bccars

Help please !

It's not a secret I've been an advocate of PDK all the way.

BUT ... (and please don't turn this into a PDK vs MT war, or an I told you so thread)

... After 4000km I'm allowing myself to go to redline for the first time, still at part throttle. So I thought to myself, lets put the PDK in Auto for a minute and see what everyone is raving about. Holy cow, was I in for a surprise. Unfortunately an awful one. It shifts like crap, so bad I wonder if it is not operating like it should.

Allow me to clarify:
Shifting at redline PDK in Auto Mode, it feels like a novice doing a manual shift too quickly. When declutching, it seems off in throttle control, like it trails the throttle and the throttle rises somewhat. When next gear is selected and clutch is engaged again you get this lurching forward sensation because revs are too high or it rides the clutch, hard to really say. Anyhow, clutch throttle timing seems off !
This lurching is soo apparent it even unsettles the chassis, very much unlike the seamless shifts I am used to in Sport Mode. I wonder if it were to happen at speed in a turn if I'd loose control because of it (something that would not happen in Sport). The car got very unstable on less than perfect roads because of it, even going straight !
Same **** when I put PDK in Manual Mode and went for redline. Same **** when I shifted upwards of 6000-6500 rpm. Below 6000 rpm the problem doesn't seem that apparent.

I mentioned before I never saw the added value of the SC. Well as it stands now, I'll go even farther and state that I hate it ! Sport Plus Shifts are actually much much worse than Sport Mode in my car.

-Anyone experiencing the same, or not ?
-Or am I just being overly sensitive ?
-Or does this go away after a while ?

neanicu

As far as I know,in Sport Plus it wants to shift at redline only and it will also keep the revs high. It's normal.
Should be used mostly on track. Sport Mode is enough for street IMO.

chuckbdc

I have no such bad behavior when using Sport + for foot on the floor full throttle shifts.

I have only done that on the track in gonzo mode and it snapped off shifts just fine in Auto. But its not foe being tentative and there is a kick down switch that can surprise and cause confusion if you stomp down.

fbroen

You mention part throttle? My experience is that part throttle Sport+ is a bad combo. Go all out, and the car is much happier. Sure, it will bang in the shifts hard, but that is what it's supposed to do me thinks. But a somewhat restricted throttle position in Sport+ is less pleasant than full throttle, is my experience (or "just" Sport (no plus)). That is, the car will act "smoother" (ok bad word choice) when all out in Sport+, which I guess is the point of Sport+.

John's 991

I agree. Sports Plus is really designed for the track where you are accelerating hard and want to hold a relatively low gear in the corners. If the car accelerates smoothly when floored in Sports Plus, I would say it is probably working. Although without driving it it is kind of hard to say.

As a point of reference, in my car i can hear the car shift, but not feel it or feel any decrease in power delivery during a full throttle acceleration. The exception is when I come out of a corner and am not in a low enough gear and the car downshifts via the down shift button (under the accelerator pedal). That upsets the balance of the car a little bit.

For me, I use regular for driving around, Sport when taking the back roads and Sport Plus only on the track. Others folks may have different opinions but I don't think Sports Plus suits the car on the street.

holminator

Had no such bad issues with sports plus in full auto. I remember the first time I switched it on in full auto on I-95 near West Palm Beach and it shocked the bah-jeeebusss out of me. Unless I'm using launch control, I only use sports plus with manually shifting the gears. Fact is I am still hesitant to give up that much control to a machine when driving the machine very hard but for launch control maneuvers it makes sense to let the computer do its job and make faster, more efficient shifts than any human could. Just my two cents. Haven't gone to the track yet but I prefer to use other people's cars for track stuff.

bccars

OK, fair point, to be tested at FULL THROTTLE !
I surely hope that will clear it up, that it snaps in line when I get properly aggressive, because I'm extremely unhappy as it is now, useless above 6000 rpm both in Auto and Manual mode !

Now only finding a place where it is safe to do just that ...

to be continued ...

chuck911

I'm not really sure from the comments if this is something related to Auto or Manual, or Sport or Normal, or Sport Chrono. Especially with this last comment, if its both Auto and Manual then there's a problem. The only differences you should notice between Normal, Sport and Sport+ are quicker throttle response and shifts, with shifts happening at progressively higher RPMs as you go N, S, S+. But at no time should you be noticing lurching or revving to the degree you're getting. Regardless of throttle. Have your car checked out.

MarcusG

OMG.


Sport PLus like everyone has said in AUTO will hold the shifts to redline in every gear, every time.

Mash that throttle all the way man! Driving your car in Sport Plus auto at half throttle is like losing half your condom and stopping in the middle of you know what and she asks, "what's wrong?" No wonder you car doesn't know what to do!!! lol.

Just go for it.

I'm sure it will scare you the first time. Just find some open road and do it!

CarManDSL

Make your shifts in Sports Plus at full throttle manually at about 7500 rpm.
Those kick in your *** shifts tell me the car is alive and you are living large!

On the other hand, auto in normal mode fees like a wimpy handshake. 7th gear at 60 kph . . . yuck.

bccars

OK, tested last night. At full throttle, both PDK Auto and Manual modes tested. Plus, I upped the tire pressure to almost high performance instead of comfort setting I was at.

It was better, but still not how I'd like it. The shift seems a tiny tad quicker now than yesterday, but I can't call it crisp like it is in Sport. And there still is a lot of squatting and twisting in the rear, almost like the diff doesn't know what to do with the torque. No such hassles in Sport mode.

That being said, roads are not completely level where I drive, plus temperatures are down (not freezing yet but below 7°C) to were I should drive on winter tires but I'm still on Pzeros.

I think I'm going to wait until spring comes along, leave SportPlus alone for the time being, when temps go up test again, and if I'm not happy I'm going to the dealer to have it checked !

As it is now, I don't like how SportPlus shifts. It doesn't feel safe, and it can't be good on the hardware. Bring on the M4 for a testdrive damnit, grrrrrrrrr ! And this BMW statement/thought is maybe a smoke screen for my mind not to tell me, "you should have gotten a manual"

And Jeezus, who on earth decided on the kickdown button. It just does a kickdown, even when I'm in Manual mode. DO NOT do that, stupid car, I don't want to die ! So bloody annoying !

That being said, there is a clear pressure point where you have to push through to get to the kickdown button. I wonder if, technically, this last position is 99% throttle and the kickdown button 100% throttle ... OR ... if that last pre-kickdown position is 100% throttle and the kickdown is 100%+kickdown .. very minute difference, but a difference nevertheless !

Tapeworm

I agree about the kick down button, I hate it. They removed it in the GT3, I wonder if it's possible to just disconnect the switch?

Bacura

Sounds odd. This is my second PDK and I haven't had any of these issues. Did you ask the dealer what they thought?

991TurboS

Sport Plus is like that in my Turbo as well. Normal. If you used Sport + on the street people would think you were just revving it for attention. From a stop in Auto mode, Sport+ takes it to the redline for a 1->2 upshift.

chuckbdc

Have you done that?