smooth 1

Ok...I see we need to clear up the fundamentals....

D and S are Drive and Sport modes.....D acts like a normal auto shift trans. S is the sport mode, and will only shift at the top of the rev range for each gear.

If your in D...and slide the shifter to the left..your now in Dynamic manual mode....this mode has softer shifts, but only shifts when you shift it.

If your in Sport...then slide the shifter to the left...your now in Sport manual mode...and the shifts are firmer, quicker, and the revs come a little faster.

So you have 4 modes so to speak. The new 2015 have a couple new modes and different ways to access them. But overall this is the basics.

gamegenie

I just looked at the Automatic Transmission in my car manual and it appears that I've been Shifting manually in tiptronic mode.

The manual does seem to indicate this mode will only permit the manual shifting within limit where it will not be over-revved.

So I don't think I had much to worry about.

musantemike

Is this really true for A3? I thought you only had 3 modes D,S and manual.

joxer

Yeah I've just started playing a bit with this myself with 600km on the car. I find the delay for shifting quite long - maybe the shift itself is quick, but the delay between asking for a shift and actually getting it is like a second. Not sure if letting up a bit on the gas when upshifting will help or not (I think I read this in the manual somewhere?). Downshifts actually seemed quicker on first non-scientific experiment.

DennisMitchell

While I do not shift in manual, I have found the DSG Sport mode to be great for deceleration. My drive select is set on individual which is dynamic for everything except transmission. So when I want to decelerate I pull back the shifter and enter Sport mode. It is great. The DSG runs through the gears with just enough RPM to decelerate the car without using the brakes until close to stop.

And when I want to really accelerate entering the highway, I pull back the shifter and put it in Sport mode for the acceleration portion, then pull back on the shifter to be back in normal mode.

FWIW.

dlmmail18

2 questions for the peanut gallery:

Does changing drive select settings (transmission in particular) while the car is in motion cause any additional wear and tear - someone suggested that they read this in the manual but I couldn't find it.

Do you think engine braking (including the necessary downshifts) causes additional wear and tear on the transmission in comparison to using the brakes (from a cost of maintinance perspective.


I use engine braking quite a bit and also switch drive select options fairly frequently and am now wondering whether I am causing needless wear and tear or actually violating manufacturer guidelines by doing so.

gamegenie

I do it quite often, although I never do it while I'm accelerating, mainly when I'm coasting or a stop.

DennisMitchell

First, drive select is an electronic selector. As it relates to DSG it is changing the RPMs for the shift points. So I can't see that by itself is harmful.

In regard to downshifting, Audi provides paddle shifters on many models and it is a feature of the vehicles. So whether you downshift via paddle shifter, stick shifter manual, or by engaging normal to sport mode I would say the vehicle is designed for this. Are you putting more work on the DSG, yes. Is it designed for it, yes.

My opinion... FWIW.