i currently have a tj auto and i was always wanting a tippy.....
i am installing a verada cluster that has the 4spd tippy on it.....
wat i was wanting to know is to change from the standard auto to the tippy is it as simple as changing the shifter???? or does the ecu or tcu need a reflash????? if so any loss of features??? immob, cruise etc????

I think this has been done before......

But, Coming from a guy with a 4 speed tippy....You'd better take this the right way...:)

I'll do your favour, we can swap cars for week, you can use the tippy all you like, at the end of the week you'll realize that money that it will cost you to convert to a 4spd Tippy, would have better spent trying to get Jeremy Clarkson over here and getting him to like our FWD Magna's on reputation alone....
Go a five speed auto in good nick add a cooler and enjoy a tippy that that makes your car faster, or get a well defined left leg by adding a clutch...

I'll admit I have a quick 4 speed N/A magna despite its weight, not the quickest fer sure... but any 5 speed is quicker... But this mod seems to be like you owning a 32" TV, and you want 50" so you get a 42" for 3 months.....

Sorry to be so harsh, but if you have money to burn, I have a new speeding fine thats needs paying pls.......




I hope I don't spend a week in the sin bin for this one, I have a social event to organize......

EDIT but any 5 speed FWD is quicker

It is not that hard to do, you need the ECU, BEM, Keys etc and engine loom from a TJII, any will do as long as not a Verada (TCL and all that crap to deal with)

One of our members has just done this conversion to his TJ, all went well. If you want to go that extra step you can change the upper dash harness but I dont think that it would be an issue as I am 99% sure that the 4sp dash harness will still show all the gear positions

Hopefully that will assist you

With the 5sp auto, to be perfectly frank I would not bother. There is thought that the AWD non TCL loom will work but I can not see how it would as the engine loom on the AWD also has some ABS control as well. This part would not be compatable with the FWD and I would think may cause more issues than it is worth. You can not use the std 5sp auto loom as it has TCL, even if you leave the TCL off you will end up in limp mode because of the difference with the TPS system. I have done 1 of these with no TCL connected but to be honest it was much more trouble than it was worth and even though the second time would be easier I would still be hesitant to do this again

If you're thinking that going tippy might make it more sporty to drive, SHOOT has a bit of a point. But there are other reasons for preferring the tiptronic shifter, such as it just being more pleasant to use when downshifting for engine braking.

You can not use the std 5sp auto loom as it has TCL, even if you leave the TCL off you will end up in limp mode because of the difference with the TPS system. I have done 1 of these with no TCL connected but to be honest it was much more trouble than it was worth and even though the second time would be easier I would still be hesitant to do this again

There is a periphery bit that seems to control compatibility with TCL in the USDM Diamante ROMs, and the same bit seems common to the TCL equipped Magna/Verada ROMs - is this something you investigated? (the periphery bit, not the Diamante ROM).

well the upper dash harness is being changed when i do my instrument cluster install..... and the reason why i am asking these questions is not cus i have money to burn but i am trying to best plan what to do as to not spend money on something that is not worth it...
if i ideally want mod 1 but mod 1 is going to cost $2000 why do that when mod 2 is almost as good but cost $1200 for example.....

If you're thinking that going tippy might make it more sporty to drive, SHOOT has a bit of a point. But there are other reasons for preferring the tiptronic shifter, such as it just being more pleasant to use when downshifting for engine braking.

I do agree with the engine braking bit, I quite like that. However the whole being "sportier" bit is most certainly not true which is why I am not opting to do a manual conversion. Driven my TL ES for 2 years now and am that bored of it. Using a tippy is far from sporty, just good engine braking and easier when needing to shift gears is necessary (ie. when going up and down hills etc.). If you want to be more sporty, I would recommend doing a manual conversion.

I've done this! Not a difficult job at all if you have all the right parts.

Not sure it's made my car go faster though. Downshifting isn't so hit and miss now which has been a big plus. It can make things easier, and I guess it can over complicate things as well.

As for 4spd vs 5spd; 5spd has the obvious advantage of another cog but the lower overall ratios are what accentuate its "sporty" feel. The draw back is the extra 20kg it's adds over the four speed auto, or the 40kg over the manual.

The draw back is the extra 20kg it's adds over the four speed auto, or the 40kg over the manual.

Just go on a diet and shave 40kg's and your set. Or even remove the spare tyre, not law in SA anymore, so carry a can of instant fill and you've made a weight saving.

:)

Go on a diet?! Pffft, amatuers. Start by chopping limbs off. I lost six kilos easy having my arm cut off. :P

But yes, shake the weight any way you can regardless of four or five speed. Helps economy and performance.