[LOtouareg]

So there are many posts about offroading on here but i still need help understanding. I have an '04 v6 Treg and live in the pacific northwest US. I drive to the mountains to snowboard through lots of snow and ice. I really want a clear response on what all my controls need to be set at when driving through this snow/ice. I wish to be able to get all the use out of the features this car has. So I have attached a photo of the controls. It would be extremely helpful if someone can tell me:
1) What my auto diffs should be at; high, low, or (is the other one rear diff?)?
2) i think ESP should be off, right?
3) I think the one next to the 'auto' is center diff lock? which should be on?
Thanks for all the help. It is really appreciated.[-o<

 

[Sebbers]

Dude...

If you're not stuck in the mud or snow and you're not rock climbing (lol), don't put it in low...

Low is for slow...

ESP off is for when you want to spin around all over the place. It's traction control...

 

[ÜBERV10]

1) if you're driving on a paved road through snow you should leave the auto diff in "High"

2) you should leave the ESP on until the snow gets too deep and begins to cause the ESP to bog you down, at which point turning off the ESP will help

3) the button to the right of the suspension dial is an airsuspension lock of sorts; it will keep the treg in the offroad height, I don't bother using this but through deep snow it may be useful, although probably not totally necessary

 

[nickm]

Some BASIC tips. you should really experiment on your own to see what works for your driving style:

For everyday driving, just leave the dials exactly where you have them.
For light snow, leave them the same
For heavy snow/mud, take ESP off
If the mud is deep, next step is to raise air suspension to offroad level
If you are overgeared for the situation (ie: you need lower gearing) then move to low range
If you are getting stuck then lock your center diff
If you are in a heap of trouble and things are really deep then raise to XTRA mode
If you're stuck at this stage, you're screwed...

 

[ÜBERV10]

If you're stuck at this stage, you're screwed...

...or to put it a different way: your real issue may be driver error lol

 

[LOtouareg]

Thanks everyone...this helps alot.

 

[LOtouareg]

What does it mean when you say the ESP bogs you down? thanks.

 

[sjthiele]

1)
3) the button to the right of the suspension dial is an airsuspension lock of sorts; it will keep the treg in the offroad height, I don't bother using this but through deep snow it may be useful, although probably not totally necessary

I only ever used the suspension lock when the car went on a lift or removing the tire so i wouldn't have to jack it up too high, never thought about locking it while the vehicle was in motion, just doesn't seem right... but I have been known to be wrong before.

SJT

 

[sjthiele]

What does it mean when you say the ESP bogs you down? thanks.

The ESP system will start to cut power to the wheels if it can't detect at least one with traction, this prevents you from over reving the engine and just spinning.

SJT

 

[Yeti]

The lock won't stay on after you reach a certain speed. It is only intended to be used as it is stated in the book jack mode!

 

[ÜBERV10]

Sorry guys I was just basing it off what the manual says: "If you are driving in off-road level at speeds above 45 mph (70 km/h), the street level is automatically selected. If you do not want the system to automatically switch to street level because you need the ground clearance offered by the off-road level, you can limit the vehicle speed by pressing the LOCK button."

I am aware that the system is probably best used to jack up the touareg but it seems the Germans may have added this button for more than just that reason...

 

[Anand]

If you are in off-road mode, and push the lock button, it'll appear in the cluster that it is "OFF-ROAD LOCK" (or something to that extent)... at this point it will limit the speed as ÜBER posted above....

I've used this just blasting around town, and as a way to make my GF wonder why her truck stops accelerating at 45mph

 

[Mike's Panzer]

You need to find a local off-road group and go for a ride with them. Most guys are very happy to help you learn the tricks. Leave the ESP on until you need to spin the tire a bit to get a bite, then put it back on. Having it brake your wheel can cost you some needed momentem just when you need it. It will keep you between the lines on the slippery road.

 

[nickm]

The lock won't stay on after you reach a certain speed. It is only intended to be used as it is stated in the book jack mode!

On mine if you lock it in offroad mode the vehicle limits itself to 40mph or so...I find this particluar feature useful offroad.

 

[Yeti]

On mine if you lock it in offroad mode the vehicle limits itself to 40mph or so...I find this particluar feature useful offroad.

Could be my experience with it was because it was just locked in normal mode and as I drove off it turned off. I think it may say that in the manual as well. I did not see the part about being able to lock it in offroad mode which would make sense so it stays the same height all the time and does not try to level it's self when crawling over something. This was after instructing the tire shop on how to even use the lock mode before lifting the vehical.

 

[nickm]

Agree it can be confusing..so to summarize:
-you can lock in any mode while stationary and this allows you to service the vehicle without it attempting to level itself
-you can lock it while running and it will lock at a specific height and eletronically limit your speed
-If you don't lock it'll let you go as fast as you want, it just lowers out of XTRA or offroad mode.

Try it while running, its pretty neat to see the vehicle eletronics kick in and say "you can't do that"

 

[Anand]

Also fun to sit in stop'n'go traffic and cycle through the modes you know... for "practice" in case you need to use off-road or XTRA height to get over something...

 

[Yeti]

Also fun to sit in stop'n'go traffic and cycle through the modes you know... for "practice" in case you need to use off-road or XTRA height to get over something...

I do this sometimes when I am bored and to keep the compressor in working order. Sometimes people around you notice, most times not. I tend to drive in sport mode which runs it lower, but have had enough time to get it into load mode while creeping in traffic.

 

[jjvanden]

Holding down the lock button while the vehicle is stationary puts the suspension into "jack" mode for when you want to change a tire.

Pressing the lock button while in motion in the "off road" height mode (dont think xtra mode) will limit the speed to 45 in that mode and won't automatically lower the car back to normal height.

I do this sometimes to drive around on rough roads for maximum suspension travel. If you begin to accelerate near 45 a warning and ding appears on the screen that tells you to slow down. I have exceeded 45 by ignoring this warning and eventually the car will hesitate to go any faster while in this mode.

you can also put the suspension on "sport" setting for the dampers while in off road height mode and then you're all set for the whoops.

It's dual-mode switch and I'm pretty sure this doesn't work for the Xtra height setting that will automatically lower once you exceed 15mph.

This is on my '04