Hard DSG gear change

[monkeyhanger]

Just wondered if anyone else had experienced a thumping hard DSG gear change after easing off the throttle during a bout of acceleration?

At a busy roundabout on my commute this morning, I saw a gap and took it, pressing hard on the accelerator to get away and then immediately coming off the accelerator because the car in front, just beyond the roundabout was driving at a crawl. Coming off the accelerator seemed to coincide with the gear change from 1st to 2nd, which came in with a very savage thump. It's the first time I've experienced it in driving 7k miles in the Red GTI+.

I can only assume that it was expecting me to keep on the accelerator when it decided to change up without any feathering in that might be expected during gentle acceleration, and that the lack of feathering in isn't that noticeable when you're pressing on, but is very noticeable when not.

Later on in my journey, with me accelerating after entry to the motorway, an Audi S3 tried hard to undertake me before the car in front of him in the inside lane would've become part of his car. I put my foot down to close off the gap he was looking to take and cut me up. I was surprised how little advantage he had in having 100ps on the Polo - not enough to gain enough space to undertake. The Polo did well accelerating hard in 3rd.

[Blackpug]

Why didn’t they put the 7 speed dsg in the gti?


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[TElwoody]

Cost cutting, It'll probably be in the face lifted version along with sweeping Audi like indicator sweeping.

[chris.tayler]

Just wondered if anyone else had experienced a thumping hard DSG gear change after easing off the throttle during a bout of acceleration?

At a busy roundabout on my commute this morning, I saw a gap and took it, pressing hard on the accelerator to get away and then immediately coming off the accelerator because the car in front, just beyond the roundabout was driving at a crawl. Coming off the accelerator seemed to coincide with the gear change from 1st to 2nd, which came in with a very savage thump. It's the first time I've experienced it in driving 7k miles in the Red GTI+.

I can only assume that it was expecting me to keep on the accelerator when it decided to change up without any feathering in that might be expected during gentle acceleration, and that the lack of feathering in isn't that noticeable when you're pressing on, but is very noticeable when not.

Later on in my journey, with me accelerating after entry to the motorway, an Audi S3 tried hard to undertake me before the car in front of him in the inside lane would've become part of his car. I put my foot down to close off the gap he was looking to take and cut me up. I was surprised how little advantage he had in having 100ps on the Polo - not enough to gain enough space to undertake. The Polo did well accelerating hard in 3rd.

I've experienced similar when pottering about in eco mode then booting it to over take (at about 40mph). Massive thump (which could well be turbo waste gate?), and a pause going from 2nd to 3rd after kicking down from 5/6th. Only happens ever so often and i dont believe it to be a fault, but more a restriction in the gearbox for an unusual scenario

[monkeyhanger]

^ The thump felt more like a very hard clutch re-engagenent than anything related to boost shove. I'm assuming that the hard re-engagement on gear change is smoother when keeping up the acceleration rather than coming off the throttle when the gear change is due, and more clutch feathering happens at low speed/low throttle input for smoothness.

[phillos]

Cost cutting, It'll probably be in the face lifted version along with sweeping Audi like indicator sweeping.

I doubt that. The 7 speed is most likely reserved for the Golf GTI, as the Polo would easily tread on the Golfs feet with an extra gear.

[monkeyhanger]

Cost cutting, It'll probably be in the face lifted version along with sweeping Audi like indicator sweeping.

I doubt that. The 7 speed is most likely reserved for the Golf GTI, as the Polo would easily tread on the Golfs feet with an extra gear.

Or they didn't need to to squeeze into a CO2 bracket with that extra 7th cog. Even though VW seem to charge a flat fee (around £1450, last time I looked) for DSG, regardless of variant (7 speed dry clutch, 6 speed wet clutch, 7 speed wet clutch) when you can pick manual or DSG - they must cost different amounts to produce.

I do think that the Polo GTI could have benefitted from that 7th cog for urban fuel economy. To have gear 5 of 7 happy to maintain 30mph on an urban route rather than gear 4 of 6 gives a lot more flexibility at lower speeds.

My Golf R was as frugal as the Polo GTI on shorter journeys because the gear ratios were so much lower and gears 1-5 were happy to be operating in the same range of the Polos gears 1-4. Of course, motorway speed economy really suffered in the R vs the Pooo's much taller 6th gear.

WLTP is all about being closer to reality, by putting more emphasis on the combined cycle, so the focus is off urban driving fuel economy - the car makers want the cars to perform on the test cycle, what you do in reality doesn't concern them as much as their simulated targets. If there was no distinct advantage to the WLTP figures by having that 7th cog on the Polo GTI then VW won't put it in. If the emissions bandings get tighter for emissions compliance then likely they'll start putting the 7 speed box in.

[MattHGR]

Had this too. The gearbox is engaging the second clutch quicker than normal to deal with the high engine load.
Since you came off the throttle when it was changing, you felt how hard it snaps into that next gear.

You wouldn't normally feel it as the electronics on the car balance the throttle and clutches for smooth changeover.
No damage done, you just felt it as the engine torque wasn't there to hide it.

[Andy Beats]

A thumping gear change from 1st to 2nd has been a trait of DSG since its launch.
My 2005 A3 used to bang into second sometimes too.