Dynamic / Adaptive chassis control (DCC / ACC)

[Allegiance]

I would have thought the GTI would be plenty stiff enough with its ride. The ACC is only going to make it ride even harder and our Aussie roads aren't the best. The comfy setting could be good. Its up to you mate how you spend your money.

Actually I was hoping ACC on the comfort setting would help make the ride a bit softer. The car will mainly be used by my girlfriend and she thought it was quite rough when we drove one the other day.

[Corey_R]

If the girlfriend thought the GTI was quite rough, and she is the intended driver, can I ask why you're looking at a GTI then?

The GTI, as far as 'hot hatches' goes, is known to be rather compliant. So maybe getting something not quite so 'hot', like a 118TSI would be a better option? Cheaper, has a decent amount of power, and more compliant ride.

[cktsi]

Try one with ACCC and make sure the demo car (and the one you will buy) has the standard 17" rims than the 18" if comfort is a higher priority.

If you still don't like it, then the GTI may not be for you and you might want to consider the 118TSI, but "chip" the ECU to give you the GTI like performance without the harsh ride. It will be more cost effective and give you the comfort.

I found ACCC comfort ride more comfy than the stock comfortline in my car - but the ride in my car doesn't bother me as I prefer to err on the side of handling.

[cktsi]

I can I ask why you're looking at a GTI then?

Check out the timestamp! Think alike and at the same time :-P

[Allegiance]

If the girlfriend thought the GTI was quite rough, and she is the intended driver, can I ask why you're looking at a GTI then?

The GTI, as far as 'hot hatches' goes, is known to be rather compliant. So maybe getting something not quite so 'hot', like a 118TSI would be a better option? Cheaper, has a decent amount of power, and more compliant ride.

Well after having a NA Subaru Impreza for a few years, we am looking for something more powerful. I personally had no problem with the ride of it, and was actually quite impressed with the car as a whole.

If you still don't like it, then the GTI may not be for you and you might want to consider the 118TSI, but "chip" the ECU to give you the GTI like performance without the harsh ride. It will be more cost effective and give you the comfort.

Can I expect GTI like performance from a stage 1 ECU? How does this go with the warranty?

[elisiX]

Yup the 118 will get up there (close enough) with the Stage1 APR tune.

The warranty wont be an issue.

[prise]

Are you talking about the VW warranty? I would have thought you would have no chance getting them to pay for any power train repairs if the car has been chipped.

[elisiX]

If there is not a direct issue resulting from the tune, it most likely will not be a problem with warranty. This also has been done to death so please guys do a search and you will learn all about the APR tune and peoples (100's of people) experience with APR over the last 5+ years. I have had APR on my Audi and i've never had an issue. Nor have I ever heard of anyone having an issue with warranty (but I may have simply not heard of a horror story out there).

[prise]

VW must be more tolerant than Mazda or Subaru (as a previous 99WRX and 2006 6MPS owner having read the experiences of respective forum members) as the VW warranty conditions are unambiguous when it comes to mods.

I guess it depends on the nature of the failure - if for example you had a mechanical failure of a DSG7 gearbox or differential and a chipped engine that exceeded the maximum torque rating of the gearbox I wouldn't fancy the odds.

Some subaru dealers were known to monitor the WRX forums and identify owners who took the car in for warranty work after after removing mods.

[Super]

Dynamic / Adaptive chassis control (DCC / ACC)

Hi guys,

I’m currently in the process of narrowing down options on a new Golf GTI, and was looking for people’s experience using adaptive chassis control. One of the original things that attracted me to the Golf is the tech, and so I had always thought I’d add ACC as an option..

The salesperson I spoke to mentioned that because the Golf is a relatively light car, adding ACC won’t make a substantial difference to comfort/sportiness… and that its more applicable if I were to drive long distances. They didn’t have any demonstrators with ACC to test drive so I couldnt find out for myself unfortunately.

So, does anyone have any real world experience with ACC? Do the different modes make a reasonable difference to the comfort or handling? The suspension on the GTI I drove did seem to be fairly stiff (but not to the point where it was uncomfortable). Mind you, Sydney roads aren’t the greatest..

