2.0 tdi automatic transmission upgrade

curtains21

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2006
Location
Central Lake, MI
TDI
2005.5 jetta tdi 5 speed manual
Is there such a thing as an upgrade for the 2.0 tdi auto transmission? Or a larger transmission like an extra gear or 2?
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Define "2.0 TDI" . There are a bunch, and of that bunch, there are two completely different automatic transmissions.
 

curtains21

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2006
Location
Central Lake, MI
TDI
2005.5 jetta tdi 5 speed manual
More curious about 2010-2012 wagons. Mine currently has 285,000 miles with lots of rust, looking to upgrade to something 2010-2012 from the southern states with a lot less miles. Fully delete it and if there's a transmission upgrade do that as well. I've had manual tdi's in the past that were great on mpg but I have become spoiled with the auto and the amazing reliability, 285,000 miles on the original trans
 

SilverGhost

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Location
Back in So Flo - St Lucie
TDI
'05 Golf - totaled :(, wife's '13 Beetle - buy back, TDIless
I think oil hammer was referring to the fact (and I'll use the 2 most obviously different) that there is a lot a variation for 2.0 TDI.

2005 Passat 2.0TDI = 134 HP PD with 5 speed slushbox automatic (oh, and longitudinal)
2009 Jetta 2.0TDI = 140 HP CR with 6 speed DSG (transverse)

Biggest upgrades for the '10-'12 CR with DSG would be software to change shift behavior, or swapping with another TDI that used different ratios. A lot of cash for #2 with questionable ROI

Jason
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
OK, your 02E DSG is fine as it is, there is no need for any upgrade. You can do some software changes that help the M-unit deal with any added power to the engine, if you have done that. But otherwise, the 02E is a pretty good unit.
 

TurboABA

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 24, 2010
Location
Kitchener, ON
TDI
RIP-2010 Jetta 6spd 2014 Touareg Execline
Deleting should yield sufficient MPG improvement that you won't want taller gearing.... unless you drive on the Autobahn a lot.....
 

curtains21

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2006
Location
Central Lake, MI
TDI
2005.5 jetta tdi 5 speed manual
Ok thank you. Didn't know if there was a 7 or 8 speed transmission somewhere out there. My ecodiesel has an 8 speed and the new 1500 chevy has a 10 speed. I like how my truck at 85 on the freeway is around 2200 rpm. My car 2010 jetta tdi wagon at 85 is around 2800 rpm. I suppose I could slow down...haha nah
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
More gears doesn't necessarily mean better. And those 10sp slushboxes in the Ford and GM trucks do not even use all those ratios all the time anyway. They skip ratios depending on driving conditions, load, etc.

Your truck's VM Motori engine probably has a torque peak at a lower median RPM anyway, it has two more cylinders and a liter more displacement. It is also still a conventional slushbox (supplied by ZF), not a double-clutch type like the DSG. So it already isn't as efficient by design.

I have also noticed that a lot of the newer cars that have more ratios and a lower RPM at cruising speed tend to almost immediately require a downshift if ANY increase in load happens (slight hill, slight headwind, big bug hits the windshield, etc.). Particularly with gassers, though. But it is quite annoying, and they seem to be abandoning the manual-mode (like Tiptronic) so you cannot always override that nonsense either.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Hey, I have driven 36hp Beetles and even a few 40hp Transporters....and now I have a 48hp diesel Vanagon, I know the feeling.
 

curtains21

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2006
Location
Central Lake, MI
TDI
2005.5 jetta tdi 5 speed manual
Mine is deleted and tuned, and transmission tuned to hold higher gears better. I had a 2015 jeep cherokee with the 9 speed auto. That thing only shifted into 9th gear when I was doing over 100 but it wouldn't hold it. My truck stays in 8th gear and rarely ever downshifts unless I'm pulling something.
That makes sense about the dual clutch auto that vw has though, I was always confused why chrysler products gives you the option to manually shift their auto but it doesn't hold the gear when its in manual mode.

Thanks for all the info!
 

TurboABA

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 24, 2010
Location
Kitchener, ON
TDI
RIP-2010 Jetta 6spd 2014 Touareg Execline
I had a 2015 jeep cherokee with the 9 speed auto. That thing only shifted into 9th gear when I was doing over 100 but it wouldn't hold it.
My chick has a 2017 and the ratios on the 9spd are stupid tall..... totally the wrong setup for NA. I don't drive it a lot, but I doubt it uses the last two gears very often if at all....
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Honda (Pilot) and now Nissan (the new Pathfinder) are also using the transverse ZF 9sp. Curious if they too are geared like that. Seems pointless to have so many ratios and never use them.

