Can I start in 2nd gear with DSG.

[GeoffH]

I was always taught when you get stuck in snow you should start off in 2nd gear. I have a 1.5 DSG Karoq and have tried to do this but it doesn’t seem possible.... am I missing something?

I am concerned that when starting off in first gear it sometimes goes off like a scalded rabbit which would be hopeless when setting off in deep snow, trying to keep wheelspin to a minimum. 

 

[patrolman]

6 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

I was always taught when you get stuck in snow you should start off in 2nd gear. I have a 1.5 DSG Karoq and have tried to do this but it doesn’t seem possible.... am I missing something?

I am concerned that when starting off in first gear it sometimes goes off like a scalded rabbit which would be hopeless when setting off in deep snow, trying to keep wheelspin to a minimum. 

 

I doubt this would be possible but Selecting snow in drive mode will sort the correct gear an power delivery 

[Ootohere]

Wear lighter shoes, you control the car the car should not control you.  It has only 150ps after all.

and switch off Traction Control.  Fit winter tyres.   Read the Owners manual as one might expect a Member of the IAM to do.

 

It is an Automated Manual (DSG) and not an Automatic and not like a manual.

 

Edited 6 February, 2019 by Skoffski

[GeoffH]

30 minutes ago, Skoffski said:

Wear lighter shoes, you control the car the car should not control you.  It has only 150ps after all.

and switch off Traction Control.  Fit winter tyres.   Read the Owners manual as one might expect a Member of the IAM to do.

 

It is an Automated Manual (DSG) and not an Automatic and not like a manual.

 

Wow!  

 

I have winter tyres.

I have read the manual ( I do object to your comment about an IAM member should read it ).

I know how to control a car having driven just short of 1.5 million miles.

If I get stuck I will turn off the traction control as I have done so in the past in deep snow, when setting off. 

I have had four DSG cars so know how they work.

 

The purpose of my post was to see if anyone know how to engage second gear when setting off. 

 

[Berisford]

I think the simple answer to the original question is, without any doubt, no!

[MJ1]

I have had a look for snow mode but not obvious where it was, I guess I need to dig deeper.

 

When using DSG mode it moves out of 1st gear so fast that maybe better to use it rather than manual?

 

I have been experimenting with using the paddles to change gears when going down hill to try and use less breaks as the DSG is new to me after 30+ years of manual driving. I am still nervous about dealing with snow in it but hopefully I will manage.

 

When the tyres are replaced I will move to 4 season tyres. Fortunately snow is fairly rare here so it is a risk I shall have to live with...

Sorry can't help with your question but I am interested in the discussion...

 

 

[Breezy]

4 season tyres are a bit pointless really, pretty average but not great at any season.

Winter tyres are not all about snow. The difference is the tyre compound which stays pliable in cold temperatures (below 8c) when the rubber on standard tyres tends to harden.

If you imagine pushing a small block of rubber along a polished table and then applying pressure from above, the block will stop moving. If you then repeat that with a block of wood, the wood will continue to slide even when you apply pressure from above.

The rubber block represents your winter tyre, still nice and pliable with good adhesion where the wood block represents your summer tyres which have become hardened in the cold temperatures and therefore lose adhesion and therefore traction causing the vehicle to skid.

Winter tyres are effective for the months when temperatures are likely to drop to 8c or below.

Having a set of each isnt too expensive either as both sets will be used less and their lives will be much extended.

 

[Ootohere]

8*oC or 6*oC and down or such crap oft mentioned is OTT really.  That can be day or night on any day or night in parts of the UK any time or season.

Cold roads are very common.

Rubbish Eco Tyres are mostly the issue, and OEM Tyres fitted to Crossover/ SUV and Part Time AWD or just cars to import into the UK are ridiculous.

Not just for when cold but when wet in high summer when it is vest & knotted hanky on head and no shirt weather.

 

Selecting 'S' and not being on the accelerator when going down hills or reducing speeds on ice, snow etc with a DSG can be useful and mean not needing to touch the brakes.

You can then still use the paddle to drop another gear or 2 if needed.

