Tiptronic - wrong way round
07-10-2008, 05:52 PM
#11
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Originally Posted by TopBanana' post='620645' date='Jul 10 2008, 04:25 PM
Why is the tiptronic (if that's what BMW call it) gear override the wrong way round. Back is up, forward is down - it seems completely counter-intuitive to me.
Like everyone above says, you'll get used to it in no time, and the next time you drive some other car with the "original setup" you'll be thinking the same thing about that one. I can't drive my mom's Maxima now in tiptronic because I'm now all backwards again, and I owned one myself for 3 years.
07-10-2008, 06:45 PM
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I usually keep it in sport mode. I was on a road today, and down shifted to slow down to 2nd gear. I'm looking over at a cute girl from work passing by me, and I hear my engine making some wierd sounds. I was going 60MPH in 2nd gear. Do you guys shift with the steptronic or do you just keep it in sport mode to down shift when needed. I generally don't shift.
07-10-2008, 08:28 PM
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My Ride: 545iSMGSilver GrayAuburn Dakota LeatherLogic 7 Premium SoundSports Package
Originally Posted by DRANGED' post='620846' date='Jul 10 2008, 06:00 PM
+1 
Unfortunately my 03 Range Rover that was made while BMW owned Rover, is completely opposite for some reason. 
Unfortunately my 03 Range Rover that was made while BMW owned Rover, is completely opposite for some reason.
07-10-2008, 08:34 PM
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My Ride: 04 545i - Titanium Silver/Black, Sport pkg, Comfort Seats w/ Lumbar, Premium Sound, power rear sunshade, Adaptive Xenon Headlights, Steptronic, Park Distance Control, Fold down rear seats w/ski bag, Aux jack, 6-disk changer, puddle lamps...
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It really is counter-intuitive, especially for anyone who has driven a mechanically-shifted automatic. PRDN321 is the standard config. Downshifting required a pull toward the driver, upshifts are away. My first car was a '72 Pontiac 455 HO I restored at age 17 back in '92. I bought a race-built TH400, with a B&M ratchet style shifter. You would bang it away from you for upshifts, slam it toward you for downshifting. It would only click 1 gear position with each bang. All automatics bought prior to the E60 were the same way (I always liked controlling my automatics manually). I'm still finding myself wanting to slap the steptronic toward me for downshifting.
07-10-2008, 08:45 PM
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Originally Posted by advancedlogic' post='621039' date='Jul 11 2008, 12:34 AM
It really is counter-intuitive, especially for anyone who has driven a mechanically-shifted automatic. PRDN321 is the standard config. Downshifting required a pull toward the driver, upshifts are away. My first car was a '72 Pontiac 455 HO I restored at age 17 back in '92. I bought a race-built TH400, with a B&M ratchet style shifter. You would bang it away from you for upshifts, slam it toward you for downshifting. It would only click 1 gear position with each bang. All automatics bought prior to the E60 were the same way (I always liked controlling my automatics manually). I'm still finding myself wanting to slap the steptronic toward me for downshifting.
In other words, pushing or pulling the lever in the same direction the the current g-forces are affecting your body is much more intuitive than simply sticking with an old habit that reflects an entirely different technological era.
07-10-2008, 09:04 PM
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My Ride: 04 545i - Titanium Silver/Black, Sport pkg, Comfort Seats w/ Lumbar, Premium Sound, power rear sunshade, Adaptive Xenon Headlights, Steptronic, Park Distance Control, Fold down rear seats w/ski bag, Aux jack, 6-disk changer, puddle lamps...
Engine: Custom Remus cat-back exhaust w/chrome square tips, K&N Air Filter, Charcoal Filter Removed, Sprint Booster :-), 50/50 mix of 91+100 Octane, EuroRev ECU Remap (coming soon lol), Dinan High-Flow Throttle Body (coming soon...maybe lol)
Interior: Portable Sirius Stilletto 100 w/car kit, Garmin Nuvi 680 mounted below rear-view mirror, LCI-style I-drive knob, Dark Poplar Center Dashboard Trim.
