Off road tech when off road

[marcsamus]

We got off road tech but haven't had the chance to test yet. Does it really make much of a difference to the Tigs ability?

Anyone else used it?

[NZTiguan]

We got off road tech but haven't had the chance to test yet. Does it really make much of a difference to the Tigs ability?

Anyone else used it?

It makes a HUGE difference BUT your real limitations will be your tyres and assuming you're in Ausi the fact that you have a low air-dam at the front (I have the "Track and Field" model with a more chiseled nose).

Basically the off-road brings a number of things into play.

It modifies the throttle response so you're less likely to spin a wheel.
It modifies the ABS to allow some locking up in gravel (in soft going it does pay to have the ESP OFF as well).
It modifies the electronic diff lock (yes I know it's not a REAL diff lock) and locks you into 50/50 torque split.
It brings in the hill decent control and the hill takeoff controls (ensures you don't run back) over a preset angle.

There's other bits and pieces as well but it is a major difference BUT as I say you're limited by your tyres AND it cuts out at 20± kph so it's designed for slow slippery work not hotdogging in the gravel.

Best thing to do is go into a gravel pit or similar and have a quiet play (preferably by yourself) and you'll then have some idea of its capabilities.

The system the Tig has is actually the same (different programming) as the Land Rover Freelander II so it's actually far more capable than many people realise.

Cheers

[Arctra]

Hey marcsamus

Details on exactly what the offroad tech is capable of are sketchy still unfortunately. I have it, and have used it, and it does make a difference.

Offroad Mode utilizes ABS, the Haldex, the throttle, and both hill descent and climb features. In total, five ECUs manage this off-road system. Hill climb and descent are only activated when the vehicle is at 15 degrees or more, is travelling less than 40km/h, and the driver is not touching the brakes (in the in the case of descent the driver must not be touching the accelerator either). Throttle response is desesntised to reduce the chances of wheel spin and jerkiness over rough surfaces.

The Tiguan uses the 4th generation Haldex traction system which you can read up about here (I encourage this as it is very interesting): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haldex_...eration_-_2007
It gives a nice account of what makes up the 4th Gen Haldex systems and how it operates. In summary:
- it has an electronic limited slip diff (eLSD) at the back, not a truely lockable differential.
- It can transfer 100% of the engine power to the front axle or to the back axle as needed. It's the up to the front/back diff to the eLSD to apportion power to the left and right wheels. Numbers are blurry in my head right now, but I think I recall it can transfer as much as 80% of the engine power to just 1 wheel using this system. By default, from a standing start power is split 50:50 between the front and back wheels until you are on the move when it resorts back to approximately 90% of power to the front wheels (for fuel economy and reduced drivetrain wear). When you have activated offroad mode it "locks" the split at 50:50 between front and back.

This is also quite an interesting write-up on the Haldex 4 system which was initially exclusively available to Saab who branded it Cross Wheel Drive (XWD):
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/30/s...stem-up-close/

[avalasia]

my dealer told me that because i ordered off-road the Tig is 1.5 inches higher than a normal Tiguan, is there any truth to this?

[NZTiguan]

For what it's worth I believe that the hill-decent switches off at around 20 kph not 40 kph and it does allow you to use the brakes to set your descent speed. This is from experience as I've used this feature a lot on back-country tracks around Central Otago. It is possible that the "non Track and Field" model has different settings but I'd be quite surprised if that is the case.

My manual states (under 3.2 P 21) that the "downhill driving assistant" is only active under 20 kph and that you use the footbrake to set your speed.

Cheers

It's worth noting that Booklet 3.2 Pages 20 and 21 have a good basic description of the functions of the "off-road" mode. That's a 2009 manual with mine so it may be different places in the 2010 model.

my dealer told me that because i ordered off-road the Tig is 1.5 inches higher than a normal Tiguan, is there any truth to this?

NO unless something has changed VERY recently.

Cheers

[Arctra]

For what it's worth I believe that the hill-decent switches off at around 20 kph not 40 kph and it does allow you to use the brakes to set your descent speed.

Fair enough, I am willing to accept I got this wrong. I was trying to write from memory as I didn't have the manual in front of me. Thanks Derek.

[Tedhaggie]

i didn't get the offroad tech - think VW sould bring in the TRack & Field modified FrontEnd as part of .
THere are the bits I consider should be part An OFFroad package
1. the front end - not used in OZ - not retro?
2. Drivetrain reprog It seems that it only using existing hardware ( may be the accelerator control is extra) but would have though the ESC system already had that- AM in the process of study the ERwin?ELSA tech training

Why can't a "firmware" eCU reprogam be done to retro fit, the switch is already installed - needs labell ( and maybe connnecting-)

GUY H is already offering a HAldex reprog which gives the 50/50 slpit

3. TPMS Understand the TPMS system requires hardware , sensor in all wheels + receivers on each wheel arch - not Retro ?

4. More Aggressive tyres retro

5 a higher GC suspension Kit retro

5 A rear fullsize Spare carrier ( I am trying to develope a concept which uses th towbar as it's basis) Needs to weigh less than 100kgs. would also Help the dreaded Luggage capacity issue - REtro

[Tigwild]

Seeing as though the switch is just a $300 option you'll probably find that everything to support "off-road" mode is already in place in the vehicle (except the actual switch and possible wiring harness). I've found the Tig to be pretty capable offroad even without the switch but it would be good if we found a way to add the switch afterwards.

[NZTiguan]

5 a higher GC suspension Kit retro

5 A rear fullsize Spare carrier ( I am trying to develope a concept which uses th towbar as it's basis) Needs to weigh less than 100kgs. would also Help the dreaded Luggage capacity issue - REtro

Have a look at JJJs work on http://www.mytiguan.com/ he's done all that sort of stuff in the past (he's a South African Tig owner). He did a suspension lift and a rear wheel carrier. To be honest I don't think the Tig is capable enough to be worth all that effort. At the outside I'd be getting some steel rims and off-road tyres (5) and just sit the spare upright inside the hatch (it's been done and it fits just fine). SAves a lot of hassle unless you're going to do a LOT of off-road work.

Just my 2 cents though.

Cheers

[team_v]

To be honest I don't think the Tig is capable enough to be worth all that effort. At the outside I'd be getting some steel rims and off-road tyres (5) and just sit the spare upright inside the hatch (it's been done and it fits just fine). SAves a lot of hassle unless you're going to do a LOT of off-road work.
Cheers

This is what i am thinking.
If i plan to do some offroading, i would be getting a full size spare in the boot area and some offroad spec tyres (cooper CS4's etc).


In reality, if you are planning on doing all that to the Tig to get it offroad, you might as well get an older "True 4wd" like a landcruiser or jeep etc that is built for offroading aas the Tig will only get you so far.
It would probably cost less in the long run as well.