First Sydney/NSW Tiguan get together (21 Feb)

[Transporter]

Very nice video, I wish I were there.

[Achtung Tiggy]

If I had seen the vid before I bought the Tig I would have chosen the off-road tech. Too late now.

[team_v]

If I had seen the vid before I bought the Tig I would have chosen the off-road tech. Too late now.

I was thinkgin the same.
But you made it up after another try so it wasn't an overly big issue.


Can't wait to see the results of the next one.
Vid's of stockton beach would be awesome.

[Arctra]

If I had seen the vid before I bought the Tig I would have chosen the off-road tech. Too late now.

As I said on the day, if you get the Haldex Performance controller (for the 4th Gen. Haldex) part you will be able to "lock" the centre diff and get the same result. You will lose out on:
- the (frankly useless) compass
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (aftermarket in-tyre systems are far better anyway)
- changed throttle and gear shift program (which isn't too much of a loss)
- hill controll (for which your only solution is improving your own skills)

[team_v]

As I said on the day, if you get the Haldex Performance controller (for the 4th Gen. Haldex) part you will be able to "lock" the centre diff and get the same result.

Bit pricey though:
Generation 4 - Suit VW Tiguan $1950

when the off-road pack is a $300 option

[Arctra]

Underside inspection

OK kids, if you are squeamish you might not want to look at this. I took my Tig to Arcus Auto Services in Artarmon for a "suspension safety check" this morning to get a look underneath and see whether there was anything to be concerned about after this weekends trip.

The good news first of all, is that there is no damage to be concerned about... not even potential rust causing scrapes (which was my main concern)
The bad news is that there are a few scratches underneath, so the Tig didn't escape entirely unscathed.

So here are a few pics for you:

Starting at the back and working forward, this is the rear underside. It's just dirty, no scratches or anything of note:



This is the rear diff and what I presume is the swaybar. The swaybar is the lowest point down the centre in the part of the car, and so as you may expect it has a couple of superficial scratches:



This is the rear diff taken from a different angle (centre of the underside) and it looks like there is a small scrape on it, but I am not convinced... it could just be some dirt. Any way, it's certainly nothing to be concerned about.



The next 2 images are of the rear left and right whell suspension assemblies. There are some very superficial scratches at the lowest points on the swing arms (as they are the lowest bits on the vehicle edges. Really nothing significant at all... didn't break the rust protection paint even.




And now the unhappy bit! This is the front underside taken from the front of the vehicle. As you can see, there is (or in my case "was") a carpet and insulation material cover over what I presume is the sump. The scrape I had going over a nasty mound with a dip after it is responsible for shredding that cover I think. There are a few superficila scratches there too, but nothing to be concerned about at this stage. The plastics of the front lip are also nicely scratched, but because no-one ever sees that part, and there's nothing immediately under them to damage, there is nothing to be concerned about. You can appreciate the Track & Field front end would not have had this happen, but we aren't fortunate enough to have that.


It loots like getting a decent bash/skid plate fabricated to protect the front end shouldn't be too difficult, and I have the name of a guy who can point me in the right direction. I've shredded a sump before on my old Corolla and it's not pretty, so I think I'll look into it when I get a chance. If it's afforadable I'll probably get one.

I also had concerns about how vulnerable the fuel tank might be, but now that I've looked at it I'm not so concerned. It is plastic so it has some "give", and you are likely to damage other parts of the underside and stop well before you damage the tank.

So at the end of the day clearance appears to be the Tigs weakest point when offroading. The front is the most vulnerable by the looks of things, probably due to the fact that the suspension has to deal with the weight of the engine as well as providing a comfortable ride, so the front will lunge a bit more and reduce the clerance even further over rough terrain.

I hope this helps you guys.

[147Tig]

wo, that's interesting to see

[Flipper Dog]

Might be up for your next trip, as long as a big brother Touareg is welcome.

[Arctra]

Might be up for your next trip, as long as a big brother Touareg is welcome.

