Guest

I have yet to drive a tls, but drove my friend's 99 passat 1.8T with tiptronic yesterday, and was very impressed with the speed of ths shifting and power/pick up out of the engine, and this is the 150 horse version (now up to 170 like audi's). Any feedback on how the SS compares to the tiptronic would be greatly appreciated. On the tip, it seemed to me that the gearing was pretty close to what i would expect out of a manual as far as shift points, at least all the way through 4th. Thanks.

99 black tl

From the articles that i have read.The sport shift on the TL is the best one on today's cars.Supposly the gears react really fast to the drivers hands.That's what i have heard maybe someone knows more and can inform us better.

wv5b

I just sold a Z-28 Comaro with 6spd, I've owned 5.0 Liter Mustangs with 5spd. and now I 0wn an Acura TL-type S and love it. All of the nitwits that want a 5 or 6spd. manual just tickle me! The sport shift on the TL works great. I use it to down shift a lot as well as using it in heavy traffic(rare). Now since you can use this just like a manual why in the hell do you want a clutch??? I can't tell you in over 300k miles of driving 5 or 6Spd manuals there have been a few times I pulled out thinking I could easily make it and found out I was in 3rd. gear not 1st. Great way to get your ass killed! That cannot happen in the Tl with sport shift because it automatically shifts from 1st to 2nd gear, then you are on your own. Any one that tells me that they have never made the mistake of taking off in the wrong gear is simply a liar. It's rare, but that is what can gets you killed! Believe me , I administer anesthesia and I see every kind of car accident in the world, including those that thought they could make it across in a busy intersection. The sport shifts assures you can never never make the mistake of taking off in the wrong rear. You never know who may drive your car and make this mistake. I've been lucky to own cars with great performance that have enough horspower to overcome these rare mistakesl

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by wv5b on May 18, 2001 @ ]</font>

Guest

wv5b

Well said.

I never owned a stick shift before and find thee SS extremely satisfying to drive. As for the guy that wants it put as a button on the steering wheel - what are you a F1 race car driver wannabe? I think it takes the "fun factor" out of the use and "feel" of the SS in the first place and really ... for the amount of F1 gear shifting you actually do, the SS stick is just fine.

AKRY

wv5b,

I agree. I owned several stick shifts before, and I can say, nothing is more embarrasing than having the wrong gear at take-offs.

As for Tip VS SS. Supposely, Tip should be faster than SS, but more driving/compare, I notice that Tip is actually SLOWER than SS, which made me pondering and went do more research. And the Conslusion?? Audi uses older version of Tip, instead of the one used on Porsche, which is called "Tip S", which shifts/reacts faster. In theory, they(Tip and Tip S) should be the same, maybe differ by its software..

Andy Kuo

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Correct me if I'm wrong:

In any ole' automatic tranny, when the car is ready to shift to the next gear, say from 1st to 2nd, the transmission receives some sort of signal (engine speed most likely) to indicate a need to shift to the next gear. Isn't SS just the ability by the driver to "force" that signal --> thus, I don't understand why or how the SS would be "10% faster" (according to Acura) in any circumstance, unless for some reason, shifting prematurely to achieve greater fuel efficiency (say .. shifting at 40 mph from 4th to 5th in SS) is 10% quicker b/c of the low engine speed --> and if it were any higher, it wouldn't be 10% faster -- does this make sense to anyone?

I think the idea of SS being faster in the TLS (shifting) is a myth.

wakkolio

PeterUbers:

You can control the rpm range of the car with the SS. Regular autos can not and will not allow you to redline your car. Honda engines achieve maxium power near redline due to its vtec. I have redline the car with the SS thus it is letting you know you have control over the rpm from 2-5th gear.

Guest

I had a couple Intrepid's before ordering the TL-S. I have also driven a 300M And while the Chryslers are no match to TL-S, they do have one advantage to their AutoStick over TL-S: You can start moving in any gear from 1 to 3. I usually start in 2nd or 3rd when the roads are slippery in the winter (covered with ice or snow). With TL-S you have to wait until the car shifts through 1st and 2nd gears before you can use the SS.

TLinBama

My boss has an Audi A6 2.7T with Tiptronic. I thought his tranny reacted faster under light throttle, but that meant that it was somewhat rougher/snappier. When under full throttle, I'd call it even. The thing I absolutely hate about Tiptronic is that you push the selector towards the passenger seat. If I use SS it's because I need to downshift to engine brake or hold a gear so I can pass faster. When I slip into SS and downshift, it makes me feel like I'm downshifting into 2nd gear...

Another benefit of having SS is that you will never miss a shift. The only thing you can do wrong is forget to shift and bounce off the rev limiter. Man, I've missed my share of 2nd to 3rd shifts...

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John

2002 WDP TL-S (non-nav)

AKRY

Also, I think Tiptronic shifts up one gear when you hit redline/limiter???

Andy Kuo

TLinBama

AKRY, I believe you're right about the automatic upshifting. And just like the Acura, you 1->2 is auto and 2->1 is impossible.

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John

2002 WDP TL-S (non-nav)
ex 2000 WDP TL Nav driver

sneuxstorm

I have driven the Passat w/ the 2.8V6 and Tip. The SS shifts much faster, and is geared lower than the VW unit.

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Photoshop Chop Shop
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Vegetarians Taste Better

Guest

Thats funny... i guess it is perceptions? i own an a4 and want a tls, but one of the negatives in my opinion was how much slower the tls shifted in SS mode compared to my audi's tip. I suppose you get used to something and anything else seems odd...
not a flame, just a curiousity more than anything else.


Darren

Edward'TLS

I just wish that Acura can also put SS +/- buttons on both sides of the steering wheel in addition to the transmission stick, like the Audi's.

Guest

thanks for all the good feedback people. i will have to test drive the tls and then the passat again. out of curiosity, how many of you keep it in SS mode all the time?

Deniska

I saw someone saying here that TL-S SS transmission is the best automanual in cars today.... Nahhh. Don't get me wrong, it's very nice, but Lexus IS300 has much better auto-stick transmission -- significantly faster shifts (though not as smooth). Mercedes C320 also has a better automanual. Just my $0.02

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1998 BMW ///M3
TL-S soon, very soon