T5 speedo calibration

[BLog]

My speedo reads 5% fast (at 110km/h I’m only traveling at 105km/h) at the moment but I want to put tyres on my van that are 6.5% larger than standard so the speedo will then read slow which is not allowed.

Has anyone had the speedo adjusted or calibrated on their T5? Are VW dealers able to do this?

[David Morris]

A good Dealer should be able to plug his gear into the EMS & correct the signal the speedo sees I can do it with my ScanGague up or down no worries .
GPS will help get it spot on then cut a small dayglow strip & stick on the dash at the most costly speed for your area .
As with all these the faster you go the bigger the error but its usualy on the fast side where it keeps you safe from gready Gubments ,
TC

[gregozedobe]

Be aware that any adjustment will make your odometer and MFD figures inaccurate by the adjustment %ge. At the moment these will all be pretty accurate.

[BLog]

Thanks for the replies – David, what is ScanGauge?

I was reading through some of the threads in the Golf section about speedo calibration and it seems it is possible to make changes with Vag-com on those vehicles; the ECU reads the correct speed but is then programmed to output a higher signal to the speedo.

As suggested by gregozedobe if I change tyre size changing this value may make the speedo read correctly but the ECU will be reading slow meaning other problems.

So does anyone know if the actual input to the ECU can be changed or the speed input to the ECU calibrated so that it will read the correct figure? Can anyone with Vag-com experience shed any light on this?

Cheers

[Transporter]

Thanks for the replies – David, what is ScanGauge?

I was reading through some of the threads in the Golf section about speedo calibration and it seems it is possible to make changes with Vag-com on those vehicles; the ECU reads the correct speed but is then programmed to output a higher signal to the speedo.

As suggested by gregozedobe if I change tyre size changing this value may make the speedo read correctly but the ECU will be reading slow meaning other problems.

So does anyone know if the actual input to the ECU can be changed or the speed input to the ECU calibrated so that it will read the correct figure? Can anyone with Vag-com experience shed any light on this?

Cheers

Hi, Blog
I have VCDS (Vag-com), I will check, if it can be reliably adjusted, so it doesn't cause any issues, when the weather cools down a bit.
What size of the tyre do you want to put on? (important to know since there is upper and lower limit on any adjustment)

[BLog]

Thanks Transporter, that would be awesome

I hear what you saying about the heat, this is ridiculous and only going to get worse by the looks.

I haven’t made a decision on a tyre size yet but the most it would be is an increase in diameter of around 8%.

I see your T5 is a TDI 4-motion as well, what sort of fuel economy are you getting? At this stage mine is around the mid to low 10L/100km with a combination of short trips and long cruises. The best I’ve achieved is low 9’s on a long trip, only got 3500km on the clock though.

[Transporter]

Thanks Transporter, that would be awesome

I hear what you saying about the heat, this is ridiculous and only going to get worse by the looks.

I haven’t made a decision on a tyre size yet but the most it would be is an increase in diameter of around 8%.

I see your T5 is a TDI 4-motion as well, what sort of fuel economy are you getting? At this stage mine is around the mid to low 10L/100km with a combination of short trips and long cruises. The best I’ve achieved is low 9’s on a long trip, only got 3500km on the clock though.

I've done over 60,000km now. The worst fuel consumption was 10.5L/100km the best was 9.2L/100km. Average 9.5L/100km. Over 90% short trips and city driving max. load 100% of the time. Consumption calculated from the fuel receipt.

[Tornado T5]

I've done over 60,000km now. The worst fuel consumption was 10.5L/100km the best was 9.2L/100km. Average 9.5L/100km. Over 90% short trips and city driving max. load 100% of the time. Consumption calculated from the fuel receipt.

What's your average speed showing?
Edit; if you have a trip comp. that is.

[gregozedobe]

What's your average speed showing?
Edit; if you have a trip comp. that is.

IIRC memory 2 only shows the last 99.9 hours worth, even if you never reset it, as that is it's maximum capacity.

