V6 Amarok Handling on Wet Roads

[V6 Rok]

Hi All,

I've had my Sportline for a few months now and have noticed an unnerving trait on wet roads and I'm not sure if it's the OEM tyres or an Amarok specific trait.

My ute has the stock 18 inch wheels fitted with Continental Cross Contact tyres. I notice that when turning at low speed on wet roads there is a lot of understeer on roads I'm very familiar with at normal conservative speeds I'd travel in any car. It's most noticeable turning at at tee intersection or a round about where you don't come to a complete stop before turning in. Straightline grip on wet roads under fairly heavy acceleration is actually pretty impressive so not sure what's going on. Currently using VW recommended tyre pressures and no load in the tray.


Any other Amarok owners noticed anything similar ?

Cheers

[Ozsko]

Has this got an LSD or similar locker in it? It sounds like the behaviour I would expect from an LSD that is wound up to tight in the plate settings, though these days I think they have electronic control. If it has got one I would be taking it to a dealer and talking to them and the next wet day take a tech from the dealer for a ride and showing him if they don't want to look at it or can't find anything wrong.

[V6 Rok]

No LSD in any of these new breed of utes unfortunately. They use clever electrics and a rear diff lock as a last resort.

I've owned cars with permanently locked diffs and none pushed the front like the Amarok - but they were race cars with grippy race tyres.

My feeling is it may be the tyres. I have a mate with a 2WD Amarok that doesn't have this issue but I don't think his wheels will fit over the larger V6 front brakes.

[Sharkie]

Understeer is pretty common for AWD cars (as in the front pushes wide on sharp corners) ..... and the Amarok is just a BIG AWD car really.

The Conti's are amongst the best road tyres you can get for a SUV (std fitment on BMW X5s too) so I doubt that would be the problem.

[Cheezel]

Do they auto lock the centre diff on loss of traction? If so, that's what may be happening

[Ozsko]

No LSD in any of these new breed of utes unfortunately. They use clever electrics and a rear diff lock as a last resort.

I've owned cars with permanently locked diffs and none pushed the front like the Amarok - but they were race cars with grippy race tyres.

My feeling is it may be the tyres. I have a mate with a 2WD Amarok that doesn't have this issue but I don't think his wheels will fit over the larger V6 front brakes.

I wonder what happens if you unplug the electronic diff lock to prove if it is misbehaving.

[winchy]

I haven't noticed any issues like yours, although my OE tyres are Michelin Primacy and I run 36 psi in the front and 40 in the rears.

[Transporter]

I wonder what happens if you unplug the electronic diff lock to prove if it is misbehaving.

No EDL in Amarok. It has mechanical difflock electricaly engaged by driver.

[Transporter]

No LSD in any of these new breed of utes unfortunately. They use clever electrics and a rear diff lock as a last resort.

I've owned cars with permanently locked diffs and none pushed the front like the Amarok - but they were race cars with grippy race tyres.

My feeling is it may be the tyres. I have a mate with a 2WD Amarok that doesn't have this issue but I don't think his wheels will fit over the larger V6 front brakes.

Did you try to put some load at the back in the tray?

[V6 Rok]

Thanks for the replies.

Having driven cars with permanently locked diffs, I know the diff lock is not engaged. Unplugging the actuator cable would most likely show a fault code.
Not having owned an AWD car before it may well be a characteristic of AWD, but I highly doubt that is the whole problem as the scenario that creates the wet road understeer in so insignificant that those same conditions, on the very same roads with previous utes, have never created cause for concern at such slow speeds coasting into an intersection with very little throttle. If it does turn out to just be how it is I'll be very disappointed as the even with all the tech in the Amarok it's nowhere near as safe on a wet road as any ute I've owned in the last 30 years ! The fact that it handles excellent for it's size in dry conditions points me to the tyres as the main culprit.

I notice the 18 inch wheels seem to come with the Continetal Cross Contact or Michelin Primacy tyres. The Conti's have a tread wear rating of 680 which is considerably higher than other LT/AT tyres I've used before indicating a hard/long lasting compound. Can any owners with the Michelin's have a look at the tread wear number for those ?
I've owned a few cars and motorbikes that came with Conti's as original fitment and I've always preferred what ever I've replaced them with. VW recommends 29/29 without a load and I'm at 30/30 as I rarely carry any weight so can't move the load around. I'll experiment with tyre pressures a bit more next and post up results - if/when it rains again any time soon !

