What Happens when you switch to Sports Mode?

[bmwky]

in s mode the tranny map changed but not the ECU. it will not go into overdrive in sport mode that's why you'll feel more engine braking when going downhill.

 

[wkwoo69]

BMW has one of the best manual gearboxes in the business. Its just too bloody bad that there's no market here for them. To the usual buyer, having to clutch and shift is unthinkable.

The only new manual car available here "officially" is the 116i. The last manual before that was the E36 318i.

 

[NumberTWO]

Originally posted by wkwoo69@Jun 29 2005, 06:31 PM
AFAIK the ECU does not remap ignition and fuelling if you change to "S". Personally, I think that's too much to ask of mid-9O's tech (though note the M5's plethora of options now!) and redundant when mated to a non-switch auto. As Lee said, its merely the tranny maps.

I never felt I had to switch to S in town driving, though on the expressway its the first thing I reach for when I see something coming up fast from behind (hopefully a bling E46 with massive rims heh heh!)

wkwoo, on the exp.way depends on what rpm you are already in, if you are already in the final gear i don't think the s mode could do anything to help.. I usually find it useful when doing an 'uphill' task..

 

[affan66]

flash, your ex-babe was different.. cannot compare.

I wanted to find a manual tranny too while thinking about getting my slushbox overhauled.. darn... the E36 325 manual is tight.. very nice and would give me ear to ear grins all the time with every shift.. BTW, I love manual trannies.

 

[anxious]

Tried S mode goiin up Cgkt jering b4 tunnel and down hill b4 toll booth....felt very god.

Also used when overtaking.

 

[infinityKL]

it is not recommended to play with the S mode often. Our gearboxes can't last. What a pity.

Very true, although the feel of driving in S mode is just spectacular its not recommended as i had a problem after about a year always switching to th S mode for the "kick" of it. Also not recommended to switch to S mode during high speeds or RPM. This was mechs advice after fixing it!!

Experience: driving along jalan duta when a 325i E46 was getting close on my rear view mirror, i was up for it. K lets go and i switched to S and the instant torque excited me, E46 was close behind me though. After about 3 minutes, reaching speeds of about 170km/h, suddenly i felt just 1 very short and soft jerk and my Speedometer was going down gradually and i lost all the torque[obviously the E46 driver is a happy man]...Guess wat? The gearbox lite on the meter panel showed up [inside my heart im a dead man]. So i slowed down but kept on driving. Then i realise tat my gears were not changing at all[only on 4th gear] even after a standstill. Called my mech, ask me to off the ignition fr 5 seconds and restart the engine[so called reset]. It worked, but only on E mode[strangely]. Tried S mode, same thing after a minute or so...

The problem: took it to my mech, he stuck the watever computer u call it and it showed; Error 100 electronic speed sensor. Got it replaced RM380. Straight away took a spin up and down Genting all the way in S mode, Perfect!! But now i only use it when needed as my mech said eventually ur gearbox will 'kong' if ur fulltime or always on S mode.

Has anyone come across this problem? Pls share...cheers

 

[khisham]

...well in an outdated but significant UDM nutshell, this thread is pretty much related to Adaptive Transmission Control (ATC) or something like this:..

IMMEDIATE​

Robert D. Mitchell​

Product Information Manager​

NEW ADAPTIVE TRANSMISSION CONTROL IN 1994 BMW 5-SERIES V-8 MODELS IS A MAJOR STEP FORWARD IN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PERFORMANCE​

Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey...​

Effective with September 1993 production, the 5-speed automatic transmission of the BMW 530i Sedan and Touring and 540i Sedan incorporates a new refinement that could be said to revolutionize the way an automatic transmission responds to its driver, to environmental conditions and to the driving situation at hand.​

It's called Adaptive Transmission Control, or ATC. ​

For some years now, BMW's electronically controlled automatic transmissions have offered the driver several choices of "shiftmodes," or programs.​

Typically, an Economy mode, aimed at everyday driving and always engaged when the driver put the selector lever in "D," provides upshifts at relatively low vehicle speeds with an eye to best fuel economy, quietness and smoothness.​

A Sport mode causes upshifts and downshifts to occur at higher engine speeds, enhancing response.​

Depending on the BMW model, there has also been either a Manual mode to give the driver full control over shifts, or a Winter mode to help reduce wheelspin when starting up on snowor ice.​

ATC goes two fascinating steps further by:​

Increasing the number of modes from three to nine.​

Making the mode selections automatically.​

And in case this raises a question of whether driver choice is thereby reduced, let us state going in that it most definitely does not; instead, ATC employs highly sophisticated electronic logic to recognize what is going on with the driver, the environment and traffic, and does a remarkable job of making the transmission respond ideally in view of all that.​

You could even say that it improves driver choice, in that it relieves the driver of having to think about selecting a mode and frees him or her to concentrate on traffic and the road.​

