DCC - No Real Difference ??

[NicolasCY]

Hey guys.

I have a Golf 8 eTSI 150hp Style edition with 17'' wheels and I chose DCC as an extra because I heard a lot of good things about it. Truth is though, that I don't understand a great deal of difference to the suspension when I switch from Comfort to Sport or ECO mode.

Just wanted to ask if this is how it should behave or there is something wrong with it that I have to check.

Thanks in advance !

[johnsimcox]

Hey guys.

I have a Golf 8 eTSI 150hp Style edition with 17'' wheels and I chose DCC as an extra because I heard a lot of good things about it. Truth is though, that I don't understand a great deal of difference to the suspension when I switch from Comfort to Sport or ECO mode.

Just wanted to ask if this is how it should behave or there is something wrong with it that I have to check.

Thanks in advance !
Just been reading a review of the GTi and it talks about a "15 Position DCC slider"not soething as just Comfort Sport and Eco, which sound more like the settings for ACC system. WOnder if you are in the right place. Apparently the DCC settig control is buried within the Individual Driver Mode settings so may take a bit of finding. Apologies if this is what you have already done but I don't have DCC to pass any real life comments

[ZumaSparkAvalon]

There is quite a significant and noticeable difference on my Alltrack Mk 8, between soft and very floaty at the comfort end of the spectrum through to firm and bumpy at the sport end.

However it is important to note that DCC only affects the response of the dampers, and does not affect the springs or more particularly the anti-roll bar which are physical things that are fixed and as a result not dynamically changeable.

In the R and other models with firmer suspensions this may not be an issue, but on lesser-spec cars I feel that you end up at the sporty end with an over-damped suspension where there is a lack of consistency between the damping and the spring/ARB hardware. In lower speed corners it is just about OK, but in higher speed and tighter corners the dampers cannot overcome the body's weight transfer and so the effect is not particularly pleasant or sporting.

I also specified progressive steering along with DCC and this is not a combination I would recommend on the less firmly-sprung models. The lightness of the steering about the centre causes a lack of consistency in the steering feel when you turn in which is very unnatural and makes it hard to steer smoothly, particularly when you are getting used to the car. It may be that on an R, GTI or GTD model that this is fine, but in my view it has not been well integrated with a model like the Alltrack (and other lower-spec models) which seem to have quite a soft rear ARB.

Finally one other issue is that in my view the rear dampers are set up with too soft a rebound response compared to bump, although this feeling might simply be caused by the lack of firmness in the rear ARB. Either way it feels like the outside rear of the car lifts excessively which makes it very difficult to drive quickly on a fast twisty road without the body lurching from corner to corner.

These are somewhat subtle effects and if you are not an enthusiastic driver who likes the car to be controlled in "press-on" driving you will probably be entirely happy with it. Personally I am somewhat disappointed with the chassis tuning of the Alltrack and feel that a better balance could have been achieved, particularly bearing in mind the performance that the superb engine delivers.