[Ozsko]

My money is on the diff. There must be a figure in NM/Ft LBS that the rear wheels break the lock at unless it is similar to a detroit locker where that is not the case.

[V6 Rok]

My money is on the diff. There must be a figure in NM/Ft LBS that the rear wheels break the lock at unless it is similar to a detroit locker where that is not the case.

It's my understanding that it's a proper mechanical diff lock that is engaged/disengaged via an electrically operated solenoid. I'm familar with Detroit lockers, dangerous things IMO and no way they'd fit one to a modern car.
I'll jack up the rear tomorrow and spin the wheels. I'm expecting it to be an open diff until the diff lock button get's pushed.

[Transporter]

Having driven cars with permanently locked diffs, .

If it does turn out to just be how it is I'll be very disappointed as the even with all the tech in the Amarok it's nowhere near as safe on a wet road as any ute I've owned in the last 30 years !

I’d be checking wheel alignment.
Because, unless there is something very seriously wrong with your Amarok, there is no other 4x4 Ute that you had in the past that would be safer or handled better in dry or wet than Amarok.
Mine is only 2013 2.0L and I can’t make that statement, the V6 handless even better.

How was your test Amarok, before you bought yours?

[V6 Rok]

Test Amarok was fine and drove no different to mine in dry conditions but I didn't test it in the rain and it had Michelin Primacy tyres.

I can check the alignment - any ideas where I might find the specs ?

I've had plenty of different utes over the years and none would understeer in the rain like this one, but then I've always had good tyres on them too.

[winchy]

Thanks for the replies.

Having driven cars with permanently locked diffs, I know the diff lock is not engaged. Unplugging the actuator cable would most likely show a fault code.
Not having owned an AWD car before it may well be a characteristic of AWD, but I highly doubt that is the whole problem as the scenario that creates the wet road understeer in so insignificant that those same conditions, on the very same roads with previous utes, have never created cause for concern at such slow speeds coasting into an intersection with very little throttle. If it does turn out to just be how it is I'll be very disappointed as the even with all the tech in the Amarok it's nowhere near as safe on a wet road as any ute I've owned in the last 30 years ! The fact that it handles excellent for it's size in dry conditions points me to the tyres as the main culprit.

I notice the 18 inch wheels seem to come with the Continetal Cross Contact or Michelin Primacy tyres. The Conti's have a tread wear rating of 680 which is considerably higher than other LT/AT tyres I've used before indicating a hard/long lasting compound. Can any owners with the Michelin's have a look at the tread wear number for those ?
I've owned a few cars and motorbikes that came with Conti's as original fitment and I've always preferred what ever I've replaced them with. VW recommends 29/29 without a load and I'm at 30/30 as I rarely carry any weight so can't move the load around. I'll experiment with tyre pressures a bit more next and post up results - if/when it rains again any time soon !Michelin tread wear rating is 440. Traction rating A

[V6 Rok]

Michelin tread wear rating is 440. Traction rating A

Thanks. I suspect this is the main issue - the Conti's are just too hard for wet road grip when you add drive forces to turning forces at slow speeds. Absolutely no contest that this ute has the worst/least safe feel on wet roads at slow speeds I've ever driven while having excellent straight line grip.
Basically the Conti's are rated to last 55% longer than the Michelins at the obvious trade off of grip level that might not be noticeable if the front wheels were not driven.

[Transporter]

At slow speeds, there shouldn’t be such a big difference between straight line and turning, just because of tyres. Otherwise, those who put aggressive off road tyres on their Amarok, wouldn’t be able to drive in wet conditions at all. :cool:

The dash cams are very good diagnostic tool as well, since they record other data about when you drive, why not upload the video in here?

[V6 Rok]

At slow speeds, there shouldn’t be such a big difference between straight line and turning, just because of tyres. Otherwise, those who put aggressive off road tyres on their Amarok, wouldn’t be able to drive in wet conditions at all. :cool:

I'd disagree with that as most offroad oriented rubber is pretty soft compound that will grip better at slow speed than high speed where the poor tread pattern for road driving become an issue.

I think I need to check the alignment and try another set of wheels/tyres.

