AKAlius

Can anyone point me in the right direction to how I can activate the sport mode in the M5? I know there's a button for P500, but how do I get the car into Sport mode?

Also, I tired a search with out any luck. Can anyone tell me what exactly the S1-S6 does? I know when in automatic mode S1 changes gears earlier (lower RPM) then when in S6, but in manual mode, what does it do?

545iPoeser

first off. the M button is your best friend in that car. you have to go into the iDrive settings to set up your M button. the settings that i drive in is
smg:S5
pwer: P500sport
traction MDM

i havebnt been in my car in a month so i forgot what else i drive in.

second if you want S6, turn your traction off, then you will see a space for an extra bar, push the bars up and ur in S6... be carefull that thing will whip out

anhything else pm me

Aartsy19

S6 EDC Stiff, TRACTION OFF!!!! Best way to roll, but worst way to spend $$CAKE$$ on tires...

Have fun!!

m630

Let me try to answer your actual questions!

Sport mode in the beast is activated by pushing your gear shifter to the right. It toggles between S and D which is Sport mode or Drive(autoshift) mode. When you see S1 thru S6 on your dash, you are in sport mode, which is manual shifting.
Regarding p400, p500, P500s, the car always starts in p400. Hitting the power button next to the gearshift will bring you to p500. As others noted above, you can set this in iDrive to your M button along with drivelogic, edc, and dsc settings so that one press of the might M button will set the car exactly as you like it.
Regarding S1-S6, this is your drivelogic setting, which adjusts how quick the gears shift, S6 being the quickest and only accessible once you turn dsc completely off (not recommended for street driving but its ure beast so...)I'd suggest MDM for everyday fun in normal weather driving conditions.

For claritys sake, D1-D5 are the automated modes in which the smg shifts for you, S1 and so on are only manual shift programs in drivelogic, so as you asked above D1 would be the lowest rpm shift and slowest gearshift setting progressing upwards to faster shifts that hold longer in D5.

S6 kicks arse, but easily will put you sideways or in a ditch if you're not careful...go play and let us know!!!

AKAlius

Thanks for the clear and precise explanation. Now, I normally drive in S3 or D3 and I notice there is a bit of lag in between shifts. If I adjust the setting to a higher one, such as S6, this should get rid of the lag I suppose. Would this be bad for the clutch?

designo

No it's not bad for the clutch.... however, S6 means manual shiftin. The maximum you can go in D is D5. in urban driving conditions... it will piss you off cause it will shift at higher RPM's than usual. It will also increase your fuel consumption.

m630

Correct, increasing your drivelogic setting will decrease the lag between gearshifts, it is absolutely not bad for the clutch, it was designed as such...however, you will notice and feel much more of the raw power of your beast such as neckcracking bangs between high rpm shifts when you are in S5 and S6,but don't be alarmed, that is "normal" for smg and why it is so enjoyable...for my settings, except for the initial run in of the new engine where I drove is S4, or when its snowing or there's ice on the ground, I drive 99.99999999999999% with my M button settings activated, which are S5,P500S,MDM, edc normal, its just my start up ritual, one press of the M and I'm ready to roll. I have never driven in D settings so its not necessary unless you drive in bumper to bumper traffic,imho. A note on edc, even though your instinct may be to engage sport setting, be aware that it negates that active suspension and locks in your car which may not be useful outside of a track situation. The normal and comfort settings allow the active shocks to "move" if you will, so you will have better traction on less than perfect roadways or in wet conditions....A great point learned from the M DE master drivers (Mike Renner to be exact), was they actually recommended the comfort setting in wet conditions as they car has the most traction as the suspension "gives" a bit more to keep it planted to the road...
Play with the settings, go up to S4 and see how you like the feel of the gearshifts, and then go up to S5, I find it most rewarding as its quicker than u could manually clutch but not always neckcracking like S6(which is fun in the right environment though or for playing with lc)
Enjoy

AKAlius

Perfect! Your reply is most appreciated. Thank you!

melimel

hloly shit i thought i needed a basic class for all that info.. makes me put on my thinking cap and want to learn more.. i can dream right! have fun Phi!!!

Richard in NC

You have to go to school to learn it.

M School.