How bad are tiptronics?

Hi guys, been looking for a good 996 for a while now and have tested a few manuals but have not parted with my cash yet. Have a budget of around £17k so looking at pre 2000 cars with < 80,000 miles. I have been waiting for the aerokit styled cars to come up for sale. A cracker has come up for sale near me; FPSH, 65k miles in excellent condition. Its a tiptronic however. What are these like day to day? It has a steering wheel conversion with the new style wheel with aluminium flappy paddles. Does the MPG suffer more with the auto box? How reliable is the gearbox electrical systems? Thanks in advance. Andy

Hi Andy, Welcome (almost!) to the fold. I don't think you'll have problems with the Tiptronic box. In my experience, they're pretty robust and a posiitive advantage if the car develops an RMS oil leak - no chance of clutch contamination. In use, the tip is pretty smooth, making town and city driving relaxed, while still allowing semi-automatic use if the fancy takes you. If the car you're looking at is in good condition and has the right history, don't let tiptronic put you off. Cheers, Roy :bye:

The post should be titled "How GOOD are Tiptronics?" :lol: :lol: I'm a Tip lover, and it suits me perfectly for everyday use, especially the cross town commute. I use it in manual all the time, because I like to be in control. It will probably lose you 1-2 mpg. The transmissions and electronics are extremely reliable. 3.4 cars use a ZF box, and 3.6's use a M-Benz box. Both are excellent, but the M-B one is considered bullet-proof. I had a small fluid leak on my current M-B box, which isn't uncommon, but it took some improvisation to fix it, as it isn't easy to get parts. Statistically, I believe Tips are less prone to RMS leaks, and the other thing to consider is that a Tiptronic cannot be over-revved. I'd be interested to see the steering wheel conversion - do you have any pics, or an advert url?

I went through the same thing, drive both and make your mind up. I went with Tip on my 4S, the one thing is that the later box is much better than the pre-face lift, had more modes etc, the old box was considered a bit old hat and sloppy when changing (i.e Did not do it fast enough)...

I went for a tip in my 4s cab, i find i much easier to drive daily (but most of my cars have had paddle shift for a while now). Once you get used to a semi-auto you will not want a manual again.

+1 for that. I use mine every day approx 70miles and have had no problems. Have taken on the track as well and have the peace of mind that no one in the past had over revved it as in manual mode it will change up at the red line. Try it out and see if you like it. TB

Or the short answer: If you like automatics, tips are as good as all but the very best auto boxes from rivals. If you don't like automatics, tips are no worse than any other auto box. Bottom line - they are only bad if you really prefer to have a clutch. :roll:

I was a little concerned when I bought my Tip as had not really spent much time with auto boxes in the past. After playing with the Tip box it has done nothing but impress me both for in town driving and playing around out of town, it takes a little time but once you've got the hang of it's great. In fact it becomes a challenge driving my other cars which are manual. As the other guys have said the box also provides a degree of confidence in that the engine has not been mistreated.

Here's another reason to give Tiptronic serious consideration: The 996/997 handbrake's effectiveness has drawn adverse comment in this topic: http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=46001 . The tip's Park feature also makes up for defficiencies in the handbraking department. :thumb:

Love my tip - especially in traffic, so I'd reccomend them. A generalisation, but I reckon that people who buy new tips are more likely to be kinder to their cars so they make a better second hand buy, which might explain why they seem to have less overall problems than manuals - but still get a report as buying any 996 is all about condition

Unfortunately, It will still fail an mot if the handbrake is not working efficiently [as I found out today]. Might be because I rarely use the handbrake to avoid it locking up when parked in damp weather. :dont know: TB

Andy, next year I'm hoping to buy my first 996TT (all things equal & a following wind etc) and, to be honest, I going to be looking for a tip in preference to a manual. I've heard how good the TT is with the tip box. I have yet to drive a Tip TT, but from what owners and enthusiasts say, I shall be seeking them out next year. In your case, as previous posts have mentioned, the RMS (oil seal) is less problematic with the tip 'box as there's no clutch friction material to write off when it fails. That said, some RMS issues simply "mist" oil from the seal and cause little clutch problems other than a damp patch under the transmission bell housing. Best of luck with your search.

Bad luck, I know what you mean, my handbrake occasionally releases with a bang after a wet spell. Talking of poor handbrakes, the worst example I have encountered was on a Lotus +2S 130 I owned a looooooooooooooong time ago. Colin Chapman must have taken the day off when the handbraking system was designed - a pair of one-inch square pads on the rear discs, actuated mechanically via the umbrella-style handbrake lever. San Francisco-style parking was a necessity on all but the gentlest of inclines :nooo: Cheers, Roy

My 997 C4S, Cayenne-S and 993C2 are all tips. If the GT2 had it then it would not be the end of the world, as I know how to get the best from tip cars. They just take a bit longer to learn/understand and once mastered, they are very good :thumb:

love my tip too as sometimes its just good to have a free hand, (for all very legal situations of course) it's very smooth and easy day to day and i can still use the manual steering wheel buttons when the mood takes me. However for spirited driving the manual is better IMO but mine is a daily chariot and for that i think the tip takes some beating.