[Transporter]

I'd disagree with that as most offroad oriented rubber is pretty soft compound that will grip better at slow speed than high speed where the poor tread pattern for road driving become an issue.

I think I need to check the alignment and try another set of wheels/tyres.

Can you upload the dash cam video in here? If your dashcam has emergency button, press it and it will give your a lot of useful data as well. Do 2 videos, wet, dry.

[V6 Rok]

Can you upload the dash cam video in here? If your dashcam has emergency button, press it and it will give your a lot of useful data as well. Do 2 videos, wet, dry.

No dash cam here but am interested in what data is available ?

Honestly, the situations that have caused the understeer are such slow, low G force, turning type of situations that have never caused any thought of concern in any type of car before. The first time I put it down to new tyres on wet roads after a series of very hot days but I'm up to almost 5K now and it's the same.

[Sharkie]

Its probably a combination of the tyres and AWD, but mostly the AWD system (and possibly alignment)

I have the exact same tyres on my Amarok. It is rare petrol model with RWD only, and I have never noticed this as a problem. My problem generally is oversteer :facepalm: wet or dry .....

42867

[brad]

You are probably right about the tyres but it should be noted that the TWR number isn't comparable between manufacturers because they use an honesty system and self test so it's easy to fudge the figures.

We used to buy base model HiLux with 205/70r16 tyres and they were shockers. I could get the car to understeer in the wet at 15kph and then swap to oversteer just after the apex that was missed. You had to go in very slow or even with a dab of brake and then accelerate well past the corner apex.

Our fleet manager claimed there wasn't an issue so i took them for a drive. After that we started getting better tyres.

[V6 Rok]

As mentioned earlier, I did pit the jack under the rear diff tonight and it's just an open diff with electrically operated mechanical diff lock. Seems to drop out as soon as the solenoid looses power so had to try engaging it a few times to get it to stay engaged with the ignition off and once the wheels started to turn it dropped out. This means there's no push coming from the rear to create understeer like I'm used to with a tight LSD.

I don't think it's possible to simulate rear wheel drive only as I can't see any way to lock the center diff and remove the front tail shaft. Be good to try if it was possible though.

I think Sharkie is on the money of it being the combo of hard tyres and AWD. I just naturally assumed that AWD would be better in all scenarios but the more I read about AWD, the more it appears to be benefit in most scenarios but a hindrance in others. Should be a positive overall once I become accustomed to the limitations.

[Transporter]

As mentioned earlier, I did pit the jack under the rear diff tonight and it's just an open diff with electrically operated mechanical diff lock. Seems to drop out as soon as the solenoid looses power so had to try engaging it a few times to get it to stay engaged with the ignition off and once the wheels started to turn it dropped out. This means there's no push coming from the rear to create understeer like I'm used to with a tight LSD.

I don't think it's possible to simulate rear wheel drive only as I can't see any way to lock the center diff and remove the front tail shaft. Be good to try if it was possible though.

I think Sharkie is on the money of it being the combo of hard tyres and AWD. I just naturally assumed that AWD would be better in all scenarios but the more I read about AWD, the more it appears to be benefit in most scenarios but a hindrance in others. Should be a positive overall once I become accustomed to the limitations.

Why don’t you let the VW dealer to investigate? From what you describing it must be a nightmare to drive in wet, it’s not normal?

[V6 Rok]

I've had VW Golf's (a few of them) for the last 15 years and have come to the conclusion that the VW dealers in my area are only good for buying the cars from in the first instance. The dealer I got the first one from was very good but was soon bought out by a mutli brand dealer network and went downhill from there as their good staff left.

For example, the Amarok already has a leaking rear pinion seal @ 3500 klms. The car is driven very sedately with no off roading or towing and is averaging 8.7/100 so nothing to do with harsh useage. Sometime seals leak - I get that but the dealer can't even fix it without sending pictures to VW Australia to approve it as a warranty claim. It's an obvious oil leak on a new car and shouldn't require head office authorization to get fixed.

[Transporter]

I've had VW Golf's (a few of them) for the last 15 years and have come to the conclusion that the VW dealers in my area are only good for buying the cars from in the first instance. The dealer I got the first one from was very good but was soon bought out by a mutli brand dealer network and went downhill from there as their good staff left.

