[Mr Whippy]

First journey in the 335d and trying to figure out this gearbox.

I want sport mode on so the steering feels half decent, but the gearbox is driving around like I'm driving a 1.0 petrol engine.

I assumed gearbox when pushed left/right was sport/normal, but it seems putting the car in sport mode via button also changes the shifting.

Is there any way to isolate the two?


Ideally I want the gears to only go into sport when I change gear lever to sport.

But happy for gears to remain normal or eco pro in those button modes.



I was told it's a learning system, is it? Can it be reset?

The engine is so torquey I really don't get why it's wanting to be in such low gears so often, especially running along steady state at like 2000rpm at 40mph!

[Hooded]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong (I own a manual car) but I think you can go into the settings on the idrive and set it so sport mode is chassis only so you get the heavier steering but not the gear box and throttle changes. Pushing the stick left into DS mode will still change throttle response and gear shift points as it does in comfort mode when you move the stick left into DS though.

[dopper99]

Indeed. sounds like you got one of these top two selected. Just select chassis only instead. Chassis only will just affect the steering and adaptive suspension, if you have it.

[NanasBack]

Rubbish isn't it?
Each sport mode seems to select a lower gear and increased revs.
I think it's designed around a petrol engine which would make more sense to have the revs higher.
It's ironic, if you then use a manual shift (paddle or use the stick) , the gear indication suggest you keep changing up the gears to where you
started from, to get the revs down!


Bonkers.

[McBeemer]

Originally Posted by NanasBack

Rubbish isn't it?
Each sport mode seems to select a lower gear and increased revs.
I think it's designed around a petrol engine which would make more sense to have the revs higher.
It's ironic, if you then use a manual shift (paddle or use the stick) , the gear indication suggest you keep changing up the gears to where you
started from, to get the revs down!


Bonkers.

That's why many people have flashed the Alpina settings into the gearbox.

The revs don't rise when changing to Sports Mode and generally keeps everything less frantic.

[Jeff123]

Originally Posted by NanasBack

Rubbish isn't it?
Each sport mode seems to select a lower gear and increased revs.
I think it's designed around a petrol engine which would make more sense to have the revs higher.
It's ironic, if you then use a manual shift (paddle or use the stick) , the gear indication suggest you keep changing up the gears to where you
started from, to get the revs down!


Bonkers.

True - do many people actually drive diesels in sport mode? I spend half my day in traffic, what use is sport mode there?

[Mr Whippy]

Changed that setting and done the pretty route into Bridlington from the West today, much much nicer gears, and chassis/steering shining through too.

Looking forward to the run back later!


Now if I could get eco pro gears with sport steering... hmmm. More iDrive digging to do!

[goodbyalfa]

Originally Posted by Jeff123

True - do many people actually drive diesels in sport mode? I spend half my day in traffic, what use is sport mode there?

erm, yes... Far better throttle response for a start!

[mcoops]

Originally Posted by goodbyalfa

erm, yes... Far better throttle response for a start!

This. It's less about dropping a cog for me, and more about negating the delayed throttle response in Comfort. There's a good recent thread on pedal boxes which address this particular issue.

[NanasBack]

Originally Posted by McBeemer

That's why many people have flashed the Alpina settings into the gearbox.

The revs don't rise when changing to Sports Mode and generally keeps everything less frantic.

That's going on my Christmas list then.

[NanasBack]

Originally Posted by Jeff123

True - do many people actually drive diesels in sport mode? I spend half my day in traffic, what use is sport mode there?

And the other half of the day?

[4WDriver]

Sorry to say this but you need to buy an Audi

The drive select is a league ahead of my BMW. In my Audi I can select sport (Dynamic) and then flick the gear lever back to D from S. There it will stay until I change it again, I think that's what the OP is after. Unlike BMW who return the system to Comfort every switch off the Aldi stays where it is left until I want to play with it. Plus Audi dynamic steering is better than comfort, unlike my BMW where sport steering is just more viscous version of comfort, making it, if anything, less feelsome.
Oh and it always shows the gear I am in, and I can have coasting (or not) in whatever mode I like. and and and.
But I suppose Aldi is more expensive, car for car after discounts. Yer pays yer munny.....

[SteRaw]

Originally Posted by 4WDriver

Sorry to say this but you need to buy an Audi

Are you? Looks like you took great pleasure in those comments!

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Mr Whippy

I assumed gearbox when pushed left/right was sport/normal, but it seems putting the car in sport mode via button also changes the shifting.

Is there any way to isolate the two?

.....

I was told it's a learning system, is it? Can it be reset?

Remember besides the chassis/drivetrain options, putting the shifter in M/S position is not the same as the Sport mode drivetrain programming.

If you are using the 'drivetrain' Sport mode option, then put the shifter to M/S takes the gearbox to the full sport program. Sport mode is a sort of 'half-way' mode.

The driver influenced learning part is a real time adaptation. Your current inputs and driving conditions dictate the behaviour. Change your style (at any time) and/or the driving environment and it adapts along with you. Flick the shifter to M/S and back at any time to break the current adaptation.

For example, you are in a slow moving traffic flow and the gearbox settles to low rpm changes, a flick to M/S and back wakes it up again, ready for any immediate action.

