Manually Shifting W/ Automatic

[saj3n]

I will admit it, I've never driven stick besides 1st gear around a parking lot in a 944 Porsche when I was 12. So, my experience is limited. However, I know my 530i does have the option to switch shifting into manual mode. I wanted to know the basics of using this mode to shift as well as the benefit of manual mode in comparison to say Auto or Economy.

[calmloki]

Please don't. No good reason to and it's harder on your auto trans than letting the computer shift it on it's own. Now putting it in Sports mode is okee dokee.
Tom

[Atl530i]

I've done it before, its cool and everything, but still not a stick. Get a beater with a stick and learn in that if you do not want to mess up a nicer car.

[Monastie]

I've done it before, its cool and everything, but still not a stick. Get a beater with a stick and learn in that if you do not want to mess up a nicer car.

Bah.... It took me a day to learn on the car.
Was the clutch smelly after the first day? hell ya.. lol :p

but I had some practice on my motorcycle before though

[saj3n]

Yea, I liked to leave it in Sport mode every now and then.... but i literally see that gas gauge drop when flooring it merging onto freeways or just giving myself that extra space from the car who is tailing me, thinking they can keep up... ya know... a nice little press on that overdrive. :-P

[saj3n]

i was freaked out when that switch went bad and actually got stuck in manual mode. I didn't know what I was doing. Sure did take side roads home. I got the hang of it a lil bit, but not sure when to shift, if i take foot off gas when i shift, or what...

[SC David]

In an auto you can keep your foot planted to the pedal while shifting. My car doesn't even have a manual mode, but it does have the ability to shift into any gear. I use this on spirited drives that stay under 60mph, and keep the car in second gear as to avoid harming my tranny, since my allpowerful M20 would rip it shreds. When I DO use it to actually shift gears, I shift when the engine is in its powerband before redline at a little after 5k RPM's. I'm not sure where the 530 gets most of its power, but I'm sure you have a little more torque down low.

[saj3n]

Oh yea?.... Man, im curious to try it out now... Just to get the hang of it.

[SchnellE34]

I use it in bumper to bumper traffic to keep the car in first or second gear depending on traffic speed.

I also use it on windy hilly roads to down shift and kick the engine into a higher gear at will. (very fun, but used very very rarely)

[shogun]

No problem at all. I often use it in S and M mode so that I get higher RPM and agility.
Also sometimes in first and S in city to blast the engine free at 5.000 RPM at actual low speed. My owners manual states to run the engine for a certain time at > 3.000 RPM after long time driving in city traffic or traffic jam.
So I just follow the instructions :D
Anyway, how to use it is shown in the owners manual.

[Macv]

I learned how to shift on my fathers project.... a 1948 Chevy one-ton. 3 gears of horrible....

Once I got good at that, i learned on our 1949 JEEP Willys, then we bought a 97 Wrangler TJ.

http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/831/willyswranglerfr3.png

:D

I use the M mode every once in awhile to open someones jaw. ;) Still wish my 5 were a stick....

[McWatters]

My transmission is still stuck in S mode, havnt been able to get it out for some time now..


cheers

J.McWatters

[McWatters]

Will disabling my battery reset my tranny?

cheers

J.McWatters

[SnakeyesTx]

Well.... my auto has that switch for "E" and "M" .. but when I drop down manually it says "S" on the dash. Go figure.. a mode I didn't even know of :D

Typically one doesn't manually shift an automatic because of the valve body. They can't take the pressures exerted from manual shifting and crap out.. which leads to late or no shifting and burnt clutch-packs.. and well.. rebuild. I used to put manual valve bodies into TH350's and TH400's but then once you go that route, you have to shift them like that all the time. Not sure how our bimmer trannies work yet, but I wouldn't doubt if its similar to a 4L60E when it comes to slushbox with electronic shifting.

In the pwner's manual it said that "M" mode was to stay in the gear you shift it into or something to that effect. Kinda nullifies my previous assumption of just higher performing shifting programs.

[BlueM60]

You wont hurt it if done properly, Ive been using manual mode on My auto for about 30k miles now. I havent had any valve body problems at all. They give you the manual option on the switch for a reason. Just dont do anthing like try to accelerate from a stop from 3rd gear or anything, I dont like the way my tranny shifts normally. I dont think you will see any problem, if anything your prolonging the life of your trans because your limiting the amount of excessive shifting.

-Ben

[saj3n]

Have you tried the switch? Jon K. gave me the suggestion to do that. Take the sunroof switch off, replace the shifter select mode switch with the sunroof switch to see if you can get it unstuck. Should work, if the switch is the problem.