Any comments are appreciated!

[Maverick]

Hi guys,

I’m currently in the process of narrowing down options on a new Golf GTI, and was looking for people’s experience using adaptive chassis control. One of the original things that attracted me to the Golf is the tech, and so I had always thought I’d add ACC as an option..

The salesperson I spoke to mentioned that because the Golf is a relatively light car, adding ACC won’t make a substantial difference to comfort/sportiness… and that its more applicable if I were to drive long distances. They didn’t have any demonstrators with ACC to test drive so I couldnt find out for myself unfortunately.

So, does anyone have any real world experience with ACC? Do the different modes make a reasonable difference to the comfort or handling? The suspension on the GTI I drove did seem to be fairly stiff (but not to the point where it was uncomfortable). Mind you, Sydney roads aren’t the greatest..

Any comments are appreciated!

Search is your friend, plenty of discussion on this topic and feedback from owners.

[AdamD]

There are a few threads on this already. The general consensus is that it's down to personal preference, but your choice of wheel size plays a part. If you plan on buying or switching to 18s, and/or are fussy with ride quality, it may be worthwhile.

See these threads for a start:

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=39098

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=35110

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=39541

Further to this, I haven't had experience of the ACC on a GTI, but I have on a Passat CC. On the CC it was a great feature and a worthy inclusion in the standard kit. I didn't bother adding it to my GTI order, however, as the car is lighter, more focussed and has a very competent ride/handling compromise to begin with. My 2c.

[Super]

Thanks for the links.

Search is your friend, plenty of discussion on this topic and feedback from owners.

Indeed it is - if only i had flipped to the second page of search results!

[WhiteJames]

The Mark 6 GTI rides a lot better than the Mark 5 GTI. It handles the curves with a flatter stance, has greater rebound & compression damping and spring rate is about spot on for comfort/sports driving. Slightly shaken, but not stirred they say.

I had a Manual GTI for half a day test drive around Sydney and it was a pleasure. At times, I felt I wanted a bit more compression & rebound rate in the dampers on some scarred sections of twisty roadway. This was in the city/metro area.

A second back to back comparison of the MANUAL GTI and DSG GTI in a section of the Royal National Park (RNP) confirmed my earlier suspicions & has me convinced that the DSG GTI has a slightly higher spring rate in the front springs. The DSG carries a bit more understeer, due to the higher front spring rate ... up the ante on the twisties and the DSG felt to be the more cohesive package than the MANUAL.

I'd say the MANUAL felt that bit too soft, which was great around town and for limiting turn in understeer, but the DSG handling is the pick, even if it requires a bit more effort around town due to the firmer springs.

I was planning on buying a MANAUL, but after the back to back review of the MANUAL and DSG on the morning of purchase, coupled with the softer front springs on the MANAUL and the electronic throttle intervention taking control away from the driver, I changed my mind and bought the DSG version of the GTI.

Yes ... the std suspension is fine on the Mark 6 GTI on 17" wheels, but there was times I would of liked greater suspension control & firmness.

In addition, the steering firms up with ACC and some reviews indicate that the throttle also sharpens up, but I cannot confirm this as some reviews are conflicting on the throttle change. The ACC automatically reverts to sport once a certain speed is reached. ACC apparently also monitors the roadways condition and ajusts accordingly, but again, this seems to be conflicting from what I have gleaned from magazine and net reviews.

After coming from a Mark 5 GTI with small H&R sway bars front and rear and KW V3 sport coilover suspension, I enjoyed the more comfortable ride of the std Mark 6 GTI.

I optioned up the ACC with my 18" Detriots on my GTI hopefull due mid May 2010. The ability to change the damping level, if only slightly due to the ligher weight of the GTI, is convenient.

The Golf R has 20% firmer springs than the GTI, despite being @130kg heavier, I'd be looking for ACC on the Golf R, esp after reading the UK reviews indicating a nuggety and at times crashy & bouncy ride (Similar to Audi S3, but a tad softer I'm told).

Cheers
WJ

[gtimal]

For what it cost just get it .

Cheers