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2 June 2023 Tiptronic gearbox: meaning, distinctive features & technical characteristics of this transmission type
Tiptronic is the proprietary name for a function that allows the driver to manually control an automatic transmission. The system was developed by the Porsche company in 1990, and was originally installed exclusively on cars of this brand. Now, different versions of Tiptronic can be found on models of such manufacturers as Audi, Volkswagen, Seat, Peugeot.
According to the engineers’ idea, the Tiptronic system can simulate driving a racing car on a conventional auto. Automatic transmission is controlled manually in a similar way as the sequential one: the gears are switched sequentially.
Tiptronic has a built-in protective function that prevents damage to the engine and gearbox. When the power unit reaches a critical speed, or the driver is inactive for a long time, the onboard computer switches on the automatic mode.
What is tiptronic in cars: main and distinctive features
- automatic gearbox;
- hydromechanical shaftless design;
- use of planetary gearsets;
- electronic control;
- the torque converter locks up in all gears.
It is important to note that the gearshift algorithm is completely opposite to that of racing cars: upshift is done by pushing the selector lever forward, and downshift - by pushing it back.
If a gearbox does not have all of the above features, then it cannot be called Tiptronic. For this reason, similar functions in cars of different manufacturers have brand names. Continuously variable transmissions with programmed shift points and semi-automatic gearboxes cannot bear the name of the system patented by Porsche.
Tiptronic includes all the advantages of Manumatic boxes, but has some disadvantages as follows:
- Increase in the car’s weight due to additional elements and the gearbox size.
- High cost of transmission and its repair due to a complex structure with the use of wear-resistant materials.
- 0.1-0.7 sec delay when shifting gears
