I have been an IAM advanced driver for several years now but was driving a manual. Now with my new DSG on its way, I am wondering how I need to adapt my driving to suit the DSG automatic.

First questions are:

1. When stopped, for example at a red light, no I put it into neutral, I presume so but not sure?

2. Is there any need for left foot braking or benefit (never had the need so far)? On the few ocassions I have driven an automatic I have reverted to manual and gone for the clutch and end up hitting the brake and my left foot does not do subtle at that point.

Can't think of others at the moment but sure there are other differences I have not even realised yet.

I have been an IAM advanced driver for several years now but was driving a manual. Now with my new DSG on its way, I am wondering how I need to adapt my driving to suit the DSG automatic.

First questions are:

1. When stopped, for example at a red light, no I put it into neutral, I presume so but not sure?

2. Is there any need for left foot braking or benefit (never had the need so far)? On the few ocassions I have driven an automatic I have reverted to manual and gone for the clutch and end up hitting the brake and my left foot does not do subtle at that point.

Can't think of others at the moment but sure there are other differences I have not even realised yet.

I am a driving instructor, advanced driver, responce driver...

1: its perfectly acceptable to put it in neutral at lights and relax your feet (handbrake on of course), however, I would only do it if you know you will be waiting a long time, otherwise I would simply keep my foot on the brake. one thing though, NEVER leave it in gear with the handbrake on and take your foot OFF the brake, this will then engage the clutch , which will pull against the handbrake, and potentially cause damage.

2: I wouldn't mess with left foot braking unless you intend to be on the track trying to shave tenths off your lap time... going for the clutch and hitting the brake is a common thing to do if you always drive a manual and first go to an auto... you will only make that mistake once though just learn to leave your left foot alone...

I have many qualifications, however it still took me thousands of miles to understand, and utilise the DSG fully... you WILL come up with more questions its a case of learning new technology, especially when learning to drive fast down a country road ect, when to use paddles (how to use them correctly) , when to use ovveride, if you ever want to use sport ect ect

I understand why the motoring hacks get into the vRS and say they dont like DSG... basically they seem to expect it to be like a manual... its not. it just needs time to get used to. now, I would never go back to manual

have fun!

Thanks for the response and info.

Never really been a believer in left foot braking but thought I'd ask.

Didn't know that the footbrake was linked to the clutch. Have sat in gear on a handbrake before and felt the slight pull forward but put that down to switching from front to rear brakes.

Think for once I'll be reading the manual properly rather than just scanning it.

Attempting to declutch an auto (inc DSG, PDK etc) isn't something most people do regularly. I think I've done it twice ever, and swap between the 2 (usually my manual and borrowed auto) for odd trips rather than driving one or the other exclusively for years at a stretch. Similarly, I've never stalled a manual by waiting for the torque convertor to slip when stopping.

Your "slight pull" I presume refers to torque convertor autos? If so, it's caused by the engine trying to pull the car forward against the brakes when you select D or R.

Thanks for the response and info.

Never really been a believer in left foot braking but thought I'd ask.

Didn't know that the footbrake was linked to the clutch. Have sat in gear on a handbrake before and felt the slight pull forward but put that down to switching from front to rear brakes.

Think for once I'll be reading the manual properly rather than just scanning it.

this is how it works with the brake and clutch in DSG.... when you fully depress the brake and the car is stationary the clutch disengages,(If you release the brake partially it will partially engage) as soon as you release the brake completley the clutch engages and the car starts to move forward(maybe after a short delay if the hill holder is operating) ...

unlike a conventional auto (torque converter mentioned above) , think of it as two manual gearboxes combined (two clutches) where the clutches operate electronically

I'm now on my 2nd DSG. First one was in an '06 L&K Octavia 2.0PD Estate.

The Yeti gearbox is essentially the same, but the software is much better. It will now change down when you are going down a hill (didn't on Octavia), it will pull 5th around town at a little over 1000rpm (probably more due to my remapped engine), which it will select its self.

Hill hold is brilliant as it makes the car more ordinary auto like. When you are coming to a stop it will also change down and almost blip the engine in my diesel.

I have had the flappy paddle MFSW fitted from a vRS and I love the paddles (Why Skoda, oh why, don't you give us Yeti owners the option of having it fitted at the factory)

Moving off briskly is different. I tend to take my right foot off the brake, and then the car starts to move very slowly. Then you can press the loud pedal as much as you want.

If you put your left foot on the brake and your right food on the throttle, you will get about 1200rpm with your foot flat to the floor. So not good for very fast get aways. No launch control like the Golf GTI gets.

Some times when driving up an incline, and you have to stop, so you just are trickling along, if you take your foot off the throttle, the car can jerk as the clutch disengages. I am still experimenting how to overcome this.

When you thane the car on a track they can not sound test you as the car will only reach 2500 in neutral or park.

Many months ago I did manage to get a false neutral when going down quickly a few times when in tiptronic, but nothing for 6 months now. Dealer was able to replicate it at the time but could find no fault.

I would not go back to a manual for my daily drive, ever.

I covered about 40,000 miles in the Octavia and I have so far done over 14,000 in the Yeti in 11 1/2 months.

I took my IAM test in it in May and got a F1rst.

Smoothest gear changes in the Yeti are in D, sometimes in tiptronic they can be a little jerky, but nowhere near as bad as the average manual car driver . Worst thing about the paddles is when you stop at a junction and want to pull away, you don't know where the paddles are to change to 2nd gear. I guess in those situations I should use the old fashioned gear lever

Mike

Many people drive tiptronic boxes by putting them in full auto when pootling, but using it manually when on the open road and pressing on - seems to work well.