At the same time, ATC eliminates some minor operational drawbacks that have been present in automatic transmissions since they first came into use back in the Thirties -- mainly to the irritation of particularly skilled or sensitive drivers.​

To accomplish these remarkable results, ATC employs the following"recognition" elements, and controls the transmission accordingly:​

Driver-Type Recognition​

Environmental Recognition​

Driving-Situation Recognition.​

Driver Type Recognition.​

Utilizing the remarkable capabilities of microprocessors, this logic is able to track how the driver has been "behaving" over the past few seconds. If, for example, thedriver has been stepping hard on the accelerator, the logic concludes that he or she is in a sporty mood, and selects and holds either of the two available Sport modes.​

As with the manually selected Sport mode in other BMW models, this causes upshifts and downshifts to take place at higher engine speeds, and one of thesemodes will be held for a period of time (generally 5-10 seconds)after the system has made its decision.​

Likewise, quick accelerator-pedal movements cause selection of one of the Sport modes.​

If there are no abrupt accelerator movements for a certain length of time, one of two economy-oriented shift modes (similar to the manually selected Economy mode of other BMWmodels) is selected; upshifts and downshifts take place at lower engine speeds and fuel economy is optimized.​

In another recognition of accelerator-pedal movements, whenever the driver releases the accelerator quickly and the transmission is in a lower gear (say 1st through 4th), ATC will not allow an upshift. Thus the engine braking of the lower gear remains in effect --surely a bonus in this situation, when the driver wants to slowdown anyway -- and (as smoothly as this transmission shifts) thelack of an unwanted shift is bound to be a subtle plus as well.​

Environmental Recognition.​

The logic detects any increase indriving resistance, such as when the car is carrying anabove-average load or is climbing or descending a grade; or adecrease in traction, such as on ice or snow. In the former case,it selects one of two available Mountain modes and prevents unwanted upshifts, or even causes a downshift if the driver applies the brakes on a downhill run. In the latter, it selects a Wintermode; moving off from rest, for example, the transmission willselect a higher gear rather than 1st.​

Driving-SituationRecognition.​

In stop-and-go traffic, the logic detects that throttle openings and road speeds have remained below certainlimits for a period of time. The transmission then rules out 1st gear, reducing unwanted "shift activity" that can make this bothersome kind of driving even more so.​

This is referred to as a Stop-and-Go mode.​

For driving on a winding road, the logic detectswhen the car is cornering above a certain "g" level; if the driver releases the accelerator and the transmission is in a lower gear, that gear will be held, eliminating unwanted or awkward downshifts under this circumstance. In addition to ATC, the 5-Series 5-speed automatic does retain a 2-position console mode switch marked "A" and "M."​

The "A" position denotes Adaptive, with operation as described. In the "M" mode, the driver can select any gear from 1st through 4th manually via the shift lever.​

So this particular driver choice, which seems the onlyone ATC might not be able to make effectively, remains to give the BMW driver pure manual operation when desired. Adaptive Transmission Control is a remarkable step forward.​

In a sense, it makes an automatic transmission as responsive to the driver's wishes as a good manual transmission, yet without requiring any additional manual control.​

You can't ask for much more than that. BMW believes that it is yet another contribution to making the BMW driver a Better Driver.​

...well said & written, don't you think...?​

​

​

​

 

[Lee36328]

I knew there was a reason why I luv my auto box. Now I know... Good writeup khisham. Thanks.

 

[anaksarawak]

Anyone experience this?

On E mode : If you floor down the accer at 60KM/h on 4th gear.. the gear wont downshift unless you hit the kickdown button.

On S mode : It is the same.. but more pull from the engine.

 

[pussy]

bet you guys did not know this also.

on the e34s with the original ZF slush box, the kick-down switch has two modes..

once you press the switch down, you will feel it activating it the gear steps down 1 level, then press down further, it will send the signal to the gearbox ecu to switch down on the lowest gearing available in the rpm band.. only on my old e34 and bundy has it..

on the GM ecu's it's only one time switch..

 

[anaksarawak]

bet you guys did not know this also.

on the e34s with the original ZF slush box, the kick-down switch has two modes..

once you press the switch down, you will feel it activating it the gear steps down 1 level, then press down further, it will send the signal to the gearbox ecu to switch down on the lowest gearing available in the rpm band.. only on my old e34 and bundy has it..

on the GM ecu's it's only one time switch..

Hi Pussy, Thanks for the infor. Discover that on my E36 also. Is that why the gearbox wont auto switch to lower gear when you accer hard on E Mode?

 

[pussy]

aiya.. bmw says on ZF boxes la..

 

[anxious]

Ok guys can I use S mode down hill as engine braking or must I switch to 3 from D. Tq

 

[pussy]

D to 3 to 2 to 1