Z4 E85 ‘Sport’ Button

L1ND4

L1ND4

Member
 Sydney
Hi All,

I have just activated the ‘Sport’ button in my Z4 for the first time since assuming ownership, just a lick over 1 month ago.
I was blown away. Literally.
I could not stop laughing out loud. Literally.
Why didn’t anybody tell me about this?
I’ve used Sport buttons before. But this… this is something else.

P.S.
My soft top no longer functions.
 
L1ND4 said:
Hi All,

I have just activated the ‘Sport’ button in my Z4 for the first time since assuming ownership, just a lick over 1 month ago.
I was blown away. Literally.
I could not stop laughing out loud. Literally.
Why didn’t anybody tell me about this?
I’ve used Sport buttons before. But this… this is something else.

P.S.
My soft top no longer functions.
Click to expand...
Pretty sure the sport button is not responsible for the roof not working!
What are the symptoms? Any lights? Does the front unlock?
 
Either you are being sarcastic or you have an automatic, because the sport button on a manual does bugger all.
 
Zedebee said:
Either you are being sarcastic or you have an automatic, because the sport button on a manual does bugger all.
Click to expand...
Yes it does! Although it is a kind of placebo effect. It changes the throttle actuation, so whereas in 'normal', pushing the pedal halfway only opens the throttle about 1/3, in Sport, pushing it halfway opens the throttle 2/3. (Approximation). So it doesn't change anything to make the car faster, just makes your inputs more sensitive. Allegedly stiffens the steering too, but I can never really tell the difference.
In an auto it holds the gears longer, but the throttle bit is just the same.

@Zedebee - maybe you're just lead-footed so it doesn't make much difference to you? (I am being sarcastic now :rofl: )
 
caius said:
It changes the throttle pedal from a lazy useless flap of plastic to something I can reliably double-clutch with - my muscle memory for blipping the throttle just doesn't work with it not in sport mode.
Click to expand...
In the ///M, there’s a dead spot with almost no change in throttle opening over the first centimetre of pedal travel. It’s very frustrating when heel-and-toeing. The sport button goes some way to improving things by making the next centimetre of pedal travel much more effective, but it’s still a far cry from a cable-actuated throttle.
 
Ok, ok. My experience of the sport button in a manual is that it made very little difference. In an auto, not only does it hold the gears longer but it also drops a cog on the 5HP and two cogs on the 6HP which lends a very different driving experience.
 
Zedebee said:
Ok, ok. My experience of the sport button in a manual is that it made very little difference. In an auto, not only does it hold the gears longer but it also drops a cog on the 5HP and two cogs on the 6HP which lends a very different driving experience.
Click to expand...
I’m sure how much difference it makes varies significantly between generations of Z4 and individual models, not to mention driving styles. It makes sense that change in character of the car is more substantial in an automatic through the mechanisms you describe.

Our diesel F Pace runs in a lower gear, holds gears longer and shifts more aggressively in sport mode. The performance difference between manually shifting in Dynamic and Sports mode together vs. automatic shifting in Comfort with Sports mode off is dramatic. With 700Nm of torque, it’s unreasonably rapid for a big, old bus.
 
I dislike using the sport button on my Z4M. It just makes it harder to modulate throttle application mid corner. Even for heel-toe I prefer the extra modulation of non-sport mode, otherwise I'd overblip all the time.
 
On my 3.0 auto, the sports button turns the car into a beast .
The throttle response is amazing.
I'm amazed that the OP waited a month before using it.
 
firebobby said:
On my 3.0 auto, the sports button turns the car into a beast .
The throttle response is amazing.
I'm amazed that the OP waited a month before using it.
Click to expand...
Yup, the auto benefits much more from it. I call it the 'Jekyll and Hyde' switch!
Wife doesn't like the sensitivity of the throttle though, so she rocks the gear selector to the left and just has the gearbox in sport.
 
I also tend to use the lever in preference to the button. The button drops it down two gears while the lever drops one. It does make the steering heavier (which i don't like) and makes the accelerator overly sensitive for my size 11's.
 
Rockhopper said:
I also tend to use the lever in preference to the button. The button drops it down two gears while the lever drops one. It does make the steering heavier (which i don't like) and makes the accelerator overly sensitive for my size 11's.
Click to expand...
Didn't realise the difference in gear selection. Ours is a 2.5i and it makes a decent difference in performance, possibly more so than the 3.0 which has the extra torque. Obviously I mean the relative performance gain: not suggesting it out-performs a 3.0.
 
IMO the 'sport' button on these cars is pretty archaic and a bit of a gimmick. Platform shoes would have much the same effect!
I have had three generations of BMW with 'modes' of one form or another and not found any of them much more than a gimmick.
Some more modern cars do a LOT more with multiple driving 'modes'.
The wife's Focus ST has a 'track mode'; that changes the car into a complete hooligan including rev-matching, different fuel map, opens exhaust flaps, switches off TC, weights the steering. It also pumps the dampers on most but ours has coilovers which are only manually adjustable.
 
I've never used it in any of my Z4s as I prefer to have the full movement of the accelerator pedal doing something, rather than have the last bit of travel not making any difference!

And Now I've bought the M it doesn't actually change anything else. Much better idea would be turning off the T/C, although I haven't felt brave enough yet. :rolleyes:
 
Mr Tidy said:
…snip…
Click to expand...

Mr Tidy said:
Much better idea would be turning off the T/C, although I haven't felt brave enough yet. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Perhaps it’s time for Mr Tidy to emulate his name, more so given the origin?

You can programme M Track mode as a halfway house. It turns off the traction control but retains the DSC (for what it’s worth).

M Track mode is actually fairly useless when driving hard on the track, since the over-sensitive DSC overheats the rear brake pads (DSC fully off is by far the best option on track). However, it is useful on the road where it allows full-bore acceleration with wheel spin at the discretion of the driver, but should still catch you if there is a loss of directional stability.

The standard TC settings allow it to intervene far too early and it seems to cut power even before the light flashes. I’ve tried back-to-back hard acceleration from a standing start with DSC on, in M Track mode and with it fully off. There’s definitely a performance deficit with the system fully on that’s resolved with TC off in M Track mode and with DSC fully off.

The only time I’ve spun my Zed on the road was in torrential rain with all the systems switched on and fairly new road tyres. The DSC did nothing to intervene. On the track, with everything off, the limit of grip is easily found and the car is very controllable just within that (with the caveat that my suspension is far from OEM).
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom