DSG questions

[Boothy]

Whats the crack with DSG? Is it any good and is it easy to get used to after driving a manual for 12 years? I've read loads of confusing stuff about sitting on the brake at traffic lights and clutches wearing out etc etc. Seems a bit of a mixed bag so was hoping somebody could shed some light on it.

Am I right in thinking that the paddles on the wheel don't come as standard with the DSG box too?

[RedRobin]

....

The short bit of answering your question is that it's only the early GTI's that didn't have paddles - They all do now that VW have realised that most of us will drive DSG exactly as if a Manual and not an Automatic.

I'll come back to you on the other part of your question shortly..............

[SO8]

It's like an advanced auto with a number of different ways to drive.  Normal 'auto', 'sport' and manually via either the gear lever or the flappy paddles.

It is supposedly quicker than driving a manual and certainly no slower .... I have DSG on my Ed 30 and love it - but I live in London; a world of speed humps and traffic jams!  If I lived in a nice quiet area with good B roads I would favour a manual.....

It is true you have to sit at lights with your foot on the brake otherwise it will just go forward .... but just pop it into neutral and use the handbrake if necessary.  A normal auto (torque converter type as opposed to twin clutch as DSG) can be held on the handbrake to prevent it creeping forwards .... but the DSG is too strong for that so has to be held on the foot brake or out of gear in neutral.

FWIW I think many more people prefer DSG to manual once they have tried it but it is a bit 'marmite' .... love it or hate it.

I love it - and wouldn't swap it due to the type of driving I do and where I live .... but on a 'spirited' drive I always want a manual for the control.

[tony_danza]

1st slushbox I've ever owned and only the DSG was good enough to sway me.

D = lazy auto driving for traffic and cruising, knock it in N and use the handbrake when stopped BTW.
S = well, I haven't actually found a use for it yet, it's D but more frantic.
M = full manual control, so long as you don't hit the limiter, it'll stay in the gear you choose giving total control. There's remaps in the pipeline to fine tune it further to your requirements.

I haven't heard of clutches wearing either.

[Boothy]

Some blogs I've read state that whilst holding it on the brake the clutch is at constant biting point? Is this right and won't that shorten clutch life considerably?

Its 2006 car so is it likely to have paddles?

[RedRobin]

....

DSG is the best of both worlds. The trick is not to think of it as an automatic. You can drive it solely like an automatic if you want and just pop into S-mode for fast overtakes or twisties, or drive it totally as a manual (as I now do) and only pop into D-mode just for traffic queues or urban.

Whichever mode you are in you can temporarily override it and also you can mix and combine use of modes to suit the dynamics of the driving conditions and environment.

There is a learning curve but only in becoming familiar with the many optional combinations. I've now done 66k miles with DSG and would never have anything else. I'm being given a 7-speed DSG supercharged car to play with soon - I can't see the point of 7-speed yet - 6-speed is plenty.

[neg]

7 speed if for the smaller engines to get more out of them - increase efficiency bla bla bla

[Boothy]

That seems to have cleared up a few things.

Cheers peeps!

[RedRobin]

D = knock it in N and use the handbrake when stopped BTW.

....That's the subject of much debate. I never use the handbrake unless parking. P or N for me.

S = well, I haven't actually found a use for it yet, it's D but more frantic.

....I don't find it frantic at all but others seem to think it is. Try using it when you approach a very busy multi junctioned roundabout (Milton Keynes in the rush hour): Pop from M to S as you approach (also engine braking) > S will give you a fast green light on the opportunity > exit and pop back to M ready for the next.

[RedRobin]

7 speed if for the smaller engines to get more out of them - increase efficiency bla bla bla

....The 7-speed toy I'll be playing with is a much bigger engine and a V.

[Boothy]

Last thing to be awkward.

Has anyone fitted a blow off/dump valve to a dsg and if so do they sound like they should? The gear change seems to be so fast with so little let off is there anything to er, blow out?

[mixit]

I  DSG  I use mine in "D" all the time, changing gear with the paddles and letting it slip into Auto ( 20 secs ) when in traffic / town. Flicking down from 6th to 3rd for an overtake is superb and seamless.

[RedRobin]

Last thing to be awkward.

Has anyone fitted a blow off/dump valve to a dsg and if so do they sound like they should? The gear change seems to be so fast with so little let off is there anything to er, blow out?

....Ask as many questions as you want - We'll always try and answer them if we can.

I would advise against the extra blow-off pssshhh thingy. The Forge DV is more robust though the stock DV has been recently improved.

[tony_danza]

D = knock it in N and use the handbrake when stopped BTW.

....That's the subject of much debate. I never use the handbrake unless parking. P or N for me.

S = well, I haven't actually found a use for it yet, it's D but more frantic.

....I don't find it frantic at all but others seem to think it is. Try using it when you approach a very busy multi junctioned roundabout (Milton Keynes in the rush hour): Pop from M to S as you approach (also engine braking) > S will give you a fast green light on the opportunity > exit and pop back to M ready for the next.

Handbrake & N = force of habit from when I was taught to drive. If you were to pass out or get hit by another car, it won't shoot off anywhere under its own steam.

S example, I just use manual for the same thing Robin.

[RedRobin]

I  DSG  I use mine in "D" all the time, changing gear with the paddles and letting it slip into Auto ( 20 secs ) when in traffic / town. Flicking down from 6th to 3rd for an overtake is superb and seamless.

^ The perfect example of how we can each adopt the combination using DSG which suits us individually. My use is opposite to yours, Mick - I'm always in Manual mode and always in the optimum gear - I'd be anticipating the need for 3rd well before needing to shift from 6th. If I'm in 6th I tend to shift to 5th as soon as I lift off the throttle a bit even if I'm almost immediately back to 6th as the future unfolds.

It's a great system for everybody but only if you can have an open mind to it.