vRS Ian

I'm sure there is a setting on the dash for different diameter tyres - for when you change to winter rims/tyres. IIRC you input a percentage of what was on as standard. The setting is in my maxidot. I've got 17" and sports suspension and I find it fine. Handling better than my previous vRS TDi as well due to lighter engine / gearbox. Still not enough roll stiffness at the rear though for me.... If it was my own car I would have changed the rear anti roll bar on both of them.

No problem doing heel and toe in either current 1.6tdi or previous vRS TDi. You have just got to blip quickly. I use heel and toe every time I drive and haven't found a car I can't do it in yet.

I must update this thread, got an indicated 69.8mpg this morning on a legal run of 135 miles, and on another 200 miles later in day got 64mpg again at legal speeds. This is more like what I expected, engines now got 2,500 miles on it so that maybe helped. Hope to see much more of this :yes:

I've got a new 1.6TDi with about 1,500 miles on the clock now. I drive extremely economically but somehow I've only achieved 51.5 mpg real mpg on fill ups, which has been about 54.5mpg on the trip computer. This is hardly better than my old PD TDi vRS which averaged 48.5 mpg on trip computer driving faster than I am now with the 1.6TDi. A couple of things, what do others achieve, and how come the official figure is 60mpg plus and the only time I can see anything approaching it is trundling along at steady 60 mph on a flat dual carriageway? Is the official testing too far removed from what can be really acheived? The 2.0 PD TDi would get nearly the same under 60mph steady conditions as well (well indicated average 55mpg anyway) Same thing goes for the Prius, figures said 65mpg, but in real life 49mpg was all that could be acheived even driving gently and using loads of regen braking. Just makes me think the official tests don't bear any resemblance to real life these days. Have the manufacturers found how to 'beat' the tests or are they sending 'specials' for the tests?

I have just had a new car with a Bolero and was dreading using the SD card after reading soem of this thread. I need not have worried. It's great. Brought a class 10 16GB card from 7dayshop for £17.99, loaded it with about 12GB of songs, and it starts up within about 5 seconds. What more could anyone ask for as 12GB is about 1,700 tracks? Very impressed.

Just sitting in dealer awaiting a recharge of air con. Not had this before on others cars. 2 years old but I do tend to only turn on the a/c when I need it.

Definately engine load related and therefore from the exhaust. I just avoid cruising at 80 mph on a light throttle.

OK, new tyres now on, and used in more than ice and snow now. Moving from rock hard Mich Pilot Primacy to Conti Sport Contact 3's have GREATLY reduced the axle tramp - the opposite to what has been written above which I'm relieved about. I did have it down as something for the dealer to look at on the service, but I took it off the (short) list. The new grippier tyres mean that the wheels don't spin so easily so the axle tramp doesn't occur in 'normal' driving. You can still get it, but it's a very rare occasion now, and I think the breakaway characteristics of the Conti's also help. Whether the rear Mich tyres will ever wear out is a thought to ponder over... and there's no way they're going onto the front to wear them out faster!

When I test drove the Passat, Octy and A4 2 years ago I rated the quality in the order: A4 Octy Passat I've been in a colleagues Passat since, and I was right. Interior nice and creaky. The boot on the Passat is no larger than the Octy either (Octy larger under the cover). Passat uses more fuel (its heavier), and the rear passenger space is a bit larger. Just read the last couple of posts about the Passat handbrake....... Argh.... Avoid. Colleagues packed up. I wouldn't change from my Octy to a Passat.

Again this morning, my new ContiSportContact 3s have proved rubbish.... and it isn't my driving. Couldn't even drive up the most gentle slope of compacted snow that a Corsa just drove straight up, may have made it in reverse, but there was another route out of the estate. Have you looked at the tread pattern left by these tyres in fresh snow? All you can see is longitudinal grooves, all the others remain blocked with snow. So may as well be running on slicks near enough! Great tyres in the wet still though, well impressed.

I had my front tyres changed (mich Pilot primacy) at the weekend in readiness. Managed to get them replaced with Conti Sport contact 3's ( a result as its a lease car - thanks to the tyre depot for that ). The conti's are rubbish in the snow, but are in a different league to those hard wearing mich's in the wet :-) Can actually accellerate relatively hard now without inducing wheel hop. Struggled up a hill yesterday, going nowhere with the gentel approach, small amount of right boot got some heat into them and away I went. I wish the ECU on VW group cars would allow left foot braking - its very useful in the snow at keeping the front end in around corners....

Attachments fine here - Mac with Firefox How on earth do you get all that torque to the road.....? I struggle with the standard 260ftlb on my PDi 170

Is that something the dealer will do under warranty if I moan about it? It does spoil the otherwise good car for me somewhat. I have noticed I don't get the problem when on the grippy surfaces that are laid at junctions etc these days - hence the thought grippier tyres wold do the same.

Glad to read that the Michelin Premacy tyres are not the best. I've never had a set of tyres last so long, 35,000 miles and counting on a TDi vRS. I beginning to wonder if I'll break the driveshafts / diff / gearbox before they wear out, or the traction control lamp on the dash.... I hope gripper tyres will cure the 'axle tramp' that I currently get. especially at this time of year.

I hadn't bothered when my radio reception deterioted..... Next service - new aerial please!