For example, the Amarok already has a leaking rear pinion seal @ 3500 klms. The car is driven very sedately with no off roading or towing and is averaging 8.7/100 so nothing to do with harsh useage. Sometime seals leak - I get that but the dealer can't even fix it without sending pictures to VW Australia to approve it as a warranty claim. It's an obvious oil leak on a new car and shouldn't require head office authorization to get fixed.

It wouldn’t bother me that they need to send the pictures. If that’s what they have to do to repair it under the warranty, it’s their business. We can’t dictate how they should conduct the business of doing the warranty claims, do we?

[V6 Rok]

It depends on your perspective I guess. It's an oil seal and a few hours labour at the most, be understandable if we were talking about expensive parts and lots of labour to fix it.

I run my own small one man business and if one of my customers had a problem with something I'd sold them I'd see it as my responsibility to make it right ASAP and then chase my supplier if they'd supplied me something faulty.

[Transporter]

It depends on your perspective I guess. It's an oil seal and a few hours labour at the most, be understandable if we were talking about expensive parts and lots of labour to fix it.

I run my own small one man business and if one of my customers had a problem with something I'd sold them I'd see it as my responsibility to make it right ASAP and then chase my supplier if they'd supplied me something faulty.

So, if you employ someone and you pay for material and his labor time, would you give him complete freedom to do what he likes? Or, would you want to see what material he is using and for what labor you pay? I know that I would and most people who manage their business well, like to know and keep record what’s done.

[Ozsko]

As mentioned earlier, I did pit the jack under the rear diff tonight and it's just an open diff with electrically operated mechanical diff lock. Seems to drop out as soon as the solenoid looses power so had to try engaging it a few times to get it to stay engaged with the ignition off and once the wheels started to turn it dropped out. This means there's no push coming from the rear to create understeer like I'm used to with a tight LSD.

I don't think it's possible to simulate rear wheel drive only as I can't see any way to lock the center diff and remove the front tail shaft. Be good to try if it was possible though.

I think Sharkie is on the money of it being the combo of hard tyres and AWD. I just naturally assumed that AWD would be better in all scenarios but the more I read about AWD, the more it appears to be benefit in most scenarios but a hindrance in others. Should be a positive overall once I become accustomed to the limitations.

But what if it has an electronic control problem that is engaging the locker when it shouldn't. I imagine that is controlled by a yaw sensor and a steering angle sensor.

[Transporter]

But what if it has an electronic control problem that is engaging the locker when it shouldn't. I imagine that is controlled by a yaw sensor and a steering angle sensor.

It doesn’t, unless the driver pushes the button the difflock is not engaged. It’s simple like that. And if there were any faults in the wiring and the switch would try to engage the difflock, the light would indicate that on dash and it’d be very violent at speed closer to 10km and above, since it is recommended to engage the difflock when the car is not moving.

[wetaline2]

Not sure if this helps, but there is some mention of understeer with the 4motion during a track test
Volkswagen Amarok Nurburgring review - Autoblog (https://www.autoblog.com/2018/12/03/volkswagen-amarok-pickup-track-test-review-nurburgring/)

[Transporter]

A bit different, theirs didn’t understeer at very slow speed and they actually enjoyed it. :)

[wetaline2]

Ok here's a review at slower speeds talking about cornering - no mention of tyres though.
I'm really interested to know if other V6 owners have noticed understeer in the wet etc as I'm considering the purchase of a new vehicle and the permanent 4wd system being safer is one of the selling points over say a Ranger.
I currently drive a manual Amarok 2.0L and on very wet roundabouts if the wheels lose traction then I do notice slight understeer, but thats actually slipping tyres, not just normal driving with no loss of traction.

"The major downside of throwing all the good gear at the flagship Amarok is a significant increase in weight"
"The extra bulk also blunts on-road dynamics, particularly in tighter corners where the front end tends to bog down and understeer and body roll are easily provoked. It’s not a deal breaker, but it does make the 2.0-litre Amarok with its less potent but 80kg lighter 125kW/440Nm engine less of a handful in the twisty stuff. Where the V6 Amarok feels most comfortable is on flowing country roads, when the new speed-sensitive Servotronic steering firms up nicely and offers decent feel."

Full reveiw text here https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/volkswagen-amarok-2016-review-102730/

[brad]

I'd love to see what the alignment is set at.