Welcome!? You will be more than welcome! Especially if we head to Stockton as it'd be nice to have the true 4x4 there to recover us if necessary.

[Achtung Tiggy]

Bit pricey though:
Generation 4 - Suit VW Tiguan $1950

when the off-road pack is a $300 option

I was thinking the same thing... might as well get the APR chip upgrade! Anyway I figured I need to be more practical so I'll be spending my money on a roof pod. I saw this really nice black one from Thule that will match my black Tig.

And now the unhappy bit! This is the front underside taken from the front of the vehicle. As you can see, there is (or in my case "was") a carpet and insulation material cover over what I presume is the sump. The scrape I had going over a nasty mound with a dip after it is responsible for shredding that cover I think.

OMG!!! That looks nasty. I had a peep under my Tig and it looks okay. I might have another look using a mirror and if I'm not satisfied I'll take it somewhere to have it looked at properly.

[Tigger]

Hi guys!,

Great to hear all about the outing on sunday. Seems like you all had fun....except for that damage...ouch.
Good pics too-thanks for including them. True that if we had the option of the track and field front end, this may have been minimised. (but wouldnt it ruin the look of the car though! imo only)

Hey, just a question. How do you find the going with the auto box over all of such terain? I have always been a fan of manual when I am offroad and need a little more control. Also helps if the car stalls. etc I presume all of you with the 147 have auto, as I have not heard of a 147 with manual?

[Arctra]

Hey, just a question. How do you find the going with the auto box over all of such terain? I have always been a fan of manual when I am offroad and need a little more control. Also helps if the car stalls. etc I presume all of you with the 147 have auto, as I have not heard of a 147 with manual?

My TDI is auto and I have to say I was quite happy with the way it handled. I did slip into tiptronic mode most of the time to get greater control of the engine speed more than anything else.

[Tigger]

OK, I see. That would have helped I'm sure. How did the other auto petrols go?
Keep us informed of any other outings too. Would be keen to get mine a bit dirty!
Hey there are a few good trails around the southern highlands areas near Robertson. Not real offroad tracks, but enjoyable trips near the waterfalls.
Hope the clean up and repairs / protection go well with that sump!

[duncan]

Looks like a great day had by all.

Just had a look at the video, and I'm confused about ActungTiggy's Tig.
Whilst having the OffRoad tech switched on 'locks' the centre diff, the standard setting should provide drive to the rear wheels once slipping is noticed in the front wheels.
It looks in the vid as if thats happening. You can see a puff of dust coming from the back passenger side of the car. ActungT then drives the Tig until he's got 2 opposing wheels off the ground at which point forward motion stops. All well and good,ALL 4WD with just a centre diff lock will stop and sit with the 2 wheels with the least traction spinning away.
What I would have expected here was to see the electronic traction control cut in to stop the 2 wheels spinning and transfer drive to the wheels on the ground.

SO the big question is...was the ESP button on or off?

I'm going to reckon off, otherwise there's a fault with the traction control module.

[Achtung Tiggy]

OK, I see. That would have helped I'm sure. How did the other auto petrols go?

I didn't use tiptronic at all and had no problems controlling the car. On difficult terrain going downhill, I just let gravity move the car with my foot on the brake controlling the speed. And going uphill it's just gentle pressure on the accelerator.

What I would have expected here was to see the electronic traction control cut in to stop the 2 wheels spinning and transfer drive to the wheels on the ground.

My theory is that when the 2 wheels started spinning, more torque was transferred to the grounded wheels, but this still was not enough to push the car through. For normal driving the torque split is 90% front 10% rear. When a front wheel spins I don't know how much torque can be transferred to the rear wheel. In that instance at Yengo National Park it wasn't enough.

SO the big question is...was the ESP button on or off?

ESP was on as per normal driving conditions. I don't think turning ESP off would've help much as it's used to correct under/oversteer by calculating the direction the car is travelling and where the steering wheel is pointing at and braking the appropriate wheel.