# 2005 E46 M3 speed limiter a myth?



## blackM3 (Mar 17, 2005)

Ok here is a question? I have a brand new 2005 M3 6 speed. I was told it had a speed limiter of 155MPH. 

This is Definetely not true, as I went for a long drive on very long and hilly roads yesterday, and had the car up to an honest indicated 168 MPH (and still pulling) in 5th gear (down a hill). I remember reading somewhere that the speed limiter is bypassed in 5th, and only applied in 6th. Well I tried the same thing in 6th, got it up around 160 and was still pulling (on the flats). 

I know my dealer told me about selling me a dinan program that will take the speed limiter off for around $399.

What gives? Did they remove it for the 05 models? Its totally stock, with no miles, and has 1600 miles on it.

-Andy


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## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

Much as it pains me to dignify this post with a response, keep in mind that BMW speedos have a tolerance of +10% PLUS an additional few MPH.


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## elbert (Mar 28, 2002)

Nick325xiT 5spd said:


> Much as it pains me to dignify this post with a response


 :rofl:


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## flproject13 (Mar 27, 2005)

don't hit a deer or anything jeez hit the track


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## JPinTO (Dec 20, 2001)

blackM3 said:


> honest indicated 168 MPH


It's only honest when the GPS says it is.


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## Mr. The Edge (Dec 19, 2001)

there's no limiter in 5th gear


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## BahnBaum (Feb 25, 2004)

blackM3 said:


> I have a brand new 2005 M3 6 speed.
> 
> ....had the car up to an honest indicated 168 MPH (and still pulling) in 5th gear (down a hill).


So how's the break-in going?

Alex


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## 01Byte (Jun 22, 2003)

BahnBaum said:


> So how's the break-in going?
> 
> Alex


 :rofl:


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## EZ (Feb 27, 2003)

Nick325xiT 5spd said:


> Much as it pains me to dignify this post with a response, keep in mind that BMW speedos have a tolerance of +10% PLUS an additional few MPH.


If there were a speed limiter, it would've been trigerred by a speedometer measurement with all the uncertainties present, not by the actual speed. So, your comment, though valid, does not apply in this case.


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

EZ said:


> If there were a speed limiter, it would've been trigerred by a speedometer measurement with all the uncertainties present, not by the actual speed. So, your comment, though valid, does not apply in this case.


BMW speed limiters are based off the speed sensor in the diff, not the actual speedometer. So it will kick in in a specific gear at a specific engine RPM.


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## dawgbone (Nov 19, 2004)

What's the point of a limiter at 155 anyways..It takes so painfully long to get there...
So now my question is this..What's the difference between 18" & 19"...And differences between SMG and 6spd..
Seriously, I have yet to tear down the 6spd, but from what I've seen of short throws, never did I see a gear sensor...So how does it know what gear you're in? :dunno:


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## dawgbone (Nov 19, 2004)

BahnBaum said:


> So how's the break-in going?
> 
> Alex


 :rofl: No doubt..I've heard so many different beliefs on break-ins, but I think that I would go with the factory suggestion, being that they had many recalls with the motor.
BTW with break-in in mind, does everyone else agree, that this M, just won't do a thing until past 2k..I'm mainly talking about 2nd gear launches from a stop sign roll through(California)??? Just wondering if that would have anything to do with break-in, or just a characteristic of the s54/manual tranny??


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## blackM3 (Mar 17, 2005)

Well, Thanks to all that had something to say. Even though much responses felt like they came from my father!

The car had 2100 miles on it. It was broken in exactly as BMW insisted. I ask purely for technical reasons, and not to spark moral debates. And not for nothing, but why would a 55k car have speedometer error in excess of 10% give or take, especially an M car? Is that something only for the ignorant american market? Doesnt make sense to me. My old benz is right on when Im going "150" in it, GPS verified. You dont buy an M car for sunday drives at the speed limit (well, some do, unfortunetely). 

I have a GPS enabled laptop, and maybe someday I will actually see who is right. Not my biggest priority though.


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## boxerman (Dec 13, 2004)

Was the car still pulling reasonably hard at the top of 5th, if not any top speed is only theoretical. Many modern cars have tall gearing and aerodynamics so can eventualy reach high top speeds, the question is how fast do they accelerate above 140, because if it takes time to add each mph above say 150 then the usable top speed has been reached.


