Just a quick one - I've got a new-style TFSI VRS (manual) and I'm wondering if something is 'normal'...

On the rare occassion that I try to get out of a junction or onto a roundabout quickly and break traction in 1st, I get a very loud banging/clonking from the front right wheel as it spins - almost like serious axle tramp, if you like (although I know there's no axle as such).

I appreciate I shouldn't be spinning the wheels up anyway - and it is a rarity this happens - but it sounds god-awful when it does... and I've had plenty of cars in the past that, when this happens, they don't make anywhere near as much of a racket at this!

Car seems to handle okay - drives straight (except on hard power over uneven surfaces where a little wandering is evident, but I figure this is to be expected), so I don't fear that a wheel or hub is loose or anything ?!

I get that as well, from what I worked out it is the ESP cutting in and stopping the wheels spinning and being on some uneven road. It felt like I drove over some dead bodies the first time it happened.

I did it the same road with out the ESP on and it was fine( it got wheel spin)

Do you mean wheel hop?

Sounds like it

I've got a 2006 VRS and mine does it aswell, but I'm not sure of which side it's coming from. I've had it happen a few times when the road was wet; either coming out of a roundabout or pulling out of a junction. I presumed it was the traction control or ESP cutting in as the noise was accompanied by a light flashing on the dash. The car was fine afterwards, so I wasn't unduely worried.

Edited 27 May, 201115 yr by Gachet

its wheel hop and the primary cause is sloppy engine mounts.

As you accelerate the engine always rocks back. and when you acclerate hard you will be shocked at the amount of movement (get someone to rev it with the bonnet open you'll get almost a fist of moment and thats without the intertia of the car moving from a standstill)

So if you accelerate and the wheels brake traction, the engine will have rocked back abit, the ESP cuts power momentarily which makes the engine cut back and forth again, this then repeats. Tats known as wheel hop.

Easily fixed with an uprated lower engine mount from the likes of THS or VWRacing. Reviews to be read here if your interested >>>click me<<<< and also >>>click me to<<<< the full sets will obviously be better but lower will be ample.

I had the dogbone insert in mine and for what its worth it was a waste in comparison

Dam didn't know it was that bad. Best get some uprated parts soon

I've got a 1.8Tsi and this is probably the worst feature of the car. I personally think this is bad enough for a recall and modded engine mounts, but I'm not holding my breath.

I wonder if this 'feature' also affects the various other VAG cars - Audi and VW's using this family of engines?

The diesels are worse as it is harder to control the wheelspin, especially with the power delivery characteristics of the PD vRS (lots of torque in a big lump).

I've got a 1.8Tsi and this is probably the worst feature of the car. I personally think this is bad enough for a recall and modded engine mounts, but I'm not holding my breath.

I wonder if this 'feature' also affects the various other VAG cars - Audi and VW's using this family of engines?

all of the VAgs suffer with them. they use soft mounts to reduce engine vibration and sound transferring to the cabin.

Thanks for the replies guys. Yes, it sounds like it could well be the engine clonking back and forth on it's mounts. The noise is horrendous.

This, coupled with another noise I'm about to post about (been to the dealer this afternoon) makes me quite annoyed that Skoda find this level of noise 'acceptable' (ie. standard behaviour) for a modern car... will post my other issue in a suitable thread

It's a bit of a classic case of compromise. Because if they chose to fit all cars with stiffer mounts as standard, I can image they'd end up with quite a lot of complaints about cabin noise.

So I can imagine they've taken the view that less people are likely to be frequently stressing the engine mounts by rapidly accelerating from a standstill, than would complain about intrusive noise caused by harder mounts.

I'd accept that, except I've had plenty of front wheel drive cars in the past and they didn't make this alarming racket when they wheelspun !

But like you say, it's a rarity - I've had the car over 6 months and it was only yesterday, coming back in the rain, I discovered it for the first time pulling onto a roundabout 'briskly'... I thought a wheel had fallen off at the time :-S !!

My Mk 5 Golf GTI did exactly the same. Horrendous banging noise. Nearly jumped out of my skin the first time it happened!

Haven't had it yet in the vRS, but don't tend to spin up from a standing start - not great for tyre wear!

I think it might be just general play in the transmission system with engine mounts a likely contribution but will also be how all of that interacts with the traction control. Certainly mine does it at any time when pressing on from a standing start on a less than perfect surface but I always notice in the traction control light coming on in the corner of my eye.

I had it lots on my '06 remapped 2.0PD TDI. I had no problems when I turned off the ASR button. Personally I think changing the engine mounts are a little extreme. I've had worn engine mounts in my old BMW 530d and the engine shook very badly at idle, whereas the Octavia never did.

Just too much right foot, slightly greasy/wet road (but not always) and not brilliant tyres and hey presto, that horrible sound of the ASR cutting in. Turn it off and the lovely sound of spinning wheels............