well...what is tiptronic transmission?

Sportshift, Autoshift, whatever you want to call it...

Its when a car is auto-transmition, but has a nifty thing that lets you change gears kinda like Manual but minus-clutch... Acuras have them if you want to see for yourself, so does the Prelude

It's basically and automatic transmission with a slot to let you slide the shifter into that will let you control what gear the tranny is in. Or sometimes with a + or - button on the steering wheel. It's like a clutchless shifter.

Most people think that tiptronic is a poor subsitute for a manual. Sometimes the thing doesn't let you down-shift when you want it to.

Uh, I don't know if that helped.

~Alan

Tiptronic is an Audi feature that's basically a cross between an Automatic and a stick. You can drive like an Automatic but also move the stick to a position that lets you shift the gears manually.

Similar transmissions are available in other cars (Porsche has one on the 911) and I know the Audi system is also available on the VW Passatt.

By the way, you do of course know that Subaru has a Tiptronic-like transmission on the Legacy (at least in Australia and New Zeland) - buttons on the steering wheel.

A few years if the OLD VW beetle had that as well.

ummm... Lex/Toy IS-300 also has one, though the manual option shouldn't shift for you, IMHO, but its all good, not like i can afford it anyways, ill just mooch off my friend who has one now =)

manual option being one of the settings on the shifter switching between, d=drive without the up/down buttons working at all, m=manual, kinda only it shifts for you at some point in time, dont really know when as i didn't pay attention

[This message has been edited by elemental (edited December 02, 2000).]

isnt the new MY02 be available in tiptronic transmission? i remember seeing a pic of a MY02 with one. i'd post it but i dont know how! =)

I think the Celica has it as an option also. But answer me this: if you downshift, will it do it nice and smoothly for you, or does it jerk you around? I presume, it's not quite on par with the sequential shifter on the WRC cars.

My g/f's aunt has a '00 Dodge Stratus w/ a Tiptonic Trans and I drove it one day. I don't know.. I liked it because it vitually eliminated the jerky motion that manual trans creates (i.e. when up-shifting, passengers go foreward etc etc). But, I like to get a as much power out of a car, I still like the manual transmission better. I usually call those transmissions stick-shift wannabees. A lot of racing vehicles utilize those transmissions these days though...

JRC - Japanese WRX's have it but I don't think the U.S. will get it. I would consider a pretend manual in my next Sube if we ever do get it.
Dennis

Here's a really good page which compares all the different types of auto/manual/semi-auto transmissions that manufacturers use:
http://www.fortunecity.com/silverstone/lancia/58/technical_school/gearbox/tech_gear.htm

According to the page, Porsche was the first to use Tiptronic. But it offers absolutely no performance gain over a standard automatic, it just offers driver interaction. It's still an automatic with a torque converter, so it zaps horsepower like a regular auto transmission. It shouldn't be any different than "shifting" a regular automatic gearbox... (O/D off... 1, 2, D, O/D ON) but you're probably causing damage doing this.

Ken: Since a Tiptronic is basically an automatic, it should downshift the same if you yanked the lever into "2" on another automatic.
I'm pretty sure the WRC sequential shifter uses the same technology as F1 clutchless-manuals (and Ferrari 355/360 F1 trannies). Even though there is no clutch pedal, there's an electronically-controlled clutch so there's virtually no performance loss compared to a regular manual.
Great for racing, but I heard in the Ferrari 360 Modena F1, the tranny is really jerky and slow when driving on the street. But silky-smooth on the racetrack when going full-throttle. Oh well, it wasn't built for the street anyways. http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smile.gif

me and a friend took his aunt's benz out for a drive and it had a sport shift...it pretty much stunk...when ever we tried down shifting the computer or what ever controls the sport shift had a lag in response...or may be it could of just been the car itself...in either case a sport shift is no replacement for a manual tranny

hmm.. i dont like these sportshift crap thingys.. the new celica has it.. i have a new 00 celica 6 speed.. i tried that auto-sportshift thing.. its like ur playing a video game.. it seems cool.. but when u try it.. man.. lets just say.. powerband STARTS at 6000rpm right.. with my 6 speed.. i shift it at 82-8300.. and chirp it to 2nd and brings me at 6200+ with the sportshift.. first of all.. there is a LAG when it shifts.. so if u want to shift at 8200 exact.. u wwould have to shift at 8000 or so.. and it will land u well below.. at about 5000.. i cant go back to auto..