A35 traction problems

[Darlo]

Hi,

Our A35 has got a couple of thousand miles on it but mainly driven by the mrs. I took it out today. The conditions were quite damp.

I am slightly concerned as when I pulled out of junctions or put my foot down in lower gears it behaves very much like a front wheel drive car. From standing starts we are getting full blown wheel spin like her old gti and type R.

In 1st and 2nd gear once rolling the wheels spin when u give it a decent amount of throttle. I thought it was just because the car was still cold but it was still doing it when it was warmed up.

No warning lights on the dash or anything.

Now I have a mildly tuned 2018 golf r. Getting that thing to break traction takes an awful lot of effort and very rarely happens. Now I’m not mechanically minded and I understand that these hot hatches are front wheel drive until traction becomes an issue. In my R the transition is instant.

Rest assured it’s not poor driving technique on my part... although the throttle does take some getting used to in the A35 especially when cold. Something just doesn’t feel quite right. I am going to ring and discuss with merc tomorrow. I just wondered if anyone else experienced a similar issue?

Thanks in advance.

Darlo

 

[Steve84N]

It is essentially FWD until it needs to send power to the rear. Therefore, in some ways what you describe is to be expected but it's disappointing it's not reacting quicker.

Our A3 Quattro will also spin up the front wheels but only for a fraction of a second before power is sent rearwards.

 

[RichA35]

With the current salty roads mine understeers more than normal. But I have also noticed the power being put through the rear wheels more than normal, especially pressing on, nearly 8k since august. However it has never spun the front wheels in 1st let alone 2nd gear, that doesn’t sound right.

 

[JBD]

With the current salty roads mine understeers more than normal. But I have also noticed the power being put through the rear wheels more than normal, especially pressing on, nearly 8k since august. However it has never spun the front wheels in 1st let alone 2nd gear, that doesn’t sound right.

No it doesn’t sound right at all. I’ve done 9k in mine and no traction issues so far


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Okcoky]

Will try mine when wet but haven’t noticed any, are you flooring it?

 

[Darlo]

Thanks for the reply’s guys. You have confirmed I think there is an issue. The funny thing is my mrs has said a few time she thinks there is an issue but I have just assumed it was poor driving on her part .

I’m not completely flooring it no. Just a little throttle input and it’s is genuinely spinning up like a fwd car. It does seem worse when it’s cold though.

Before my golf R I had an S3 (essentially the same car) and that like the R took some seriously bad driving to get it break traction. The power transfer to the rear wheels is instantaneous.

I will ring merc later and see what they say.

cheers

 

[Darlo]

Just been having a think. I have not used the launch control, never planned to. I’ve done it my a few times for a laugh in mine but only a couple of times. Again traction isn’t a problem.

for those that have launched their a35s how do they behave? I’m going to drive it this week and have a play and confirm what I think I already know.

 

[RichA35]

Just been having a think. I have not used the launch control, never planned to. I’ve done it my a few times for a laugh in mine but only a couple of times. Again traction isn’t a problem.

for those that have launched their a35s how do they behave? I’m going to drive it this week and have a play and confirm what I think I already know.

i have only used launch control 3 times and in the dry. It feels quite brutal on the gearbox and didn’t wheel spin.

 

[Kirk88]

Ye no traction issues with mine, launched quite a few times and in the winter months and again no traction issues. But I only use full power when the tyres are up to temp. Also should mention mine is running a tuning box.
What tyres have you got on yours?

 

[Darlo]

Ye no traction issues with mine, launched quite a few times and in the winter months and again no traction issues. But I only use full power when the tyres are up to temp. Also should mention mine is running a tuning box.
What tyres have you got on yours?

It came with conti’s mate. Not my usual tyre choice to be honest. Always go with pilot sports.

The first time it spun up yesterday it was damp, I had about 70% lock on the steering and the tyres were cold. The second time the road was damp, the tyres were warm and the wheels were pointing straight. About 5 mins later I put it in sport plus and gave it some once rolling in 2nd. Front Wheels again felt like they were scrabbling for grip and definitely not what I would expect from a 4matic. My R would never ever do that even now with tyres that need replacing soon and my R has a tuning box.

Spoke with merc. Guy was useless... mentioned winter tyres etc. It’s hard to not sound like a smart **** but I’ve owned 20+ cars and the majority have been performance cars So have plenty of experience of various driving platforms/drivetrains.

Think I’m going to book it in, which is a pain as we live in the hills and dealership is miles away. In the meantime the mrs is having mine and I’m going to do some vigorous testing this week!!!

 

[Kirk88]

Typical, they’re always useless. But like you say you know what your talking about and it sounds like there is an issue. Traction wise my A35 is almost identical to my previous Golf R, maybe a little more tyre spin off the mark but not really noticeable under normal driving. I am running PS4S though and they are superb.

 

[Deleted member 149005]

Is it wheel spin or clutch slip?

 

[ljw350]

Hi did this ever get resolved? My wife has an A35 and when in slow speed turning a tight corner it’s horrible. Makes a clunking noise and crabs across about a foot. (Had many 4x4 in other brands and expect a little bit this is horrible) also as above I was out messing about and went into a roundabout, car was like a real crap fwd, slid over 3 lanes. Didn’t try put power anywhere else nothing. Merc have told me I need winter tires and mine are getting low. So my answer if the fronts are getting low when I lose grip surely the 4matic system should be trying to find grip not do nothing. They couldn’t answer and will look again when it goes back to have heated seat fixed. Thanks lee

 

[Steve84N]

It's mainly a FWD car and therefore behaves much like one. Mainly sends power to the rear when traction is lost under acceleration rather than loss of lateral grip.

If you slid over three lanes then i expect you were going way too fast for the limited grip of worn out summer tyres in December weather.

The crabbing is normal and is relieved by using winter or all season tyres that remain more pliable at lower temperatures.

In summary, I don't think there's anything wrong with the car. That's just how it is.

 

[ljw350]

Ok thanks for the reply. Just a crap system then. Helps the justification we need a C63s then