Spirited driving and Steptronic

I have some basic questions regarding spirited driving, with a 530iA

1. What is the best way to get great performance from the vehicle? Drive in Sport or Manual mode and not in Auto?

2. What is the redline of the engine? Is it advisable to rev it close to redline after the break-in period? Won't it result in lesser life of the engine in the long run?

3. In Sport mode, at what RPM do the gears change?

4. In Manual mode, at what RPM should one change from performance and engine life safety perspectives?

5. In Manual mode, would the gears change automatically if you are close to redline?

6. Is there merit in the statement that "BMW I-6 with 255hp is at par on performance/torque with conventional V6s that are rated close to 280 hp"?

7. Why does BMW produce I6 and not V6? If the I6 is so good, why didn't it set a trend in the industry that other manufacturers followed?

Reply » Spirited driving and Steptronic

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I have some basic questions regarding spirited driving, with a 530iA

1. What is the best way to get great performance from the vehicle? Drive in Sport or Manual mode and not in Auto?

Yup.
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2. What is the redline of the engine?

It's where the red bit starts.
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Is it advisable to rev it close to redline after the break-in period? Won't it result in lesser life of the engine in the long run?

Sure, as long as you do it in moderation.
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3. In Sport mode, at what RPM do the gears change?

Of course it depends where your gas pedal is at, road speed, road incline, temperature, etc. But generally anywhere from 500-1000 rpm higher than it would in regular old 'D' (note though that BMW's autos are generally adaptive, and even in D can behave quite sportingly if that's how you're driving).
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4. In Manual mode, at what RPM should one change from performance and engine life safety perspectives?

Keeping the engine close to its maximum torque output speed is usually a good place to start - check your owner's manual for this.
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5. In Manual mode, would the gears change automatically if you are close to redline?

Yes.
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6. Is there merit in the statement that "BMW I-6 with 255hp is at par on performance/torque with conventional V6s that are rated close to 280 hp"?

I have absolutely no idea. What does a conventional V6 rated close to 280 bhp have to do with BMW? Is it an SAE bechmark or something?
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7. Why does BMW produce I6 and not V6? If the I6 is so good, why didn't it set a trend in the industry that other manufacturers followed?

It did, or rather, I6 used to be the convention. A V6 is more convenient for packaging, and - crucially - is lower cost. It's also an engineering compromise, vibrates a bit unless you throw balancer shafts in it, and is generally characterless although that is unimportant these days. No doubt BMW will eventually feel market pressure and ditch the I6, but until then, it's one of the few ways by which it can distinguish itself from the rapidly conforming automative morass out there.

Reply » Spirited driving and Steptronic

7. Why does BMW produce I6 and not V6? If the I6 is so good, why didn't it set a trend in the industry that other manufacturers followed?[/quote]

Simple..... a V6 is 3 1/2 cylinders long ( not 3 due to bore stagger ), and an I6 is 6 cylinders long..... this is important if you're trying to shoehorn a motor sideways into a car to design a FWD.
With BMW, no such compromise is needed !

As to the other questions, if you're on the track, it's foot to the floor and the car will decide; if you're on the road, the cops will !! heh, heh.

Reply » Spirited driving and Steptronic

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I have some basic questions regarding spirited driving, with a 530iA

1. What is the best way to get great performance from the vehicle? Drive in Sport or Manual mode and not in Auto?

Sport mode works the best IMO unless you want to have just a bit more driver involvement.

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2. What is the redline of the engine? Is it advisable to rev it close to redline after the break-in period? Won't it result in lesser life of the engine in the long run?

Redline is where the red starts, which should be 7000rpm with the newer I-6 engines, 6500rpm in the V8s and older I-6s. This is assuming a fully warmed-up engine. The manual says "gradually" increase vehicle and engine speeds after break-in. I'd say up the revs and to be safe, 1500mi should be adaquate for a redline, although some may say anytime's a good time to redline. As long as you aren't redlining all the time, you're fine. BMW engines are sturdy, and usually you dont hear engine failures or such.

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4. In Manual mode, at what RPM should one change from performance and engine life safety perspectives?

I usually like upshifting 4500-5500rpm. It's a bit past torque peak, but then you get more hp and engine music.

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5. In Manual mode, would the gears change automatically if you are close to redline?

If you're in kickdown, then yes. In fact I've gotten premature 1-2 upshifts. I have yet to see if I can coax it to redline w/ upshifting by not using full throttle.

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6. Is there merit in the statement that "BMW I-6 with 255hp is at par on performance/torque with conventional V6s that are rated close to 280 hp"?

Not sure, but the I6 seems to pull much stronger than its specs suggest. Plus its smoother, sounds better, and its pretty darn efficient. The engine isn't the only factor in this, but just fyi: Car and Driver got the 330i ZHP 0-60 in 5.6 secs (235hp/222 lb/ft tq), the G35 sedan (260hp/260 lb/ft) took 5.8 secs, and both were manual transmissions. The "mere" 184hp 325i can get 0-60 in 6.8, and the new 325i with 215hp does it in 6.1 secs.

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7. Why does BMW produce I6 and not V6? If the I6 is so good, why didn't it set a trend in the industry that other manufacturers followed?

V6s are cheaper to make and easier to package. Anything that lowers cost of production is good for an automaker (or any firm for that matter), so thus, V6s are the norm. Inline 6s are really long in comparision and difficult to package. Only BMW sees the benefits of an I6 and feels the need to maintain its heritage. However, with BMW changing its trends (with the new turbo engine), I see the demise of the I-6 on the horizon, at which point I'll stop buying BMWs and start buying other "stuff".

Reply » Spirited driving and Steptronic

Thanks for the replies, I have some more questions

1. Let's say the car is in manual, gear2 and then if I floor, would the car wait for me (atleast before redline) to upshift? Or would it upshift based on its own logic? If it shifts by itself, how can I redline or choose to upshift at high RPM?

2. BMW claims the the I6 are free-revving engines. What is special about this? Aren't all engines free revving?

3. Dinan has some performance products like software to increase gear change RPM, cold air intake etc? Are these products really good? On a 530ia, 0-60 is 6.6. How much better can it get with Dinan, can it go below 6?

4. On a 530ia, has anyone been able to achieve 6.6 for 0-60? How trustworthy are BMW performance numbers, conservative/aggressive?

Reply » Spirited driving and Steptronic

If you want to drive a BMW in its natural "spirited" way, why did you get the Steptronic??
IMHO it is a horrible transmission having had a X5 3.0 with it.

My brother has a X3 3.0 and we both agree the transmission is horrible when considered as a true enthusiasts machine.
He ONLY got it since his wife cannot drive a stick. UGH

Traffic be damned, manual it is.

It is a BMW for goodness sake...

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