There is 'M' to shift up and down, but i have found in petrols and diesels with wet or dry DSG's that back and fore from 'D' to 'S' means you can drive dicy and icy roads and never touch the foot brake.

Edited 6 February, 2019 by Skoffski

[steveb8189]

I think the answer in the Karoq is no

 

My Octavia vrs pretty much always sets off in 2nd and once you've stopped it is impossible to force it into first

[Ootohere]

^^^ Were you never tempted to get it repaired?

[Breezy]

Yes we know that roads can get cold any time of the year. Winter tyres are extremely effective when the temperatures fall and become more effective the cooler  they get.Clearly it would be stupid to change tyres back and forth every time the temperature changed so manufacturers advise they are fitted once temperatures are likely to be at 8c or below regularly.....ie in the winter.

When you see how traffic in the uk is gridlocked in icy and snowy conditions then look to Scandinavia, Northern Europe , Canada etc where winter tyres are a legal requirement....it is clear that they are effective.

My own experience was with my BMW 320d which was difficult to say the least, in snow or on icy roads. Once I put on winter tyres it could go just about anywhere and performance was hardly affected.

Edited 6 February, 2019 by Breezy

[steveb8189]

10 minutes ago, Skoffski said:

^^^ Were you never tempted to get it repaired?

 

If it's not broke don't change it...

 

Seriously though, I think it's standard behavior. If I pull up in Sport it will downshift to 1st but not in eco or normal modes. It certainly pulls away well in 2nd and with a heavy right foot will spin the wheels in the dry

[Ootohere]

A DSG of which ever might stay in 2nd at 5-6mph but when you stop / dead stop it should go to 1st. No matter what mode the driver has the car in.

[steveb8189]

1 minute ago, Skoffski said:

A DSG of which ever might stay in 2nd at 5-6mph but when you stop / dead stop it should go to 1st. No matter what mode the driver has the car in.

 

My Golf GTD with the same engine and gearbox exhibited exactly the same behaviour so I'm not going to worry. Maybe it is something specific about that combination of engine and 6 speed wet clutch DSG you're not familiar with. Plenty of talk about the same "feature" on the VW forums

[Ootohere]

I am familiar with all the DSG's and engine combinations, driven all, car and vans, owned various and have driven Golf GTD diesels and have a 2.0 TDI Euro 6 6 speed DSG.

I have one foot so driven Autos, Automated Manuals, CVT's and Servo Clutch vehicles summer and winter for 4 decades.

Edited 6 February, 2019 by Skoffski

[g6zru]

4 hours ago, GeoffH said:

I was always taught when you get stuck in snow you should start off in 2nd gear. I have a 1.5 DSG Karoq and have tried to do this but it doesn’t seem possible.... am I missing something?

I am concerned that when starting off in first gear it sometimes goes off like a scalded rabbit which would be hopeless when setting off in deep snow, trying to keep wheelspin to a minimum. 

 

Before I get attacked by those people who I have blocked I have a question/suggestion about this.

I drive a 1.2 Yeti but I think this is transferable to the Karoq.

Is it not possible to use manual mode to select whichever gear you want?

Last Friday I was in a queue in wet snow on a slight incline, traffic had come to a stop about 5 cars ahead and it was too easy to spin the front wheels.

I however notice that the gear change between first and second was very quick and the wheel spin was quickly controlled.

I was able to turn around and find a less slippery route, feet off pedals and let the "brain" do it's thing. Very impressive for a 2wd car. 

 

Fred

Edited 6 February, 2019 by g6zru

[steveb8189]

23 minutes ago, g6zru said:

Before I get attacked by those people who I have blocked I have a question/suggestion about this.

I drive a 1.2 Yeti but I think this is transferable to the Karoq.

Is it not possible to use manual mode to select whichever gear you want?

Last Friday I was in a queue in wet snow on a slight incline, traffic had come to a stop about 5 cars ahead and it was too easy to spin the front wheels.

 I however notice that the gear change between first and second was very quick and the wheel spin was quickly controlled.

I was able to turn around and find a less slippery route, feet off pedals and let the "brain" do it's thing. Very impressive for a 2wd car. 

