C4S 1 Month On...

C4-STORM · 29 Sep 2017

So, here we are a month down the line and as a 'new to the Porsche brand' owner I thought an update may be of interest to share:

Thoughts so far:

Should I have waited to find the 'right' car in a manual?
I'm happy with the Auto but unless I actually use the Tiptronic there is a bit of hesitation from a performance perspective - so driver satisfaction is ultimately 2nd rate.
Get the Tip gear change wrong and it's embarrassing

Hassle free driving in congestion and no clutch to worry about..

I was mindful of prices escalating at some point and my main objective was colour, spec, condition, mileage and it had to be a C4S. So opted for a Tip 4S against the alternatives as widebody spec was a key factor for me.

The Forum - An added bonus of having the car - what a welcome! Great bunch and all with the same passion.

Won an OPC/PCGB Charity Show & Shine

What have I found out :?:

Will likely switch to Millers when I drop the oil in January.
My 'sweat patch' on the trans - engine casing is normal - that's a relief!
Paranoia has settled (for now :frustrated

Fuel consumption over the first 234.8 miles was 20.69mpg (includes running up on the drive and the occasional thrashing :grin

Oil pressure is good, oil consumption is being monitored
I think I already have a LTT but may need a sensor
Thinks I need a drop link, feint 'clunk' - NSF
IMS failure is less likely than I had perceived as a prospective owner
I am now mindful of other future problems such as bore score

Thank you all for your advice so far.

Overall smitten with my new toy and feel a sense of happiness now my life is complete..

.. well almost, still hankering for a Turbo :eh!:

Jackzi · 29 Sep 2017

I'm interested in your experiences as a tip driver since I've found myself having a similar dilemma.

There's a 4S for sale close to me in the colour and spec I want. And it's a rare combination, not having seen one like that yet (it's lapis blue on natural brown).

But, it's a tip. And I've only ever owned manual cars. I drove it and have to say I didn't mind the tip as much as I thought I would. No issues in terms of responsiveness when changing up, but a perceptible lag when changing down, which may be annoying on a spirited run (in manual mode, I might add). In auto I thought it worked ok for what it is.

I found it a more relaxed driving experience overall but there's always that nagging feeling of missing out. I drove a manual 4S and enjoyed that too (it sold before I could secure it) and if I'm honest about my driving abilities I doubt I'd be any quicker in it at all. I guess it's just a sensation.

Out of interest, why do you think the satisfaction is second rate? And how did you get the tip change wrong to make it embarrassing?

Nice car btw

gilessav · 29 Sep 2017

sounds like you are loving the car on balance.

I to have a Tip 4S and find I drive in 'manual' most of the time unless on the motorway.

I have thought about getting a Sprint-booster fitted as its said to sharpen up the feeling of throttle response, as it means less pedal movement for more go and a very simple fit or removal and not massively expensive.

There does seem to be some out there who think it may be detrimental to a Tip and contribute to bore-scoring risk, but I'm not sure if this would just be flat out 2nd gear drags from the lights. I always drop to 1st to pull away however I'm driving it.

Jackzi · 29 Sep 2017

I also had a chat with Ken at 9e, who gave me some good advice about driving a tip 'properly'.

He reckons you need to learn what the gearbox can do and adapt your driving style accordingly. Such as braking with your left foot, for example. And effectively 'blipping' the throttle on a downchange (like a heel and toe without the clutch) to quicken the response.

Didn't have a chance to try any of this, but it's worth looking around for posts with similar advice.

T8 · 29 Sep 2017

I had a 996C4 Tiptronic and wrote this in 2012.

=> http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=78825&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=spirited

I'm now 3 x 911s and a total of 8 years in and have never regretted choosing a car with only two pedals.

C4-STORM · 29 Sep 2017

Jackzi said:
I'm interested in your experiences as a tip driver since I've found myself having a similar dilemma.

There's a 4S for sale close to me in the colour and spec I want. And it's a rare combination, not having seen one like that yet (it's lapis blue on natural brown).

But, it's a tip. And I've only ever owned manual cars. I drove it and have to say I didn't mind the tip as much as I thought I would. No issues in terms of responsiveness when changing up, but a perceptible lag when changing down, which may be annoying on a spirited run (in manual mode, I might add). In auto I thought it worked ok for what it is.

I found it a more relaxed driving experience overall but there's always that nagging feeling of missing out. I drove a manual 4S and enjoyed that too (it sold before I could secure it) and if I'm honest about my driving abilities I doubt I'd be any quicker in it at all. I guess it's just a sensation.

Out of interest, why do you think the satisfaction is second rate? And how did you get the tip change wrong to make it embarrassing?

Nice car btw

Hi Jackzi.

Thanks bud :thumb:

In answer to your questions, I think from a pure driving experience point of view the manual would win the vote. However TBH I would buy my own car again and from a comfort/convenience point of view the auto ticks the box. The other consideration was emissions/road tax (man vs auto) but I couldn't see that there was any difference and I was pleasantly surprised at £305 p/a when for some reason I thought it was going to be more. So overall I am pretty satisfied with the Tip version (I have also heard that the clutch can be quite heavy on the manual).

