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How it works
Page 48
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Using the CAN -bus network,TipMatic constantly 'talks' to the engine and other drive line/chassis sensors.This enables it to choose the best gear, whether for starting off or regular driving.
Gear shifting and clutch actuation are fully automatic, with electro-pneumatic pistons moving the selector rods and shift forks.With in the constant-mesh box a layshaft brake allows fast upshifts with no need to wait for the engine revs to die away.
To get going, turn the selector dial to 'D' (the previous D1/DID5 start-up gear options have been dropped) and put your right foot down.TipMatic automatically adjusts itself to the laden condition of the rig.Vv'hen pulling away for the first time it defaults to 3rd, then decides if it wants to hold that ratio or choose something higher if you're running light.
To select full manual, simply push in the button on the column stalk.'M' appears in the dash display, which also shows the gear you're in. Pulling the stalk towards you prompts an upshift; pushing it away changes down a cog. Hold it a bit longer and you make two shifts.
You can still make manual changes in auto mode, but TipMatic reverts back to full auto after 10 seconds and if it doesn't like your choice of gear it'll choose something better.
The system includes some effective brake-blending functions. Push in the automatic braking switch on the dash and the D20 engine's exhaust brake works off the footbrake. Pressing the button on the second column stalk also prompts a downshift to get the best back pressure for EVB (on the latest TG A cabs the auto-braking function has been shifted to a button on the steering wheel).
On the road
I-Shift once ruled supreme but ZF's AS-Tronic is now pushing it very hard for top auto spot. In terms of 'pointand-shootability' we'd say it beats the Volvo box.
'TipMatic's clutch pickup and changes are super smooth and you don't need to floor the throttle to work it:a gentle feathering of the pedal invariably prompts an early, fuel-saving upshift. Changes are usually made within a pretty tight (1.300-1,600rpm) operating band.The D20 engine only revved and changed beyond that when the going got tough.
Our advice is to let TipMatic do the work. Drift into roundabouts with your foot off the throttle, use the engine brake to wash off speed, look for the gap and re-apply your right foot— away you go, always in the right gear. It's that simple.
The ratios in the 12-speed box suit the high-torque D20 perfectly. It held top gear right down to 30mph under light throttle load, and the bottom-end grunt of the little MAN engine continues to impress— it can lug down to 1,000rpm at 44 tonnes.The only time TtpMatic wouldn't give us top gear on the flat was when we took our foot off the accelerator in 11th in overrun and expected it to take 12th as a matter of course. But a slight tickle of the throttle, and in she went.
Around our crowded urban route with its mini roundabouts and T-junctions,TipMatic behaved perfectly.The EVB tie-in on the footbrake and responsive kick-down also helped ease our way over the steeper parts of the A5.
Select RM and the throttle backs off as the clutch slips slightly more than usual, providing gentle progress when reversing. If the clutch grows too hot, a warning symbol appears in the dash.