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Driving in Sport mode all the time?

12K views 34 replies 20 participants last post by  ghpup 
#1 ·
Wanted Feedback:
I have a 2011 535 with 76k with sport+ mode and paddles shifters (no elec trunk close but that’s another story) bought used about a year ago.
Anyways I live in SF most/90% of my driving are on streets and short runs.

I understand that driving in Sport or Sport+ gives me better performance and ‘The Hell Yeah!’ fun factor and it sucks a lot more gas but does it reduce the life span of the car?

Does it create excessive use on the parts increasing the likelihood of changing parts sooner?
Thoughts?
 
#8 ·
#22 ·
I don't think you read what I said properly. I said revving PAST 4-5000RPM is not good for your car. Turbo engines run rich and power tapers off in the high RPM's, so anything past 6000RPM is best avoided. I never said to keep the engine at a specific RPM at all times, that doesnt make any sense.
 
#3 ·
In the grand scheme of things - no.

I drive 100% in manual mode - better than just leaving it in sport as you can shift up earlier than the sport program and take advantage of the sharper throttle.

Once you get accustomed to the 9-3:00 grip on wheel making shifting extremely swift (and safe when you need to move in/out quick) there is nothing better. :)



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#4 ·
In the grand scheme of things - no.

I drive 100% in manual mode - better than just leaving it in sport as you can shift up earlier than the sport program and take advantage of the sharper throttle.

Once you get accustomed to the 9-3:00 grip on wheel making shifting extremely swift (and safe when you need to move in/out quick) there is nothing better. :)

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early 2011 models did not have the sport mode. (unless you consider fully turning off DSC, which improves throttle response and moving the shift level over to the side a sport mode)

I like this 8 speed transmission, but it is far too conservative and upshift happy in the normal auto mode. I find myself using the manual mode really often to avoid this.
 
#7 ·
Have any of you driven a manual transmission? AT driving is generally more placid than a manual. Keep the revs under the redline and you'll be fine. Telling someone to keep it between 4 and 5000 is just baseless. Sure, driving around at a continuous 6000 rpm is kind of crazy, I don't think that is what the OP is talking about. Sport Mode will not hurt the car.
 
#33 ·
Hey Mark, i now have E46 2003 325i that is such fun to drive in Manual mode, or somewhat better in Sports mode, but i wish i had been more patient in my first BMW purchase, and got 328i with 5sp manual and 3.0L engine.
I have the famous 2.5L 6cyl inline but 5sp AT. I very often zip around town and regularly take tach 4k to 5,500 rpm and sometimes manual mode and shift to 3rd around 6k rpm, love the engine sound! Years ago I had 86 Civic si with 5sp manual transmission, just 1.5L but car was so light, 2005lbs, i never lost 0-50 race with another 4cyl, in my 20s.
 
#9 ·
I am still learning about how to use sport mode and paddle shifting, but having a diesel makes it less of a fuel economy issue. So far its the same economy in sport mode as it is in the other modes. I find its better in the sport mode since my right foot doesn't have to press as hard.

PL
 
#10 ·
I know exactly what you mean. You have to press the pedal down pretty hard to get to the RPM you want or else the transmission will just shift to the next gear. It becomes unbelievably annoying at times. Why don***8217;t you give the manual mode a try? Maybe this is what you***8217;re looking for. It***8217;s nice to be able to control when your car shifts, the shift points, etc. It really helps teach you more about your powerband and what is an optimal RPM to shift in order to balance acceleration with efficiency.

In my 528i, I start in second gear. I rev to 2750rpm in second which brings me to 2000rpm in third. I always short shift third gear to get into fourth, which is probably my favourite gear because it pulls quite hard to 100MPH for only 240hp yet the gear is very versatile and robust due to all the low-end torque of this 6 cylinder. I try to stay out of 8th gear until I am going roughly 70+mph, because I find that keeping the revs closer to 2500 doesn***8217;t hurt efficiency because of all the torque near that engine speed.

