satelit

As I was reading a forum, somewhere I found out, that BMW has three modes of changing gears.??? And I tried. For 5 day and around 1200km (two tanks of gas) I was trying these modes and I found out for me is DS the best choice. Faster reactin... better - faster changing. I don't know, it feels better.

First is D (drive) and changes gears depending on a touch of acceleration pedal. And uses minimum RPM's?? At normal driving changes the gear at 2400 - 2750 RPM. If you kick down it takes almoust two seconds and gear goes two down. If you driwing in 4th gear and push the pedal all the way down then it goes to second gear. Must saj here changes gear depending of a accelerating pedal position.

Second is DS (I always thought this is manual) just push the stick to the left!!! I found out that at normal driving changes gear somewhere between 3500RPM and 4000 RPM. If you kick it down it changes only one gear down and much faster. I found this mode right for me. (bigger gas cnsumptions for 10-15%) Specially it better behaviur when owertkeing the car8 me faster driving)

Third manual mode... This is when you stick is pushed from DS mode up or down (+ or -). On the display changes from DS to M3( M2, M5,...). Here you changes gear with the stick up or down how much you like. But if you aproach the maximum RPM (6750)then it changes in higher gear by himself. and if you are braking and the speed is droping the gear goes down also (ith minimum RPM's). I also noticed, that if I stop on the street (not downhill not uphill) it drop the gear automaticly to second gear. So I startin second gear. I have to do it manually. But on the other hand if I stop on up hill and prepare to go it automaticly goes to first gear.


I'm pretty shure that more than 70% ownres don't know that (maybe I'm mistaken)

I know I write a lot but I hope some will find out a useful information.

Please share your first opinions.

DDW

I love driving in manual mode, It should be pointed out that the car will not let you make a mistake ( down shifting insted of up) Upshifts and downshifts are executed only when they will result in a plausible combination of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example, a downshift that would cause the engine to overrev will not be executed by the system. The selected gear appears briefly in the instrument cluster, followed by the current gear. So if you have been afraid of manual mode, don't be, your missing out!

BetterMakeWay

Usefull but you're mistaken about the percentage. Most of us know those facts.

There are a few other things to know about the steptronic like:the fact that in D mode it starts in 2nd gear all the time...only if u push the pedal ahrd enough and fast enough it will switch to 1st. In DS i understood it stays in 1st.

The most important stuff that i discovered is the ability to make a burnout....YES in a steptronic. You see here it is a catch...if you just turn off dsc and press the brake with your left foot and with your right foot accelerate it will accelerate but only to a certain rpm level (mine is around 2000-2300rpms the most (535d)). This i heard acts as a protection to the gearbox and doesn't alow too much wheelspin to start a burnout. So you just have to ease the brakes a little bit to allow the car to move a bit (a few inches) and then you'll see the rpms rise almost to the redline. Nice.

There is also, on this forum a pdf wich relates more aobut the gearbox like the driving modes: D: E, XE; DS: S, XS and many more interesting things.

znod

Thank you for the information. See this tread and its links for a great deal more information on the Steptronic.

BigGrey

Hi,
This is what i did to reach the ~9sec 0-100km/h mark on my 525d with Steptronic (in DS mode but kept DSC on).

One think that keeps puzzeling me is the consumption... i can't get it lower than 8,6L/100km. I drive in either save mode or full burn mode. I have won a low-consumption competition a few years ago, so i know (or should know) how to do it, at least in a non steptronic car.

The main cause i am finding for this is that the gearbox is always in "slip" mode so the engine revs too much. I read the docs about the box (in vnod threads and others) where they say it should not slip when not required.

Are your Steptronic always "slipping" (i.e. when you accelerate it revs more that required for the current gear/speed)?
Can my Steptronic box have a problem?

Thanks!

znod

This is what i did to reach the ~9sec 0-100km/h mark on my 525d with Steptronic (in DS mode but kept DSC on).

One think that keeps puzzeling me is the consumption... i can't get it lower than 8,6L/100km. I drive in either save mode or full burn mode. I have won a low-consumption competition a few years ago, so i know (or should know) how to do it, at least in a non steptronic car.

The main cause i am finding for this is that the gearbox is always in "slip" mode so the engine revs too much. I read the docs about the box (in vnod threads and others) where they say it should not slip when not required.

Are your Steptronic always "slipping" (i.e. when you accelerate it revs more that required for the current gear/speed)?
Can my Steptronic box have a problem?

