stupid question yea well get over it

[McWatters]

Hows it goin all. Now i have a quesiton that some of u may think its pretty freakin obvious isnt it.

So.... We all no that our e34s (all of them i hope) come with that nifty "S" mode which im assuming is sport mode?

What exacltly does going into s mode do? like i guess for passing cars or whatever

can anyone help me out by telling me exaclty the functions of this S button.

cheers

J.McWatters

[632 Regal]

mine has a * on it signifying traction mode in winter where the brakes and motronic limit power/brakes and adjust it to go to one wheel or the other so the car has less tendancy to slide on turns and crap...I put an LSD in and my switch dont work anymore so thats a done deal.

[Alexlind123]

"s" mode on my car is activated when in "a" mode on the switch and in gear 3, the "s" appears on the dash and the transmission shifts at higher rpms to better suit a more enthusiastic driving style.

[McWatters]

hmm yea im pretty sure my s mode is completely manual.

cheers

McWatters

[shogun]

If the car was in S mode and you switch off the engine, it goes always automatically in to E=economy mode, which is the default position.
Ever tried S and another shift mode? I sometimes drive i S and 3 instead of D, man than rocks when pushing down the pedal.

[winfred]

the early 3.5 cars had E S and M and the later cars A M, economy, sport, automatic and manual, manual is just what it sounds like, whatever gear you put it in is it, econ and auto are the same, sport raises the shift points and locks out overdrive or converter clutch lock up (i can't remember which) the A M cars select sport mode by shifting from d to 3rd

[Alexlind123]

My car performs well and really "shines" at higher speeds. There is a steep hill on the way to my house which a 2000 ford taurus (not sure which engine) will go up at a maximum of 70mph. My brothers acura intergra gs conquers the climb at 85mph, as its gearing is optimal for the hill. A jeep cherokee 4.0liter inline six high output which feels quite fast will go up it at 85mph. I got it up to 95mph on this same hill today in "s" mode. At about 5-5.5k rpm the power seems to not rise at the ferocious intensity which it does at 3.5k on. I think this may be dues to the platinum plugs the PO in stalled which may give it less power. The dist cap was a bit dirty as well but not cracked. Perhaps i just need a chip...

[Kalevera]

the early 3.5 cars had E S and M and the later cars A M, economy, sport, automatic and manual, manual is just what it sounds like, whatever gear you put it in is it, econ and auto are the same, sport raises the shift points and locks out overdrive or converter clutch lock up (i can't remember which) the A M cars select sport mode by shifting from d to 3rd
Winfred's got this one on the money, but since I can't keep my mouth shut...

I don't know this for a fact, but I'm pretty sure that Canada got a 1988 MY E34, and the car arrived there earlier than in the US. The presence of the E/S/M switch versus the A/S switch is an indication that the car has the so called "Late E7" version of the AEGS tranny software. A/S cars run E9, which I guess is an improvement. They all seem to suck, not as bad as the earliest one, which wasn't diagnosable, but still. My thinking here is that ALL canada E34 535s have the Late E7, because they all seem to have the E/S/M switch. I've never seen a US car with the late E7 switch or software, but I suppose they exist. Production changeover was sometime during late 1988.


best, whit

[Kalevera]

to be young and "invincible" again :D

[Mendozart]

Hows it goin all. Now i have a quesiton that some of u may think its pretty freakin obvious isnt it.

So.... We all no that our e34s (all of them i hope) come with that nifty "S" mode which im assuming is sport mode?

What exacltly does going into s mode do? like i guess for passing cars or whatever

can anyone help me out by telling me exaclty the functions of this S button.

cheers

J.McWatters
This is how I generally use the modes. When I'm driving city, I leave it in 3rd gear (auto mode), which is S3, because you don't want it going into overdrive anyways. Then when I'm on the highway, I put it in ED. If you hit some traffic or if going about 40 - 45mph, and need to pass someone, you just drop it to 3rd (S3) and away you go, then when back to highway speeds back to ED. This works for me anyways. Plus if you've got the EAT chip, S3 really comes to life.

[uscharalph]

Hows it goin all. Now i have a quesiton that some of u may think its pretty freakin obvious isnt it.

So.... We all no that our e34s (all of them i hope) come with that nifty "S" mode which im assuming is sport mode?

What exacltly does going into s mode do? like i guess for passing cars or whatever

can anyone help me out by telling me exaclty the functions of this S button.

cheers

J.McWatters
It says it right in the manual: "This is the program for an enthusiastic driving style. The gear shift points are delayed to make use of the car's power reserves. The converter lockup clutch engages automatically in 3rd gear. ..."

[Bellicose Right Winger]

The manual makes this claim, but I can't seem to detect converter lockup in 3rd when in this mode. It's easy to detect in 4th and E mode.

Paul Shovestul


It says it right in the manual: ........ The converter lockup clutch engages automatically in 3rd gear. ..."

[digitaldragon03]

Is it just me or when in S4 mode, the brakes have much more "bite"? The brake pedal feels softer to me and the brakes grab more.

[Qsilver7]

It says it right in the manual: "This is the program for an enthusiastic driving style. The gear shift points are delayed to make use of the car's power reserves. ..."
Finally...someone who actually READS the owner's manual!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. :D :D :D

See ""S- Sport Program" (right column) in image below taken from the "online" owner's manual:

http://luuk.xs4all.nl/bmwboeken/bmwe34manual/pg29.jpg

[winfred]

i usually add the disclaimer on usa cars as i have herd about esm in the later cars and other differences on euro stuff


to be young and "invincible" again :D

[uscharalph]

My car performs well and really "shines" at higher speeds. There is a steep hill on the way to my house which a 2000 ford taurus (not sure which engine) will go up at a maximum of 70mph. My brothers acura intergra gs conquers the climb at 85mph, as its gearing is optimal for the hill. A jeep cherokee 4.0liter inline six high output which feels quite fast will go up it at 85mph. I got it up to 95mph on this same hill today in "s" mode. At about 5-5.5k rpm the power seems to not rise at the ferocious intensity which it does at 3.5k on. I think this may be dues to the platinum plugs the PO in stalled which may give it less power. The dist cap was a bit dirty as well but not cracked. Perhaps i just need a chip...
King of the Hill!!

[JAlfredPrufrock]

You guys all have autos? :(

[uscharalph]

You guys all have autos? :(
Yep, but my next BMW will probably have a manual transmission.