Oh, and you can downshift while slowing down for lights which is a good habit because it increases your chances of still rolling when the light turns green which saves gas, plus it***8217;s simply a good habit to slow down early so that drivers behind you do not need to brake hard. It really helps lower the chances of you or anyone else slowing down behind you getting rear ended.
 
#12 ·
How is it "working harder"? Shift points are pushed out slightly, well within the operating threshold of the engine. In fact, spirited driving in non-sport mode will shift higher than "lazy" driving. Does this mean we should all accelerate very gently to avoid any excursion beyond 3000 rpm, or some other imaginary maximum? I knew someone with an '08 335i 6MT, and they said they shifted to stay below 3000. Performance engines like to be pushed.
 
#14 ·
Back in the day, they used to sell transmission performance kits. These kits, for automatic transmissions, would replace a spring or two, gasket, washer, plunger, etc. in the valve body. In the end it would do what sport mode does, increase the speed of shifts. Cause the outgoing band to be let go quicker, the incoming band to be grabbed quicker, and maybe even raise the rpm shift points.
It turned out, that actually enhanced to longevity of those old clunky transmissions. Because, to get a softer, smoother, silky shift, the transmission in "comfort" mode would hold onto two bands simultaneously, for a split second, so as to not jar the occupants of the car. (Kind of like trying to put a manual into 2nd & 3rd at the same time. Or, not using the clutch pedal and dragging the stick from one slot to another.)
 
#15 ·
I bought a Diablo tuner for my Silverado and one of the chnages that it made to the truck was to tweak the transmission shift points and "firmness" of the shifts. I was concerned that it would cause problems, so I called my cousin (a mechanic) and asked him about it.

He agreed with the above poster that firmer shifts were actually better for the transmission.
 
#16 ·
There are also safety nets built in. If you move to DS mode for manual shifting and do something stupid like downshifting to an inappropriate low gear at an already high RPM the program will ‘over-ride’ and not let it get into a gear that will destroy your car.

So use common sense, enjoy the sporty characteristics of the car - it was sort of built with that in mind. ;)





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#20 ·
I drive my 2014 535d and my 2012 X5 35d exclusively in Sport mode and I drive them like they were stolen.

I find I also like driving them better in Sport mode in city driving and slow stop and go traffic. Sport mode gives much tighter control of the car at all times, including when decelerating in gear.


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#21 ·
Many diesel lovers feel their engines don't seem to mind higher stress levels, in fact, they seem to do better with "full load" driving as the mpg's don't really change much and there seems to be less carbon buildup. My first diesel was a Ford/Navistar 7.3 liter turbo in a rather large class C motorhome, and it seemed limitless and like a locomotive under full load.

But this is only a belief and probably also requires proper maintenance.

PL
 
#23 ·
i have to chime in for the real scientific wear and tear explanation of an Otto (gasoline engine). Piston movement is in feet/sec and efficiency of the oil ring and dispersion decrease with speed. this is why all industrial engine are derated for lower RPM if they have to run 24/24 7 days a week. Same for boat or plane engine. An engine can provide 200 HP in pleasure mode (150 hours per year and less), 150 HP on commercial mode (500 hours and less) and 100 HP for continuous operation. Airplane engine are trickier because they are certified for a number of hours at 70 % WOT. But check the hp/cu inch, it is very conservative.

So of course the added wear/tear might be infinitesimal but the higher HP/RPM you get from a car engine, the higher it is. But the question is, is it really perceptible on a casual driver engine ? Doing 20 000 miles per year at 60 mph is just 333 hours of usage per year which is very low by industrial engine standards.

But then... after 3000 hours ( approx 10 years and 200 000 miles later) the difference between driving hard or not will be noticeable for sure !
 
