Tiptronic cars lightly to live longer!

I know a few people have mentioned the fact its impossible to drive completely manually in a tip when set to manual, it wont let you stall and it wont over rev. Today whilst trying to show off my nice new sport boxes I also noticed you cant even rev above 3,500 when stationary- the rev limiter just cuts in. Odd? Anyhow, given how hard it is to either accidentally abuse a tip car, could it mean that all thing being even they are less likely to break?

Yes. True of any automatic, no over revs, no stalling. In addition, clever boxes will also be kinder (ie shift up earlier) when the engine/gearbox is cold, hence preserving mechanicals too. Add in the fact Tips are a lot less likely to have RMS issues, what's not to like? Oh yeah, the fact if I wanted an easy life and no interaction, I'd buy a washing machine.

I have the automotive equivalent , 1956 Land Rover, makes a washing machine filled with bricks feel smooth by comparson

Yes ....But nowhere near as much fun as a Manual ... :thumb:

Hi I agree that the engine on a Tip is likely to be less stressed than the equivalent manual cars. That goes for the driveshafts and engine carrier also. All the best Berni

I was talking to a professional race driver this week, from South Africa, and he actually laughed out loud when someone suggested that you needed a manual box for racing... The only difference between a modern automatic and a conventional manual gearbox (i.e. not PDK) is the method of changing gear... In an auto / Tip a torque converter allows there to be a difference in speed between gearbox input and engine output shafts. In a manual it is a friction plate that is released and then engaged again - that is all... However, if you were starting from scratch in the 21st century, what would you choose? A complicated (and quite flimsy) pedal / cable (or hydraulics) / spring / fork / friction plate system? Or a fully automated fluid device that locks up mechanically as soon as the gear is engaged and the shaft speeds match (i.e. not trying to take 700Nm of torque through the friction generated by a steel spring and a 9" diameter piece of asbestos-substitute? A manual gearbox with a clutch pedal makes absolutely no sense at all on any rational basis - especially in a RHD car... It unbalances the driver, forces him to take one hand off the wheel (Really dangerous for me as I'm holding a camera with the other one ) and is an engineering joke, quite frankly! All that so that you can blip the throttle to impress the ladies and the chavs at roundabouts and traffic lights? :thumb:

All that so that you can blip the throttle to impress the ladies and the chavs at roundabouts and traffic lights? :thumb: Exactly and what's wrong with that Especially if you have PSE :?:

But isn't it the challenge of getting all these incompatible and engineeringly insane processes to all blend together in the perfect gearchange the reward? OK, so it may not be the quickest or most efficient (for racing), but it makes the average back-road blat a hell of a lot more interesting. I guess I could always use a straight line to get from A-to-B (which would be logical and far quicker), but where's the fun?

Now get this gearbox to blend and I'll be impressed....I'd bet the guys back then would happily take the tip.

ah, but just think how much you will have deserved that warm beer to dip your beard into if you do manage (using all three feet and four arms) to double-declutch your way to mechanical heaven.

Exactly... The conventional manual gearbox is a modern engineering joke and a bit of a dinosaur (a bit like an air-cooled engine really ) It was great in its day, but its a bit like insisting on a twin-tub washing machine 'because that's what Mum used' rather than buying the latest computer controlled drum type automatic machine.... It should have died out years ago, but the old curly-moustache, bearded 'traditional' boys keep asking for them, so manufacturers still make them... BUT, engineering development of conventional manual gearboxes has pretty much stopped... They will not get any better than they are today, because no manufacturer in their right minds is throwing any budget at them. If for no other reason than they are a disaster in emissions tests (it is so much easier to electronically 'manage' an auto transmission to control engine revs and therefore fuel consumption and CO2 emissions) I know of several manufacturers who are planning future models and they haven't even included a manual gearbox at all in their plans: and we are not just talking about high-powered prestige cars here either.

Agreed....certainly on the 993 but my 2008 997 C4S Tip will activate the rev limiter in manual mode

Still not over-reving then :wink:

I still prefer the manual gearbox though, with an Automatic / Tiptronic gearbox you still lose an element of driver control. An Auto box also has the distinct disadvantage in that if the battery is drained or the Starter motor fails you are completely stuck, with the car having to be recovered in the case of a starter failure. With a traditional manual gearbox, a push start or a tow will get you going again.

If the auto/PDK car stalls for some reason the gearbox can be left in gear, then you're mullered. As you can't push it or start it without forcing a manual disengage.