 

Fred

 

I think at any moving speed you can change to 2nd. I'm not sure what would happen if you're spinning and not actually moving...

 

You certainly can't select any gear you want though. It would allow you to change down if the new revs would be over the red line and you can't change up if the new revs would be under 800

[OldKaroq]

6 hours ago, Skoffski said:

I am familiar with all the DSG's and engine combinations, driven all, car and vans, owned various and have driven Golf GTD diesels and have a 2.0 TDI Euro 6 6 speed DSG.

I have one foot so driven Autos, Automated Manuals, CVT's and Servo Clutch vehicles summer and winter for 4 decades.

 

46,000 posts in 7 years gives an an average of over 18 posts a DAY! When do you get the time to drive??   

[TheRobinK]

Some people want Android Auto in their cars.... but I think Skoffski is maybe an Android using an auto in his car. Doesn't sleep!

 

Android or not, he's a Terminator when it comes to shooting down VAG Group bullsh1t....!    

[Ootohere]

@OldKaroq  Usually in 450 mile round trips, adding up to 15 - 20,000 miles a year these last years.

@TheRobinK  My driving mostly is during the night. More miles in winter than summer.

Edited 6 February, 2019 by Skoffski

[SuperbTWM]

If you want an Auto that will set off in second you could buy a Discovery, you might be able to get nearly half of one for the price of a Karoq

Edited 6 February, 2019 by SuperbTWM

[ktm690rr]

I am a bit mystified by all this consternation regarding driving in the snow with a 4x4 DSG. Nothing to it, I drive on a set of Vredesteins with the car set on DYNAMIC (Audi Q3) and have no problems about selecting gears, the car does it for me, smooth as silk !!  And yes we do get snow in the NW Highlands/Lairg/Strath Kildonan area.

 

M

 

Edited 6 February, 2019 by ktm690rr

[dave_knight]

9 hours ago, GeoffH said:

Wow!  

 

I have winter tyres.

I have read the manual ( I do object to your comment about an IAM member should read it ).

I know how to control a car having driven just short of 1.5 million miles.

If I get stuck I will turn off the traction control as I have done so in the past in deep snow, when setting off. 

I have had four DSG cars so know how they work.

 

The purpose of my post was to see if anyone know how to engage second gear when setting off. 

 

 

Now I have the 1.6 TDI so have torque on my side and  I agree with the conclusion in the it is not possible to select which gear to move off in with the DSG box as it will always return to 1 when you stop.

However I wonder whether the issue of loosing grip when starting off could be alleviated by:

- Putting the car in "M"

- Wwitching off the auto-hold

- Releasing the foot brake slowly and use the "creep" mode of the DSG to pull off with the engine at idle (the torque of the 1.6 TDI should mean the Karoq does not stall/ECU picks up the revs to stop stalling)

- Once you are moving more than a few miles an hour flick it back into "D" and accelerate gently, which would be helped if the car was in "Eco" mode as well?

 

It snowed in my part of blighty last week, but never got a chance to test this theory as by time I got on the roads the snow had melted ... shame will have to wait for the next set of snow to test my theory!

[Ootohere]

^^^ if a DSG stalls something is very wrong.

[GeoffH]

19 hours ago, dave_knight said:

 

Now I have the 1.6 TDI so have torque on my side and  I agree with the conclusion in the it is not possible to select which gear to move off in with the DSG box as it will always return to 1 when you stop.

However I wonder whether the issue of loosing grip when starting off could be alleviated by:

- Putting the car in "M"

- Wwitching off the auto-hold

- Releasing the foot brake slowly and use the "creep" mode of the DSG to pull off with the engine at idle (the torque of the 1.6 TDI should mean the Karoq does not stall/ECU picks up the revs to stop stalling)

- Once you are moving more than a few miles an hour flick it back into "D" and accelerate gently, which would be helped if the car was in "Eco" mode as well?

 

It snowed in my part of blighty last week, but never got a chance to test this theory as by time I got on the roads the snow had melted ... shame will have to wait for the next set of snow to test my theory!

Thanks for that suggestion. We had snow last week but didn’t venture out as I didn’t need to! I’ll certainly try your suggestion.