Tiptronic shifting in manual mode lags
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1
Tiptronic shifting in manual mode lags
I recently bought a 2005 A4 3.0 V6 with Tiptronic. I love it but am curious about the lag when shifting in manual mode.
I used to have a Prelude and the Tiptronic in that responded pretty much right away -- I never really noticed or thought about it so I take that to mean it never lagged enough to annoy me.
Not so with the A4. Up-shifting always has a really long lag time to it. I feel like when I shift I want to wait a second afterwards and then drop my foot back off the gas and hit it again with the hope of timing the movement "just so" to match the lagged shifting. This is elusive since the lag time varies depending on the gear, the speed, the rpm, and how much I'm on the accelerator (which usually isn't really that much). In even a best case scenario with me feeling my way through the lifting and re-applying of my foot on the accelerator it still feels awkward as hell.
The salesperson at Audi used care sales said this is normal and I should get used to doing what I've been doing: trying to allow just enough time after I hit shift and backing off on the accelerator to help it shift and then hitting the accelerator again. (He tried to make it sound okay by telling me how cool it was that I'd know how to drive the car but if a friend of mine got in the car they wouldn't be ale to drive it the right way -- it seemed like a very weird thing to tell me and sounded like Audi training told this one to the sales reps to try to help the medicine go down when discussions about this lag are brought up by customers.)
The service manager at the Audi dealer, though, while saying he didn't really know what was the right way to proceed, it seemed to him that one should not change the position of the accelerator at all, his reasoning being that he assumed the car knew what it was doing and there was no point trying to outthink it or help it do it's thing.
If I had some elaborate equipment and a test rack I might be able to try both ways and see which is more efficient, but I don't have those kinds of resources.
What's the best way to shift this car?
Thanks!
Jay
I used to have a Prelude and the Tiptronic in that responded pretty much right away -- I never really noticed or thought about it so I take that to mean it never lagged enough to annoy me.
Not so with the A4. Up-shifting always has a really long lag time to it. I feel like when I shift I want to wait a second afterwards and then drop my foot back off the gas and hit it again with the hope of timing the movement "just so" to match the lagged shifting. This is elusive since the lag time varies depending on the gear, the speed, the rpm, and how much I'm on the accelerator (which usually isn't really that much). In even a best case scenario with me feeling my way through the lifting and re-applying of my foot on the accelerator it still feels awkward as hell.
The salesperson at Audi used care sales said this is normal and I should get used to doing what I've been doing: trying to allow just enough time after I hit shift and backing off on the accelerator to help it shift and then hitting the accelerator again. (He tried to make it sound okay by telling me how cool it was that I'd know how to drive the car but if a friend of mine got in the car they wouldn't be ale to drive it the right way -- it seemed like a very weird thing to tell me and sounded like Audi training told this one to the sales reps to try to help the medicine go down when discussions about this lag are brought up by customers.)
The service manager at the Audi dealer, though, while saying he didn't really know what was the right way to proceed, it seemed to him that one should not change the position of the accelerator at all, his reasoning being that he assumed the car knew what it was doing and there was no point trying to outthink it or help it do it's thing.
If I had some elaborate equipment and a test rack I might be able to try both ways and see which is more efficient, but I don't have those kinds of resources.
What's the best way to shift this car?
Thanks!
Jay
2nd Gear
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 646
From: Boston
RE: Tiptronic shifting in manual mode lags
Two words for you my man...Tip Chip
http://www.clubb5.com/information/tipchip.shtml
However, I'm not sure they make 'em for your engine. Here's GIAC.
http://www.giacusa.com/giac_Audi.php
And it terms of cupping the gear, you sorta get the feel of it after awhile. But you're right, it's tough to do without some consitency in your speeds, RPM, etc.
http://www.clubb5.com/information/tipchip.shtml
However, I'm not sure they make 'em for your engine. Here's GIAC.
http://www.giacusa.com/giac_Audi.php
And it terms of cupping the gear, you sorta get the feel of it after awhile. But you're right, it's tough to do without some consitency in your speeds, RPM, etc.
4th Gear
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,794
From: Home of the Yankees
RE: Tiptronic shifting in manual mode lags
Yea there is noticeable shift lag. Don't know why though, maybe it was designed that way. I also hate the stupid "kickdown" feature. A Tip chip will cure that.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