When you drive a manual car it is pretty straight forward with gear selections of course. I have had Tip/DCT boxes on other company cars and never used the paddles as what's the point on a 1.6T-GDI/2.0CRDi especially when you have a 'Sport' mode. Obviously modern everyday cars have developed and taken some influences from the more pedigree sports cars of previous. The Tiptronic is more applicable in a car like the 911 and useful at times but I never really bother with it generally.

Got a bit over-zealous and ended up punching down twice when dropping gears approaching a bend and landing up in 2nd which launched the engine rev's right up which I didn't really want to do - sounds like I can't drive properly but it's easily done if co-ordination is slightly out!

Ultimately driver error I suppose..

Good luck with your decision anyway and as I said, I would go for the Tip version twice weighing up all the factors :wink:

C4-STORM · 29 Sep 2017

gilessav said:
sounds like you are loving the car on balance.

I to have a Tip 4S and find I drive in 'manual' most of the time unless on the motorway.

I have thought about getting a Sprint-booster fitted as its said to sharpen up the feeling of throttle response, as it means less pedal movement for more go and a very simple fit or removal and not massively expensive.

There does seem to be some out there who think it may be detrimental to a Tip and contribute to bore-scoring risk, but I'm not sure if this would just be flat out 2nd gear drags from the lights. I always drop to 1st to pull away however I'm driving it.

Hi mate. Not sure about that :? I guess my experience so far is limited as not had the car very long.

I think if I used the Tip feature more often I would get used to it, I find that the throttle response can be delayed when peddle down to action a gear change in normal auto mode - whilst if I gun-it it's awesome

uh:

C4-STORM · 29 Sep 2017

Jackzi said:
I also had a chat with Ken at 9e, who gave me some good advice about driving a tip 'properly'.

He reckons you need to learn what the gearbox can do and adapt your driving style accordingly. Such as braking with your left foot, for example. And effectively 'blipping' the throttle on a downchange (like a heel and toe without the clutch) to quicken the response.

Didn't have a chance to try any of this, but it's worth looking around for posts with similar advice.

:?: Interesting, again probably goes back to my driving capabilities with this type of transmission in a rear engine performance car ie. limited lol

C4-STORM · 29 Sep 2017

T8 said:
I had a 996C4 Tiptronic and wrote this in 2012.

=> http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=78825&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=spirited

I'm now 3 x 911s and a total of 8 years in and have never regretted choosing a car with only two pedals.

Hi Terry.

That's an interesting viewpoint and another equally interesting debate amongst forum members.

I will say that us 'Newbies' will be writing/raising questions that have probably been covered time and again so it is much appreciated to get the input from more experienced forum members like yourself.

I think the Tip will probably grow on me more over time but overall very, very pleased with mine.

The headlamps :roll: have grown on me as I was never previously sure about them and I love the Turbo looks that the C4S has (bumpers remind me a bit 959). There is defo a retro feel about it all really. I even like the Sat-Nav/CD changer which all works fine now I have familiarised myself with the process of using it!

Thanks for your feedback once again :thumb:

deMort · 29 Sep 2017

The noise N/S/F then you need to check the drop link for play so pull and push on it basically .. if nothing obvious then its probably the diagonal arm .

Find a bumpy road and you tend to get a lighter but more frequent knock for the diagonal arms .

Any Indy you use will soon be able to say just by a road test though .

C4-STORM · 29 Sep 2017

Demort said:
The noise N/S/F then you need to check the drop link for play so pull and push on it basically .. if nothing obvious then its probably the diagonal arm .

Find a bumpy road and you tend to get a lighter but more frequent knock for the diagonal arms .

Any Indy you use will soon be able to say just by a road test though .

Thanks Demort :thumb:

On bumpy roads round town the occasional clunk develops more into in annoying squeeking sound. It doesn't feel like it's anything too drastic and I couldn't see anything obvious when on the ramp the other day however I am not a mechanic.

I do have an A/C leak from somewhere towards the rear but haven't fully investigated by removing covers yet.

deMort · 29 Sep 2017

A/C leak will be the pipe connections just in front of the o/s/r wheel and under a cover .

If they come appart then its just a new seal .. thats if they come appart though .

C4-STORM · 29 Sep 2017

Another observation on mine is that the gear stick took a bit of getting used to.

As strange as it may sound, it seemed really stiff to select from Park down compared to what I have been used to.

Also when going from Drive to Neutral or Reverse I was finding that I had to feel the stick 'notch' into place otherwise you are in gear and moving but a dash alert comes up to say 'Gear Stick not in Position' (or along those lines).

Again, just another trait of the car that just took a bit of getting used to but I do find that when at a stand-still I am more inclined to keep it in Drive rather than knocking it into neutral as I would on my daily driver...

deMort · 29 Sep 2017

And that would be the linkage on your tip box that needs freeing off .. about half hours work on a ramp .

Sometimes it can be the gear lever ass. its self , you slacken a screw there a quarter turn and very rarely its the cables .. box linkage is the norm though and not uncommon .

No. 1 here

http://www.deroure.com/diagrams.asp?MAK=3&MDL=25&TBL=2569&SMA=&SMO=0&ST=&SC=0

C4-STORM · 29 Sep 2017

Hey, thanks again Demort :thumb:

Would this be something that can wait a while or should I attend to it to sooner to avoid any subsequent damage to gear linkage assy?

Starting to form a list of 'things to do' :roll:

C4S 1 Month On...

C4-STORM

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Silverstone

T8

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deMort

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