[4WDriver]

Originally Posted by SteRaw

Are you? Looks like you took great pleasure in those comments!

Sorry for the OP! Not really great pleasure as I'm currently running both so it is 50% my gripe too.

Yes it is true that I am amazed at the leaps made by Audi with their newest offering on my drive, maybe my enthusiasm is a tad misplaced stating so on this forum But as I said, they are more expensive, car for car.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by 4WDriver

Sorry to say this but you need to buy an Audi

The drive select is a league ahead of my BMW.

The G30 shows BMW are now giving more individual options and choices. I'm sure the G20 will also move the game on.

I wouldn't say "a league ahead", just that BMW hasn't seen the necessity to give all the options to bread and butter models, keep the wider options/choices for the M-cars. I've seen it argued in BMW data, that some 'combinations' are not logical, why they haven't offered them. Clearly many customers don't agree, want more choice in performance selection.

To balance it up a bit, some BMW users still feel there shouldn't be any need for options anyway, just set it up as 'sporty' and that's it. Once we get options and choices there are always going to be users who want more and more options.

[Mr Whippy]

Ahhh jeez it's getting complex haha.

So sport mode is chassis (steering/dampers if fitted), and drivetrain (gearbox and throttle?)

Or is throttle part of chassis?

The sport mode can just do either or both.


Then gearbox has normal and sport.

Sport gearbox plus sport mode drivetrain is superior to just sport gearbox in sport mode (where sport mode is set to chassis only?)


So if you set sport mode to only adjust chassis, you can never access the best sporty gearbox mode?


Or does sport mode (with drivetrain off) activate sport mode drivetrain when the gearbox is changed to sport mode?

That would make more sense to me.

So the sport mode chassis only toggle just means you don't get the half baked sporty shifting in sport mode, and only get it when going to gearbox sport mode.


Hmmmm.


Either way I've done 160 miles today along a, b and c roads across N Yorks and enjoyed every minute.

Sport mode (drivetrain off) but not sport gearbox.

Very hard to drive the car and use all its power, especially with our 7 month old on board still backwards facing.
Can't wait till he's forward facing haha

[HighlandPete]

I'll attempt to answer from use of my own car.

Originally Posted by Mr Whippy

Ahhh jeez it's getting complex haha.

So sport mode is chassis (steering/dampers if fitted), and drivetrain (gearbox and throttle?) YES

Or is throttle part of chassis? NO

The sport mode can just do either or both. YES


Then gearbox has normal and sport. YES, with variations on whether you are in Comfort or Sport mode.

Sport gearbox plus sport mode drivetrain is superior to just sport gearbox in sport mode (where sport mode is set to chassis only?) Sport gearbox has higher shift points than Sport mode.

So if you set sport mode to only adjust chassis, you can never access the best sporty gearbox mode? Not the most aggressive settings, but toggling to Sport+ engages sport drivetrain mode. Then put the shifter to M/S for the full works, including 'full' manual mode.

Or does sport mode (with drivetrain off) activate sport mode drivetrain when the gearbox is changed to sport mode? I'd say similar to the Sport mode with drivetrain checked.

That would make more sense to me.

So the sport mode chassis only toggle just means you don't get the half baked sporty shifting in sport mode, and only get it when going to gearbox sport mode. With drivetrain unchecked, toggling to Sport+ mode and it engages the sport drivetrain mode. Flicking the shifter to M/S puts the gearbox in full sport program.

Hmmmm.


Either way I've done 160 miles today along a, b and c roads across N Yorks and enjoyed every minute.

Sport mode (drivetrain off) but not sport gearbox.

Very hard to drive the car and use all its power, especially with our 7 month old on board still backwards facing.
Can't wait till he's forward facing haha

[Mr Whippy]

Ah I forgot about sport+

I suppose if inclined you can set that then go to manual box and have full control and get sharp everything, but still drive it gently along using torque.

Then in sport mode just have the heavier steering only.


Kind of a shame that the throttle wasn't an option too, so sport mode had throttle, dampers, steering and gearbox options.


So sport+ just loosens traction control at lower speeds from what I read, but still keeps the car stable, unless you turn DSC fully off.


The main issue I find with the gearbox is it'll spend more time slushing gears rather than just spooling up the turbos in the gear it's in and getting you to the speed you wanted anyway.

It's ok as there is manual mode but whoever calibrated the gear shift vs throttle input tables must have been a bit of a numpty driver.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Mr Whippy

It's ok as there is manual mode but whoever calibrated the gear shift vs throttle input tables must have been a bit of a numpty driver.

What's wrong? I know some diesel drivers feel it is not ideal. Is some of it your point on the gearbox working? Rather than riding the full torque in auto mode.

No issues in my 535i, where the throttle and gear shifts are well matched. Both good with normal and sport throttle programming.

[Mr Whippy]

It can just seem to get it wrong, dropping a couple of gears over just riding the torque in the gear it's already in.

In the end this is where manual mode is a fine alternative because the tuning of auto mode will never be perfect for the users varied needs and knowledge of the road ahead and what they intend to do.


It's generally fine, I'm just being picky really.
If you're not in a hurry what does it matter.
If you are then manual mode and amble along in the torque at WOT in higher gears.