Getting to know the MQB VW DSG

Here we will go over a few of the basic details and terminologies that are specific to VW MQB 6 Speed DSG before we begin tuning on a COBB Accessport equipped Volkswagen.

• Basic characteristics: The 6 Speed DSG transmission is similar to the 7 speed in overall design. There are two clutches bathed in transmission oil that are made up of friction disks and clutch plates.  One of these clutches manages gears the odd gears and reverse.  The other clutch set is responsible for transmitting clamping force to the even gears.  The pressures in this wet clutch system are managed via solenoid duty cycle and closed loop clutch pressure targets.  6 speed DSG transmissions are known to hold slightly less torque that the later 7 speed cars even in stock form.  The 7 speed transmission is a newer variant and is a newer design overall. 
  
  

• Shift Modes – The Volkswagen MQB 6 Speed DSG has 3 or more shift modes depending on the tables which are being modified. The main 3 modes are Drive (normal), Sport, and Tiptronic (TT). Depending on the vehicle configuration, there may be additional modes available, such as ECO (Economy), and ALT (High Altitude).

  • Drive and Sport modes are the main influence on current gear choice. In these modes the DSG will choose the correct gear based upon

    • Axle torque

    • Throttle position

    • Engine RPM

    • Recent driving behavior / timed behavior changes. 

  • Tiptronic Function (manual shifting) - Is selected using the factory paddles or by placing the shifter in the manual shifting (Tiptronic) position.  Within each of these drive modes there are more tables and logic to further define their function.
    
    

• Shift Schedule tables.  The majority of your work for custom tuning DSG will be in shift tables.  The standard shift schedule for the GTI, A3, S3, Golf R and other variants are very conservative and create a very subdued and lackluster “automatic mode” driving experience.  The very low RPM upshift points keep the cars well out of the RPM range for best power and responsiveness.  The shift schedule tables are structured differently for 6 and 7 speed.  7 speed tables contain up and downshift components in ONE table and they are based upon vehicle speed z data.  6 speed tables are based upon axle torque and throttle position and the z data is engine speed.  Each table contains only upshift OR downshift data.  Upshift and downshift are segregated.  This segregation and relation to axle torque makes calibrating 6 speed shift schedules particularly challenging.
  
  In a later section of this guide we’ll go into great detail about how to adjust these tables to produce the desire shift points.  Remember, these tables are used only for “automatic” modes (ECO, Normal, and Sport) but are not utilized for any TT mode.
  
  

• Torque Based – The VW DSG operates based on requests and inputs from the ECU. In factory form there are hard limits to the amount of torque that can be requested from the DSG transmission in the background. These limits have been removed permanently and can not be adjusted / calibrated. Any DSG maps flashed to the DSG will have these limits removed. In addition to these limits there are additional ones which can be seen and modified from inside the software. Generally it has been found that raising them very high to remove them completely has no negative side effect. The line pressure and the clutch pressure are DIRECTLY LINKED to the output torque received from the ECU. At this time we do not have any additional ways to modify the clutch pressure independent of the input torque from the ECU. 

Commonly Used Acronyms

The Tuning Guide

This tuning guide is divided into the basic components of tuning the VW DSG and the tables associated with each of these components. For each major tuning category, the guide outlines basic tuning strategies and defines tables within this category (for example: Boost Control, Fueling, and Ignition Timing). Table descriptions and tips can be found located in Accesstuner software.

Step 1 – What is the mechanical configuration of the vehicle?

The first step in tuning is choosing a COBB Tuning Off-The-Shelf (OTS) calibration that most closely matches the mechanical components and modifications of the transmission to be tuned.

All COBB DSG Maps incorporate increased line and clutch pressure abilities, faster shifting, and gear display on the dash. 

Shift Points Available, which incorporate the above features:

INFORMATION ABOUT THE GTI OTS MAPS

INFORMATION ABOUT THE Golf R OTS MAPS