Thanks!
[/quote]
I never notice my 545i Step "slipping" at all. I find it hard to get less than 16 mpg while driving using only a combination of DS and manual.

mr_djurgarden

I think most of the people know about this. I use D but when I drive more aggressive I use the DS mode.

BetterMakeWay

This is what i did to reach the ~9sec 0-100km/h mark on my 525d with Steptronic (in DS mode but kept DSC on).

One think that keeps puzzeling me is the consumption... i can't get it lower than 8,6L/100km. I drive in either save mode or full burn mode. I have won a low-consumption competition a few years ago, so i know (or should know) how to do it, at least in a non steptronic car.

The main cause i am finding for this is that the gearbox is always in "slip" mode so the engine revs too much. I read the docs about the box (in vnod threads and others) where they say it should not slip when not required.

Are your Steptronic always "slipping" (i.e. when you accelerate it revs more that required for the current gear/speed)?
Can my Steptronic box have a problem?

Thanks!
[/quote]
Some times my gearbox also does that. I dunno if it slips or whatever but it shifts at higher rpms then normal. Like for instance, in D when i'm gentle with the car it shifts at 1800-1900rpms but sometimes goes well over 2200 rpms to change the gear even though i'm feathering the throttle. Once i even got pissed off and switched to manual because i couldn't have taken the slouchness of the gearbox. But most of the time it changes normal (below 2000rpms)

BigGrey

I went for the Steptronic instead of manual because i tested a MB E class manual and auto for a while and found that the automatic gearbox worked like i expected. Once a gear was engaged, it felt like a manual gearbox: no slip - direct connection between engine and wheels (clutch lockup locked).

With my Steptronic i don't have this feeling...

It seems that the "lockup clutch" simply never locks!

Here is a quote from de documents:
Torque converter with converter lockup clutch
The torque of the engine is transmitted to the automatic transmission in 2 ways:
1. Hydraulically via the torque converter
The torque converter transmits the torque from the engine to the transmission as follows: High engine
speeds and low engine torque are converted into low speeds and high torque.
2. Mechanically via the converter lockup clutch
When the converter lockup clutch is closed, the impeller and turbine wheel are non-positively linked
without the influence of friction. This prevents power loss within the torque converter and optimises fuel
consumption.
The converter lockup clutch ensures that a mechanical link is established between the output shaft of the
engine and the input shaft of the transmission. The opening and closing of the converter lockup clutch is
regulated in 1st to 6th gear.
Up to a transmission oil temperature of approx. 35 ?C, the converter lockup clutch is neither regulated
nor closed.
At other operating points, how the converter lockup clutch is regulated depends on other factors such as:
- Engine load
- Vehicle road speed
- Transmission oil temperature
- Selected shift program
Maybe i never meet these criterias...
Does anyone knows if this has anything to do with CIP software version?

znod

I went for the Steptronic instead of manual because i tested a MB E class manual and auto for a while and found that the automatic gearbox worked like i expected. Once a gear was engaged, it felt like a manual gearbox: no slip - direct connection between engine and wheels (clutch lockup locked).

With my Steptronic i don't have this feeling...

It seems that the "lockup clutch" simply never locks!

Here is a quote from de documents:
Torque converter with converter lockup clutch
The torque of the engine is transmitted to the automatic transmission in 2 ways:
1. Hydraulically via the torque converter
The torque converter transmits the torque from the engine to the transmission as follows: High engine
speeds and low engine torque are converted into low speeds and high torque.
2. Mechanically via the converter lockup clutch
When the converter lockup clutch is closed, the impeller and turbine wheel are non-positively linked
without the influence of friction. This prevents power loss within the torque converter and optimises fuel
consumption.
The converter lockup clutch ensures that a mechanical link is established between the output shaft of the
engine and the input shaft of the transmission. The opening and closing of the converter lockup clutch is
regulated in 1st to 6th gear.
Up to a transmission oil temperature of approx. 35 ?C, the converter lockup clutch is neither regulated
nor closed.
At other operating points, how the converter lockup clutch is regulated depends on other factors such as:
- Engine load
- Vehicle road speed
- Transmission oil temperature
- Selected shift program
Maybe i never meet these criterias...
Does anyone knows if this has anything to do with CIP software version?
[/quote]
I wish I could help better, but I do not know. I know that the CIP can affect shifting, but, to what extent it could cause the problem you are perceiving is an unknown to me. Sorry. I do think that the tranny info you posted is highly pertinent to your problem though.