[JeffT]

Hi guys recently I loaded the 2011 TDI 3.0 with camping stuff and took the family for a camping and on the way back I noticed whenever the car went to gear 8 it dropped itself to 7. It only happened on gear 8 and when I unloaded the car this issue disappeared. At first I thought it might be the weight Apart from 2 kids and 2 adults there was just bags of cloths, couple of camping chairs, a gazebo (14kg) a bunker bed (18kg), and some other small stuff, and I put a surfboard on the roof with the tent on top strapped down so the air dynamics wasn’t great I guess.

in the past we managed to put everything at the back without anything on the roof and I didn’t experience the same issue.

Just to get your thoughts on what would be the cause and does it indicate something maybe a problem?

 

[Singh]

Sounds normal to me, more weight equals smaller gear
Having said that if you were on 110 travelling flat or slightly down then it should, could hang in 8.

 

[Steve_L]

In my trip to catch up with @evaddirb for our weekly "State of the Nation" luncheon, I have a stretch of freeway some 10 minutes from home, and in one section, there is a slight uphill. Every time...every damn time....cruise control set to 100kph, as soon as the gentle rise commences the 'reg drops back to 7th. Every damn time.
I am (usually) alone in the car, and I have no additional weight, luggage or tools etc in the car.
Compared to the 7L (6 speed) we had, I find the 7P drops back a gear more frequently. I guess it's to be expected when comparing an 8spd to a 6 spd.

 

[evaddirb]

I will go the same route tomorrow and see what mine does.
That incline is very slight
** Need to up the speed limits in this vast country of ours. That would fix it ✔

 

[JeffT]

Sounds normal to me, more weight equals smaller great.
Having said that if you were on 110 travelling flat or slightly down then it should, could hang in 8.

Thanks for your comments. I’ll be relieved if it is normal. Yes It was traveling flat on a freeway. On 80 and above I noticed that it was struggling to go to 8. RPM went above 2k but didn’t move up gear. Didn’t press down gas harder as I was a bit worried so I put my food on and off the gas for a few times to see how it would behave. Sometimes it just stayed in 7 but when it hit 8 it then dropped down to 7.

 

[Singh]

Thanks for your comments. I’ll be relieved if it is normal. Yes It was traveling flat on a freeway. On 80 and above I noticed that it was struggling to go to 8. RPM went above 2k but didn’t move up gear. Didn’t press down gas harder as I was a bit worried so I put my food on and off the gas for a few times to see how it would behave. Sometimes it just stayed in 7 but when it hit 8 it then dropped down to 7.

All too normal with 8 speed. Like Steve said the 7L 6spd is different, the V10 I had never dropped a gear like that

 

[JeffT]

In my trip to catch up with @evaddirb for our weekly "State of the Nation" luncheon, I have a stretch of freeway some 10 minutes from home, and in one section, there is a slight uphill. Every time...every damn time....cruise control set to 100kph, as soon as the gentle rise commences the 'reg drops back to 7th. Every damn time.
I am (usually) alone in the car, and I have no additional weight, luggage or tools etc in the car.
Compared to the 7L (6 speed) we had, I find the 7P drops back a gear more frequently. I guess it's to be expected when comparing an 8spd to a 6 spd.

Humm… thanks for sharing your experience. Perhaps it is just how the treg behaves. With load or a bit inclined road it’s programmed to run in 7th gear?

 

[Black Grouse]

This hunting from 8th to 7th was an issue with UK market 3.0 TDi 2017 model year due to changes made because of "dieselgate" but improved with update software - have dealers in Australia been "updating" older cars with the same faulty software?

My 2016 3.0 TDI will hold 8th gear at 70 mph (115 kph) unless it's a significant gradient

 

[JeffT]

All too normal with 8 speed. Like Steve said the 7L 6spd is different, the V10 I had never dropped a gear like that

Great. Good to know. Thanks a lot.

 

[JeffT]

This hunting from 8th to 7th was an issue with UK market 3.0 TDi 2017 model year due to changes made because of "dieselgate" but improved with update software - have dealers in Australia been "updating" older cars with the same faulty software?

Will definitely ask dealer about it. They didn’t mention it when they serviced it in 2017,18 and 19. Thanks for the info.

 

[rgh0]

My 2103 V8 does not hunt but likes to be at least 95 kmh to solidly hold 8th. VW dont appear to like to run the V8 below 1400 rpm and the 8th gear is really an autobahn gear

cheer
Rohan

 

[Golf Wang]

I was just in the mountains and almost wished the trans was more inclined, it wanted to stay in 8th even when it needed 6/7 climbing a steep mountain pass.

