Scirocco Central

Posted: **Sat Jun 12, 2010 10:01 pm**

callum2009 wrote:
Deb wrote:
ashley1407 wrote:I'm a 140 driver and it really depends for me. If I'm going uphill (even relatively minor gradient) then it will be in third but if I'm on the flat or on a gentle downhill then I'll more than likely put it into fourth as I hardly need any power to continue motion. However, I wouldn't accelerate from 30 in fourth even downhill as you are again straining the mechanics of the car.
I'm a 170 driver and I'm more likely to be in 3rd at 30mph. The car's happy enough tickling along in 4th but my speed tends to creep up a bit and like Ashley said, I'd not welly the car from 30 in fourth. I've been driving diesel cars for years now (farmer's daughter, enough said) and was always taught to drive a diesel like you hated it.

Can't believe there's more than one person driving their car in 6th from 30 mph upwards; surely 6th is for 60mph + cruising only? My best buddy does the whole 'wherever I go I'm always in sixth' thing too, but then she's a terrible driver with no spacial awareness. She says I drive too fast and take risks, I have to take my glasses off when I'm her passenger in case I see what she's doing. Only one of us has a clean driving licence; it's not her.
Are you implying I am a poor driver becuase I use 6th gear whenever I am not accelerating? I don't leave it in 6th to accelerate, its if i am travelling along a continous 30 such as a village with no lights or junctions that I just leave it in 6th and the car goes along comfortably, if I then leave the 30 zone then I will switch to 3rd or 4th gear to accelerate up to the suitable speed for that road and then go back to 6th when I stop accelerating. About 80% of my driving is national speed limits or motorway travelling so I am not at 30 often but if I am in a 30 and see no reason to accelerate or decelerate then I leave the car in 6th gear. I am averaging 33.6mpg in a 2.0 TSI with 24,000 miles on the clock, I have a completely clean license and have never had an accident (touch wood) and having absolutely no problems with the car apart from a few punctures due to poor road conditions / nails.

An you;re probably also the most boring person on the planet.

Posted: **Sat Jun 12, 2010 11:18 pm**

LOL - Exactly what I was thinking tbh Andy

Staying in 6 gear all the time seems odd to me, but each to there own.

Posted: **Sun Jun 13, 2010 9:19 am**

Callum

everyone had different driving styles, at least you don't labour the engine trying to accelerate from an unsuitable speed.

I used to drive (almost) everywhere in 4th in my mini

S

Posted: **Sun Jun 13, 2010 12:17 pm**

Andy-GTI wrote:
An you;re probably also the most boring person on the planet.

Say what you like, driving fast has its time and place, I am merely referring to everyday driving where I have other interests rather than blasting the nuts off of saxo vtrs or 106 gtis or hitting the redline away from traffic lights because I saw an attractive girl and I want her to stare at me.

Posted: **Sun Jun 13, 2010 12:57 pm**

Callum, I wasn't implying you were a bad driver, I said I'm usually in 3rd/4th at 30 but that I have a friend who drives almost everywhere in top gear, and incidentally she's a terrible driver as she has no spacial awareness. I could have gone on to detail how she'll do what's right for her regardless of the implications to other drivers, or how she managed to not only 360 but also rolled her car when a deer ran out in the road. Lovely girl but she should stick to walking.

Sorry if I touched a nerve; it wasn't intentional.

IMO there's plenty of driving speeds and styles between 'drive it like you're a 70 year old Rover driver' and 'drive it like you nicked it and are about to set light to it'. Not that I'm implying you, or any other person on this forum are either, you understand.

Posted: **Sun Jun 13, 2010 1:11 pm**

I haven't been driving long so the influence from my instructor probably still plays a part, she insisted I upchanged really early and I barely had the revs over 2000 throughout my learning and it has just stuck over the last 2 years. I won't lie I didn't really contemplate possible engine labouring, I was just aiming for what gave a good return economy wise.

I might have to try get rid of this habit now if it is potentially reducing the life of the engine though, the car will be gone in just under 2 years though so i don't really care what happens to it after then

(3 year lease as a company car)

Posted: **Sun Jun 13, 2010 3:31 pm**

3rd and using the cruise control, I like to keep the engine in the power band just in case, in 4th at 30 the turbo is giving little to no boost so the car will not pull too good which could be a problem if a situation arises.

To me the TDi Scirocco is too highly geared, the ratio for 5th gear would be better for 6th and the in between gears spread out more, my old PD 130 Fabia's 6th gear gave 70mph at 2100rpm but the Scrirocco reads 70mph at 1800rpm which is right where the turbo spools up so when driving on the motorway at 50-70 usually I have to drop the car back into 5th to get some power which is a pain.

Posted: **Sun Jun 13, 2010 7:05 pm**

callum2009 wrote:I haven't been driving long so the influence from my instructor probably still plays a part, she insisted I upchanged really early and I barely had the revs over 2000 throughout my learning and it has just stuck over the last 2 years. I won't lie I didn't really contemplate possible engine labouring, I was just aiming for what gave a good return economy wise.

I might have to try get rid of this habit now if it is potentially reducing the life of the engine though, the car will be gone in just under 2 years though so i don't really care what happens to it after then (3 year lease as a company car)

High torque engines such as VAG TDI, TFSI/TSI are designed to be driven at relatively low rev's. IMHO for daily driving change down between 1500 to 1800 rpm and up as early as 2500. Anything much beyond 2500 rpm is waste certainly when following traffic in town. There is no point in being one or two cogs to low just because something may happen, if you've got time for a manouvre you've got time to change down. I could see fifth working @30, certainly fourth. TBH DSG has really opened my eyes to just how higher gear you can drive in and still get decent acceleration.

Posted: **Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:12 am**

The manual for the PD TDI engines used to have a prominent warning not to be below 1250rpm in any gear except 1st, no such warning for the CR TDI engine that i'm aware of, maybe due to the CR being more flexible in it's power delivery.

My 140 TDI will cruise happily at anything over 1000rpm in any gear, but i'd always change down for even the gentlest acceleration. The CR is geared taller than the. PD units

Posted: **Mon Jun 14, 2010 6:09 pm**

This whole 30mph/6th gear thing has intrigued me, so I've just given it a go on the same stretch of road in and out of town. Couple of points; it doesn't sound laboured (much to my surprise), it does feel laboured when my foot's on the accelerator, if I take my foot off the accelerator the car will continue to run without any acceleration which feels likes cruise control's kicked in, the MPG is spectacular but the car wouldn't stay bang on 30 but wanted to run at around 33/34mph.

I'll not be amending my driving style; I just didn't feel like I was in full control of the car and wondered whether the MPG gain would be lost through braking instead of changing down through the gears.

Sorry for being so tedious, all. I'll post something daft/ridiculous/pisstaking again soon.

Scirocco Central

what gear at 30 ?

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