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Transmission Sport Mode Usage Question

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Drifter

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello All: I know all about what "Sport Mode" does, but what I'm not clear on, is if it is healthy for the transmission to drive in heavy stop & go traffic and general city traffic in Sport Mode -- all the time? I noted that the RPM runs about 400-500 RPM more in Sport Mode as compared to regular mode. Does running Sport Mode eat more fuel (TDI)? What are the design intentions of providing Sport Mode in an SUV? My main concern is that I'm not heating-up the tranny excessively by using Sport Mode all day.

Tanks!
 
#2 ·
Put it in Drive, not Sport, and drive it normally. Not good for a diesel to turn more rpms than necessary, drive the torque, not the rpms and HP.
 
#6 ·
If you are in stop & go traffic, what are you doing in "Sport" mode anyway? I drive in Milwaukee traffic and I find that Sport mode is annoying as it seems like the vehicle is always in the wrong gear for the situation. IMO Sport mode is not for heavy stop & Go traffic.

But on nice day with light traffic heading across town to the store and pull up next to some neon colored crap pile with a "Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" vibe going on....then slap it in Sport mode and smoke those punks.. Fahrvergnügen style !!
 
#8 ·
Terapin said:
If you are in stop & go traffic, what are you doing in "Sport" mode anyway? I drive in Milwaukee traffic and I find that Sport mode is annoying as it seems like the vehicle is always in the wrong gear for the situation. IMO Sport mode is not for heavy stop & Go traffic.

But on nice day with light traffic heading across town to the store and pull up next to some neon colored crap pile with a "Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" vibe going on....then slap it in Sport mode and smoke those punks.. Fahrvergnügen style !!
Click to expand...
Sport mode is helpful in city traffic to get some extra torque when driving defensively. Besides, if you're doing only up to 40MPH in city traffic, then its useful. Anything above that and you're speeding for one and over the limit for using Sport mode secondly. I leave it on for minutes at a time when driving in the city to get through aggressive downtown, but I don't leave it on constantly. Me thinks the OP leaves it on all the time, which isn't good.
 
#9 ·
Drifter said:
Thanks!
Click to expand...
BTW, if you have any thoughts about how a TDI should be driven, go down to a VW dealership that has a 2014 Touareg TDI in stock with the new 8 speed automatic.

Get in, turn on the ignition, don't start the motor, and hold the throtttle to the floor for 10 seconds. Turn the ignition off. Now start the car by putting your foot on the brake and turning the ignition on. You have now reset the transmission to learn how you shift and drive.

Drive and accelerate the 2014 with the 8 speed automatic as gently on the throttle as possible, and I do mean gently. Lift the throttle at 1800rpm for 1st gear, 1900 for 2nd gear, and about 1700 for 3rd, 4th, 5th, 1700 for 6th, 7th, and 8th gear. You are force shifting that automatic transmission on level ground by doing this.

It should shift into 7th gear (overdrive) at 41 to 42 mph and 8th gear (another overdrive gear) at 53mph.

Note the rpms drop. That VW engineers enable this car to shift at such low RPM's is a testament to how they planned this SUV to be capable of being driven in such an efficient manner. Fuel is very, very expensive in Continental Europe. They engineer and drive accordingly.
 
#11 ·
It may be the case that the v8, v10 and v6 is better in drive.

For my R5, sport is much better in town and also more economical. If I drive it in drive, it changes early and the engine is out of the boost rev range. You have to plant it to get going, and then it downshifts anyway.
 
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#14 ·
Leave it in D and if you need to wake it up, maybe to join a line of faster moving traffic, use Tiptronic to tap down a gear or two, then just slot it back into D.
 
#15 ·
I don't like tiptronic. I tend to forget to take it out again.

Sport works for me in town.
 
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#17 ·
My V10 is definitely more pleasant to drive when in Sport mode.

The transmission reacts faster to even small throttle inputs.

Long-term monitoring has also proved it to be more economical in 'S' than in 'D', especially in urban driving.

I don't pick up much of a difference in open-road driving.
 
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#18 ·
saf66 said:
The car will go to fifth gear in sport mode, but not sixth.
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If you engage Cruise Control in Sport Mode, it will shift up into 6th, otherwise 5th is as high as it goes.

I spend most of my time in tip mode or sport - rarely Drive. I try to use cruise when I can around town, as it seems to be better on fuel mileage than my right foot - but no cruise during rush hour - no need to be stupid.
 
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#19 ·
Interesting what you guys say about shifting into 6th when in Sport mode.
I checked again yesterday.
Mine definitely does shift into 6th (on its own) when in Sport mode.
It does that at higher rpm than in Drive, but can be 'nudged' earlier, if you wish, with the paddle.
 
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saf66
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