First long-ish journey in my supern estate DSG 150ps. (Onky got 52 miles on the clock)

it’s a little damp underfoot,Mobutu was surprised that at mist starts, either at traffic lights or junctions, I get sone wheel-spin. Is this normal?

car is in eco mode, not hammering it either, far too early in its life, just normal acceleration 

 

 

 

 

Check your tyre pressures. When I got mine last year, it would wheelspin at every junction even with very slight acceleration. When I checked the tyre pressures, they were reading way too high. Adjusted pressures - problem solved.

Tyre mould release agent and new tyres still to bed in? You're not on hard lock and getting the diff spinning one side are you?

Brand new tyres, without mould release coating fully scrubbed off, probably low rolling resistance summer tyres, which would be optimised to lower CO2 and marginally reduce mpg at WLTP test temperature of +23c

 

However Eco summer tyres are hard (and thus not grippy) when cold.  Tests suggest their performance in wet below +10c falls markedly and near useless in cold rain / sleet / slush / snow.   They are simply not designed for all year use.   You can spin wheels with heavy diesel lump, so with less deadweight it’s even easier to spin tyres with petrol engine when fitted with these summer only tyres.

Usual answer is change tyres for something suitable, I would recommend all season tyres (either Goodyear vector 4season Generation3 or Continental all season contact), can use them all year in UK, and avoid seasonal switching.   Alternatively use winter tyres from November to March/April

 

If a bloke from a pub says never used to be a problem, then they are referring to few years ago, before all season tyres were introduced and WLTP tests (which allowed summer tyres to be reformulated for higher temperature range), the latest summer ones simply not designed to operate in cold rain.

 

 

What make / type of tyres has your car been supplied with?

 

Edited 20 January, 20215 yr by SurreyJohn

On 20/01/2021 at 12:59, SurreyJohn said:

............................

If a bloke from a pub says never used to be a problem, then they are referring to few years ago, before all season tyres were introduced and WLTP tests (which allowed summer tyres to be reformulated for higher temperature range), the latest summer ones simply not designed to operate in cold rain.

........

 

Wasn't a problem with the lack of power you got years ago.  Remember getting a second hand Sierra in 1992 which had 80 bhp, 10 up on the one it replaced!   

Tyres are Continental 235/45 P18s

tyre pressures were at the top end for the car at 2.6, so reduced down to 2.5 var

i will see what’s that like

3 hours ago, Warkman said:

Tyres are Continental 235/45R18

 

Below 10 degrees Centigrade summer tyres start to lose grip rapidly. By the time you get down to 5 or 6 degrees Centigrade summer tyres can really start to struggle.

 

It's best to change them for good all-season tyre with the 3PMSF symbol or winter tyres at this time of year. The reason being that they have sips built into the tread, and that helps grip a lot when the road is slippery.

 

Good all-season tyre brands include Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear, Michelin, Vredestein. Make sure you go for the latest models as all-season tyres have been rapidly improving in recent years.

 

It can take 500 miles for the tread on a new tyre to roughen up and perform at its best.

 

Edited 22 January, 20215 yr by Carlston

9 hours ago, Warkman said:

Tyres are Continental 235/45 P18s

tyre pressures were at the top end for the car at 2.6, so reduced down to 2.5 var

i will see what’s that like

Continental are good German tyres,

but you probably have the (summer use) Eco Contact 6, or ContiSport Contact 5 or Premium Contact 6

 

None of these are suitable for all year use as wet grip falls markedly below +10c, and if you get below about +4c they are simply to hard.  If you want to keep same tyres all year use the all season Contact

 

I have to laugh sometimes been using summer tyres for the last 38 years without ending in a ditch unlike the yellow Mazda MX-5 which ended up the wrong way round in a ditch having lost control on a roundabout near where I live. It was -2C this morning and I was running late because of the frost so did my 27 mile commute in just 36 minutes at an average of 45mph.

The attitude of too many drivers these days is that stability control and traction control will keep them out of trouble.

 

The electronics can't defeat the laws of physics.

We ran a MK2 Octi VRS pertol manual for nearly 3yrs. It had regualr Dunlop Sportmax tryres all round, and whilst it could wheelspin, it wasn't something I couldn't control even in ice and snow. Like the man in the pub mentioned earlier, in 31yrs never had a problem and I've run vehicles from <30bhp upto 500+ bhp/tonne.

 

I note that the OP car has a DSG gearbox. Could this be the cause? Does the DSG not allow sensitive use of the throttle? Is it part of anti stalling software?

 

I read the info in this thread about tyre technology. Are modern tyres really being made with less grip than the summer tyres of only a few years ago? When did this change?

 

 

The change from past (distant past?) Is that cars are heavier, more powerful and use lower profile/wider tyres.

This all combines to a statistical lower grip level. Yes there will be many that can handle more slippy conditions but on the whole cars need tyres suitable for the climate/conditions.

7 hours ago, Westbury63 said:

 

 

I read the info in this thread about tyre technology. Are modern tyres really being made with less grip than the summer tyres of only a few years ago? When did this change?

 

 

It’s not that modern tyres have less grip, it’s what they are nowadays designed to do, which differs from before.

 

One problem is Eco (or low rolling resistance) tyres.   These have compounds which are harder than standard summer tyres.  Simple physics if hard they are less grippy.  Great for summer touring, useless in cold rain.

 

The other change is that over the last 1-4 years, various tyre manufacturers have introduced all season tyres (which have ideal temperature range of about -5c to +25c  exact amount varies by brand, still ok at say -12c to +32c).  Consequently have been able to optimise summer tyres for summer temperatures say +10c to +40c 

 

The reason why the car gets delivered with summer tyres is that WLTP tests are done at +23c.  But of course the mean temperature of UK is considerably lower, and if they fitted all season (with ideal midpoint of +10c) then going to get higher CO2 and mpg.   Also of course having changed spec would need a new WLTP test, so just get the eco summer tyre as factory option.

 

Edited 22 January, 20215 yr by SurreyJohn

6 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

The change from past (distant past?) Is that cars are heavier, more powerful and use lower profile/wider tyres.

This all combines to a statistical lower grip level. Yes there will be many that can handle more slippy conditions but on the whole cars need tyres suitable for the climate/conditions.

 

I don't really buy that to be honest. Our VRS had 225/40-18 tyres, weight 1350kg and had 200 bhp and same-ish torque. That car is now 15yrs old.  I might be wrong, but it does sound like driver being heavy footed. Take me for a drive, and I'll let you know if it's man or machine causing the wheelspin!  Mind you, I passed my test in a 998cc Mini Mayfair and my first car was a Morris Marina, so the limits of traction were very apparent. As @IJWS15  drivers rely on electronics too much. There must be lots of drivers on the road that have never driven a car without abs/tcs/ebd/kfc/xds fitted to a car, so have no point of reference.

Well the new one is 1445kg with 245hp and potentially 19s. Added to what surreyjohn said there is definitely a move towards needing the correct tyres for the condition.