Down changes in tiptronic mode can often be smoothed out just like a manual by raising the revs simultaneously with the down change. In some, heel and toe is also possible - great fun

Also Advanced Driver and Response driver..

The DSG is great, agree with chap above above about left foot braking, my house would have to be on fire! heel and toe likewise, allthough that would be my preference.

DSG D - Drive mode does for all normal driving, don't find it sluggish at all.

The Sport mode is great for twistier roads or any situation where you will want greater engine breaking, In D the DSG does not have much engine breaking at all, Sport is good for brisk driving, I don't find I use it much though, because is does not change down enough for corners and I don't want changes mid corner, good enough for a spirited drive though.

Putting the gearbox to manual or tiptronic is another matter altogether-

Really good in short. Very quick driving (I mean blue light sort of speed) on twisty B roads is a real treat with this, you cannot double de-clutch coming down the box in preparation for the corners but it does it for you! the little blip is very smooth and sounds great! It changes very fast and holds gears, it will not change up allowing you to really rev the car, like on the exit from a corner. V impressed.

Allows you to change down into the red line ( a bit like a slipper clutch on Ducati if your a racing bike fan) in short this gearbox is really good, I even enjoy 'quick driving' in it.

Just for your info- it has 7 speeds, which works fine, D handles it for you and in Tiptronic/manual it acts as a sequenial box- like a Rally car, Ace.

If anyone has a downside (beyond the additional £ to buy DSG ) let me know!

PS it comes with all sorts of electronic assitance, ESP, etc, including hill start, great!

I found Sharkriders post very interesting. I have many years experience of driving with manual gearboxes and autos with torque converters. Currently my wife and I share one of each. The auto is about to be replaced with an Octavia with a DSG box and I expected to need a short learning period but it seems that it may take quite some time to be able to use the DSG box to full advantage. Can't wait to get started!

What makes a Fabia vRS DSG slightly different is the 'Hill Hold Control'. (HHC)

After driving only Automatic boxes for 35 years, Auto's, CVT's, Semi Auto's, Durashifts, (i only have a left foot)

i would sometimes just stop at a junction or maybe a pedestrian crossing and sit in Drive,

Just hold it, sometimes with the hand brake as well, depending on the vehicle.

(obviously different situations require different things, but almost always, stiil in D or N or sometimes down to 1 or 2 in winter)

I cant do this the same with the vRS or have the same choice really..

The Hill Hold kicks in and increases the revs and the car wants to creep forward.

I may not really want then to go to Neutral but sometimes have to as there is little choice but to.

Then you get that slight DSG delay or it can be much of a movement.

I am getting used now to doing the halt,

going straight to neutral & hand Brake, then to move off, the usual footbrake,

Drive & hand brake off.

Just to stop the Hill Hold Control from activating.

Not always, but at a few stops i do regularly at slight inclines.

george

It sounds like the petrol DSG in the Fabia is a completely different beast to my diesel DSG in the Yeti.

Engine braking combined with the DSG and the latest software version means that I hardly need to use the brake, because it slows the car down do well just by lifting for off throttle.

My old DSG Octavia was nowhere near as good. It would not changed down like the newer one does.

Hill hold is great too. Stop on an incline and it works a bit like an ordinary auto, as it doesn't roll back but holds and the gradually releases the brakes.

Moving off requires a different technique to a traditional auto, as when brake is on power is cut to engine, so very hard to do 'fast' starts in the diesel.

I use the paddles all the time, even in town, but only overriding D.

Not really worked out what sport is for as D does everything Sport does depending on how heavy your right foot is! Sport doesn't even make the pickup quicker like it does on some cars, so can't really see the point of it. Unless somebody can enlighten me....

On the vRS, sport seems to keep you in a lower gear for better acceleration and change up much closer to the red line.

& in 'S' the vRS does not change up to 7th gear.

george

Not really worked out what sport is for as D does everything Sport does depending on how heavy your right foot is! Sport doesn't even make the pickup quicker like it does on some cars, so can't really see the point of it. Unless somebody can enlighten me....

Sport works best in inticipation of overtaking. You hang behind the slower vehicle, flick to Sport and the car drops a cog, the revs rise and you are already in the sweet spot with maximum torque to quickly overtake WITHOUT having to wait the 2 milliseconds for the DSG to drop a cog and then storm past the slower vehicle. As you say the DSG does this pretty well in D anyway when you put your foot down, but using S for overtaking just saves a few (milli)seconds. It does what you did in a manual anyway when overtaking. You gear down just before you overtake. So in town there is no use for S I agree. S is only used (in my case) doing long distance driving to overtake on narrow roads. It is also fine for going fast down your favourite country lanes...

& in 'S' the vRS does not change up to 7th gear.

george

The Yeti DSG box in S also does not change to the highest gear (6th) unless you flick on the cruise control when you will in fact see S6 on the display. I would imagine the vRS will be the same. Put the DSG in S and flick the cruise on and the display will show (and change the gear to) S7.

Thanks for that tip,

i think i will give that a miss for now.

at 100-120 plus and still accelerating i would not be flicking on any cruise control.

(i will give it a try to see when in a more relaxed driving situation)

I dont use 'S' when accelerating anyway,

just knock down into it sometimes for deceleration rather than going across to manual shift.

george

Edited 22 May, 201214 yr by sk4gw