I'm not familiar with the Amarok suspension. Does anyone know how adjustable it is?

[doinitsideways]

Hi,

I’ve got a 2018 V6 Highline and it handles superb in the wet.

No weight in the tray, 2 inch lift, arb bar with winch up front.

Tyres are pirelli scorpion on 18’s from the factory.

I came from a 2010 sr5 hilux that had cooper st’s and it was like being on ice in the wet.

I can push the rok though the roundabouts in the wet hard and haven’t noticed any understeer.

I’d check your wheel alignment, failing that it must be the rubber (they might be old rubber and have gone hard??)

The centre diff is non locking Torsen style diff and the rear as other have said is open unless manually locked...

Hope this helps...

Cheers,
Josh


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Transporter]

+1
The feedback I’m getting from customers who drive V6 Amarok is, that it holds well and can really be pushed into the corners. From looking at the V6 engine bay, you will notice that the engine has lower centre of gravity than 2.0L engine, and being heavier it pushes the front wheels down preventing loss of traction better than 2.0L Amarok, which is around for longer time and there aren’t any complaints that it would have worst handling than its opposition.

[V6 Rok]

Hi,

I’ve got a 2018 V6 Highline and it handles superb in the wet.

No weight in the tray, 2 inch lift, arb bar with winch up front.

Tyres are pirelli scorpion on 18’s from the factory.

Cheers,
Josh
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Which Scorpions have you got Josh ?
I'm a fan of the now discontinued ATR's


Ok here's a review at slower speeds talking about cornering - no mention of tyres though.
I'm really interested to know if other V6 owners have noticed understeer in the wet etc as I'm considering the purchase of a new vehicle and the permanent 4wd system being safer is one of the selling points over say a Ranger.
I currently drive a manual Amarok 2.0L and on very wet roundabouts if the wheels lose traction then I do notice slight understeer, but thats actually slipping tyres, not just normal driving with no loss of traction.

"The major downside of throwing all the good gear at the flagship Amarok is a significant increase in weight"
"The extra bulk also blunts on-road dynamics, particularly in tighter corners where the front end tends to bog down and understeer and body roll are easily provoked. It’s not a deal breaker, but it does make the 2.0-litre Amarok with its less potent but 80kg lighter 125kW/440Nm engine less of a handful in the twisty stuff. Where the V6 Amarok feels most comfortable is on flowing country roads, when the new speed-sensitive Servotronic steering firms up nicely and offers decent feel."

Full reveiw text here https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/volkswagen-amarok-2016-review-102730/



Interesting article. The other night I had a decent drive of a 4cyl Amarok (dry weather only) and while it's got smaller wheels and different tyres I'd tend to agree with some of that. I'm yet to drive any car that benefits from more weight over the front wheels at slow speeds.

I'll be checking alignment next week but think a change of tyres to something with a lower treadwear number and higher traction rating will help - I've not seen any B traction rated tyres for a while.

[doinitsideways]

Hi Rok,

They were the factory supplied tyre. It is the Scorpion ATR 255/60R18 112T

Like I said, have been fantastic on the road including in the numerous roundabouts in the wet that used to see my hilux with massive understeer. I remember shifting into 4 high just to navigate them which alleviated it a little, but still had understeer.

I just want something a bit bigger now, they look out of place now with the lift kit... just look that bit too small. And functionality wise, they don’t ballon enough when let down when I go to Fraser Island.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2019/02/182a893547b0521f98b9d6dea902aadd-1.jpg


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Ozsko]

+1
The feedback I’m getting from customers who drive V6 Amarok is, that it holds well and can really be pushed into the corners. From looking at the V6 engine bay, you will notice that the engine has lower centre of gravity than 2.0L engine, and being heavier it pushes the front wheels down preventing loss of traction better than 2.0L Amarok, which is around for longer time and there aren’t any complaints that it would have worst handling than its opposition.

Heavier engines cause change of direction to be lazier and slower, you can't defy physics. Audis suffered for years with this problem because they persisted with putting engines right out front and as they got bigger the problems got worse.

[Transporter]

Heavier engines cause change of direction to be lazier and slower, you can't defy physics. Audis suffered for years with this problem because they persisted with putting engines right out front and as they got bigger the problems got worse.

