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liquidtiger720
05-24-2006, 11:11 PM
So...I found that driving around in sport mode (S3) in the city is quite rewarding. The shifts are smoother, and the car drives smoother overall. Gears don't shift as much and seems to shift faster.

Question is....will driving around in S3 for the city be detrimental to my transmission? Will it reduce its life significantly???? :D
Alexlind123
05-24-2006, 11:17 PM
Nope, your engine and transmission will last just as long :) Actually since your transmission has to shift less, it might even last slightly longer!
BillionPa
05-25-2006, 12:16 AM
make sure you have good motor oil and a working coolant system
shogun
05-25-2006, 12:27 AM
I even sometimes drive in 2nd gear and sports mode in the city, just to rev the engine a bit higher.
Because my old 1988 owners manual "instructs' me to do so, at least the German language one. It says one should drive the car over 3.000 RPM after long time city traffic or traffic jam to get the engine free again.
I just follow the instructions :D

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i155/shogun_bucket/th_laufAuto.gif
Mendozart
05-25-2006, 08:18 AM
This is my normal driving habit. I leave it in ED when I'm on the highway. As soon as I exit, I slip it to S3. You don't want it shifting to overdrive anyways on the streets.
fkong777
05-25-2006, 12:53 PM
why not look into a Dinan Tranny Chip?
E34 530
05-25-2006, 12:55 PM
What about driving around in s4??
fkong777
05-25-2006, 01:06 PM
What about driving around in s4??
I-6 dont have S4. they have 4 speed auto.

V8 wil have 5-speed auto
E34 530
05-25-2006, 01:36 PM
I-6 dont have S4. they have 4 speed auto.

V8 wil have 5-speed auto

ohh alright. I didn't know that. I had always heard that keeping the car in sport mode on a continual basis put excess stress on the tranny and led to premature failure.
liquidtiger720
05-25-2006, 02:34 PM
why not look into a Dinan Tranny Chip?


Can't afford it. :)


I've pretty much stopped all car mods period.

Last 2 I want are tint and swaybars, but they are not a priority.


I'm about 5k short for having all my college expenses covered for the next two years. I wanna get that wrapped up in the bank before I start modding again.



Looks like I'll be driving in S3 when I know its going to be a local/city drive. Thanks. :)
SC David
05-25-2006, 04:42 PM
I use second for the twisties :)
Tiger
05-25-2006, 04:56 PM
Nope... will not hurt a thing... just might burn gas more... but in city... you might actually save gas in S3.
infinity5
05-25-2006, 07:40 PM
wouldn't driving in sport mean putting lots more hp through your transmission, since you'll be at higher rpms all the time. you'll also be forcing the transmission to shift at much higher rpms, which is harder on it. I can easily see it increasing wear, but wear is just wear... :)
saj3n
05-25-2006, 08:02 PM
I have wondered about this issue. I love the quicker acceleration which is rewarded while driving in S4, but always wondered about the wear/tear on the engine/tranny. I know that it guzzles gas driving in these modes, or at least it feels that way. But Iahve always wanted to find out whether its best to not drive in this mode all the time.
BigTed00
05-25-2006, 09:35 PM
you mean your car shifts for you?

thats gotta suck sometimes :p
632 Regal
05-25-2006, 10:07 PM
you gotta love Shogun, all in all he is changing sig pics with the rest of us, this is great!

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i155/shogun_bucket/th_laufAuto.gif


I even sometimes drive in 2nd gear and sports mode in the city, just to rev the engine a bit higher.
Because my old 1988 owners manual "instructs' me to do so, at least the German language one. It says one should drive the car over 3.000 RPM after long time city traffic or traffic jam to get the engine free again.
I just follow the instructions :D

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i155/shogun_bucket/th_laufAuto.gif
shogun
05-25-2006, 10:27 PM
I am serious, Man!
That is my contribution to fuel saving. :p

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i155/shogun_bucket/th_laufAuto.gif
Anthony (M5 in Calgary)
05-26-2006, 07:21 AM
I am serious, Man!
That is my contribution to fuel saving. :p

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i155/shogun_bucket/th_laufAuto.gif

No cape!!!
(Edna Mode)
tim s
05-26-2006, 07:46 AM
with peak performance (as in smooth) at high rpms, torque, & hp.
he said the 5hp30 is one of a kind in the respect that it was engineered to shift smooth at the upper end as compared to being designed to shift smooth at a lower rpm.
my mech did say it was the largest auto box he ever saw for a sedan.
tim s.
swenpro
05-27-2006, 01:51 PM
with peak performance (as in smooth) at high rpms, torque, & hp.
he said the 5hp30 is one of a kind in the respect that it was engineered to shift smooth at the upper end as compared to being designed to shift smooth at a lower rpm.
my mech did say it was the largest auto box he ever saw for a sedan.
tim s.

Hmm, this makes sense

So, since my tranny has the notorious, car-jerking CLUNK into 3rd gear during moderate acceleration, I drive in S4 at slow speeds (smooth shift) then switch to AD once I'm past that gear

Recently I've even tried doin a little "manual" style (flipping the switch from A to M and using the shifter to change gears) and controlled shifting is very smooth. I was wondering, though, since the first "gear" on the selector is 2, is the car starting in 1 or 2?
Jay 535i
05-27-2006, 04:57 PM
This is my normal driving habit. I leave it in ED when I'm on the highway. As soon as I exit, I slip it to S3. You don't want it shifting to overdrive anyways on the streets.

Ditto. I'm always in S3 on roads with limits under 70KPH (40MPH), and sometimes use S2 when the limit is lower.

Starting next week, though, I'll be doing my own shifting. :D
Rustam
05-27-2006, 10:36 PM
So...I found that driving around in sport mode (S3) in the city is quite rewarding. The shifts are smoother, and the car drives smoother overall. Gears don't shift as much and seems to shift faster.

Question is....will driving around in S3 for the city be detrimental to my transmission? Will it reduce its life significantly???? :D

I don't think that driving in sport mode is detrimental to the transmission more than driving in ED. Sport mode simply makes the gears spin to higher points, essentially (relatively) same points as any other transmission gets to reach.
Driving is S3 is same as driving 3hp22 in regular automatic mode without the fancy of a computer that tells when to shift. It is essentially a "default setting"...

P.S. Yes the comparison of 4hp22 and 3hp22 maybe irrelevant in your case since you have different transmission, but point is S3 is a "default mode".