tiptronic is weird

[m4rkw]

If I drive in S mode I can control the gears as you'd expect.  If I leave it in D and then come to a stop, flip the lever over to S it usually indicates 3 but when I move off the car doesn't seem to struggle.

What's going on?  It can't be pulling away in 3rd

[Guest]

I think it's telling you it won't use higher than 3rd.

[m4rkw]

Just now, Comedian said:

I think it's telling you it won't use higher than 3rd.

I'm confused. Why would it be set that way when it was driving in full auto mode and then switched to S mode?   In full auto it should surely use all the gears.. otherwise what's the point in having them?  If it's in S-mode which is meant to be manual, still it makes no sense. Why would it not use higher than 3rd?  What's it going to do if I take it to the redline in 3rd on that setting? cut the engine?

[Verbout]

Blow up.

auto is auto.

S is sequential, but still sequential of an auto box, you selecting a gear limits the car to that gear as comedian said.

[Guest]

My IS250 worked this way - hated it. So if cruising in 3rd at low speed and you select 4 it won't shift to 4 until it is ready. It just showed a number 4. Nice.

m4arkw - to test - when it displays 3 and before you set off, press the up lever and it should show 4 ? I know it's confusing. 

RCF works more conventionally by just giving the gear asked for (unless to do so would cause damage) which is probably what you were expecting.

[m4rkw]

So why is it defaulting to 3 by itself?  That’s what I still don’t understand. If I move it from auto to S surely the default should be to use all the gears unless I tell it otherwise?

[sorcerer]

1 hour ago, Verbout said:

S is sequential, but still sequential of an auto box, you selecting a gear limits the car to that gear as comedian said.

Actually, it doesn't. Or at least it didn't, in my RX300. Maybe it was faulty, I don't know, but if I dropped it down to 2 to do a quick overtake but failed for some reason, to upshift to 3, the box did it for me anyway. And if I just kept my foot down it would also upshift to 4.

So, even in S, the box was automatic anyway and changed when it thought best.

[NemesisUK]

19 minutes ago, sorcerer said:

Actually, it doesn't. Or at least it didn't, in my RX300. Maybe it was faulty, I don't know, but if I dropped it down to 2 to do a quick overtake but failed for some reason, to upshift to 3, the box did it for me anyway. And if I just kept my foot down it would also upshift to 4.

So, even in S, the box was automatic anyway and changed when it thought best.

Pretty sure that's the same as in the Merc autobox. If you restrict the gear range by using the selector or paddles while in any mode other than Manual, the 'box would change up if you kept accelerating. If one lifts off before it would hold in that gear.

[ColinBarber]

4 hours ago, Comedian said:

RCF works more conventionally by just giving the gear asked for (unless to do so would cause damage) which is probably what you were expecting.

In drive the RC F works somewhat the same. If you use the paddles you can limit the maximum gear the transmission will go into, but the shifts themselves are automatic. The exception is if you reach engine red line, if will shift to the next gear.

Put it in manual and you have full control and red line will not force a change up.