Thesport button, what does it do & do you use it?
- Thread starter cragswinter
- Start date
Since this is in the M-specific forum, I'll assume you're talking about the Sport button on a Z4M. It simply sharpens the throttle response, and IMO is a complete waste of time. The throttle is more than responsive enough with the standard map. With "Sport" engaged, making throttle transitions smoothly is nigh-on impossible, which is just down-right useless.
It's a pure marketing ploy, and irritates the hell out of me!! lol
It's a pure marketing ploy, and irritates the hell out of me!! lol
Everytime I fancy hearing that roar and putting a smile on me and my passengers face ..
Ok you got me most of the time its just me!
Ok you got me most of the time its just me!
cragswinter
Member
yeah i did think that, kind of "ello 991"! but it's a pretty tenuous link so perhaps not eh!BigT said:
yep it's the M version i'm on about, & i've got to say in my limited experience of it i found the same, i just wasn't clear if it did anything else to the steering or anything.sixspeed said:
like i said in my op, it almost feels like you put your foot down a bit & the throttle holds back, then gives you full throttle after a fraction of a second to make it "feel" snappier.
i'll reserve full judgement until after oulton park tomorrow but i have a feeling i'll think it's crap on track too
I'm with the general consensus on here which is I use it on a cross-country "spirited drive" (aka hoon) or on the M-way assuming traffic is light. In built up areas or stop-start traffic it stays firmly off because throttle modulation becomes nigh on impossible to do smoothly.
Bing said:john56 said:Hoon!! explain please,,
P.S. im old.ldman:
Hoon - noun : a spirited drive of variable length, either pre-planned starting with a meet or randomly enacted when nipping to the shops for milk / you're bored.
Hoon - verb : to drive very quickly (though responsibly) along interesting roads, with or without Sport 'on'
Ta!
pilchardthecat
Active member
The main advantage (as far as i can tell) is that the livelier throttle changes the fueling more briskly, which has the side-effect of making it pop and bang on the overrun more
Sorry to go against the majority, but I have mine engaged all the time. I hate the way that the early part of the pedal travel leads to a damped throttle response when sport is off. When I press the throttle I expect an immediate response from the engine as you would have with a system using a throttle cable. I know that even with a cable system the degree of response to a given amount of pedal travel varies depending on where in the pedal excursion that pedal movement occurs (due to the varying helix of the cable pulley), but you always get some response! With the ///M, the first part of the pedal travel really doesn't open the throttle with sport disenagaged. I find that reliable, swift double declutching is tricky without sport engaged, and the car can even bog down a little when pulling away briskly. I don't struggle with bunny hopping, but that's probably because I'm used to the snappy throttle response.
I do agree with pilcahrdthecat, there are more pops and bangs with sport mode, unfortunately that means more unburnt Shell is being wasted too!
I do agree with pilcahrdthecat, there are more pops and bangs with sport mode, unfortunately that means more unburnt Shell is being wasted too!
cragswinter
Member
BMWZ4MC said:
interesting, 'cos i still find it's shite
imo in sport it almost holds the throttle back for a split second before opening up further than you want. i've got to be honest i didn't even switch it on at oulton park last week but i'll give it a go at the ring at the end of march.
do you seriously double declutch in your Z? again, maybe it's because i'm coming from porsche's but i find the peddles almost to far apart to comfortably heal & toe, it's like learning to do it all over again!
cragswinter said:BMWZ4MC said:
interesting, 'cos i still find it's shite
imo in sport it almost holds the throttle back for a split second before opening up further than you want. i've got to be honest i didn't even switch it on at oulton park last week but i'll give it a go at the ring at the end of march.
do you seriously double declutch in your Z? again, maybe it's because i'm coming from porsche's but i find the peddles almost to far apart to comfortably heal & toe, it's like learning to do it all over again!
Not sure what it is you're feeling cragswinter. When I have sport on there certainly isn't a momentary lag like you describe, just instant sharp throttle. For me it is difficult to control smoothly in town so it is usually off in town. But as soon as on an open road I like it on. The extra sharpness of the throttle makes the car seem more 'alive'/angry. I've never tracked but would assume it would be the right environment to use it in.
I agree with what BMWZ4MC says about when sport button is off- there is a bit of lag between pressing throttle and getting 'go' - almost like what you are describing when you have it on? Just a thought cragswinter but Have you had a remap? That may change the characteristics of the two modes?
cragswinter said:
Always
unless I actively concentrate on not doing so. Double declutching has become hardwired at a brainstem level. I started doing so in my teens when driving old cars with knackered gearboxes. Braking for a corner, and changing down into second at 35-40mph just isn't possible in a 1986 Fiat Uno without compensating for the tired synchromesh. Why would you want? Why, to ensure that when accelerating out of said corner the engine is at peak torque of course 
BMWZ4MC said:cragswinter said:
Always
BMWZ4MC said:cragswinter said:
Always
Accurate rev-matching is so much more important in a RWD car to avoid dragging the rear wheels into a corner and spinning out. In fact, on the track in my Westfield I have been known to deliberately under rev whilst rev-matching on the down change for tight corners or chicanes to encourage the back end to drift out a little and allow faster cornering. This can be amazing...or it can end in tyre smoke and embarrassment :lol:
cragswinter
Member
Cool story broBMWZ4MC said:BMWZ4MC said:cragswinter said:
Always
Accurate rev-matching is so much more important in a RWD car to avoid dragging the rear wheels into a corner and spinning out. In fact, on the track in my Westfield I have been known to deliberately under rev whilst rev-matching on the down change for tight corners or chicanes to encourage the back end to drift out a little and allow faster cornering. This can be amazing...or it can end in tyre smoke and embarrassment :lol:
Seriously I can't even think of the last car I had that needed double declutching-& I'm including my 915 boxed 911 in that!
Heel & toe fair enough, & yes I heel & toe when on track to match engine revs to wheel speeds but even in the old Porsche there was no need to help the synchro's along by double declutching?
I suppose it's not going to do you any harm I guess, I just think heel & toe suffices in a modern car, plus as I said I'd find it hard to anything more than give the throttle a blip whilst braking such are the peddle spacings.