Exterior: E60 forum clings, 5% rear tint, ACS roof spoiler (painted black for distinct look against limo tint), ACS trunk spoiler, ACS add-on front spoiler and rear apron (awaiting installation), "18 Black Staggered BeBeS Style OER (emergency replacement for cracked sport 124 rims), black kidney grill, white accessory lighting (including license and trunk lamps), Angel-eye upgrade, AIB xenon-matched fog lamps, AIB V3's on order, red rear reflectors
Originally Posted by Rudy' post='621047' date='Jul 10 2008, 09:45 PM
It's only conterintuitive because of the old-fashioned automatics you mention. The way BMW has it set up now is actually much more intuitive once you realize that there was nothing intuitive about the old-fashioned way...
In other words, pushing or pulling the lever in the same direction the the current g-forces are affecting your body is much more intuitive than simply sticking with an old habit that reflects an entirely different technological era.
In other words, pushing or pulling the lever in the same direction the the current g-forces are affecting your body is much more intuitive than simply sticking with an old habit that reflects an entirely different technological era.
Perhaps, but erasing 17 years of old driving habit in my case, and similar for many others, isn't easy to do. It's gonna seem unatural - such are the whims of the human brain after years of repetition. A simple solution would have been the installation of a small solid-state polarity reversing circuit for the steptronic, activated via i-drive. 'Standard' configuration and 'counterintuitive old-fashioned' configuration for us slow-coaches.
07-10-2008, 09:13 PM
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Originally Posted by advancedlogic' post='621058' date='Jul 11 2008, 01:04 AM
Perhaps, but erasing 17 years of old driving habit in my case, and similar for many others, isn't easy to do. It's gonna seem unatural - such are the whims of the human brain after years of repetition. A simple solution would have been the installation of a small solid-state polarity reversing circuit for the steptronic, activated via i-drive. 'Standard' configuration and 'counterintuitive old-fashioned' configuration for us slow-coaches.
07-10-2008, 10:22 PM
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My Ride: 04 545i - Titanium Silver/Black, Sport pkg, Comfort Seats w/ Lumbar, Premium Sound, power rear sunshade, Adaptive Xenon Headlights, Steptronic, Park Distance Control, Fold down rear seats w/ski bag, Aux jack, 6-disk changer, puddle lamps...
Engine: Custom Remus cat-back exhaust w/chrome square tips, K&N Air Filter, Charcoal Filter Removed, Sprint Booster :-), 50/50 mix of 91+100 Octane, EuroRev ECU Remap (coming soon lol), Dinan High-Flow Throttle Body (coming soon...maybe lol)
Interior: Portable Sirius Stilletto 100 w/car kit, Garmin Nuvi 680 mounted below rear-view mirror, LCI-style I-drive knob, Dark Poplar Center Dashboard Trim.
Exterior: E60 forum clings, 5% rear tint, ACS roof spoiler (painted black for distinct look against limo tint), ACS trunk spoiler, ACS add-on front spoiler and rear apron (awaiting installation), "18 Black Staggered BeBeS Style OER (emergency replacement for cracked sport 124 rims), black kidney grill, white accessory lighting (including license and trunk lamps), Angel-eye upgrade, AIB xenon-matched fog lamps, AIB V3's on order, red rear reflectors
Originally Posted by Rudy' post='621070' date='Jul 10 2008, 10:13 PM
Just take the plunge...before you know it, your brain will be back up to speed on the new "right" way to shift...it really doesn't take that long, honest!
07-10-2008, 11:30 PM
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On the E39 in the beginning it was the other way round. Mods can be found on the internet to switch it the way later versions, as in the e60, have it.
07-11-2008, 03:47 AM
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I find BMW's setup to be intuitive. I have a 6spd MT and whenever I get a loaner and use the steptronic in manual mode, it seems to make sense to me!