Do members use manual or sports mode on there DSG?

[Alan]

Do members use this facility or indeed sports mode on there vans ?
Apart from using out of curiosity I don't bother,I have found the manual select doesn't seem the same as a straight manual....then I'm quite happy to just leave in auto anyway

Alan

 

[GrannyJen]

No.

I'm sure there are circumstance where I would use either but I have not come across any of those circumstances yet

 

[Borris]

Do members use this facility or indeed sports mode on there vans ?
Apart from using out of curiosity I don't bother,I have found the manual select doesn't seem the same as a straight manual....then I'm quite happy to just leave in auto anyway

Alan

Hi Alan,
Why pay all that money for a device that takes most of the work out of driving only to ignore it and revert to changing gears yourself? As for sport mode, the Cali is a leisure vehicle!
I have had several automatic cars over the years, all with those manual gear changing button thingys on the steering wheels. Never used them once.

On a similar vain, my wife and I have in the past had, shall we say, a difference of opinion over the purpose of both the automatic washing machine and automatic dish washer. Why buy these labour saving devices only to do it manually. Despite my logic it appears that I am wrong on this point!

 

[Californiaman]

I occassionally use sports if I'm on a great road and there is an opportunity to clear out the EGR valve. The only time I manually change is if we are in very hilly terrain and I think the van is labouring things a little- the DSG is brilliant but it really needs terrain following radar to know how steep the next few hundred yards are going to be!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

[WelshGas]

Yes. It's fun. Depends how you drive. In hilly country Sports mode allows higher revs in each gear before changing and more engine braking. Manual is good around town. Each to his own. If you read up about what the DSG is and can do - it is NOT the same as an auto box with torque converter, then you can get the best out of it.

 

[Hotel California]

Manual i used once just for trying out
Sport goes on for climbing and decending mountains or long downhill sections.
Using sport for pulling away first at the lights i leave to others....

 

[AlanC]

Drive for cruising and around town, most of the time really.
Sport when pulling up short hills, engine braking or pulling away promptly.
Manual when I want to be in control.

Alan

 

[graeme]

Do members use this facility or indeed sports mode on there vans ?
Apart from using out of curiosity I don't bother,I have found the manual select doesn't seem the same as a straight manual....then I'm quite happy to just leave in auto anyway

Alan

I use S mode for towing, otherwise engine labours a bit. Also on steep downhills (hardknott and the likes) being in S gives you a little more control.

 

[Californiaman]

 

[GrannyJen]

http://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/cali-dogs.41/page-10#post-85528 post 194

 

[ROKET]

Do members use this facility or indeed sports mode on there vans ?
Apart from using out of curiosity I don't bother,I have found the manual select doesn't seem the same as a straight manual....then I'm quite happy to just leave in auto anyway

Alan

 

[teeboy]

I have had a play with manual mode - but never used it in normal driving.

I occasionally put it into Sport - but wouldn't miss that feature if it wasn't there.

I have never considered putting it in sport mode when going down steep hills - I think it has been mentioned on here before - but I never remember...

 

[Skylark2.0]

Yes. It's fun. Depends how you drive. In hilly country Sports mode allows higher revs in each gear before changing and more engine braking. Manual is good around town. Each to his own. If you read up about what the DSG is and can do - it is NOT the same as an auto box with torque converter, then you can get the best out of it.

I used to use it until I read the thread about how DSG works and then I roll forward a bit and it picks up a dream.

 

[knightons]

Yes - as ours is new... as we needed to test its capability just in case we need to use it in anger someday.

 

[ROKET]

If you use manual upto 40s 50s you can usually put your cali into the next high gear than your dsg would meaning you will save slightly on your fuel consumption less bangs per mile less fuel used.

 

[Bellesca]

I use Sport mode on steep hilly roads for higher revs and engine braking

 

[pjm-84]

Yes. I use the sports mode or manual option when looking for better control. I also find it drops into top too early and will nip across and pull the lever down one.

 

[dfps]

I have a 2007 174 SE Auto ( Tiptronic not DSG )

At first sight and in use it looks exactly like the DSG. It has the ability to go manual and it has Sport mode.

Is there anyone on here that can point out the differences between the two systems in terms of abilities and performance. VW obviously considered the DSG an improvement so can anyone point them out ?

I do use manual mode on mountains /hills ( eg : in Pyrenees ) as the vehicle sometimes struggles to know what gear is best to select and can go up and down the gears searching for the right one on tight uphill corners.

I also use sports mode on motorway slip roads to have the ability for some extra revs ---if needed ( particularly in France where giving way to other vehicles is unheard of and drivers are quite happy to shut you out on the slip road ).Apart from those occasions, I seldom use it and often don't even think about it as I plod along at a leisurely pace.

Lastly does anyone have any knowledge of the expected lifespan of a Tiptronic box. I know it will depends on how the vehicle has been driven and maintained during its life but does anyone have any prevous experiences with the VW tiptronic box ?
Our Cali is on 85,000 miles and we intend to keep it for many years but it would be useful to plan financial contingencies for work on the box or replacement when that time arrives.I know it is going to be expensive when something does eventually go wrong but that's no different to any automatic box so am prepared for that eventuality.

Anyone else with the Tiptronic box ?

 

[Freeley]

Yes we've got tiptronic on ours. Never had any problems with it but has only done 18000 miles in 6 years so no idea on reliability issues or associated costs. Probably best to keep a couple of grand to one side for any out of warranty cali I'd have thought.
Like you I tend to stick it into manual when going up or down hills due to it always being in the wrong gear and for engine braking.

Sent from my Galaxy S6

 

[ROKET]

Yes we've got tiptronic on ours. Never had any problems with it but has only done 18000 miles in 6 years so no idea on reliability issues or associated costs. Probably best to keep a couple of grand to one side for any out of warranty cali I'd have thought.
Like you I tend to stick it into manual when going up or down hills due to it always being in the wrong gear and for engine braking.

Sent from my Galaxy S6

The dsg gearbox takes only 2bhp from your power while a auto box take up to 10% of your power, so less miles per gallon the dsg box changes in 0.04 of a second where as a auto box tends to rev and change slower.The auto box is less complicated so will be more reliable and cheaper to repair.i have a dsg box on my 180 cali and would not change it for anything else

 

[Simon D]

Hi Alan

I use my DSG as follows -

D - most of the time driving around. This activates the coast function when you lift off the accelerator so you get better economy

S - when it is very hilly, both going up and down hills. Lets the engine rev a bit more so ascending gradients is easier and in S mode the van doesn't coast so you get engine braking going down hill. In D mode dabbing the brakes turns off coasting and puts the van in gear but in D mode it changes up sooner so you don't get such good engine braking which is useful on big hills (we go to the Pyrenees quite a bit) as you won't risk cooking the discs if descent speed is controlled mainly by the engine rather than pressing the brakes all the way down.

To accelerate hard - eg joining a motorway - Use kick down in either D or S - it doesn't matter which mode you're in the engine still revs even higher to peak power. To get kick down you have to push the accelerator past the final bit of resistance at full throttle travel.

Manual override - I only ever used this by mistake knocking the lever when its in D. I just put it in S for a moment to go back to full auto. Would be a way to lock the gear box in a gear eg when going down a steep hill in D to be certain the gear box wont change up. You would also find it useful off road but I use my land rover 110 for that

 

[Alan]

Thanks for all the input lads and lassies
I will certainly be changing my driving style and be working the gear selector arm more often now
I should have had this knowledge when I was driving this year on the Pyrenees and the Alps could have extended brake ware etc

Alan

 

[F5 JNR]

Ours drives happiest in 'd' it seems to utilise the torque effectively, using 's' just seems to rev and rev past the engines max pull. Useful on hills tho as mentioned, we only use manual on fun twisty lanes just because its fun!