My Sprinter was a 7sp, and that G-tronic transmission was absolutely superb (and I generally despise anything I cannot shift myself). It used all its gears appropriately, at the right time, and once cruising at 80 it rarely ever needed to downshift, yet somehow it "knew" when you were pulling something heavy on the hills, both going up and down, when it needed a lower range.
 

TurboABA

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 24, 2010
Location
Kitchener, ON
TDI
RIP-2010 Jetta 6spd 2014 Touareg Execline
5th is 1:1 and 9th is something retarded like 0.48
I don't know if they just messed up the final drive due to TC\diff combos, or ***, but I can tell you it's NFG unless you're trying to get arrested.
 

TurboABA

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 24, 2010
Location
Kitchener, ON
TDI
RIP-2010 Jetta 6spd 2014 Touareg Execline
I went looking since we were on the subject.... found the "issue"

Canadian Specs said:
Gear Ratio
1st 4.71
2nd 2.84
3rd 1.91
4th 1.38
5th 1.00
6th 0.81
7th 0.70
8th 0.58
9th 0.48
Reverse 3.83

Axle Ratios
3.2-litre 4x2 — 3.251
3.2-litre 4x4 (non-trailer tow) — 3.251
3.2-litre 4x4 (trailer tow) — 3.517
3.2 litre 4x4 Active Drive II & Trailhawk – 3.517
2.4-litre 4x2 — 3.734 2.4-litre 4x4 (non-Trailhawk) — 3.734
2.4-litre 4x4 (Trailhawk) — 4.083
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
It is interesting to me how the "more gears, more better" thing has gotten to the point it has. Because modern engines seem to have a MUCH better overall ability to apply power over a much broader RPM band than they used to, even diesels.

I remember reading an article in I think Road & Track about the Porsche 911 turbo, that had "only" a 4 sp manual gearbox, when the regular non-turbo 911 got a 5 sp. The reason was, the engine made SO MUCH power over such a wide band that it really didn't need any more than four ratios. Fast forward many years later, and I actually was fortunate enough to drive one such beast, an '88 (I think this was known as the 930). And yes, four ratios were PLENTY. That car had zero problems getting off the line, the engine felt like it had immense amounts of torque right off idle, the mid RPM pull was flat and fat, and the top end zip once on full boost was astounding. Fewer gear changes meant you could keep your white knuckled hands gripping the steering wheel more of the time, that was was scary fast, and not at all refined like the later 901 cars. If an old IRS Beetle was a 2 on a scale of 1 -10 in refinement, this 930 was maybe only a 4. But the engine was a 13, LOL. Coworker's uncle's car, garage queen, but happily he let me drive it, and scolded me for being too easy on it ha!
 

TurboABA

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 24, 2010
Location
Kitchener, ON
TDI
RIP-2010 Jetta 6spd 2014 Touareg Execline
Yap... more is better... just like you need every option.... I see lots of mall crawlers with lifts, snorkels, winches, bead locks, etc.... but not a speck of dust on them..... but I'm sure they get lots of show & shine points everywhere.
 

crazyrunner33

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Location
NC
TDI
'10 Golf(bought back)
It is interesting to me how the "more gears, more better" thing has gotten to the point it has. Because modern engines seem to have a MUCH better overall ability to apply power over a much broader RPM band than they used to, even diesels.
This. TFL tested(yeah, I know their tests are far from perfect) the Ram 2500 vs the Silverado 2500. On paper, the Silverado beats the Ram with 75 more hp, more low end torque, and a modern 10 speed vs the ancient 68RFE 6 speed slushbox. But their 0-60 showed it to be 0.2 seconds faster than the Ram, and the Ike Gauntlet towing test showed the uphill climb being identical, and better engine braking with the Ram down hill. I'm wondering if it's just poor transmission tuning on the Duramax, or bad drivers.
 

gearheadgrrrl

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2002
Location
Buffalo Ridge (southwest Minnesota)
TDI
'15 Golf DSG, '13 JSW DSG surrendered to VW, '03 Golf 2 door manual
Back in the 70s I drove a lot of Mack semi tractors with the 237 HP "Maxidyne" engine with just a 5 speed transmission at weights up to 80,000 pounds... Worked fine, and was faster then the competitors with 9 and 10 speed transmissions!
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
It is interesting to me how the "more gears, more better" thing has gotten to the point it has. Because modern engines seem to have a MUCH better overall ability to apply power over a much broader RPM band than they used to...
I agree. This also means any time the power demand changes the transmission shifts, sometimes multiple gears :rolleyes: "Just pick a gear and stay there!"

-J
 
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