[saj3n]

Ok, and when slowing down, braking, will I have to downshift as well? or just downshift before accelerating again. (new to this entire concept) :-P

[shogun]

Often the switch does not work, as it is seldom used. If it always stays in the same mode clean the switch with some electronic contact cleaner or just switch off the engine and then switch forwards and backwards 20-30 times, that cleaned my switch contacts and it works in all positions, and also I replaced the bulb.

[shogun]

Ok, and when slowing down, braking, will I have to downshift as well? or just downshift before accelerating again. (new to this entire concept) :-P

no need, just leave it there as it is. When you switch the engine off it always goes in default position = E = economy mode.
So every time you start the engine, you have to select S-E-M or whatever you have manualy first, sorry, 'E' is default no need to select.

[Macv]

What I believe he means is, when you drive down the road in M and shift up to 4th or 5th, then come to a stop light.... do you shift down while slowing down, or just downshift before acceleration? I'm also curious, as I know how to on manual..... but this isnt quite a manual

[Macv]

I'll add, the way I do it, is when I've gotten to that 5th gear (D) in M mode, I go ahead and switch the switch to A (Automatic) then when I stop I can switch back to M if I choose to. However, I've never used this in the city with stop and go traffic and thats a lot of hassle to deal with. Another question....

Say I'm in M mode in 5th gear (D) and I slow down to stop (without downshifting) but the light changes and I keep going, I can't just leave it in 5th while I'm going 25 mph, and I don't want to guess what gear to put it in, like what you'd do in a manual. Just too many things can go wrong with this M mode....

[SchnellE34]

What I believe he means is, when you drive down the road in M and shift up to 4th or 5th, then come to a stop light.... do you shift down while slowing down, or just downshift before acceleration? I'm also curious, as I know how to on manual..... but this isnt quite a manual

I don't have a 5th gear to shift into on the lever... damn 2.5 liter :(

[Macv]

Thats why I put "4th or 5th"... cant leave out the smaller engines ;)

[SchnellE34]

haha, thanks for that

[HDhandyman]

WTF is everybody talking about? M is for climbing mountains or steep inclines/declines, not for "manual" shifting. 30,000 miles, are you crazy? Sports mode (3 in Auto position) is for performance, mostly between 40-65 miles per hour. If you have been doing a lot of city driving like the manual says, then switch to sports mode and take it on a beltway for ten minutes @ 70 miles per hour to get the RPMs high. Jesus Christ, I've never heard of so many people who needed to pay for a manual tranny conversion in my life! Do what you like, but try to remember that these cars are autos if you have autos. Manual is just for inclines, just like in a Ford, or a Toyota, or whatever. The set-up is just different because of the option for Sport mode.

[F4Phantom]

WTF is everybody talking about? M is for climbing mountains or steep inclines/declines, not for "manual" shifting. 30,000 miles, are you crazy? Sports mode (3 in Auto position) is for performance, mostly between 40-65 miles per hour. If you have been doing a lot of city driving like the manual says, then switch to sports mode and take it on a beltway for ten minutes @ 70 miles per hour to get the RPMs high. Jesus Christ, I've never heard of so many people who needed to pay for a manual tranny conversion in my life! Do what you like, but try to remember that these cars are autos if you have autos. Manual is just for inclines, just like in a Ford, or a Toyota, or whatever. The set-up is just different because of the option for Sport mode.


This is all a good point, but the thing is what seperates leaving the car in say 2nd where the tranny has the option of choosing 2 gears, or in M 2nd where the tranny can only use 2nd. Obviously starting off the line or a slow corner it is not good for the tranny if your putting extra pressure on it by to high a gear. So my argument would be to never use M because just selecting 2nd or 1st would be better, and M in 1st or selecting 1st is the same thing!! - so why is that option available at all!

[Omega]

My understanding on the M50 2.5l auto box with the P-R-N-D-3-2 shift pattern and the S-E-* switch:

>Sport mode - holds onto the selected gear into the higher revs. Will shift around 500rpm higher than in E mode. I.e. on a light throttle will hit 3rd gear at 3000rpm rather than 2500rpm.

>Manual shifting - good as an engine brake when descending steep hills. Auto's do not have engine braking due to the torque converter. Also useful for holding the car in a lower gear if you don't want it to shift up.

If you shift into "3" position and come to a stop. The box shifts into "1" and drives normally, however it will nbot shift higher than 3rd.

If you are driving flat out and drop the shifter into "3" of "2" the box will NOT shift down until the engine revs are at a suitable level. The box protects itself.

I have only manually shifted once, when I got the car, to see what it did. Since then I have not manually shifted the box. Why have a dog and bark yourself?

