Tiptronic gear change.

Just wondering if anyone with a tip feels that in auto mode it changes gear too low in the rev range.I've noticed that if I've been driving for some time on a steady throttle in top,as I slow down, and it drops down the gears,upon acceleration it changes through 3rd,4th and 5th really quickly.It feels as if it's struggling to pull 5th and I was wondering if there's any way of having the change positions remapped?

If I remember correctly from having a 968 Tip it learns how you're driving and then resets to it, so you then you have to give it some thrashing to make it drive as you wish by using the kick-down function and hitting the accelerator hard, I used to just keep it in Manual, I did the same in a Boxster S Tip and a Carrera 4 Tip I tried.

If its an MK1 that is as good as it gets. (OPC spent hrs looking at mine after I moaned) Yes if your stamping on it in full auto the revs are held and it will go like stink, Can you drive round town like it, no it will just go back to being in 5th doing 30mph. Id go as far to say the revs are so low it labors the engine. I use it in tip not full auto and if I do use full auto I still change up or down accordingly which gives an override. And that why I had to build some paddles.

Have you started marketing these yet ?? John

No, Which is a shame because I have tided up to the point where you would only have to remove the wheel to make connections and the plan I have would take only half an hour to fit. Literally plug and play. But I need a Patent, A lawyer, someone that knows Cad & someone that can do injection molding. I'm willing to put the time and the money in because it would apply tho the 993 tip owners too. Problem is not really knowing where to start. I would love to see 996 & 993 cars out there with paddles. It really is a different beast with them and I think they look pretty oem. [/IMG]

Trouble is, you would never get a patent on it, as it is known technology - there are no unique features. Also, for the volume you would sell, the cost of coverage in the regions you would sell could eat up a lot of the profit. Being upprotected makes it easy to copy by some Chinese outfit at a fraction of UK production costs. (Not that they care about patents or a registered design if you had them). It is a really neat solution - innovative rather than inventive, if you don't mind me saying so. It might be worth engineering them in such a way that they could be made in small batches, and sell them via online Porsche specialist suppliers here and in the US. Just my thoughts.

Going back to the original question - what you experience is typical, particularly with the ZF box used on the Mk1, which has 5 driving programs. The Merc boxes are slightly better as they have 250 programs. Even so, they still change up quickly if you are pootling about. You might have noticed when the engine is cold that the gear changes are at higher revs. This is because the warm-up map is active, to get heat into the cats as soon as possible. I've often heard people say they wished it stayed in this program. I have seen companies in the USA who remap the control unit, but it might be worth talking to Ken Napier at NineExcellence in Crawley, as I know he gets it done on the Turbo conversions he does.

Slightly off-topic Richard, but is there any evidence to suggest that there is a greater propensity for Tiptronic-equipped cars to suffer from cylinder scoring, as one of the possible causes of this phonomenon is labouring the engine? Jeff

Not as far as I know. Perhaps the warm-up map helps in this respect, as it appears that the majority of the damage is caused by high loading when the engine is cold. (well, that's my interpretation of Baz Hart's tome, anyway).

Just for info, I had my bores inspected this week and all was OK. Its a 1999 996 Tip with 90k on the clock..

Thanks for the replies gentlemen,I suppose I'll live with it or drive in tip mode more often,it's just I'm so lazy sometimes,that's why I bought a tip.While I'm asking questions I do tend to drop a gear when it's in auto using the buttons,I assume this is an accepted practice and won't do any harm? Thanks again for the advice.

That is what it says you can do in the owners' handbook, so no reason why not.

Handbook? manual? never read them.Thanks for the reply,I'll feel less guilty doing it now.

Gary - do you have the mark 1 996 or the mark 2? From what you describe, it sounds as though yours is the pre-facelift car. Certainly I've not experienced what you describe in my car (which is a mark 2 with the late gearbox). If yours is a 2002 model or later it may be worth your while to drop by your local specialist and have them take a peak.

2000 C4 Ewan,100,000 miler and still goes like a good un.

Patent wouldn't be for the paddles, Cant really say much more than that [ ] . Problem is I think there are too many liable's.