e36 automatic SLOW new bmw owner help!

[brax]

just got my e36 about 3 weeks ago, really startin to wish i got a 5speed, will just swapping the rear diff help alot? or would the 5 speed conversion be alot better? can anyone give em any tips for cheap performance upgrades? thanks

also im looking for contour rims, can trade 17s or $$

[peytonrm]

If you just got it than you probably havent put any money into it so you would be better off just selling it and getting a manual. It is very expensive to do the conversion. A diff is also very expensive because there is nothing higher than what you have without getting a custom one.

I think chip, pullies, and fan delete are the best mods because they make power all throught the rev range without sacrifices anywhere.

Have you tried using "3" mode? It causes it to rev much higher before shifting. BMW recommends it, so no worries.

[brax]

i drive with it in "3" to prevent it from going into overdrive all the time, if thats what you mean, i have access to a salvage yard and a whole 318 donor car, im uncertain about the ecu flash though, anyone?

[JoeOner]

I ALSO HAVE AN AUTO, BUT U MEAN PUTTING THE CAR TO "M" AND PUTTING THE SHIFT LEVER AT 3? I THOUGHT THAT WAS AN UPHILL FUNTION OR SOMTHING LIKE THAT. IM NEW AT THIS STUFF SO IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME TOO IT WOULD BE GRETALY APPRECIATED. ANYWAY WHAT IS THE A/M FUNTION NEXT TO THAT SHIFT LEVER,. AND WHATS THE 1, 2 ,OR 3 FUNTION?
THANX
JOE

[brax]

correct me if im wrong but M stands for manual, it will hold the car in whatever gear you select, "no downshifts or upshifts" unless you move the shift lever, this is good for

driving up hills,
or if your corner'n hard you dont want the tranny shifting on ya when you pause for the corner like a manual

[Rick325i]

brax is correct, except that in M, it won't shift to 4th, but hold 3rd in D.
IF you just put it in 3 and leave the A/M switch in A, you're in sport shift mode which holds the gear longer for higher revs before shifting, and is much nicer to use around town if you drive aggressively at all.

[smackbelly]

I SPOKE ABOUT THIS IN ANOTHER FORUM... TRANSCRIPT BELOW

Post #1
okay let me chime in... the manumatic was one of the reasons i bought my 97 328i (yes its true)... over the last two months i have been playing around with the different features of the auto tranny... firstly you guys are right and wrong about 45MPH, it seems that the 1st Redlines at 45MPH, 2nd Redlines at 60-62MPH (the Interstate in the our city is 55MPH), 3rd Redlines at 110MPH, and 4th at Max Speed. Now the car wont downshift to 2nd until speed is <58-60MPH and wont downshift to 1st until speed is <30MPH, this is fine by me because if I had a manual I would have replaced my engine by now.
I do find however that manually shifting yields much faster acceleration than doing so by in sport mode, If you drive around 45MPH in 2nd the tach is around 5000RPM (close to the magic number for torque and hp) after this point acceleration is extremely quick for city driving and lite-highway racing.

Oh and for major fun, turn of ASC(if not wet) stick it into manual start at 1st and slam on the accelerator... if its breathing right (my car performs better when its cooller outside), the G's glue you to your seat... you hear a very pronounced chirp when shifting from 1st to 2nd, just like a manual... i love it (strange but true), but NO ONE talks about, this is the first post I have read... keep it up...

Post #2
Yeah... i guess D=4th, not sure if the tranny is an actual 4-Speed or if the M/D(M/4) is a seperate gear, i think it is a 4-Speed Tranny...

after testing these cars have about 8 shift modes...

A1 - Killer Torque (Actually Redlines, never shifts out, be careful... especially when its wet)
A2 - Super Quick Accel and Engine Breaking (Shifts about 500RPM later than A3)
A3 - Factory Sport Mode (Prolonged Gear Shift)
AD(4) - Normal Overdrive (Gear Hunting 4-3-4)

Note: Manual Modes will Never Shift UP or DOWN automatically...
M1 - 1st Gear (Top Speed = 45MPH)
M2 - 2nd Gear (Top Speed = 62MPH)
M3 - 3rd Gear (Top Speed = 115MPH)
MD(4) - 4th Gear (Top Speed = ?)

gear engagement isnt terribly slow, probably on the order of milliseconds slower than a Manual Tranny... however you will have to test WHEN to shift because somtimes it takes a second depending on speed and accelerator position... some really fun stuff...

[brax]

"turn of ASC" is this traction control? if not what is it? dunno if i have this, mines a 93 325is, if so how do i turn it off?

also if you auto guys are experementing with the manual/auto shifting, in my car i have to shift 500 rpm before redline due to the delay in shifting, if not you will go beyone redline, WATCH THIS GUYS!!

[joe325i]

i have a 94 and i have no asc...
i leave it in auoto all the time now... becuase i had a scary incident after having my car in manual and downshifting at the wrong revs goind down a hill... the engine spun up to 3k and when i stoped to back into my friends driveway i got now power in revurse... i put it in drive no power i could rev but nothing was transfered to the road. only happened that one time. now i always leave it in auto.

[Dinan330ic]

ASC is traction control. It stands for Active Stability Control (I think). You may or may not have it. Look in your console area next to the cigarette lighter. if you have a button labeled ASC, then you have ASC; otherwise you're all by yourself. If you're still not sure, try burning out. If you see a flashing triagle in your speedometer console, then you have it. My 94 has it, but I'm not sure about 93's.

[brax]

i dont have it i guess thats bad , maybe its good i dont have it!~ hehe

[mdibatti]

What do you think's better for the engine.

1. driving it in auto

2. driving it in 3rd gear, auto sport

3. driving it in manual mode

2 and 3 are much more fun when bombing around town, but will it cause more wear and tear on the engine, or do these engines welcome the extra work?

i really enjoy manual, but worry that my heavy foot driving will cost me down the road....

[joe325i]

man! i wish my car ASC... a couple times int he winter that would have given me a lot less close calls, a lsd would probably help over the open diff's to hehe.

[joe325i]

Originally posted by Dinan325ic
ASC is traction control. It stands for Active Stability Control (I think).

asc means automatic stability control.

[brax]

no snow here, all sun! i really doubt your going to wear your motor out that much sooner, bmw are built pretty bomb proof, if your really worried about your motor, run synthetic oil

[Iniquity]

Originally posted by mdibatti
What do you think's better for the engine.

1. driving it in auto

2. driving it in 3rd gear, auto sport

3. driving it in manual mode

2 and 3 are much more fun when bombing around town, but will it cause more wear and tear on the engine, or do these engines welcome the extra work?

i really enjoy manual, but worry that my heavy foot driving will cost me down the road....

#2 is what you want to leave it in. There was an extensive discussion about this over on DTM Power. The conclusion: choice #3 is very very bad for your auto tranny. If you want to race, leave it in choice #2. If you're just cruising then leave it in A(D). True, using the (M) mode will give you a slightly faster acceleration.. but not much.. unless you plan to get a new tranny or do a tranny swap (which I do) don't use M mode to race. It was meant to get you out of tough positions if your car gets stuck in mud or snow, etc.

[mdibatti]

How about leaving it in M mode, when just driving around town, cool and calm, not racing? Is it still bad for the auto trans?

I'm assuming everyone here drives an auto trans....for some reason when mine shifts from 2nd to 3rd, it kind of studders, not very smooth like the other gears...anyone else notice this?

It's probably normal, but thought I'd throw it out there