All, as I am still looking at a second hand Touareg sometime this year (and have done a number of 4WD courses in last six months) I was just curious - is (has it always been..) a rear diff lock standard on all V10's? what about other models? (option?). Is it "button" (dashboard) operated or electronic auto? If the former - I assume this (rear) is the only diff lock you can manually operate...?
Locking diffs
V10Hunting
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All, as I am still looking at a second hand Touareg sometime this year (and have done a number of 4WD courses in last six months) I was just curious - is (has it always been..) a rear diff lock standard on all V10's? what about other models? (option?). Is it "button" (dashboard) operated or electronic auto? If the former - I assume this (rear) is the only diff lock you can manually operate...?
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Hi,
AFAIK, the rear diff lock was optional on all Touaregs until recently, when it seems to have been dropped from the spec sheet here in Australia.
This (if fitted) is a genuine locking diff, operated in low range only, and only when the centre diff lock has already been selected. All done from a knob on the console between the driver and passenger. It operates as a knob, that turns with 3 positions (no rear diff lock) or 4 positions (rear diff lock fitted). Posn 1, high range; Posn 2, low range; Posn 3, low + centre diff lock; Posn 4 (option), low + centre + rear diff locks.
All touaregs have "EDL" electronic diff locking, so that when wheel slip is detected the brake is applied to that wheel, forcing torque to the other wheel of that axle. Also the centre diff automatically operates to distribute torque to where it is needed in uneven conditions...
Hope that helps,
..Neil
AFAIK, the rear diff lock was optional on all Touaregs until recently, when it seems to have been dropped from the spec sheet here in Australia.
This (if fitted) is a genuine locking diff, operated in low range only, and only when the centre diff lock has already been selected. All done from a knob on the console between the driver and passenger. It operates as a knob, that turns with 3 positions (no rear diff lock) or 4 positions (rear diff lock fitted). Posn 1, high range; Posn 2, low range; Posn 3, low + centre diff lock; Posn 4 (option), low + centre + rear diff locks.
All touaregs have "EDL" electronic diff locking, so that when wheel slip is detected the brake is applied to that wheel, forcing torque to the other wheel of that axle. Also the centre diff automatically operates to distribute torque to where it is needed in uneven conditions...
Hope that helps,
..Neil
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I suspect that locking the centre diff (or rear diff) probably helps marginally, in that the car doesn't need to sense slipage and correct for it.
I've always locked the centre diff off road, because that's what you do, but I might look for a "safe" opportunity to see if it makes any practical difference and report back.
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Thanks Gents! Interesting they have discontinued the rear..a nice option to have!
As others have said, the benefit of rear diff-lock is significantly dimished by the traction control system where the wheel with no traction is braked so that torque is sent to the wheel/s with traction. IMHO, this is both safer and easier on the drive train than a diff-lock, imagine spinning wheel up in the air suddenly come into contact with ground - broken diffs.
The centre diff on the touareg is an e-diff (where it operates similar to the current Audi Q7 & Landcruiser 200 torque sensing diff). The touareg's e-diff has a stepper motor (and I think friction plates) that controls how much torque is sent to front and rear "Automatically". It's split 50:50 normally (blacktop), but can send up to 100% to front or rear. It's a terrific system, and on sand you'll notice torque being sent front to rear and rear to front as traction is sensed, the feeling is that you're always being pushed along (as long as momentum is maintained). Best of all it works independently of the ESP/traction control system, i.e. ESP off, electronic centre diff still works.
Sounds great huh - not quite!!!, the stepper motor had significant bugs in early touareg (some even had the stepper motor replaced), it caused much angst amongst early owners, but since has been fixed by recent campaign.
So I think VW has got the mix just right, i.e:
The centre diff on the touareg is an e-diff (where it operates similar to the current Audi Q7 & Landcruiser 200 torque sensing diff). The touareg's e-diff has a stepper motor (and I think friction plates) that controls how much torque is sent to front and rear "Automatically". It's split 50:50 normally (blacktop), but can send up to 100% to front or rear. It's a terrific system, and on sand you'll notice torque being sent front to rear and rear to front as traction is sensed, the feeling is that you're always being pushed along (as long as momentum is maintained). Best of all it works independently of the ESP/traction control system, i.e. ESP off, electronic centre diff still works.
Sounds great huh - not quite!!!, the stepper motor had significant bugs in early touareg (some even had the stepper motor replaced), it caused much angst amongst early owners, but since has been fixed by recent campaign.
So I think VW has got the mix just right, i.e:
- Medium speed, reasonably flat ground (most likely 4 wheels in contact with ground), loss of traction - dealt with by centre diff to shift torque front/rear;
- Slow speed crawl over undulating grounds, wheel speed at 4 corners could be vastly different (most likely less than 4 wheels in contact with ground), loss of traction - dealt with by electronic traction control on any of the four wheels without traction;
No ESP
I have a 06 V6 (bought used in 07) without ESP...curious if ESP was an option or part of a package that year...
anyway, I used to off road for a long time without all these new gagets in the late 60s and 70s....the more tricked out your rig is...the farther out in the boonies you get stuck.
Hell, my M60 tank in the Army only had two speeds forward and one reverse...but that's another story.
I have a 06 V6 (bought used in 07) without ESP...curious if ESP was an option or part of a package that year...
anyway, I used to off road for a long time without all these new gagets in the late 60s and 70s....the more tricked out your rig is...the farther out in the boonies you get stuck.
Hell, my M60 tank in the Army only had two speeds forward and one reverse...but that's another story.
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If you're in the US, you have ESP, as it is standard across the board on all Touaregs here. I don't know about other markets, but I can 99.9% guarantee that if you look just aft of the shift lever, ahead of the cupholders, you will see an "ESP OFF" button on the center console.
Matt
Matt
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That's really odd, and falls into that .1% I wasn't sure about.
Where are you at in the world? Any chance you can get a photo of the console in your Touareg and post it here?
Here are a couple photos showing the button location: One has air suspension, and the other is steel. The button should be in one of those two places. I find it particularly odd that it's not there.
Matt
Where are you at in the world? Any chance you can get a photo of the console in your Touareg and post it here?
Here are a couple photos showing the button location: One has air suspension, and the other is steel. The button should be in one of those two places. I find it particularly odd that it's not there.
Matt
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Regarding the locking diff, in your second picture Matt, the one without air suspension. What does the third selection on the circular button do? is that the locking diff? I have used the low setting to get out of a snow bank but dont know what the thrid option is...
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Yep, that is the selection for the locking center diff on both those photos. Neither of those Touaregs has the rear locker, which would be another position at the 6 o'clock location on the switch.
Kinda funny, I just posted the switch progression a couple minutes ago in another thread:
Kinda funny, I just posted the switch progression a couple minutes ago in another thread:
Matt
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In the US, rear-diff was an order-only for 2008. The 2009 order sheet has rear-diff without the order-only, so it may reappear on some lots.
I would be surprised (or not surprised) that rear-diff was unavailable for your region. But you may need to find a dealer who can find it on the order sheet.
nice one! enjoy the rear locker. unlike the traction control which can/does switch off after a while the diff locks will keep the vehicle moving and stay on as long as you want. and in certain tricky situations the traction control will keep the wheels from slipping but is unable to pull the vehicle thru...
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