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997 TT Tiptronic - Opinions ?

YvesD

YvesD

New member
Chaps,

I would be interested to hear from 'auto' owners of the turbo what you think of the box, is it intuative or forever searching for the highest ratio the torque output will pull ?

I drove a standard 3.6 997 auto a while back and have to say was impressed by the whole thing, was expecting to hate it.

Yves
 
I have only driven the 996TT tiptronic, it was a great drive and the box really learnt how you wanted to drive of that moment, I can only assume that the 997 has come on from that but with the same style as it previous model.

I can understand though why these people test drive one and say its a No, No... you really do need time with it to find out how good it really is... and now the excuse of it being the slower (it never was in the first place) in real world terms, its a wild card.
IMHO
garyw

garyw
 
garyw,

Like you, I have always had the sense that auto's are actually quicker in the 'real' world because they are consistent and alert all the time, unlike us. Also, the torque convertor is always looking for its optimum up or down shift point, even when we cant be bothered with it all, the double kickdown facility is very handy and almost instantaneous too.

5 forward speeds is a bit retro though dont you think ?

Having said that, if I ever get myself back in the market for a turbo, I would definately have to test drive a tip version before discounting it. If its good enough for ex F1 drivers...........

Yves

 
I used to do a manual change down with mine, it was alot smoother and quicker, automatic kick down sometimes used to cause a lurch which could be unsettling [&:].

I will one day get round ot test driving a 997 Turbo tiptronic...

But with the PDK coming along sooner or later, where will this leave the tiptronic ???

garyw
 
OK I'll hold my hand up - mine's a tiptronic, and it's brill! It quickly learns your driving style and attitude and adapts - to the point that once you're in 'sport' mode if your on and off the gas it will hang on to the gears and blip the revs and change down as you would do in a manual. It works well on the track as well. Only complaint could be that sometimes on the road it will hold a gear longer than you might want to - in that case i'll use the upshift on the steering wheel.
Certainly isn't ponderous.
Graham
 
graham,

I don't think One would ever describe a 997 tt as 'ponderous' under any circumstances !

Do you have a 'sports' programme for the tip whereby it behaves more enthusiastically anyway ?

Yves
 
Umm - you're right it's never ponderous! At the moment I have a 'standard' 997S as the Turbi is in for some work at the OPC. I really miss the thump on the internal organs that i've been used to for the last 5 months - even my 13 yo noticed it!
Switching to 'Sport' mode switches the PASM to firm (which then can be turned off) but it also means that off the line it selects 1st gear and then changes higher up the rev range plus the extra boost pressure for just a bit more hooligan fun[:D]
G
 
Graham, what have you broke ??? [:eek:][:eek:][:eek:]

nice that sport mode picks first gear [:D] ,as I said in the 996 you had to select first unless you floored it hard off the line, it then kicked down, went into first and straight back into second.... awesome [8D]

garyw
 
Gary
Long story - you may of noticed that I have a 'short' plate and dispense with the plinth. OPC drilled through the plinth into the PU! I complained - they agreed to repair but made a hash of the fitting, alignment etc. So redoing and I'm getting the black bits colour coded at the same time. Hence the courtesy 997S.
G
 
Actually I'm quite liking the sills painted... [8D]
Let me know how you get on with the paint and stone chips over time.

garyw
 
I think painting the front bib makes the biggest impact, lowering the front end. Just got to avoid speed bumos, slopey drives, inclines etc etc etc[:eek:]
 
On the 5 speed bit, (apparently) there are two reverse gear ratios too (at least in the 996)...[&:] but I have not get to engage the second one yet.
 
Maybe it was developed for Iraqi tanks?! [;)]

There are two ratios quoted in the handbook. According to Paul Frere's book Porsche 991 Story, the lower ratio can be selected by selecting first gear before reverse. It is a DaimlerChrysler derived box (no ZF being available to handle the torque).

As to why... no idea!

 
996 vs 997 Tip:
there are a number of differences that I have appreciated straight off which to me result in a more intuitive drive:
- consistently smoother and quicker gear changes - I think this can in part be attributed the VTG capability which reduces any Turbo lag that can haunt low rev downshifts on the 996
- holding gears whilst cornering
- holding gears for more extended rev periods

Generally I use the manual intervention quite a lot, when not idling in towns. Particularly if you need to accelerate quickly it's better to shift down whilst turning on the gas, rather than rely solely on kick-down. In most respects you have the best of both worlds, i.e. a manual when you want it otherwise an auto.

Regarding the manual you can hit the rev limiter before you can blink in 1st and even 2nd - I decided this would be too much bother for me after a while, even with a fantastic clutch.

I am of the view that a 6th gear would help and heard that they couldn't accommodate it. Interesting that they have thrown in a second reverse but if you don't read the technical page at the back of the manual you might not know it was there. There is no dashboard indication that I can see which indicates which R gear you are using. For all the fuss that Porsche make about weight considerations I trust it is getting used...

For what it's worth a seasoned test driver at Weissach recommended the Turbo Tip. box to me, i.e. it was his preference over the manual.
 
Thanks J,

My daily runner is an auto and all the better for it. Just got this prejudice that proper sports cars should be manual for the ultimate level of involvement but this perception is wearing off a little. Its intersting to note that the two F1 drivers Brundle and Blundell both chose auto.

The ease of hitting the manuals rev limiter is something to be accommodated with discipline, if you are used to bikes racing round to 16000rpm in the blink of an eye its not a problem !

I suppose the perfect compromise for me would be a DSG type arrangement, full auto or manual depending on mood.

Having said that, I just know that I would end up leaving it in auto most of the time !

What's a chap to do ?

Yves
 
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