Scary Turbo kick at low RPM

[woodchuck]

So I've been driving 135's for a while thinking about getting one. The straight line speed is awesome, and once you get them revving a tiny bit, the turbo lag is not bad at all.

But starting from a stop that turbo delay is scary.

Yesterday I was driving one and I had to make a left turn across traffic on a busy road. I go to pull out and put the pedal down, so the 1 creeps out slowly at first, and then suddenly the turbo kicks and the thing shoots me out into the road and starts to oversteer. I beat it into submission, but man that's a scary feeling when you're accelerating from 0 and turning at the same time.

I assume you guys have noticed this; do you get used to it and learn ways to drive around it?

I mostly love how the turbos feel, but that sudden kick when you're starting from a stop is not very cool when you're turning.

[mad chemist]

Woodchuck,

Can't say I have really ever noticed the sort of turbo lag you describe. I find that 1st gear is usually a "throw-away" gear as the car is just too quick to respond at low revs!

Maybe you've been driving a car with a certain ECU version, which needs the "lag-fix" BMW software update.

Mad.

p.s having SSTT also really helps get things moving.

[TP 135i]

Hmmmm.....I don't have this. I have the first iteration software and have no turbo lag to speak of.
Do we think the current software is the cause???

I'll leave that up for discussion...

[KeithLM]

Was this in an auto or a manual? I drive an auto and find that it's very responsive from the get go and there is no noticeable turbo lag that would scare me like that. However if you floored it then you might have activated the kick down mode which meant you went from 2nd to 1st while revving up. I could see that as giving you a bit of a ride.

[JohnL135I]

The one has really no turbo lag, so not sure what you really think turbo lag is, but the one is far from having it.

What sounds like happened to you is the traction control kicked in and was reducing a lot of the power while you had the accelerator floored, then when the car released the power it was holding back you got a good kick in the pants.

The one is a high HP car, it will take some getting use to. I do have to disagree with you on the Turbo delay, I just don't see it.

[singular]

I have an auto and have noticed that in D there is often a lag and a bit of a kick at low RPM.

It's not nearly as noticeable in DS mode.

Also seems a little smoother when DTC is on.

[shodanusmc]

I have never had a problem turning left from a stop under the pressure of making it alive! Turbo lag? Have not experience that either. But, I would only mose out fast on dry pavement....when it is wet, I wait until I have a huge opening......I love this little "Cute" vehicle!

[amsfoto]

I have been noticing some really weird lag recently...it's like "steps" per say. I floor it and it feels like the car is roughly leaning into the throttle in stages.

[shodanusmc]

That is not right. You should take it in.....Should be as smooth as baby snot!

[Robert]

were you in the right gear? sometime I get lazy and don't downshift so it takes a second for the rev to get to engine's turbo band. I noticed more lag after the last software update. I may take the car in for a reflash.

[mynew135]

Don't think I'd be making a turn across oncoming traffic, which would require me to floor the 1er, in the first place, but that is besides the point. I've experienced no lag what so ever, until I added the JB+ and it's only minimal now.

I'd take it in and have it looked at.

[bmwzone]

Originally Posted by singular

I have an auto and have noticed that in D there is often a lag and a bit of a kick at low RPM.

It's not nearly as noticeable in DS mode.

Also seems a little smoother when DTC is on.

Its easy to talk about, its easy to sum it up when you just talk about automatics. We sittin' in here, I'm supposed to be the BMW 135i, and we in here talkin' about automatics. I mean listen, we talkin bout automatics. Not a stick, not a stick, not a stick. We talkin bout automatics. Not a stick, not a, not a, not the stick that I go out there and die for, and drive it like I stole it. Not the stick. We talkin' bout automatics, man. I mean how silly is that? We talkin' bout automatics. I know I'm supposed to be here @ 1addicts and all, I know I'm supposed to lead by example by ordering my 135i with a stick obviously. I know that, and I'm not shovin' it aside, you know, like it don't mean anything. I know its important, I do. I honestly do. But we talkin' bout automatics, man. What are we talkin' bout? automatics? We talkin' bout automatics man. We talk... We talkin' bout automatics. We talkin' bout automatics. We ain't talkin' bout the stick, we talkin' bout automatics, man. When you pull outta the drive in a BMW 135i, and you see me take off like a jet, you see me fly, don't you? You see me give everything I got, right? But we talkin' bout automatics right now. We talkin' bout automatics. Man look, I hear you and this lag nonsense, its funny to me too. I mean, its strange, its strange to me too. But we talkin' bout automatics man. We not even talkin' bout the stick, the actual stick, when it matters. We talkin' bout automatics.

[KeithLM]

Originally Posted by bmwzone

Its easy to talk about, its easy to sum it up when you just talk about automatics. We sittin' in here, I'm supposed to be the BMW 135i, and we in here talkin' about automatics. I mean listen, we talkin bout automatics. Not a stick, not a stick, not a stick. We talkin bout automatics. Not a stick, not a, not a, not the stick that I go out there and die for, and drive it like I stole it. Not the stick. We talkin' bout automatics, man. I mean how silly is that? We talkin' bout automatics. I know I'm supposed to be here @ 1addicts and all, I know I'm supposed to lead by example by ordering my 135i with a stick obviously. I know that, and I'm not shovin' it aside, you know, like it don't mean anything. I know its important, I do. I honestly do. But we talkin' bout automatics, man. What are we talkin' bout? automatics? We talkin' bout automatics man. We talk... We talkin' bout automatics. We talkin' bout automatics. We ain't talkin' bout the stick, we talkin' bout automatics, man. When you pull outta the drive in a BMW 135i, and you see me take off like a jet, you see me fly, don't you? You see me give everything I got, right? But we talkin' bout automatics right now. We talkin' bout automatics. Man look, I hear you and this lag nonsense, its funny to me too. I mean, its strange, its strange to me too. But we talkin' bout automatics man. We not even talkin' bout the stick, the actual stick, when it matters. We talkin' bout automatics.

