DSC on or off while Offroad

gbogh3 · #1 08-12-2006, 12:22 PM

Hi I am new to the board and did some searching but could find much. I am sure its somewhere here.

So I looked through the manual and could not find anything on this. I had the X5 off road, going up a pretty steep incline, I left DSC ON, so of course there was lots of flashing, a little stalling but I ended up making it up the hill.

Here are my question:
If you push the button for DSC off, the dash says 4x4. Is this like 4x4 high, on a "real" 4x4 drive car, like a jeep or does it give you 2 wheel drive? I am not really sure when I should be turning DSC off.

Thanks.

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X5SA · #2 08-12-2006, 01:19 PM

DSC must be switched off during off road driving. This allows the limited wheelspin you need in offroad conditions. If you leave it on you will get bogged down because the DSC will stop supplying power to the wheel and/or brake it as soon as it loses traction.

HellzMindPlaya · #3 08-15-2006, 02:13 AM

I just went and played in the sand this weekend in cloudy long beach, Washington. Believe it or not the X did a great job, nothing crazy of course, but still sand. When I go out onto the sand I hit the DSC button to shut it off. The button just shuts off the throttling down of the motor portion of the DSC. There is no way to shut of the braking portion, so when you get out where your tires start to spin a little and you start to hear loud clunking, it is your brakes clamping down, not anything to be worried about.

Up until 2004 X's used pretty much just the braking system to compensate for the lack of locking or LSD front and rear ends. The computer in the car uses wheel speed sensors to see which wheel is slipping and then brakes that wheel accordingly.

Turning off DSC just allows you to still have complete control over the throttle, instead of letting the computer cut out power when you need it most.

X5SA · #4 08-15-2006, 02:58 AM

I am glad there is someone else who takes their X off the black stuff

. It is suprisingly capable particularly on soft sand. I regularly take mine on diving trips to areas where the roads are basically sand dunes and I keep up with Discovery 3's and Touaregs and even manage to get places they can't

. Check this thread for pics http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...-off-road.html . A Discovery and a Toyota Prado failed to make it up after I had made it first time.

HellzMindPlaya · #5 08-15-2006, 03:15 AM

Nice Pictures man. I want to take mine to a place to play like that, but i have to drive about 2 or 3 hours and just haven't done it yet. Looks like fun! Pictures look great, that is one steep hill of sand, I still would have worried about burring her.

Just out of curiosity, what tires are you using to do that?

Driver8 · #6 08-15-2006, 10:22 AM

Leaving your DSC on while off-roading can severely overheat your brakes. Best to turn it off.

AzNMpower32 · #7 08-15-2006, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbogh3

Here are my question:
If you push the button for DSC off, the dash says 4x4. Is this like 4x4 high, on a "real" 4x4 drive car, like a jeep or does it give you 2 wheel drive? I am not really sure when I should be turning DSC off.

Thanks.

The "4x4" label is a misnomer. When you push DSC, it turns stabiliy control off so it doesn't cut power like others mentioned. There is no low-range on BMWs. Depending on your model year, pre-2004 X5s had a fixed AWD system with 62% power going to the rear, and DSC braking individual wheels when needed. 2004 on wards, there was the xDrive AWD system that shifts power front/rear instantly and variably so that it can be anything 0/100, 50/50, or 100/0. This requires DSC to do less and only intervene when power distribution alone isn't enough.

Bottom line: When off-roading or trying to get going in deep snow, turn DSC OFF so you can let the wheels spin a bit without too much intervention.

gbogh3 · #8 08-15-2006, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AzNMpower32

Bottom line: When off-roading or trying to get going in deep snow, turn DSC OFF so you can let the wheels spin a bit without too much intervention.

I have an 05. That makes sense, thanks.

g

Sterling 4.4 · #9 08-15-2006, 03:11 PM

So when the DSC is off ( on '04 and later model) is it a fixed split or 38/62 or 100% rear wheel drive?

gbogh3 · #10 08-15-2006, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sterling 4.4

So when the DSC is off ( on '04 and later model) is it a fixed split or 38/62 or 100% rear wheel drive?

No just the opposite from what I understand with AzNMpower32 post. It looks like after 04 it will shift power to wheels that are not spinning. Before 04 it 38/62 or 100%.

right?

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