Group buy / order: 0.65 / 0.643 5th for TDI

If I could even breach the 50mpg barrier I'd be happy at the moment! I think my thermostat is on the way out which could have something to do with it.

Good point if you need the stereo at a lower number on the m-way that's a clear indication!

Adrian did you go for the .65 or the .68? What's the lowest speed you can burble in 5th now -by that I mean just maintaining traffic speed with no attempt to accelerate?
 
I went for 0.659 and below 35mph it struggles, i have ocassionally dropped as low as 32 ish but on a flat or slightly downhill road.
 
Pugliese said:
Should be able to provide some more data next week as Mike is fitting .659 to my mapped 75. As I have a long drive, I should be able to gather some useful economy data. The plan is that I will break the journey up into sections and recored the DIS data going up and the same coming back. I am breaking it up into chunks so that I can try and maintain the same average speed over each section there and back. If I did it over the whole journey, I only need to hit one traffic problem and all the data will be useless. This way hopefully I can get some meaningful data that will be a good 'steer' for those contemplating this upgrade.
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Data will be delayed as the suppliers are out of stock of the .659 gear set. Hopefully not too long.
 
Mike is doing my gearset also this week; i will make two stops for the journey up and back. That will give you an idea of economy gains (if any! GULP) as it is about 200 miles plus.

It is going to be skewed though as im having other bits done as well.
 
Brim to Brim on 448 miles over the past 2 weeks has given 58.5mpg against a DIS recording of 56.5...... and up from a typical 50-51mpg a few weeks ago! Mixture of local, city, m/way (at 80 ish). Stiil have aero parts, exhaust to fit. Am having g/box oil changed next week and check to see if any MAF faults. Pretty close to target! :D
 
Very interesting and promising. I need to bite the bullet I think.
Adrian888 said:
Brim to Brim on 448 miles over the past 2 weeks has given 58.5mpg against a DIS recording of 56.5...... and up from a typical 50-51mpg a few weeks ago! Mixture of local, city, m/way (at 80 ish). Stiil have aero parts, exhaust to fit. Am having g/box oil changed next week and check to see if any MAF faults. Pretty close to target! :D
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I originally used Millers synthetic 75/90 on the basis that i have always found Milers products very good. However when Mike filled the 'box he commented on how thick it was compared with the Audi oil and when cold the gearchange is more obstructive than before. I also have the additional issue of my 'box being somewhat short of oil when drained....:( So i am going to swap for VW/Audi oil on the basis it (and contrary to the perception of the Bluemotion spec) appears to be used on all 'boxes.

As for the change of ratio for me it was not just about saving fuel, it is also about reducing engine wear and particularly noise. It is difficult to say how much of the 7-8 mpg improvement comes from the ratio change alone and how much from the low friction tyres and giving the engine a spring clean of redex!
 
Dan, have gone from 205/40x17's with Falken tyres to 195/55x15's with Goodyear Efficient Grip which has had some good write-ups on German tyre test sites. Latest MPG on DIS is showing 59.....
 
Mike did my 5th gear change over the weekend

Hi

Mike did my 5th gear change on Saturday to the 0.659 ratio to my standard 75 TDi.

It took him the 2 hours he said it would - he's getting an pro now, having done a few ;) First class service from a great guy.

If there was no other reason for the change, I was glad it was done as only an estimated 1/2 litre of came out of the gearbox and 2 litres went back in! And the A2 has only done 54,000 miles. I recommended everyone checks their gearbox oil occasionally.

As for the changed ratio. It was a dream coming down the motorway at c75 mph - just purred along.

Difficult to tell what it is like non-motorway as we were either in towns or in the hilly peak district where the car was struggling in 4th. I always find that after a days high speed motorway driving the next day the car always seems to have a rough feel to it.

Again too early to say what the mpg will be. There is a tendency to drive a little faster down the motorway, c75 rather than c68 mpg so it may not make that much difference. At the end of May I will report back from a long 3,000 mile trip.

Mike also disabled the key operated windows function as I had recently experienced the "all windows down" problem one morning. He also found the source of my small occasional knocking noise (anti-roll bar bushes) which by the time we got home was making a continuous racket.

Thanks again Mike :)
 
Alan_uk said:
If there was no other reason for the change, I was glad it was done as only an estimated 1/2 litre of came out of the gearbox and 2 litres went back in! And the A2 has only done 54,000 miles. I recommended everyone checks their gearbox oil occasionally.

I always find that after a days high speed motorway driving the next day the car always seems to have a rough feel to it.


Thanks again Mike :)
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Alan could the rough feel be down to the lack of oil or was it a general rough running ?

Phil
 
No problem Alan - a pleasure to see you again.

It was a pretty straight-forward job, and the practise is making things quicker too!

Yes, there was a pitifully small amount of gearbox oil in your casing and just like Adrian888 and my own car, this seems to be a commonplace thing on A2s - they do tend to leak from the driveshaft oil seals and the checking of levels is tricky, but recommended.

Fingers crossed that your forthcoming continental trip will be all the more pleasurable with the new 5th gear.

Cheers,

Mike
 
the grim reeper said:
Alan could the rough feel be down to the lack of oil or was it a general rough running ?

Phil
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This was after the oil change. Maybe rough feel is the wrong word. What I'm getting at is that after doing many hours of high speed driving I have always found the A2 unresponsive at slow speeds, so I have to keep changing down gear.

So I drove to Mikes, had the change and then did some touring of the Peak District where I never really got the chance to use 5th and was often changing from 4th to 3rd. Going home was all motorway and it was a pleasure to drive.

It should be quieter with the new oil but with the ARB noise getting worse it was difficult to make a before/after comparison.

Some more general driving will tell whether I spend more time in 4th but with a sick ARB the car is currently barely usable. Generally, I'm a 3rd to 5th person and that habit may have to change.
 
With a few people reporting 'low' levels of gearbox oil could it be that this level is the OEM recommendation? Is there a workshop manual that can give guidance?
 
I generally find cars run better after a long motorway run, blows all the cr8p away! Good point about oil levels Will, perhaps someone on the German Forum will know? I am having my oil changed tomorrow from the Millers I bought to the Audi oil Mike normally uses. I have found the gearchange 'sticky' when cold. What i cannot understand about the low level and Mikes suggestion of leakage is a complete lack of any sign of an oil weep, unless it is so slow it burns off? However I have never been aware of any hot oil or burning smell either.
 
Alan, what's the pick-up like at lower RPMs in 5th now - I see you're on a non-mapped standard 75?
 
dan_b said:
Alan, what's the pick-up like at lower RPMs in 5th now - I see you're on a non-mapped standard 75?
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Dan, you will have to wait until the ARB is fixed. A2 is barely drivable at the mo. It may be some days as I'm having a 2yr service and new disks and pads as well.

I have an appointment with Stealth for a remap but hope to give the A2 a try with mixed Wiltshire driving (as opposed to Peak District driving) to see whether I really need the remap. Adrian thinks it's a no brainer given a forthcoming continental trip!
 
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