Hi:

Not been to "our" forums for awhile. Hoping some remember "the old days." You may remember the performance testing Grogan and I did on our 2005 545i's, etc. Catching up, besides the 545i our more or less recent BMW's have been 3 X5's, a 335i, and the 2008 M-Roadster I still am driving (yes, along with, the still surprisingly competitive stock (14k miles) 2002 ZO6 (0-60 less than 4, and 1/4 mile less than 12 with drag radials).

The latest X5 is a 2014 X5 xDrive 5.0 M-Package in carbon black metallic--which, of course, has the sport automatic tranny. I am asking a question about this car/tranny in this forum because I think the F10 5-series sport auto tranny ought to work the same way--and the question will get more exposure here.

I want to, but am unable to, shift at about redline when shifting manually in either sport or sport+ mode (and, of course, comfort mode). And, my inability to do so is confirmed via the manual. According to the manual, the only way to shift at about redline, as I want, is to use launch control--which generally is a pretty restrictive/useless feature--one that I would have no use for except in the case of a dedicated acceleration test.

Does anyone know how I might gain the ability to shift as I want other than possibly through aftermarket software? Historically, BMW has had some "secret" features that can be accessed via specific unannounced "key combinations." I probably am hoping for too much here. But, nothing ventured nothing gained.

And, does the existing Dinan performance software for the 5-series allow shifting as I want? I suspect not, although I think maybe it raises the auto shift points--at least when in manual-shift mode. I am thinking seriously about getting the Dinan software when it is ready for the 2014 X5.