and gave your method a try. The car drives so much better, as you say if you just stop in 5th gear at lights the computer tells you not to be an idiot and changes down to 2nd for you. If you try to downshift at too high a speed it again tells you not to be daft and takes care of itself. I didn't try reving to the limit to see if it would change up as I wasn't that brave. However, in manual it lets you drive it as it should be between the 4500 and 6500 RPM area in lower gears that the flat 6 seems to be happiest! However, I think i could hear my fuel consumption measurement dropping!

it shifts (except for 1st which is way before) when it just touches the redline. it just won't let you hurt it. and yes it's quite a bit happier. just remind yourself it's a german car, and they light it rough. as for fuel consumption, i get anywhere from 17-24 MPG on average, or on average 280 miles on a full tank in mixed-use driving.