#24 · (Edited)
Well, this sounds fine but the actual distance covered by the pistons in passenger cars would make the biggest difference it seems, not the RPM per se. Unless you are revving it up compared to using higher gearing, it may not matter. Slippery synthetic engine oil may help with piston ring wear also.

Engineering is clearly an art of compromise. Doing something expensive to an engine that won't affect its effective "real world" longevity may not always be the right thing, such as increasing lifespan from 450,000 miles to 500,000 miles. One could make a fuel pump that is indestructible but it may cost the same as the rest of the car, for example.

PL
 
#25 ·
I always drive in Sport and S, and don't believe it increases wear. I also don't think it, in itself, increases fuel consumption except to the extent that upshifts are delayed. That can easily be circumvented by manually upshifting sooner (which is what I do).

Wanted Feedback:
I have a 2011 535 with 76k with sport+ mode and paddles shifters (no elec trunk close but that's another story) bought used about a year ago.
Anyways I live in SF most/90% of my driving are on streets and short runs.

I understand that driving in Sport or Sport+ gives me better performance and 'The Hell Yeah!' fun factor and it sucks a lot more gas but does it reduce the life span of the car?

Does it create excessive use on the parts increasing the likelihood of changing parts sooner?
Thoughts?
 
#28 ·
All engines are at their most efficient at peak torque rpm.
After closed circuit Advanced performace driving sessions, this is not racing, I've found that sport plus mode is fairly flawless for being in the right gear for such on the limit driving, 'manual' would just be a waste of effort and time, but you can't come close to such a level of driving on open roads, certainly for anything but short times and then risking being frowned upon and or caught. So for normal driving just tend to use Eco or comfort, but readilly switch to Sport+ for less than leisurely overtakes and more 'interesting' (twisties) roads, best of both worlds.
The circuit driving really puts a strain on the brakes and tyres at +65C from tpms, and even Mich PS4s's go off, I've even had the transmission warn of temperature, so have to let things cool off, and I change the AT fluid at ~30-40K.

The front of an F10 could do with a bit more -ve camber and castor to qwell underster tendancies and its a shame that the Sport+ mode doesn't firm up the vdc shocks, for those that have them, more, needs a sport ++ mode for an adittional 15-20% firmness, but not too bad for a barge.
 
#29 ·
...
The front of an F10 could do with a bit more -ve camber and castor to qwell underster tendancies...
Manufacturers (not just BMW) purposely dial-in understeer to protect us from ourselves. What understeer the car has is much less than in a FWD appliance.
 
#30 ·
Its a shame that the dumming down is the defacto standard adopted, 'for the ultimate driving machines', must be a thing of the past.
FWD waslift off oversteer not a very practical practice on the road or perhaps the dummy's safest approach as opposed to RWD which was/should be, ballance on the throttle+steering (which can the problem/lack of skill/experience leading to a fishtail demise, or early Porche 911 'behaviours')...
I will say that the handling of the latest fwd 1 series is impressive, lots of front end grip, didnt feel at all fwd like, but this was on a demo drive - couldn't worry the salesmanperson too much - would be interesting to take on a closed circuit where the on-the-limit could be explored.
 
#32 ·
Wanted Feedback:
I have a 2011 535 with 76k with sport+ mode and paddles shifters (no elec trunk close but that’s another story) bought used about a year ago.
Anyways I live in SF most/90% of my driving are on streets and short runs.

I understand that driving in Sport or Sport+ gives me better performance and ‘The Hell Yeah!’ fun factor and it sucks a lot more gas but does it reduce the life span of the car?

Does it create excessive use on the parts increasing the likelihood of changing parts sooner?
Thoughts?
Having a BMW with AT is great reason to sometimes use Sports mode and Manual mode. Use when engine is warmed up and on streets without too much traffic. BMW engines, especially I6 3.0L even older 2.5L or 2.8L are made for higher RPM driving. Let's face it, it's not a Camry or Accord, it's a German performance car....enjoy it!
 
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