when should I use "sports" mode?

shoE30

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2009
Location
Atlanta
TDI
2010 JSW
Whenever you want is the short answer. My wife is the primary driver of our JSW. When I actually get to drive it I'll usually use sport mode for the following 2 reasons. 1.) If I'm in traffic and moving slowly (~10-20mph). It bothers me that the transmission is constantly trying to run in 6th gear at that slow a speed. I keep it in sport so it holds a lower gear. It also allows the car to respond more quickly if i need to get moving...right now (e.g. so i don't have to wait fo the computer to decide what gear it should really be in).
2.) If I'm driving on a mountain road and I want some engine braking. Also it holds a gear longer so there's less shifting between the turns.
 
T

Timujin

Guest
Also...

When warming the engine, in parking lots, when in uphill traffic, to burn ash in the DPF and/or if you get the flashing DPF light.
 

TDIinMA

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Location
Plymouth, MA
TDI
2011 JSW 6MT; Black uni, Cornsilk
On my B6 I never use this mode and find that the normal drive mode is better because it learns your driving habits and adjusts. I find the excessive RPMs of the "S" mode to be annoying, and I drive pretty aggressively. The manual mode can be helpful in bad weather though.
 

Biffster

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Location
Gadsden, AL
TDI
2010 JSW TDI
On my B6 I never use this mode and find that the normal drive mode is better because it learns your driving habits and adjusts. I find the excessive RPMs of the "S" mode to be annoying, and I drive pretty aggressively. The manual mode can be helpful in bad weather though.
I don't know about your B6, but VW has publicly stated, and documented, that the 2010/2011 DSG is not adaptive and does not "learn."

I'm sure someone here has the relevant link(s).

Sport mode is great for warming the engine more quickly (I always run the car in "S" mode until full operating temp is reached) which is better for the engine, and it's also great for the random "Italian Tune-up" when I want to keep the revs up to clean and exercise the turbo.

Ironically, "S" mode shifts much more smoothly on my DSG than does the normal "D" mode. "D" mode shift harshly on mine, often SLAMMING into gear, which does not happen in "S".
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
On my B6 I never use this mode and find that the normal drive mode is better because it learns your driving habits and adjusts. I find the excessive RPMs of the "S" mode to be annoying, and I drive pretty aggressively. The manual mode can be helpful in bad weather though.
How do you drive aggressively without using higher RPMs?
 

l3it3r

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2010
Location
Hagerstown, MD
TDI
'10 TDI Sportwagen
I use Sport every day. Only at certain parts of my trip though. It seems to do better on MPGs in the mountains than drive does.
 

funboi

Well-known member
Joined
May 6, 2010
Location
toronto
TDI
2010 Golf TDI
How do you know if full operating temperature has reached? is there a symbol on the dash somewhere?



I don't know about your B6, but VW has publicly stated, and documented, that the 2010/2011 DSG is not adaptive and does not "learn."

I'm sure someone here has the relevant link(s).

Sport mode is great for warming the engine more quickly (I always run the car in "S" mode until full operating temp is reached) which is better for the engine, and it's also great for the random "Italian Tune-up" when I want to keep the revs up to clean and exercise the turbo.

Ironically, "S" mode shifts much more smoothly on my DSG than does the normal "D" mode. "D" mode shift harshly on mine, often SLAMMING into gear, which does not happen in "S".
 

DWalk

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Location
Atlanta
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI DSG
How do you know if full operating temperature has reached? is there a symbol on the dash somewhere?
Reference the coolant temp gauge. When you are warmed up your coolant temp should be a constant 190 F (88 C).

However, I think the coolant temp gauge is no longer on the 2011+ Jettas :confused: ...
 
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GoFaster

Moderator at Large
Joined
Jun 16, 1999
Location
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI
That's a coolant temp gauge, not oil temperature - although the statement is otherwise correct ...

"S" mode, or manually downshifting in tiptronic if that doesn't do enough, is also good when going down long hills in mountain driving to avoid overheating the brakes. I tow a trailer a lot and this is important. Rule of thumb is to go down a hill in whatever gear it would take to go up. The auto tranny won't do this on its own, though ... (The Tow/Haul mode in the GM trucks does it quite nicely, but we don't have that ...)
 

DoctorDawg

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2008
Location
Southeastern US
TDI
'09 Jetta Loyal Edition
I'm surprised that no one has called my own favorite uses for 'S'. I will use it for short bursts when I know or suspect the possibility that I'm going to need Warp 3+ pretty shortly and toot sweet, for example:

1. Merging onto the freeway. You know that jerk at your eight o'clock who won't speed up, won't slow down, and is dying to see you have to stop on the onramp? Feh. A short burst of full pedal in S and he's a little tiny speck in my rearview mirror. If I'm on an onramp and traffic is flowing freely, I'm in S. Once I've merged successfully I immediately drop back into D.

2. Approaching a red light and there's a slow-looking beater pickup sporting a confederate flag in my lane, so I switch to the other, empty lane. Then I notice that just the other side of the intersection the road narrows to one lane. So drop it into S and make beater pickup go away.

3. Turning right or left into speedy traffic. S is definitely your friend here.

I don't do any mountain driving so I don't have many other occasions to use S. The above applications don't require being in S for more than about 5-10 seconds, so the effect on total fuel economy is pretty much nil.
 
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