1st gear on a tiptronic?

Is it possible to programme the ecu so 1st gear can be used in the fully auto mode as I think it sets off in 2nd and 1st is only available by using the buttons on the steering wheel?

Short answer no . Long answer .. er .. no .

...having recently acquired a 2003 996 Tip' I had read some of the available information vis a vis bore scoring and it's connection with the Tips preference for 2nd gear pull always...I also read that either Tips do or don't suffer worse or less from bore score! I have arrived at a pragmatic and demonstrably accurate and evidence based position (in the interest of sanity) that says the car has covered 70,000 miles with the gearbox performing as Porsche designed and intended without issue thus in all probability will continue to do so... There is so much scaremongering and conflicted information about these engines that it's a confusing mess for potential and new owners...I speak as a new owner...

Put your foot down man!! LOL Only partly in jest. I believe the gearbox shifts to 1st gear, if you are aggressive with the throttle. IceBoy

It could be done yes. However it would be quite an exercise to achieve. The gearbox TCU can not be written to as the chip is write once then read only. The chip in mine has been de-soldered and a socket has been soldered in its place. This means new chips can be written to and simply plugged. The chips are still read only / write to once but they became throw away items each time the map is changed. I know a man that could do this for you but you'd be looking at £500 - £1,000 I suspect...

Yep, indeed it does this.

Somewhere, somehow, there must be a signal sent to the gearbox to tell it that the engine is cold, therefore start in first. If this signal could be intercepted / translated - maybe a unit put in series with the signal wire that always sends that "I'm cold" value to the gearbox? This is just a thought experiment - I've no idea if it's the engine management or gearbox it's self that generates the "I'm cold" signal....

the other way is to put it in M and drive it like a manual, of course :thumb:

I have had the paddle coversion done to my car 1st is so wicked I don't trust it in manual! I have the durametic my car like lots of tiptronic cars is showing no over revs and I want it to stay that way....

It will still change up automatically in manual mode though? Drive it to the red line in 1st and see what happens :thumb: Either the rev limiter will kick in or it will change gear. Nothing awful :mrgreen: Besides, over-revs are more likely in a manual when changing down too early or the rear wheels loosing traction at high revs (like leaving the ground)

If you drive it like you stole it , it should adapt seems to reset each drive though. (As iceboy said, note to self don't skip to end of thread )

Cheers Tom .. I would have said its not possible.. but im thinking the Porsche ways .. sigh . Not a coding option but yes i can now see it could be if reprogramed .. off to hide under a rock now .

Demort. The cost and work involved makes it a non-starter in any case! You answered op question accurately. Not many guys out there would want their tcu modified as extreme as mine now is.