rondocap

I have a 2000 C280 Sport with tiptronic. The gear change on the gauge is not showing up, neither is the time, since the pixels seem to be out on the dash board.

Anyway, what are the advantages to using the tiptronic instead of normal automatic mode? Can I accelerate faster or make the car perform better? When is the best time to change gears? Keep in mind my pixels are out so I can't see the gear it is at..is that a problem or can I still make it work? Any danger to the transmission?

AMGC

tiptronic is pretty useless. shifts happen like a second after you hit it and it makes you miss a real manny

xvvvz

It doesn't make your car any faster and if you shift a lot at non-optimal times it can put unneeded stress on the transmission. Also, it will probably decrease your fuel mileage. Have fun and play with it a few times and then forget about it

rondocap

Heh yeah..that sums it about, it does not seem very useful in most driving situations!

tex07

if it actually shifted immediately though, it would be pretty cool. i like the placement of the +/-...most cars separate the "manual mode" and make it too much of a gimmick.

RevoWution

It's quite temperamental. At times, it shifts straight away, but majority of the time, it lags for about 1-2 seconds. The sweet spot is quite hard to find. Or at least that's what I've found.

It's much easier downshifting from "D" to "4" with tiptronic (compared to the traditional 4-3-2-1 setup) when overtaking on the motorway though

vinceC

I find it very useful in traffic. As soon as I see traffic slowing I drop down and leave it there until things clear. How far I drop down depends on the traffic. In real stop and go stuff 2nd or 3rd can be used to excellent effect to prevent going back and forth on the brakes, which also establishes a steadier speed and helps control the knucklheads behind you.

I also use it in the twisty stuff - I find the right gear and hold it.

AcousticplayerJ

I find it to be pretty responsive on my C230 K. I mean, it's not like driving a real stick car though. However, think about it... when you're driving stick, the shift might be instantaneous when you switch from the clutch to the gas, but there is a certain amount of time that it takes to actually do that process.
Also, you can vary shift points on your car depending on how you use the gas. So if you want an upshift at a lower RPM, press the gas, and then release it between gears. It 's hard to explain, but it will cause the car to upshift when you want it to. Remember, mercedes continuously adjust shifting points as per your driving style. If you are heavy on the gas, it will delay upshifts, but it you’re light on the gas, it will shift at lower RPMs.