Why don’t you take both Amaroks for test drive and then talk physics? ;)

[Ozsko]

Why don’t you take both Amaroks for test drive and then talk physics? ;)

I don't need to because you can't change physics, ask Audi.

[Transporter]

I don't need to because you can't change physics, ask Audi.

I’m not trying to and don’t need to ask Audi about it. You can’t apply your theory of physics when you compare different cars, (in our case it’s Amarok V6 compared to Amarok 4cyl 2.0L). Why not? It’s really simple, because the crapiest old FWD car with less weight at the front for example 1989 Ford Laser, would have a better handling than Golf GTI. I further explain it to you; there are other components, electronics, design changes in the car that come into play as well.

The theory of physics work when you’re designing the car, not as much when comparing between them. That should be too simple.

[ScotRok]

For example, the Amarok already has a leaking rear pinion seal @ 3500 klms. The car is driven very sedately with no off roading or towing and is averaging 8.7/100 so nothing to do with harsh useage. Sometime seals leak - I get that but the dealer can't even fix it without sending pictures to VW Australia to approve it as a warranty claim. It's an obvious oil leak on a new car and shouldn't require head office authorization to get fixed.

They all seem to have this issue, I’ve had mine checked at all my services. If it is only showing a damp area and no drips then most likely the assembly grease sweating out. Mine hasn’t got any worse in over three years yet.

with the understeer is it on trailing or light throttle? V6 is a heavier engine and more weight over the front wheels can cause this. More throttle and in a lower gear should make the power go to the front axle to help pull the car round. That’s what I find in my 4cylinder.

[V6 Rok]

Hi Rok,

They were the factory supplied tyre. It is the Scorpion ATR 255/60R18 112T

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks. Good tyres those ATR's


I’m not trying to and don’t need to ask Audi about it. You can’t apply your theory of physics when you compare different cars, (in our case it’s Amarok V6 compared to Amarok 4cyl 2.0L). Why not? It’s really simple, because the crapiest old FWD car with less weight at the front for example 1989 Ford Laser, would have a better handling than Golf GTI. I further explain it to you; there are other components, electronics, design changes in the car that come into play as well.

The theory of physics work when you’re designing the car, not as much when comparing between them. That should be too simple.

You can't argue with physics. You also can't compare the handling characteristics of two totally different cars to try and support your argument. The discussion was referring to the two engine variations of Amarok that we assume share identical suspension and geometry apart from the engine. I don't know if what I'm experiencing is to do with the extra weight of the V6 or not, but extra weight over the front of two identical cars will be detrimental to the road holding. I've moved engines back in race cars and measured corner weights and know what the effects are.


They all seem to have this issue, I’ve had mine checked at all my services. If it is only showing a damp area and no drips then most likely the assembly grease sweating out. Mine hasn’t got any worse in over three years yet.

with the understeer is it on trailing or light throttle? V6 is a heavier engine and more weight over the front wheels can cause this. More throttle and in a lower gear should make the power go to the front axle to help pull the car round. That’s what I find in my 4cylinder.

The understeer occurs with very light trailing throttle. It does catch again similar to what you describe and is mainly on the initial turn in.

Pinion seal is not leaking enough to drip oil on the floor but wet's the fuel tank and spits over the exhaust. It's being repaired next week.

[Transporter]

Thanks. Good tyres those ATR's



You can't argue with physics. You also can't compare the handling characteristics of two totally different cars to try and support your argument. The discussion was referring to the two engine variations of Amarok that we assume share identical suspension and geometry apart from the engine. I don't know if what I'm experiencing is to do with the extra weight of the V6 or not, but extra weight over the front of two identical cars will be detrimental to the road holding. I've moved engines back in race cars and measured corner weights and know what the effects are.



The understeer occurs with very light trailing throttle. It does catch again similar to what you describe and is mainly on the initial turn in.

Pinion seal is not leaking enough to drip oil on the floor but wet's the fuel tank and spits over the exhaust. It's being repaired next week.

Why do I get a feeling that you just drive little bit faster in the wet than you should.

There are differences in 4 and the V6 and it’s not just an extra 70kg for the V6. It looks like stabiliser bar might be different, the centre of gravity will be different too, just open the bonnet on both and see where the engine seats.