 

[Black Grouse]

I was just in the mountains and almost wished the trans was more inclined, it wanted to stay in 8th even when it needed 6/7 climbing a steep mountain pass.

That's what Sport mode is meant for.

 

[volkswagens-for-life]

Everyone so far is right, but also putting stuff on the roof adds huge levels of drag especially as you go faster. This is why I prefer a hitch addon before utilizing the roof

 

[Golf Wang]

That's what Sport mode is meant for.

Oh I was using M mode most of the time since D wasn't shifty enough and S was too downshifty

 

[Singh]

I will go the same route tomorrow and see what mine does.
That incline is very slight
** Need to up the speed limits in this vast country of ours. That would fix it ✔

Talking about higher speed limits, was traveling through NT where speed limit is 130, the camera wouldnt read it correctly and showed 30 as the speed limit, the map speed limit was correct though as it set to read from the database.
Didn't take my 7p to NT so don't know ...

 

[Solandri]

I put a surfboard on the roof with the tent on top strapped down so the air dynamics wasn’t great I guess.

Don't underestimate how much air resistance is added by stuff on the roof. 10%-20% worse fuel mileage seems to be common. The car having to push 20% harder can easily account for shifting from 8 to 7 even on level ground.

How Rooftop Carriers Affect Fuel Economy for Cars and SUVs

Consumer Reports tested the fuel economy on cars and SUVs to see how rooftop carriers affect fuel economy.

www.consumerreports.org

How Adventure Gear Strapped to Your Roof Affects Gas Mileage

Buick brought us along for wind tunnel testing at Lockheed Martin to find out.

www.menshealth.com

Roof Racks a Drag on Fuel Economy

As you get ready to hit the road this summer, with the kids loaded inside and the bikes strapped to the roof of your car, you may want to stop and consider that the roof rack on your car may be costing you as much as 25 percent more in gas.

newscenter.lbl.gov

If you're going to travel with this much gear a lot, you may want to look into a hitch-mounted cargo carrier for extra storage, instead of a roof rack. Though there's not much you can do about the surfboard.

FWIW, the only time I had an issue with my 2014 TDI hunting between 7 and 8, was on very slight uphill grades while towing a 3500 kg boat.

 

[FlyingFin]

7th and 8th are both overdrive gears to give better fuel economy by reducing engine revs when the engine is not under load...

When under load the box will select 7th or more likely 6th to give you pulling power.

Nothing wrong with the car at all, all perfectly normal.
F.

 

[gatkins]

driving in Sport mode or Normal
I have to say I have never noticed this but I rarely use Sport Mode on the transmission so maybe not exactly the same conditions.
I have always been impressed by how the T holds 8 even with 3 tonne of caravan hanging on the back

 

[Gazza123]

Don't underestimate how much air resistance is added by stuff on the roof. 10%-20% worse fuel mileage seems to be common. The car having to push 20% harder can easily account for shifting from 8 to 7 even on level ground.

How Rooftop Carriers Affect Fuel Economy for Cars and SUVs

Consumer Reports tested the fuel economy on cars and SUVs to see how rooftop carriers affect fuel economy.

www.consumerreports.org

How Adventure Gear Strapped to Your Roof Affects Gas Mileage

Buick brought us along for wind tunnel testing at Lockheed Martin to find out.

www.menshealth.com

Roof Racks a Drag on Fuel Economy

As you get ready to hit the road this summer, with the kids loaded inside and the bikes strapped to the roof of your car, you may want to stop and consider that the roof rack on your car may be costing you as much as 25 percent more in gas.

newscenter.lbl.gov

If you're going to travel with this much gear a lot, you may want to look into a hitch-mounted cargo carrier for extra storage, instead of a roof rack. Though there's not much you can do about the surfboard.

FWIW, the only time I had an issue with my 2014 TDI hunting between 7 and 8, was on very slight uphill grades while towing a 3500 kg boat.

Yep definitely roof drag is the issue. I usually average about 12l/100km towing my 2t camper trailer, but on this last trip I thought I’d get fancy and throw the spare tyre and maxtrax in a basket on the roof and free up some boot space. My consumption jumped to 15l/100km and I noticed it would drop back to 7th when it spotted the hill in the distance, not to mention the extra cabin noise. A quick calc revealed I wasted $100 in diesel alone - last time I’ll put anything on the roof unless it’s absolutely necessary. I could have put the tyre on the trailer but then would need to move it into the car once at the destination to go exploring … not ideal. In future the spare will go in the boot or better still mid-axle.