[Transporter]

What's your average speed showing?
Edit; if you have a trip comp. that is.

No trip computer,
I don't drive it slow, I accelerate wherever I can fast, but don't over rew the gears if you know what I mean. I get the van quickly up to the speed and change gears down at the right time. I use the Moreys Diesel Engine Smoke Killer every time I fill up (I don't believe that it does much to improve the fuel economy but it reduces the smoke). I also changed the air filter at 40,000km and it was very dirty (due at 120,000km or 4 Years).

[gregozedobe]

I use the Moreys Diesel Engine Smoke Killer every time I fill up (I don't believe that it does much to improve the fuel economy but it reduces the smoke).

Goodonya ! That's what I like to (not) see

I also changed the air filter at 40,000km and it was very dirty (due at 120,000km or 4 Years).

Interesting, are your driving conditions particularly dirty or dusty ? I was going to keep an eye on the "% blockage" indicator on the air cleaner housing to decide when to change mine (on 38,000 Km ATM). Was yours showing much blockage at 40,000 ?

[Seano]

Interesting, are your driving conditions particularly dirty or dusty ? I was going to keep an eye on the "% blockage" indicator on the air cleaner housing to decide when to change mine (on 38,000 Km ATM). Was yours showing much blockage at 40,000 ?

Greg.....I wouldn't take too much notice of the %blockage indicator. They are notoriously unreliable. I spend ages watching mine once only to find out that the internal rubber membrane that triggers it had come away from the body.....plus the internal pressures that are required to trigger it are so spectatcular that you'd notice the impact of a partially clogged filter in the declining fuel economy before the thing even triggered.

I made the extra effort to fix the indicator in my T4 (dash mounted unlike the T5's) which was successful. But seriously fiddly and not recommended unless you have good hand eye coordination, paitience and thre hours to kill. I can trigger it by sucking on the line to the air box. But it has never triggered 'naturally'.

I changed the last air filter out after 60,000 country based kms and got an immediate improvement in fuel economy.....so the filter must've been a bit on the clogged side. This time...I'll pull the filter every service and give it a gentle tap and blow out and see how it goes.

[Transporter]

Goodonya ! That's what I like to (not) see




Interesting, are your driving conditions particularly dirty or dusty ? I was going to keep an eye on the "% blockage" indicator on the air cleaner housing to decide when to change mine (on 38,000 Km ATM). Was yours showing much blockage at 40,000 ?

Indicator didn't show anything, so I went and checked the air filter, since 40,000km is reasonable interval and on most cars the air filter is very dirty by than. The maintenance section in the owner’s manual says check the air filter at 60,000km, replace at 120,000km, mine would last till 120,000km, it would be blocked by 60,000km anyway.
Most of my driving is Adelaide southern suburbs and city. Don't go by indicator on the air filter box - remove air filter and check it visually. The air filter is not that expensive. The fuel filter cost over $100.00 that's due at 120,000km and
I will not replace it earlier, unless it’s needed.

[gregozedobe]

Hmmm, thanks for that useful advice guys. I do mostly pretty clean highway work btween Canberra and Sydney. I might replace the air filter at the next service (due at 48,000 Km IIRC).

Regarding checking air filters, I have a vague recollection that (some ?) TDI paper element air filters were "crush to fit" and that once they'd been installed you couldn't open them up again without risking an imperfect seal. Anyone else heard of that one ? (I've never even seen mine, so I could be completely wrong here).

[Transporter]

Hmmm, thanks for that useful advice guys. I do mostly pretty clean highway work btween Canberra and Sydney. I might replace the air filter at the next service (due at 48,000 Km IIRC).

Regarding checking air filters, I have a vague recollection that (some ?) TDI paper element air filters were "crush to fit" and that once they'd been installed you couldn't open them up again without risking an imperfect seal. Anyone else heard of that one ? (I've never even seen mine, so I could be completely wrong here).

Not in T5,
You can remove air filter for inspection and put it back if you like.