What is your dealer saying to your roadhadling issue?
Mine is 2.0L not a V6 the ARB full bull bar fitted, which would put even more weight and even more at the front, almost worn out road tyres and there’s no noticeable understeer in wet even at higher but still LEGAL road speed, so I doubt that the V6 would be any different, especially when someone claiming at the low even just rolling speeds, unless there’s something wrong with yours.

[Ozsko]

V6 Rok, my money is tending to a wheel alignment issue and toe out being where toe out is not supposed to be. My son had his Golf worked on and then complained of it being weird in the wet (he raced superkarts/sprint karts for many years) so we got it checked and it had a huge amount of toe out. Toe out gone, problem gone.

[V6 Rok]

Why do I get a feeling that you just drive little bit faster in the wet than you should.

There are differences in 4 and the V6 and it’s not just an extra 70kg for the V6. It looks like stabiliser bar might be different, the centre of gravity will be different too, just open the bonnet on both and see where the engine seats.

What is your dealer saying to your roadhadling issue?
Mine is 2.0L not a V6 the ARB full bull bar fitted, which would put even more weight and even more at the front, almost worn out road tyres and there’s no noticeable understeer in wet even at higher but still LEGAL road speed, so I doubt that the V6 would be any different, especially when someone claiming at the low even just rolling speeds, unless there’s something wrong with yours.

It's a ute and is driven accordingly. To give that some context, I bought my last ute new and it was sold with about 160 K on it. It still had 70% of the original front brake pads left and had 95K on it's set of Pirelli ATR's that still had plenty of tread left to breeze through a RWC for sale. I'd happily let my wife drive that old ute in the rain but wouldn't let her drive the Amarok in the rain.

I've not discussed the wet road issue with the dealer as it's a bit pointless until we get some more wet weather to be able to demonstrate the issue.

I have a mate that's had 3 Amarok's and still has two currently. He bought his first when they were released and ordered it with the ARB bar that was going to be unavailable for a few months. The deal was that he'd bring it back to the dealer for fitment once available from ARB. He drove the ute as is for near 3 months before the bullbar was ready and he could get a suitable time for fitment. He was of the opinion that it spoiled the way the car drove to some degree and has not fitted a bar to the other two. I didn't drive either, so can't comment on the differences but thought it was interesting as this bloke isn't particularly fussy about suspension/handling.


V6 Rok, my money is tending to a wheel alignment issue and toe out being where toe out is not supposed to be. My son had his Golf worked on and then complained of it being weird in the wet (he raced superkarts/sprint karts for many years) so we got it checked and it had a huge amount of toe out. Toe out gone, problem gone.

Yes, I believe it's a geometry issue or simply the tyres. I hope to get an alignment next week.
If it still seems to be an issue, I'll look into if the sway bar differs from the 4cyl as Transporter mentions above. Assuming the 4cyl one is smaller in diameter, that would help the understeer issue.

[V6 Rok]

Swaybar on the V6 is 28 mm. I'll check the size on my mates 4cyl when I see him next.

[V6 Rok]

It's too hot here today to do much so curiosity got the better of me and I've done some wheel alignment measurements. Camber measurements will be accurate but the toe in/out is harder to measure accurately but would be within a mm either way and is definitely toed in. Can't really measure castor without making up some tools so no castor measurements.

Camber is -1.4 degrees on both sides
Total toe in is 1.5 mm

I'll still be getting a proper alignment but the above tells me there's no major issues with the alignment. Seems to be a fair bit of negative camber and the only spec I could find says -0.83 to +0.17 for the 4cyl Amarok. It also lists 0 to 0.34 for toe in which I'm assuming is degrees of toe in not mm of toe in.

[V6 Rok]

We had some rain this week so I got to try out an increase in tyre pressure. I've upped the VW recommendations by 25% which seems to be a noticeable improvement and will try a bit higher again. These Conti's are still far from grippy tyres but the extra pressure has taken away the pucker factor I was experiencing originally. I'm still waiting on the official wheel alignments specs from VW.

[brad]

Front
caster 3*50"-5*50' A bit more (~20') on the LHS to counter road camber
camber -0*20' +/- 30'. Why you'd go positive I have no idea. I'd want -30'
toe (in) 0-10'

Rear doesn't appear to be adjustable (I've never looked under an Amarok so have no idea what the rear setup is).