Golf R Observations and Questions

[KRA21E]

Had a weird thing happen to me this afternoon. The car is a manual so that probably excludes about 98% of you from being able to know what i am about to explain .

I took off quite quickly from a standstill up to about 30kph (1st gear only) and then stopped again at a giveway sign. Foot on clutch, no accelerator but the RPM's hovered at around 3000rpm for several seconds. I tried blipping the throttle to settle the revs but it didnt make a difference.

After a few seconds the revs dropped again to normal idle and i pulled away. Ive never had this happen before but i have also never driven off and then braked in that matter either. I assume it has something to do with the electric throttle? My foot was certainly not on the acellerator.

It does that if your in nuetral, at least mine does, but if it is in gear the revs drop straight down to idle if your off the accelerator.

[ScottR]

Question for DSG experts,
I was reading the Wikipedia entry on DSG today and I noticed that it implies that Sport mode causes the R to stay in 4 wheel drive more than Drive mode does.
"......On 4motion or quattro-equipped vehicles this may be partially offset by the drivetrain maintaining full-time engagement of the rear differential in 'S' mode, so power distribution under loss of front-wheel traction may be marginally improved......"

Does anyone know if this is really the case, or am I just misinterpreting the article?

[Corey_R]

There's apparently a link to a UK VW page which states similar.

Sometimes it's difficult to know what applies to what cars though. The Golf R has the latest version of the Haldex system where it has a pump assisted clutch which also takes into consideration things like the throttle position and was meant to be able to respond so quickly that it would engage the rear diff even before traction has been lost. So if this is really the case, what's the point of leaving the rear diff constantly engaged?

[sillywet]

Foot on clutch, no accelerator but the RPM's hovered at around 3000rpm for several seconds. I tried blipping the throttle to settle the revs but it didnt make a difference.

Yep, this has happened to me, although was more like ~2000revs. Wasn't especially thrilled by it as I thought i'd seen the end of this little trait when I got rid of my V8 rough-as-guts Commodore. I really was of the belief that such a thing could only happen with a cable-throttle car, but evidently not. When it happened in my last car i'd just put it in 1st and half let out the clutch to force the revs to die. Works on the Golf too if it starts to really get to you.

Regarding the maximum 4000 revs with clutch in comment, I actually haven't tried revving it that hard with the clutch in yet. Will try it tonight and see if mine does that too. Doesn't sound right to me...

Another question for those of you with manual - have you noticed when you drive off really sedately in first gear, below about 2000 revs it sort of feels like it hesitates? Sort of hard to describe. Only happens initially and only if you're at like 10-20% throttle. If you have a better crack at the accelerator it doesn't happen. Can't tell whether it's a fly by wire thing or more to do with the 4WD system sorting its thing out at low speeds. Anyone know vaguely what i'm experiencing and got a reason?

[Ideo]

DBW. The e46 3 series was bad for it as well.

[DreamensioN]

How hard is it to knock the wheel alignment out on a Golf R? Does the AWD system make the wheel alignment a bit more sturdy? The reason I ask is - on Monday I smashed this pot hole and it gave the car a good jolt. In fact, I originally thought I had busted a rim I hit it that hard.

After visually inspecting (only the outside) of the rim, there's no damage at all to see (or touch), the car still drives straight, and there's no wobbles or vibrations felt. But I just can't help but feel something isn't right. I don't know if I'm imagining it or not.

Also, I'm not too sure if maybe the servotronic steering system is now compensating for something. If I hold the steering wheel dead straight, the car tracks left. If the steering wheel is like... 5 degrees off center (turned right) the car tracks straight. I can't remember if that's how it was before, or if my steering/wheel alignment is out.

Then again - if the camber of the road changes - I can hold the steering wheel dead straight, and the car tracks dead straight.

Am I paranoid or not?

But back to my original question - is it "easy" to knock out the alignment? I was doing about 50km/hr when I hit this thing. Maybe the sound it made of it jolting the whole car made it sound word than it actually was.

[brad]

Regarding the maximum 4000 revs with clutch in comment, I actually haven't tried revving it that hard with the clutch in yet. Will try it tonight and see if mine does that too. Doesn't sound right to me...

Another question for those of you with manual - have you noticed when you drive off really sedately in first gear, below about 2000 revs it sort of feels like it hesitates? Sort of hard to describe. Only happens initially and only if you're at like 10-20% throttle. If you have a better crack at the accelerator it doesn't happen. Can't tell whether it's a fly by wire thing or more to do with the 4WD system sorting its thing out at low speeds. Anyone know vaguely what i'm experiencing and got a reason?

The 4000rpm thing is built into the software to stop you abusing your car.

The hesitation thing - my Skoda did it too. If you look at the torque curve, it goes up, goes flat at about 2000rpm & goes down about 4500rpm(?) - Like a mesa. I think under part throttle it starts to dump boost or similar to flatten the torque curve.

My low rev hesitation went away after I got remapped. The torque curve then looked like Mt. Fuji, therefore the torque wasn't being artificially limited.

