AceBMW5

hey guys, i was just reading a thread that was talking about steptronic shifting.... what is the diffence between putting the shifter in the "ds" mode, where as actually shifting the gears.....

for example... in the check control monitor between the two gauges, if u put the shifter to the side it says DS... and then when you flick it forward it will either say m1 m2 m3... you get the idea. what if i just left it in DS mode... does that mean it would autmatically downshift for me whehn going on turns....

snkpkp

DS will work somewhat like when its in D but it will tend you to keep the tranny to lower gears for more torque and accelaration. In Manu mode you have the option to change in any rpm band you wish unless you are red linning when the computer shifts automatically to the next gear.

AceBMW5

what woudld be more fun to drive around in when going around corners... shifting is cool and all, but it gets a bit distracting.... will DS mode downshift when i go around corners?

Klepper

'DS' works identical to 'D' except that it shifts more aggressively. It does all the upshifting and downshifting for you just like 'D'.

M3>535d

Yes it will....but it also downshifts if you have manually shifted .

If you have gained enough speed to upshift manually to 5th for example , as you slow down the steptronic

will shift back down through 4th , 3rd and to 2nd if you come to a standstill ,

you will have to engage 1st gear yourself.

The only drawback to this is as you say when you come into and out of a corner , if you change down

manually from 4th to 3rd quickly in succession using the engine braking to roll into the corner , the

steptronic can and often does drop another cog and can catch you out.

Nick

AceBMW5

what would you guyz prefer driving in, D, DS, or M shift?

znod

Except that DS will not shift into 6th automatically--at least on the vast majority of cars.

znod

I tend to use a mixture of DS and M. There is no downside to doing so except maybe a teeny bit less MPG because DS uses more aggressive fuel maps (1 in DS for full throttle, and 1 in DS for normal driving--same with D). Note that the Step will not downshift all the way to first if you have been using M-mode--unless you side shift to D. Also, as mentioned, for the vast majority of all mortals, the Step will not shift automtically into 6th when in DS. Incidentally, if you hold forward on the lever when in a particular gear, then the Step will delay shifitng from that gear "as long as it thinks possible." Also, let's say you are going 60 MPH. Well, you can downshift as far as you want. Let's say you downshift all the way to M1. The car won't yet go to M1. But, the effect will be that it will put you in M1 ASAP--which is a very handy thing to be able to do.

AceBMW5

In DS, does it shift down to gear 1 when coming to a stop, cuz i knnow that M shifts down to 2 automatically......
intersting, also another question, while sitting in the car waiting for my friends to come out of their house, i was messsin around with the gas peddal(with the engine off of course)..... i have noticed that if you put the gas pedal down all the way.... it clicks... what does that click mean? haha just wondering...

Mr 5er

I drive with the step in DS all the time. I find it more responsive than regular drive mode, especially getting on the expressways and parkways of New York.