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## brianj747 (Feb 22, 2005)

*MR wolf*



blackM3 said:


> Well, Thanks to all that had something to say. Even though much responses felt like they came from my father!
> 
> The car had 2100 miles on it. It was broken in exactly as BMW insisted. I ask purely for technical reasons, and not to spark moral debates. And not for nothing, but why would a 55k car have speedometer error in excess of 10% give or take, especially an M car? Is that something only for the ignorant american market? Doesnt make sense to me. My old benz is right on when Im going "150" in it, GPS verified. You dont buy an M car for sunday drives at the speed limit (well, some do, unfortunetely).
> 
> I have a GPS enabled laptop, and maybe someday I will actually see who is right. Not my biggest priority though.


I agree there are alot of posers out there!


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## Cowboy Bebop (May 17, 2003)

PER an SIB from BMW AG, there is an allowable error of 7% +10 mph that is considered NORMAL!
one of the least accurate speedo's in the industry.


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## BahnBaum (Feb 25, 2004)

blackM3 said:


> Well, Thanks to all that had something to say. Even though much responses felt like they came from my father!
> 
> The car had 2100 miles on it.


I guess when you said you had a "brand new M3 6 speed", I made the mistake of assuming that when you said "brand new", you meant "brand new". My bad.

Dad

Alex


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## Mr. The Edge (Dec 19, 2001)

blackM3 said:


> The car had 2100 miles on it. It was broken in exactly as BMW insisted.


not if you had it up to that speed at that mileage.

up to 1200 miles no full throttle, max. engine speed 5500 rpm, and 
max. vehicle speed 106 mph. Up to 3100 miles max. vehicle 
speed 137 mph and only for a short time. So, it looks like after 
1200 miles there are no restrictions on engine speed and 
throttle position, and after 3100 miles no restrictions at all


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## BahnBaum (Feb 25, 2004)

atyclb said:


> not if you had it up to that speed at that mileage.
> 
> up to 1200 miles no full throttle, max. engine speed 5500 rpm, and
> max. vehicle speed 106 mph. Up to 3100 miles max. vehicle
> ...


Poser.

Alex


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## blackM3 (Mar 17, 2005)

Sincerely,

Poser


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## fm_illuminatus (Jun 13, 2005)

Nick325xiT 5spd said:


> Much as it pains me to dignify this post with a response, keep in mind that BMW speedos have a tolerance of +10% PLUS an additional few MPH.


Why would this pain you? Speed is not a sole indicator of irresposiblity or danger. Remember the German Autoban has less fatalities per mile than the US highway system. Large sections of that have no speed limit, and drivers often push 200... and I'm sure BMW's make up a significant portion of the high speed traffic.


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## johnf (Sep 16, 2003)

Cowboy Bebop said:


> PER an SIB from BMW AG, there is an allowable error of 7% +10 mph that is considered NORMAL!
> one of the least accurate speedo's in the industry.


If you are thinking of the bulletin I have seen, it is from BMW NA. Munich would likely have quoted things in km/h. BTW, the NA bulletin had a minor rounding error of the original metric. (It quoted +2.4 rather than +2.5 mph if that makes any difference.)


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## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

fm_illuminatus said:


> Why would this pain you? Speed is not a sole indicator of irresposiblity or danger. Remember the German Autoban has less fatalities per mile than the US highway system. Large sections of that have no speed limit, and drivers often push 200... and I'm sure BMW's make up a significant portion of the high speed traffic.


Well, Germans go through 6 weeks of real driver training and have to pass a test that actually tests for driving skills, not just can you parallel park. Can you say the same about yourself?

That's a start. And also since just about everyone else has gone through the same driver training, they understand that the car back there in the next lane over is going to get next to them REAL SOON, and tend not to pull out in front of people in the left lane, unlike US drivers.

And very few people are doing 200 MILES per hour on the autobahn, since most German cars are limited to 137 MPH or 155 MPH. Now they do a lot of driving at 200 KILOMETERS per hour, which works out to about 120 MPH. When I drove on the autobahn, most traffic was in the 200 KPH range.

Alslo most of German autobahns now have speed limits due to the extra traffic and increasing fatality rates.

And as to how the car knows what gear it is in, simple, it knows the engine RPM and it knows the diff RPM (speed sensor) and like most computers it can do a simple division and come up with the overall ratio, and knowing the diff ratio, it now knows what gear it is in.

Sorry but in excess of 150 MPH on a public road is more than stupid.


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