Question to all manual x5 owners
 

I got a '04 manual, and I was wondering how do you guys shift in it. Also what do you guys do on a hill, I've had the car for about a year now, but its kinda driving me crazy with the clutch. O! and what rpm do you guys shift at? I usually shift around 2500-3000ish.

First off, remove the CDV. It'll allow you to slip the clutch. If I'm on flat ground I may start in 2nd by slipping the clutch and revving to about 2000rpm. In first I usually rev it to about 1500-2000 rpm before I slowly slip the clutch. I let off the clutch pedal just fast enough so that there is no shift shock. If the engine is warm I usually rev it to about 4500rpm before shifting into 2nd. 1st gear is short so you have to. I let 2nd get up to about 4000rpms before going into third. Depending on what the speed limit is (I'm usually 10-15mp over) it will determine whether I skip 4th and go into 5th or if I just leave it in 4th.

Ours is the old '01 5 Spd, without the "od" 6th...

We live in western NC, where nearly every stop
sign and stop light is steep, up or down. On the steep
"ups", I simply step off brake, gas it a tad more than
usual and away it goes. On very steep "ups", I sometimes
use the handbrake to "hold" me and use the above.

On steep downs, (in fact, any grade less than level),
I use 2nd gear start, as 1st is a stump puller with the
5 spd or, the 6 spd.

I usually use 1st only as a real short shift deal to "get
going" and quickly go into 2nd or 3rd as road situ warrants.
Then, soon into 5th as my non-OD 5th can lug quite low.

I only hammer the rpms, in 2,3 or 4, when merging in a high
speed "get it" interstate situ.

Long version there...

I like the manual but BMW really doesn't care about the manual
trans in the X5 as the ratios continued to suck even with the
barely OD 6 speed. And, the absence of a manual in the new X is
mkting decision based on lack of interest. It seems to me if the
orig 5/6 spd had had better ratios and a really Over driven top
gear, there may have been more interest.
GL,mD

Good point motordavid, i usually launch out of second gear, on very steep hills i use the brake and go out of first gear. LionKang how do i remove the cdv, cause i usually slip the clutch on second first is just to jerky.

I love my 2006 6 speed manual. It did take a few days of modulation for me to get use to it, but since then, it's been pure bliss. Wouldn't change a thing...I also have a 6 speed automatic (2004) X5 4.4...Driving that in manual-mode doesn't even compare. The 6 speed manual is just awesome.

Hey Tech... - Check this out for CDV removal. I'd definitely recommend going with Dave Z for help on this... GL!

woah. i've never heard of such a thing -- do ALL manual BMWs use this piece of crap?? no wonder i always found it tricky driving a manual BMW ..... this is RETARDED. what other "performance" cars have such a ridiculous gadget??

I don't know if all manual BMWs have this (I don't think the M cars do), but I agree - not a very user-friendly device - although I'm sure it was developed with good intention. There's another performance car that has an obnoxious gadget - not sure what it's called, but I understand that later model corvettes (and perhaps a few other GM muscle cars - camaros, firebirds, GTO - not sure what year it started) have a device that forces you to shift from 1st directly to 4th if you're not romping on the gas pedal. I've never driven one, but I can imagine that would drive me crazy. I understand there's a mod for that too. Weird stuff for sure...

OT...Jay, yeah the manual trans Vettes have the "automatic" 1-4 upshift deal, but it's way overblown
on its effect/interruption: I've had it "block" me from going 1-2 gear, maybe 4 times in 4 years/25K miles.

It's easy to feel "come on" and all one needs to do is dip the right toe in a tad more and, it cancels in a
split second. One does not need to use high rpms to prevent that process from appearing...and there is a
cheap device called a CAGS eliminator that defeats that EPA/mpg event from happening, but I've never installed one.

The 1-4 "forced shift" is a non-issue, almost non-event for me in the Vette. Some Vette owners find it
troublesome or see it more frequently; there is some car to car variation, I suspect. Ain't no biggie, however.
BR,mD

Edit...I believe the Vette system, CAGS, is an acronym for ComputerAdvanceGearSelection, but I could be making stuff up here.

I've got a 2006 3.0d manual and it's just Fantastic. Have had 3 previous beemers, all with manual tranny's and this one's just as beautiful or better that any of the former ones.

Being a diesel, (so having more torque than a gasoline V8) makes it an incredibly fun box to play with; you can really wring out the full torque capacity the likes of which an auto box will never let you do.. It's got some basic differences with a gasoline 3.0 manual tranny; like you have to be much more precise when starting from 2nd-gear; if you pop the clutch too soon, the monster-torque will stall the engine in a whiff..

On the other hand, manual boxes on gasoline-powered models are more fun when powering through the gears till redline, which tipically streches 2000 rpm higher than in diesel models..

All in all, I'm yet to be convinced on X5's with auto boxes. Guess I'll have a real hard time when confronted with no-manual options whe it's time to change to an E70.......