[bluefrog]

Hey all

WHenever I start the car and drive normally and get the car to warm up, during initial take off, the engine has developed an almost diesel-like noise? Its not as pronounced as the diesel engine sound you hear in most oilers, but from in the cabin, it sounds like that in 1st and 2nd....sounds almost like one of those small trucks when they go from first to second...that diesel noise....of course not as LOUD but from in cabin i can hear it.... I dont remember it doing that at all when I first took delivery of it??

But the thing is, after driving it and the car is warm, the noise goes away? any idea what it can be? its done just shy of 10K kms...and no engine mods on the car except a GIAC flash stage 1 and a sprintbooster

At idle it sounds normal....but only when its a cold start, and when u drive it from first and second.....getting up from 0km to say, 50kms....in normal D mode...and letting the gears change when it wants to which is usually about 2K rpm for me

Depending on how hard I press the accelerator, the noise is there. But since its a cold start im not booting the car or anything..just driving normally till it warms up. WHen its warm and when I take off from, say, a set of lights normally, it doesnt make any sound?

Any idea what it could be?

Oh and also, does the Golf R come with the REV D piston DV? or does it still use the diaphragm?

Its the FSI fuel injectors that you can hear tapping / rattling away. It is especially audible at idle and moreso with a cold engine as the engine is idling higher for the first minute or two (auto choke).

Totally normal. All the "newer age" direct inection engines do it from one extent to another.

I liken the sound of the engine to my old 4L SOHC falcon with noisy tappets. It is definitely not the quietest smooth sounding engine. A mate commented on mine when we did the oil change last week saying his Mk5 GTI was quiet, that was until we did his car and it sounded the same lol.

And yeah its a piston DV.

I just noticed what I think is this same rattle after having an oil-change service at volkspower at 4000kms. It can be heard only upon acceleration, but occurs all the time, not just when cold. The rattle is only light, but because I've been used to a beautiful silky smooth engine noise since new, it's starting to annoy the cr@p out of me

Is it just something that you have to get used to ?????

[FastGolfR]

I just noticed what I think is this same rattle after having an oil-change service at volkspower at 4000kms. It can be heard only upon acceleration, but occurs all the time, not just when cold. The rattle is only light, but because I've been used to a beautiful silky smooth engine noise since new, it's starting to annoy the cr@p out of me

Is it just something that you have to get used to ?????

A VW Tech told me that the arm on the waste gate rattles when the engine is cold. VW can fix it with w spring clip apparently. My "diesel-like sound" disappears after a warm up.

[Corey_R]

The wastegate rattle and the clip solution is for the K03 based EA888 engines. Never heard anyone mention the K04's rattling before...

[Lucas_R]

Yes mine does this occasionally. Only on light throttle input at low rpm (eg pulling away from a standstill at an intersection) every now and then.

Another question for those of you with manual - have you noticed when you drive off really sedately in first gear, below about 2000 revs it sort of feels like it hesitates? Sort of hard to describe. Only happens initially and only if you're at like 10-20% throttle. If you have a better crack at the accelerator it doesn't happen. Can't tell whether it's a fly by wire thing or more to do with the 4WD system sorting its thing out at low speeds. Anyone know vaguely what i'm experiencing and got a reason?

[sillywet]

The hesitation thing - my Skoda did it too. If you look at the torque curve, it goes up, goes flat at about 2000rpm & goes down about 4500rpm(?) - Like a mesa. I think under part throttle it starts to dump boost or similar to flatten the torque curve.

Cheers Brad, that makes sense. Just another reason for me to man up and get a tune.

Also tried that free reving thing last night. That absolutely blows my mind! What revs does the launch control sit at in the DSG? Surely that's above 4000? Do the guys with manuals who hit the drags have this over-ridden or is 4k a reasonable spot to dump it anyway? Not that drags excite me at all but i would have thought with some sticky rubber and 4WD you'd bog it down a bit if you dropped it from only 4k?

[chylld]

Does anyone find the headrest too far forward? I've only had my R for 24 hours but I thought I'd be able to find a comfortable seating position by now.

I have to recline the seat quite a lot for it to not be a constant niusance. I know it's a safety feature, but it shouldn't come at the expense of being able to drive comfortably without constant distraction!

Some solutions I've found are:
1) Flip the front headrests around, i.e. back to front
2) Move the rear headrests to the front
3) Fit headrests from 2006-2007 model Golfs, as these were either tilt-adjustable or protruded less
4) Recline heaps

Just wondering if anyone else notices the same thing? I found it to be a problem on both leather and cloth seats (test drove a leather demo, my car is cloth)

[bluefrog]

The wastegate rattle and the clip solution is for the K03 based EA888 engines. Never heard anyone mention the K04's rattling before...

I've got no idea whether it's the turbo or the FSI fuel injectors like Lucas mentioned or what, but it's probably not so much of a rattle than a slight tinny sound, only when I accelerate, and (I think) only since the oil change.

[Corey_R]

Also tried that free reving thing last night. That absolutely blows my mind! What revs does the launch control sit at in the DSG? Surely that's above 4000?

The DSG limits the "launch control" to 3000rpm, although recently it seems that some peoples limiters seem to be "Missing" or something and they can launch at whatever they want to. Feel sorry for them clutches though

Does anyone find the headrest too far forward? I've only had my R for 24 hours but I thought I'd be able to find a comfortable seating position by now.

Some people have complained about it in the past. Raise the height of the headrest as much as you can...