WTF?

[singular]

Originally Posted by KeithLM

WTF?

+1 - looks like someone is off his meds.

[mynew135]

Originally Posted by bmwzone

Its easy to talk about, its easy to sum it up when you just talk about automatics. We sittin' in here, I'm supposed to be the BMW 135i, and we in here talkin' about automatics. I mean listen, we talkin bout automatics. Not a stick, not a stick, not a stick. We talkin bout automatics. Not a stick, not a, not a, not the stick that I go out there and die for, and drive it like I stole it. Not the stick. We talkin' bout automatics, man. I mean how silly is that? We talkin' bout automatics. I know I'm supposed to be here @ 1addicts and all, I know I'm supposed to lead by example by ordering my 135i with a stick obviously. I know that, and I'm not shovin' it aside, you know, like it don't mean anything. I know its important, I do. I honestly do. But we talkin' bout automatics, man. What are we talkin' bout? automatics? We talkin' bout automatics man. We talk... We talkin' bout automatics. We talkin' bout automatics. We ain't talkin' bout the stick, we talkin' bout automatics, man. When you pull outta the drive in a BMW 135i, and you see me take off like a jet, you see me fly, don't you? You see me give everything I got, right? But we talkin' bout automatics right now. We talkin' bout automatics. Man look, I hear you and this lag nonsense, its funny to me too. I mean, its strange, its strange to me too. But we talkin' bout automatics man. We not even talkin' bout the stick, the actual stick, when it matters. We talkin' bout automatics.

That made my day.

[elciddragon]

Originally Posted by bmwzone

Its easy to talk about, its easy to sum it up when you just talk about automatics. We sittin' in here, I'm supposed to be the BMW 135i, and we in here talkin' about automatics. I mean listen, we talkin bout automatics. Not a stick, not a stick, not a stick. We talkin bout automatics. Not a stick, not a, not a, not the stick that I go out there and die for, and drive it like I stole it. Not the stick. We talkin' bout automatics, man. I mean how silly is that? We talkin' bout automatics. I know I'm supposed to be here @ 1addicts and all, I know I'm supposed to lead by example by ordering my 135i with a stick obviously. I know that, and I'm not shovin' it aside, you know, like it don't mean anything. I know its important, I do. I honestly do. But we talkin' bout automatics, man. What are we talkin' bout? automatics? We talkin' bout automatics man. We talk... We talkin' bout automatics. We talkin' bout automatics. We ain't talkin' bout the stick, we talkin' bout automatics, man. When you pull outta the drive in a BMW 135i, and you see me take off like a jet, you see me fly, don't you? You see me give everything I got, right? But we talkin' bout automatics right now. We talkin' bout automatics. Man look, I hear you and this lag nonsense, its funny to me too. I mean, its strange, its strange to me too. But we talkin' bout automatics man. We not even talkin' bout the stick, the actual stick, when it matters. We talkin' bout automatics.

HAHAHAHA Allen Iverson from back in the day with the 76ers, love that clip to this day. Even better how it was in a series against the celtics and he was wearing a sox hat!

To those who are not aware of the clip, here it is on youtube:

Just replace stick with "the game" and automatics with "practice" and I think you'll get it...

[Randall41]

will the real MadMan please stand up and go to driver training

[1lvr]

Originally Posted by woodchuck

So I've been driving 135's for a while thinking about getting one. The straight line speed is awesome, and once you get them revving a tiny bit, the turbo lag is not bad at all.

But starting from a stop that turbo delay is scary.

Yesterday I was driving one and I had to make a left turn across traffic on a busy road. I go to pull out and put the pedal down, so the 1 creeps out slowly at first, and then suddenly the turbo kicks and the thing shoots me out into the road and starts to oversteer. I beat it into submission, but man that's a scary feeling when you're accelerating from 0 and turning at the same time.

I assume you guys have noticed this; do you get used to it and learn ways to drive around it?

I mostly love how the turbos feel, but that sudden kick when you're starting from a stop is not very cool when you're turning.

always do your test drive in timyoyo mode and place the gears shift in ds mode. you will enjoy it so much better but be carefull at first it will get away from you...

[woodchuck]

I was driving an automatic; it was in "S" , but I have noticed even in "S" the auto likes to start you from 2nd gear some times, which I think may be the problem. Hell the auto might have even downshifted when I floored it, maybe that was it. (the person who guessed it was the DTC might also be right, I've felt some slightly weird things from that cutting the power too much sometimes).

Definitely if I put it in 1st and rev it a bit before taking it off there's no problem.

[1lvr]

Hold the dtc button down for 4 seconds. Manually changing gears with the auto is a blast..

[stovesax08]

One of the aspects of the car that I have found with these cars is that with an automatic there is very noticeable throttle lag issue. It gets better in DS mode, but it is still there. The reason it isn't terribly noticeable in a manual is not because it isn't there, it is because you are engaging the clutch simultaneously...step on it while in gear and there is a 1/3-1/2 second hesitancy in the throttle response.

I believe this issue to be common to all of the (n54, at least) drive by wire cars, because I have experienced it in 3 135's and 2 335's (all the n54's I've driven). Some people are more sensitive to the issue than others: my father, for instance, doesn't notice this at all when in a manual, but does in an auto, where the affect is more pronounced from a standstill.

Before someone says I don't know what turbo lag feels like, I do-I used to own a 91 vr4-that had turbo lag. While these cars have a very small amount of turbo lag, it is nothing compared to the throttle lag.

[AlBel1214]

^^^ Agreed.. I have an auto and I notice a slight pause before the power kicks in...