Wrong way round Tiptronic

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Mon 2 May 2005 21:59
Wrong way round Tiptronic - Avant
In another thread HJ talks about 'wrong way round Tiptronics' being confusing.

Which way round is right and wrong? Mine (A4 multitronic) is forward (which is slightly upwards) for up and back for down, which I find perfectly intuitive.

Who's the maverick? Audi and I, or the other way round?
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Mon 2 May 2005 22:06
Wrong way round Tiptronic - frazerjp
I think HJ means pulling lever back for changing up & pressing forward to change down, its to do wiv the law of physics apparently!
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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Mon 2 May 2005 22:15
Wrong way round Tiptronic - Avant
Ah, well if it's to do with physics then I'm probably the maverick. A year of physics was too much for me at school - my degree is in classics. "Excelsior" means onwards and upwards.
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Tue 3 May 2005 09:01
Wrong way round Tiptronic - machika
So why do so many manufacturers make them the 'wrong way round'?
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Tue 3 May 2005 09:26
Wrong way round Tiptronic - Honestjohn
VAG or Porsche came up with the wrong way round Tiptronic and, typical of the Germans who never admit a mistake, it became the standard even though it was wrong, a bit like VHS did when there were two better alternatives (Betamax and V2000). The makers felt that to switch to the right way round would confuse people, which it would if they had already been using wrong way round Tiptronic. Its real test came when quick shifts were introduced to Touring Car racing. Those that had it the Tiptronic way round crashed or came last and rapidly abandoned it. If you're braking the forces are forwards and that's when you need a lower gear. If you're accelerating your body is pressed back and that's when you need a higher gear. The way Tiptronic has it is like trying to lean the wrong way on a motorbike on a corner. Mazda and Ford have right way round tiptronics type shifts. The SMT on the MR2 is right way round. VAG and Porsche finally admitted their mistake by being the first with steering wheel buttons so you do not have to use the wrong way round Tiptronic.

HJ
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Wed 4 May 2005 00:47
Wrong way round Tiptronic - Avant
Thank you so much HJ for taking the trouble to answer my question in detail.

I can see the logic of the forces on your body: maybe the German logic was to go by what is happening to the car rather than the driver. Acceleration - the car is being pushed forwards so forward for a higher gear; braking the opposite.

Mightily confusing if you drive lots of different cars as you do, and probably worse than swapping from auto to manual, which you know is going to be different. You do get used to it if you only drive one Tiptronic - even if it's illogical!
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