Ogg

not sure why you would purchase a big sedan if you were looking for a race car? no shit a 550 or 545 etc is not gonna pull like an m3 or m5 does.

phlfly

The problem is not in big sedan, M5 is big as well. Why do we have a manual transmission mode, well if it's manual then it should act as manual, and do engine brake as well. But it's not happening, so my question to BMW, what did they do with this? Is it transmission lag? Is it valvetronic system lag?
That's I'm trying to find out.

About sentences: I don't have time to write and do proof reading on mobile device, so it's not always right on "paper" then inside my brain. Sorry for inconvenience.

Mike_K

I read the first page and then skipped to the last so maybe some of what I'm going to say has already been said. If so, my apologies!

I've owned both cars in question. I had a 2006 M5 and I currently have 2006 550 sport with the 6 speed manual. Both are fantastic cars but they're completely different.

The M5 is about as close as you can get to a super car behind a 4 doors. Can you make a 535 just as fast? Yeah. Just as fun? Probably not. Much of the M5's appeal is in it's engine. I've had a high horsepower, turbo V6 and it's a completely different feel than a high horsepower, high revving V10.

With respect to the 550, it's about 80% of the fun of the M5 for 60% of the price. Turn off DSC and add an extra pedal on the floor and the normally docile 550 really comes to life with power to spare in pretty much any situation. It doesn't have the soul of the M5 though. The only thing I really find myself missing, and most of you will probably laugh at me for this, is the SMG transmission. I absolutely love that transmission and I'd take it over my manual. Despite my love for the 550, I'd still like to have another M5, knowing full well the additional cost I would incur by owning one.

Now if BMW had put a manual or SMG transmission in the 535, I could be persuaded to rock one of those.

And to answer the question no one asked, I bought my 550 after my M5 experienced an SMG pump failure. I got the dealer to take it back.

wtlb

+1

phlfly

Funny thing I loved SMG as well when I had E46 M3, even a lot people were saying, real car should have manual. Well that fast gear change is amazing, there is almost no delay.
I have no problem with the 550 power, I have problem with car control on manual. Test drove Benz SL 500 and this car does engine brake, more distinct. So I could find a problem with BMW. I'm afraid it's engine problem, valvetronic system has slow reaction.
So if BMW will continue to produce such product, then they will lose ultimate driving machine experience and it's going just Buick.

Mike_K

I own a company that specializes in modifying the 3800 Supercharged V6 GM stuck in most of their higher end cars in the late 90s - late 2000's. The cars came from the factory non-intercooled, running 6 lbs of boost. We can reliably run them up to about 350whp on the stock supercharger with absolutely no compromise in reliability. When we intercool them we can kick that number up to 400 horsepower. When we turbo charge them and remove the supercharger we can kick that number up to a reliable 550whp. Then the transmission becomes an issue but the engine still chugs along.

My point is that when you supercharge an engine it's generally accepted that you're making it less reliable. With this in mind, and because manufacturers need to warranty these vehicles, cars that are supercharged/ turbocharged from the factory tend to have some of the most stout engines you can get. They build such a ridiculously large margin of error into them that there's plenty of room to modify them and have them retain their reliability.

My only concern on the 535 would be over-spinning the turbos but I have absolutely no first hand knowledge with them nor do I know what size turbos they are. I wouldn't be concerned about the engine itself though so long as you're not getting knock.

samsterr

noobs...... Auto trannys don't feel like manuals ever VTEC, VAVLEtronic, VVTI, whatever the companies want to call it, it's just timing control by cam etc. Certain individual require certain needs. Fish swim and birds fly. OP it's not you're car that's giving you and issue, it's the driver. Blowers and suckers you can do to any motor if you do it right, motor wear and all that non sense comes from unproper maintained vehicles, what people don't understand is that if u want a race motor you should accept the fact of tear down and rebuild before and after each race. I'm typically not a poster just a reader, but i loved this tread so much i read all 6 pages and i wanted to *bump* it

phlfly

I could not agree more. I have 328 auto as loaner, but on manual mode it does better engine brake then my 550. That's a problem. Why is the world BMW is charging extra 5-6 thousands $ more for sport pkg when it sucked, if it's sport then it should feel like a sport car.

Mike_K

Old ass post, I know. I never noticed the replies until searching through my other posts.

First things first... Why are you so caught up on engine braking? You bought a car with an automatic transmission. Are you trying to roll around town in 2nd gear so people think you have a manual transmission because that's about the only reason I could see someone complaining about this. It takes NOTHING away from the driving experience and I can't imagine anyone saying that their car isn't a performance car because it doesn't engine brake when they put their automatic transmission in manual mode. You can't possibly realize how silly this sounds.

As a side note, is English not your first language? It doesn't matter but I think people are attacking you for being stupid/ lazy when in all actuality I'm thinking English isn't your first language which is a lot more forgivable than being stupid/ lazy!

rob2388

I stopped reading at around page 2, i just wanted to say if i was you, instead of buying te M series, i would keep my 550 and rather spend the money on a writing/ english class.. but that's just me. I love my 525i soccer mom car by the way.