Do you (intend to) take your Tig offroad?

[Arctra]

Hi guys.

I'm just trying to guage the level of interest Tiguan owners have in offroading with their Tigs. It'll just help give an idea of whether it's worth trying to organise things like Offroad get-togethers, softroader courses/training, etc.

I guess it'd also be nice if you put down what state and region you're from when you vote to give an idea of where these GTG's/courses can be arranged.

To get the ball rolling, I'm from NSW (Sydney)

[Rocket]

Would also be nice to hear what sort of offroading you have done, ie sand, gravel, mud, rocky hills, swamp etc to guage the tigs capabilities offroad...

[Arctra]

Come on guys, there are more the 15 Tig owners here.

Judging by the responses so far, it seems the most likely area to have a succesful meeting is somehwere south of Sydney as 3 of us are from Sydney, 1 from Canberra, and one the South Coast of NSW. Would any of you be keen on that if I organised it?

I'll be honest, if we do have a meetup, I would be happier if there was an experienced 4x4'er with a proper 4x4 with us in case anyone needs to be recovered. Not that any of us want to put our Tig's in harms way intentionally... it'd just be wise. I reckon it'd also be best to do it when things are nice and dry as our stock tyres aren't really suitable for mud (or rocks for that matter).

[team_v]

I don't have mine yet (only 5 months to go now!)
However I would only really be using it for unsealed roads and minor softroading (i.e. access to national park walking tracks and the like).

[NZTiguan]

Didn't think my NZ off-roading experience would be much of much value in this thread so I haven't voted at all but you know where I am !!!

Cheers

[duncan]

Should pick mine up sometime this month. But its off road use will probably be kept to dirt roads as I've got a land cruiser for the bigger stuff

Cheers
Duncan

[DieselTig]

Guys, I voted and definetely taking the tig offroad(to my wife's disgust), I already have done it but nothing serious.
I am from Melbourne and for many years I used to drive hilux 4x4 crew cab for work all around Victoria country. Changed jobs since and now have a comfy office job and was driving (still have it) Nissan Xtrail. Believe me guys, you can do 90% of your offroad driving without the real 4x4s unless you get in to some of the enthousiasts tracks.
I have taken the xtrail in most places I have taken the hilux and it has performed fine with the exception of places where I needed low range gearing and extra ground clearance.
You just need to be sensible off the beaten track and use some knowledge of the area you are in and above all plan things well, it pays off.

[Ricardo]

Arctra,
If you organized something south of Sydney I would be keen.

[jimbomort]

We will probably use our Tig on Moreton island (off Brisbane) in the next month or two. Only concern I have is with deeper rutts and sand on the inland tracks, if anything like Fraser, not sure I'd take the Tig on those, Frasers inland tracks were pretty punishing (I hired a little Suziki, was great fun and it did well, but I'm glad it wasn't my car). Are sussing out whether I'll even need to use the inland tracks where we are going - may not have too.

Anyone been out to Moreton? ie any comments?

[Achtung Tiggy]

I'm up for some soft-roading around Sydney... after I collect my Tig in a couple of weeks.

It would be nice to try out some dirt/gravel tracks. However I don't think my Tig is cut out for sand dunes, river crossings, mud or rocky climbs. I also haven't got the off-road pack.

[Krautlover]

I took my Tig for its first offroad trial yesterday. Just some good quality dirt stuff and reasonably docile forest road in Northern NSW. Anyway, I was surprised how well she handled it.

However, I can't say the same for the rubber underneath. A nasty stick finished off a Bridgestone Dueler H/P for good. Couldn't be repaired. Darn.

But, here comes the bad part. In trying to find a replacement, it seems that there's not one spare to be found in the country, and Bridgestone Australia say they have no plans to import any.

This is bizarre, and I plan to take it up with the VW dealer tomorrow. But it's a timely warning to others whose new Tiguan came with these tyres on it; don't take 'em offroad! They're just not up to the task.

I'm also disappointed that such a capable vehicle wasn't supplied with a readily available tyre.

[Achtung Tiggy]

Look's like it's a good idea to get off-road tyres before heading off the tarmac.

Did you use the space-saver tyre? How did it fare?

Also, any problems with clearance? I'm considering if it's worthwhile getting higher springs.

[mickofoz]

I took my Tigga off-road'ish yesterday. Took her down Deep Creek National Park here is SA. Not really off road but they were tracks market 4WD Only. Went down some fairly steep dirt tracks and used the hill decent mode. She handled like a dream. Once you've done it once or twice, you gain her trust and let her deal with the decent to the bottom. I nearly poured myself a coffee while going down. Going up was just as pleasant. She lost tracktion twice on the front wheels only for the rear wheels to take over a second or two later. AS for ground clearance, well she's not a 4WD just an AWD. You just need to keep that in mind. Very happy with the performance.

[Krautlover]

Look's like it's a good idea to get off-road tyres before heading off the tarmac.

Did you use the space-saver tyre? How did it fare?

Also, any problems with clearance? I'm considering if it's worthwhile getting higher springs.

Yep, I used the space saver and it performed surprisingly well (2 hour trip home). I'm comparing this to the s/s spare on my Mazda3 which was a real shocker to drive on.

Having said that, I think will grab a proper spare for any future trips.

As for ground clearance, I had a few wheel ruts and patches of rocky ground to negotiate and cleared it all pretty well. I did take it extra slow through those parts though.

[Arctra]

Arctra,
If you organized something south of Sydney I would be keen.

Hey Ricardo

It seems the only offroading down South is around the Nowra area. I'm keen to do it sometime, but for the first GTG I wanted to organise something easy and accessible by the majority. When I make a trip your end of the world I'll be sure to let you know and possibly meet up.