>Economy. Default setting.

My auto has an overdriven 5th gear that operates at around 70mph, dripping the revs right down to 2500rpm. If the box is in sports mode, the 5th gear is locked out and the box stays in 4th.

[ILoveMPower]

Pfft, you need to drive a 5-speed!

[saj3n]

Very informative. Thanks! My 530 actually has P-R-N-D-4-3-2. And the switch is S-E-M.

I really didn't want the feature to not be used, if it could provide some performance increase.

[Omega]

Very informative. Thanks! My 530 actually has P-R-N-D-4-3-2.

Actually the shifter on mine is the same, P-R-N-D-4-3-2.



Pfft, you need to drive a 5-speed


My previous car was a manual. In the UK we don't have the luxury of wide open, or interesting and sweeping roads. We have grid-lock, 5mph for miles and having to slip the clutch like you wouldn't believe.

I once drove 50 miles at no greater than 20mph and mostly at 0-5-0-10 mph on one of our "highways" (the M6 for any Brits out there) and literally fell out of the car at the other end. The car had a heavy performance clutch and my left knee was knackared - my leg literally shook due to muscle spasms.

Thats why I dumped the 5-speed and got an Auto BMW.

Bliss. :)

[BlueM60]

As already stated, using manual mode on the auto is for just that, manually controlling the shifting. It can be used however you want. As far as downshifting for a stop I usually do so at fairly low speeds, below 30mph to start goin down from 4th. 5th gear is locked out in M mode so you have to be in regular auto mode for 5th. M mode only gives you 2nd through 4th gears. Drive your car they way you like, if the tranny is healthy you wont hurt it a bit.

-Ben

[wingman]

if anything your prolonging the life of your trans because your limiting the amount of excessive shifting.

-Ben

Absolutely. Why the hell would you have the options (4,3,2,1) if it was going to kill the tranny?(obviously use it within the handbook limitations...) Use it wisely and don't pretend that it's a manual and all should be fine.

[Michael999]

I live in a very hilly area, i tried to get used to using the car in ful auto mode, but in some areas the gearbox is just an idiot and doesnt know what i need it to do.
So into manual mode to get up the hill without labouring the motor (i hate driving up a hill at 1200rpm foot down and having the car decelerate, having to shove my foot into the floor to make it downshift isnt what i want).

Also down steep hills i now drop to 3rd or 2nd so that im not just riding the brakes hard.

Perhaps i should have gotten a manual for where i live, But there is no beating this auto for city driving or traffic on a hill, sure beats constant slipping of the clutch in order to maintain 5kmph up a slope bumper to bumper :P

[HDhandyman]

Absolutely. Why the hell would you have the options (4,3,2,1) if it was going to kill the tranny?

Because options (4 & 3) are for sport mode in the third and fourth gears.---Put it in S (if you have it) and use 3 & 4 or 3 in auto for us little guys.

Option (2) is for manual shifting through steep terrain like mountains where you need gear braking and added RPM climb. Put it in manual and use 1 & 2 to get over that mountain.

Conceptualy I guess that this is just confusing because of the option for sport mode.---It makes perfect sense to me in my 525i because I can't do sport in fourth and I don't even have a "sport (s)" option on my console, I have to get there by going to 3 in auto. I can see how looking at a layout like " 2 3 4" and having an option for manual would look like "sure, just throw it in manual and tool away", but that's not the deal. These cars have "sport" mode, not "sports shifters". This is just one way of laying it out.

[angrypancake]

AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH AHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA i add nothing to this thread but hysterical laughter.

[emw525E34]

Yep, the M20 motor seems to have a very accurate tranny program. Maybe it was due to the Siemens ECU design which was pretty darn good for its era. In my case, my 89 auto M20 motor had Apexi SAFCIII intake mod with 535AFM. When programmed properly (which I have done), I can drive almost like a manual except for 2nd downshift. Blip the throttle over 3500 rpm to shift up and when I back-off the throttle abruptly, it will downshift nicely. The M20 motor revs pretty quick for a 12value BabySix.
I tracked my car, so in one corner I had to "force" 2nd gear by pushing the shifter into 2. Other than that, most people people swears its a manual at the rate it drives!. Very nice.

Of course, I preferred a real manual, which is why I have a Euro manual E34 Touing/Wagon. Only the first 3 seconds of 1st gear does it feel slugguish. After that, it accelerates like a rocket (in E34 terms, of course) until redline. A Real fun car and much much easier to get the tail out in corners. Real sleeper even with 2.5 Single-Vanos M50 motor. I tried several E39 but found those way to slugguish for my liking. No 540 though, that might change my perspective on at E39.