It will shift into 6th gear if you go fast enough

 

Whereas the American Heritage Dictionary says that "spontaneous" is:

"1) Happening or arising without apparent external cause; self-generated"

I really do hope my engine doesn't respond by itself, and decide when it wants to floor itself!

So, I bet they mean "engine responds to spontaneous input from the driver". This almost seems like a problem with translation from German to English. I'd be interested to see what a BMW manual for one of their cars say about a similar option to our sport button.

Cheers

 

Wouldn't a kick down feature on be in an automatic? Mine is a manual.

 

Both in and out of sport mode I'm getting a pressure of 24.4 PSI with the scangauge when I floored it. Atmospheric is 14.7 psi today so that's a boost of 9.7psi either way.

(About 3k revs in 6th, with the engine already warmed up.)

 

Horatio is right

 

I hit the Sport button today for the 1st time since I got the car 6 days ago - forgot the car had the button... Anyways, I agree there is a difference and have to agree the car does react more spontaneous, making it feel more powerful and precise. I am unsure if this somehow reduces MPG, though?

P.S. - The car is a manual transmission

 

Magic happens when you hit the SPORT button.

 

I had a SPD Dynodash hooked up.

With and without the Sport button activated, the max boost levels are the same.

 

the sport button fixes the BROKEN gas peddle

I cannot drive this car without the sport button on

 

You should have your car looked at, or consider a driver education school.

 

ahh yes, posters like this are why I rarely post on this forum, and stick to the BMW ones

 

Lighten up, Francis! I think that he was just joking around. If you were a little more specific on why you must have it on at all times, you probably wouldn't have received the comment.....

Ciao,

Jeff

98 Mini Classic
08 MCS on the Way
Dreaming of an 09 JCW...

 

anyone that's used it knows why, you have to push the gas pedal twice as far to get a response, if you always drive with the sport on, and forget to turn it on, you'll stall the car, that's how I always know I forgot to turn it on

I wish there was a way to customize it, I love the sport button on throttle curve, I hate the steering change though

 

Does anyone have experience driving an MC or MCC with the sport button on, and comparing the acceleration response to an MCS or MCCS with the sport button off? What is the acceleration response from standstill 0-5 mph, and for a lane change burst at 60-70 mph?

I've ordered a new clubman without the turbo because I didn't like the acceleration response on the turbo... too much lag before the boost. Plus, I'm a terrible (great) driver, constantly speeding, so non-turbo was a safety feature to me. I know it will probably be sluggish for merging onto the freeway but generally the non-turbo should keep me out of trouble.

 

sport button only makes a difference at part throttle. if you go WOT (wide open throttle) then it makes no difference because the throttle will be open 100% regardless of the sport button being on or off.

 

You make silly comments but can't handle a reply? I've owned my M far longer than my Mini, there's little difference in the forums: people who make grossly inaccurate statements catch flak.

 

The steering doesn't bother me, but I don't like the change in shift points on my MCSa. It would be perfect if i could get sport throttle and non-sport auto shifting

 

Well, it certainly DOES make a difference, but only in feel, not in performance.

It'd be like changing your steering wheel... it feels nice, but it isn't going to make your car any faster. It is what I thought about it when I test drove it... don't actually have my vehicle yet... argh!

 

i feel the steering improvement moreso than the "more responsive throttle".
maybe i should be a little more aggressive to feel the difference.
im not gonna lie, with the gas prices the way they are....i generally granny shift. occassionally i will rip it, and it's heaven. with or without sport button.

 

I did spend sometime to work out what Sport button do, here is what I found based on "feel" or direct observation:

On a R56 MCSa:
1. Automatic up-shift point moved from ~2500 to ~3000+ rpm.

2. In non-sport mode, the gearbox seems to learn a bit from your driving in recent time. I deliberately drove like fuel saving race for 1 week to see if it can learn: the average up-shift point drops to nearly 2100 rpm from 2500rpm.

3. In sport mode the shift is faster but rougher in manual mode , and some nice rev-matching for each downshift. Do the same manual shift in non-sport mode, it becomes less jerky but slower.

4. In sport mode it starts from 1st ("DS") and tops at 5th, non-sport does the 2nd to 6th sequence. Start from 1st in either mode can be quite tricky in the traffic jam, but since the non-sport does start from 2nd at any point, starts from 2nd in either mode won't do any harm to the engine.

5. Throttle responses is much more direct with sport mode, it almost feels like the rev counter following my right foot, and in Sport + Auto shift, any lift-off will result in some nice downshift and small amount of extra engine brake which is good for downhill. I feel the non-sport mode mapping tries too hard to restrict torque from the engine/turbo for the first few hundreds rpm, it is very annoying and jerky for me, and occasionally it can become dangerous to drive on a bumpy road @ 10-15mph in the traffic jam (better be awake if you are in those situation).

6. At highway speed, sport mode still gives you decent level of throttle response if you want to play, while non-sport mode doesn't really response to your micro adjustment unless you push a bit harder or more rapidly.

7. Steering is on the heavy side in sport mode, but a real go-kart does have heavy steering, so I won't complain except in parallel parking.

Currently I am settling with Sport+manual shift mode & start@2nd like non-sport automatic mode. My driving style is somewhat smooth and "captain slow" like for most of the time, and I do manually shift to 6th whenever I have chance.

 

IMHO it does increase performance. Think about it this way. The car has a "fly by wire" gas pedal. There is not a direct, physically-acting link between the gas pedal and the throttle body so your throttle inputs aren't proportionate. I mean, if you slam the gas pedal to the floor, the throttle body reacts in the manner that it was programmed to react. Activating the sport button sets this to an alternate protocol, as someone else above said, where the throttle body more closely mimics your throttle inputs on the gas pedal. Understand? I know it's confusing as hell but that's the best way I know to explain it.

 

"Warp speed Scotty"

"Capt'n, I've engaged the sport button.....she can't take anymore!"

 

I call it the "FUN" button.

 

When I press the Sport button, I get propositions, both job related and otherwise... Your results may vary...

 

According to a Road & Track article, which I also heard from a salesman:

Stiffens the steering feel and forces more exhaust through the turbo charger than normal causing about a 15-20 hp or lb-ft of torque increase.

With that in mind, it's recommended not to drive with it on for long periods of time because it's FORCING more than normal amounts of exhaust gases through the turbo. Forcing is generally not good. So to extend the life of the turbocharger, I wouldn't leave it on for more than a fun acceleration or pass on the freeway/track.

It sure does make it much more fun to drive!