2006 PORSCHE BOXSTER Owners Manual

Shifting Gear
161 Shifting Gear
Manual Transmission, Clutch ...................... 162
Tiptronic S ................................................. 163

162
Shifting Gear
Manual Transmission, ClutchThe positions of the gears are shown on the shift
diagram on the gearshift lever.
Warning!
Risk of accident.
fDo not obstruct the pedal travel with floor mats
or other objects.
Nonskid floor mats of the correct size are
available at your authorized Porsche dealer.
To avoid damage to the clutch and transmis-
sion:
fAlways depress the clutch pedal fully when
changing gears. Make sure that the gearshift
lever is completely engaged.
fOnly shift into reverse when the car has come to a complete stop.fWhen shifting gears, always ensure that the
clutch pedal is fully depressed and the gear
has fully engaged.
fSelect reverse only when vehicle is stationary.
fSelect an appropriately low gear on upward
and downward slopes.
This will ensure optimum use of engine power
and engine braking.
When reverse gear is selected and the ignition is
on, the backup lights are illuminated.
Permitted engine speedfYou should change into a higher gear before
the needle reaches the red mark on the ta-
chometer, or ease off the accelerator.
If the red zone is reached during acceleration, fuel
feed is interrupted.
Caution!
Risk of engine damage (overrevving) when
shifting down to a lower gear.
fTake care not to exceed the maximum permit-ted engine speed when shifting down.

Shifting Gear
163
Tiptronic SThe Porsche Tiptronic is a five-speed transmission
with an “automatic” and a “manual” selection
mode.
In automatic selection mode (selector lever po-
sition D), gear changing is automatic.
You can change temporarily from automatic to
manual mode using the rocker switches on the
steering wheel.
In manual selection mode (selector lever posi-
tion M), you change gear using the rocker switch-
es on the steering wheel.
You can change between selector lever position D
and M as you wish while driving.
Note
Take care not to operate the rocker switches on
the steering wheel inadvertently in either auto mat-
ic or manual mode, thereby triggering undesired
gear changes.Keylock positionThe ignition key can be withdrawn only in selec-
tor lever position P.
Changing the selector lever positionThe selector lever is locked with the ignition key
withdrawn.
The selector lever can be moved from position P
or N only with:
– the ignition switched on,
– the brake pedal pressed and
– the release button pressed.Release button
The release button (arrow) in the selector lever
prevents unintentional gear changes.
The release button must be pressed when shifting
to position R or P.
StartingThe engine can be started only if the brake pedal
is depressed and the selector lever is in position
P or N.Moving offfOnly select the desired position for moving off
(D, M or R) when the engine is idling and the
brake pedal is depressed.
fSince the vehicle creeps when in gear, do not
release the brake until you want to move off.
fAfter selecting a gear, do not accelerate until
you can feel that the gear is engaged.

164
Shifting Gear
Indicator for selector lever position and
engaged gear When the engine is running, the selector lever po-
sition and engaged gear are indicated. If the selector lever is between two positions:
– The corresponding selector lever position in
the instrument cluster flashes and
– the warning “Selector lever not engaged” ap-
pears in the on-board computer.
fEngage the selector lever correctly.
– The selector lever position is displayed imme-
diately after the correct position has been de-
tected.
– The current gear is shown after a brief detec-
tion period.If there is a fault in the transmission:
– The 4th-gear and the selector lever position se-
lected displays flash in alternation.
– The warning “Tiptronic emergency run” ap-
pears on the on-board computer.
Please observe the chapter “EMERGENCY
PROGRAM” on Page 168.
– Have the fault remedied at an autorized
Porsche dealer.

Shifting Gear
165
Selector Lever Positions P – Parking lock fSelect only when car has been stopped.
fEngage parking lock after applying the hand-
brake and release it before releasing the hand-
brake.
The ignition key can be withdrawn only in
selector lever position P. R – Reverse fSelect only when car has been stopped and
the brake is applied. N – Neutral Selector lever position N must be selected for to-
wing or in car washes, for example.
fSelect the desired position for moving off (D,
M or R) only when the engine is idling and while
depressing the brake pedal.
D – Automatic selection mode fSelect position D for “normal” driving. The ge-
ars are shifted automatically according to the
accelerator position and speed.
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven and on
the resistance (e.g. uphill), the gear-changing
points are shifted towards higher or lower engine-
speed ranges.
The accelerator position, driving speed, engine
speed, longitudinal and lateral acceleration and
the road profile all have an influence on the gear-
changing characteristic.
Unwanted upward shifts, e.g. before bends, are
prevented by swiftly releasing the accelerator pe-
dal.
Depending on lateral acceleration, upward shifts
on bends are not made until the engine-speed limit
is reached.
Under braking, and depending on the amount of
deceleration, the Tiptronic shifts down earlier.
For subsequent cornering, the right gear is enga-
ged when pressure is applied to the brakes before
the bend.
The bend is taken in the right gear, and when you
accelerate out of the bend you do not have to shift
down. Sport mode switched on
fPlease observe the chapter “SPORT MODE” on
Page 63.
If the Sport mode programme is switched on,
Tiptronic switches to a sporty gear-changing map
and shortens the shifting periods.
Deceleration downshifts are commenced earlier.
Downshifts are already carried out in the case of
slight decelerations, even at higher engine
speeds.
Driving off
In 2nd gear, the vehicle drives off with the throttle
only slightly open.
Drive off in 1st gear with the throttle open wider
or when the engine is cold.

166
Shifting Gear Shifting gear on the steering wheel
With the toggle switches on the steering wheel,
you can change temporarily from automatic
selection mode D to manual mode M.
Advantages:
– Shifting down before bends and on entering bu-
ilt-up areas.
– Shifting down on downward slopes (engine bra-
king).
– Shifting down for brief spurts of acceleration.
– Selecting 1st gear for moving off.
The manual selection mode remains engaged:
– for cornering (depending on the lateral
acceleration) and overrunning,
– when the vehicle is stationary
(e.g. at a junction).
The system leaves manual selection mode:
– automatically after approx. 8 seconds
(unless cornering or overrunning),
– if you depress the accelerator to kickdown,
– after moving off. Temporary change-down
Conditions:
Speed is higher than approx. 33 mph (54 km/h).
fDepress accelerator quickly.
The Tiptronic changes temporarily to the spor-
tiest gear-changing map, i.e. to the highest
possible gear-changing points. Correspondin-
gly, the transmission shifts down immediately
by one or two gears.
Ending the function:
fRelease the accelerator markedly. Kickdown
The kickdown function is active in selector lever
position D, even if you temporarily change to ma-
nual mode M using the toggle switches on the
steering wheel.
fFor optimum acceleration, e.g. when overta-
king, depress the accelerator pedal beyond
the full-throttle point (kickdown).
The transmission shifts down depending on the
speed of travel and engine speed.
Upward shifts occur at the highest possible engine
speeds.
These gear-changing speeds remain active until
the accelerator is released to approx. 80% of the
wide open throttle position.

Shifting Gear
167
M - Manual Selection Mode The currently selected gear is retained if you
change from D to M.
If you shift from M to D, the gear-changing map
suitable for your current driving style is selected
and the appropriate gear is selected.
Warning!
The kickdown function is not active in manual
selection mode “M”.
fTherefore shift down manually when accelera-ting (e.g. to overtake). Two toggle switches in the upper steering-wheel
spokes let you comfortably and reliably select the
five forward gears.
Shifting up
fPress upper part (+) of a toggle switch.
Shifting down
fPress lower part (–) of a toggle switch.
Depending on driving speed and engine speed,
you can shift up or down at any time.
Gear changes which would exceed the upper or lo-
wer engine-speed limit are not executed by the
controller.
You can shift down two gears at once by quickly
pressing the toggle switches twice.
If the engine-speed limit is reached, an auto matic
upward shift is performed or, just before idling
speed is reached, a downward shift is performed.
fSelect an appropriately low gear on upward
and downward slopes.
This will ensure optimum use of engine power
and engine braking. If manual mode fails, the control electronics
switch to automatic mode. In this event, the
instrument cluster will display selector lever posi-
tion D.
fTo remedy the fault, please consult an authori-
zed Porsche dealer.
PSM switched off and/or Sport mode
switched on
fPlease observe the chapter “SWITCHING OFF
PSM” on Page 65.
fPlease observe the chapter “SPORT MODE” on
Page 63.
If the PSM is switched off and/or Sport mode is
switched on, an automatic upshift does not occur
when the engine speed limit is reached.
Cancelling upshift suppression
The restriction can be cancelled for one gear
change by depressing the accelerator to
kickdown. If, for example, the engine speed limit
is reached during overtaking and the automatic
upshift does not occur, the transmission in this
case shifts up by accelerating to kickdown.
fDepress the accelerator pedal beyond the
full-throttle point (kickdown).

168
Shifting Gear Manual mode failure
If manual mode fails, the control electronics
switch to automatic mode. In this event, the
instrument cluster will display selector lever
position D.
fHave the fault remedied.
Consult an authorized Porsche dealer.
Stopping fFor a brief stop, e.g. at a traffic light, leave the
selector lever in drive position and hold the ve-
hicle with the brake pedal.
fFor a longer stop with the engine running,
select position N (neutral).
fDo not hold the car on a slope using the
accelerator. Use the brake pedal or the hand-
brake instead.
fBefore leaving the vehicle, always apply the
handbrake and move the selector lever to
position P.
Parking fGo easy on the accelerator.
fWhen parking or maneuvring in a small space,
control the speed by careful use of the footbra-
ke. Driving in winter In wintery road conditions it is advisable to take
steep inclines in manual mode. This prevents the
occurrence of gear changes that could cause
wheelspin. Tow-starting, towing fPlease observe the chapter “TOWING” on Page
274.
Emergency program
Warning!
Reverse gear lock monitoring is disabled in
the emergency running program.
Damage to the vehicle may result as well as
loss of control, if the vehicle is moving for-
w a r d f a s t e n o u g h t o c a u s e r e a r w h e e l l o c k u p .
fDo not shift into R while the vehicle is moving forward.
A transmission fault is indicated by the following
symptoms:
–The 4th-gear display flashes.
– The warning “Tiptronic emergency run”
appears in the on-board computer.
– The transmission no longer shifts.
Regardless of selector lever position, 4th is
the only forward gear still available.
fAdapt your driving style to the changed hand-
ling.
fTo remedy the fault, please consult an authori-
zed Porsche dealer.