Sport mode random shifting

[Whitecat]

Is it normal that on the sport mode, the automatic shifting gear changed at different RPM everytime i'm using it? Exemple : From 1 to 2 sometime RPM went up to 5k or another time gear shift at 3k... It's ike unpredictable...just woundering if yyou guys experienced the same ?

Cheers

[electricalserv x5]

no and there is something wrong with You............no just kidding,It's not suppose to shift like that ,you have to change the gears manually, and watch your rpms..........if Your in S mode and keep doing this it will do damage.

[Whitecat]

Thanks for ur response, are u experienced the same when you go S mode ? There is 3 mode on our X and i'm kind of surprise that going on S mode will create damage...unless i have something wrong somewhere in my tranny or electronic tranny system ?

[LVP]

It may have to do with the aggressiveness of the driving. If you hammer it, it will go high and shift late, if not, it will shift lower, but hang higher than in just D. try applying the same throttle on the same stretch of road and see if it is consistent or varies a lot. If I get a chance, I'll test and post results for you (it's the wife's car after all ).

[ants_oz]

Sport mode will shift according to a range of inputs, including throttle position, engine revs, brake application...

Unless you are driving the same road in exactly the same way each time, you should expect the transmission to shift differently, according to the circumstances.

[Junkycosmos]

I cannot recall the source but I remember some one posting about the auto transmission programs. I think there were TWO programs within D and S modes for a total of four.

in D
Normal /Econo
Normal/Sport

in S
Sport Mode
Aggressive Mode

The original detail had the actual names and what inputs that caused the trans computer to choose which of the two modes within where you have the trans set to D or S. Point here is that if you drive it harder the trans computer actually factors you into the more aggressive programmed shift points until you have lightened up your driving style for a measured amount of time.

[Whitecat]

Ok thanks to all, so nothing to worrie, and very interesting the split in 4 mode, ....i guess that since i've installed my AFE air intake i switch often from Sport to Manual (for the sound :-) and sometime to normal, so it make sens that the computer memory is kind of confuse...

[Whitecat]

Originally Posted by LVP

It may have to do with the aggressiveness of the driving. If you hammer it, it will go high and shift late, if not, it will shift lower, but hang higher than in just D. try applying the same throttle on the same stretch of road and see if it is consistent or varies a lot. If I get a chance, I'll test and post results for you (it's the wife's car after all ).

Thanks LVP

[Helihover]

Originally Posted by electricalserv x5

no and there is something wrong with You............no just kidding,It's not suppose to shift like that ,you have to change the gears manually, and watch your rpms..........if Your in S mode and keep doing this it will do damage.

This is not true. You only shift manually in manual mode. The tranny does the shifting for you in sport mode.

As many have said, all seems well.

There are actually six different modes. Three for each one, sport and drive.

[Qsilver7]

Okay...wasn't going to chime in...but just to bring clarification to some of the comments above about ATC (adaptive transmission control) and the nine adaptive drive programs plus the manually selectable Sport mode...here's some BMW tech info as to how it was developed and designed to operate.

Using the manually selected SPORT or MANUAL shifting modes will stop any of the adaptive shifting programs from engaging that would normally occur when in "D".

At each start up...when the gear select lever is in "D"...the transmission will select 1 of 3 driving programs based on driver input:

• extreme economy (granny toe mode)
• economy
• sport (adaptive sport mode)

Driver influenced input is NOT stored in the TCM despite the persistent myth that it is..see the text in the red box in the illustration below. The transmission will react within seconds/minutes of an aggressive driver...even if granny was driving the vehicle for the last 5 years. See "driver's influenced features of AGS" below.

There are six other adaptive modes that are automatically selected (when in "D") based on road or environmental conditions (btw, I'm not sure how or if x-Drive affects when or how some of the modes below react/engage):

• stop-n-go mode (city or traffic jam)
• winter
• uphill drive program
• downhill drive program
• curve recognition
• cruise control program

Then there is the MANUALLY selectable SPORT mode (which is more aggressive than the adaptive sport mode) plus the MANUALLY SELECTABLE gear shifting if you have STEPTRONIC (PRND S/M +/-) or the alternate "shift limit" if you have the PRND432 OR PRND321 gear shift lever found in some e38/e39/e46 models.