# smg and 1st gear starts



## newdriver (Jan 6, 2004)

Hello everyone,

just recently got my new m3 with SMG and have a quick question that may be you can answer. I will state right away that I have never driven a stick before, and my previous car was a 330i automatic so what I'm about to ask may be embarrassing or silly but I don't have a problem with it.

That out of the way I wanted to see how others feel about S or D modes and when 1st gear is involved. The car just feels very slow on the start and I'm finding myself starting from 2nd in S modes and avoiding D modes all together (defaulting to 1st gear past D1). Am I missing something or doing something wrong or others doing the same thing? You are at the light and you are not racing anybody - you just want a nice clean start, and starting off from the 1st just doesn't have the same effect as from the 2nd. It doesn't matter if you mash the throttle it just feels a lot smoother and faster if I start in 2nd. Is there any problem with this? Is there a better way? Sorry if this is 'smg for dummies' kinda deal but I had to ask.

best,

new driver


----------



## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

OK there is no D mode. There are S (sequential) and A (auto) modes.

In A mode the car will start in 2nd in A1 and maybe A2 (I never use A modes). In A modes, the car shifts for itself based on throttle setting, RPM, and mode. WRT mode, the higher the mode (1-5 in A) the more performance oriented the shift.

In S mode the car will start in either 1st or 2nd depending what YOU select. You have to shift when you want to in this mode. The shift itself is also controlled by throttle position, RPM, and mode. If you are at high RPM, wode open throttle and S5 you will get very harsh but very fast shifts. A slight lift of the accelerator will smooth the shift out greatly.

Now starting froma stop. A 2nd gear start may feel more smooth because less torque is applied to the rear wheels and thus less acceleration. This smooths out any minor throttle changes. But you lose a lot of performance.

Oh, and DO NOT USE THE SPORT BUTTON. That will only make things worse since it makes the throttle MUCH more sensitive. Once you learn the car better you may want to try it, but many people never use it. I don't, I prefer a linear throttle.

You just have to work on gently applying the throttle until the car starts moving, then adding more to get the acceleration that you want. This applies in A or S mode. This is NOT a true auto transmission but an automatically shifted manual transmission. BIG difference. 

Just keep practicing. It would help to get some practice in a true manual, since that is more like SMG.


----------



## Cowboy Bebop (May 17, 2003)

Actually I believe there is a "D" mode... BMW has replaced the A with D and the "0" with N on the 04's.

that out of the way I have the complete oposite response to the 1st or 2nd gear start.
In 1st i find it smooth and responsive but find that often in 2nd gear starts that the car boggs down and hesitates momentarily. However I do use it if I an making a long left turn from the light so I can keep the revs down a bit while waiting for the car to straighten out so I can reach the paddles (-;

I used the D mode once and have never used it again.
For town driving I find that S3 0r S4 are about perfect... and as pinecone mentioned, Sport is NOT for around town!

you will learn all the tricks soon enough, but one thing that helps when shifting in the faster modes is to lightly lift the throttle... more of a twitch in your toe kind of thing really... as you pull the lever or push the stick. This will smooth the thing out a bunch.

Good luck, and having never driven a clutch will not hurt you much, I had to unlearn several things that were second nature to me from years of using one.


----------



## m3buyer (Mar 26, 2003)

*I'm in the same boat*

I've never driven a manual car before and Also have SMG. I've found that in starting in first you should press the gas slight and hold. The car will pause for a split second and then acclerate smoothly in S5. Then as the engine picks up RPM's like around 3K to 4K you can then proceed to give it more gas. It took me around 4000 miles to get really good at it. What also helps is placing the right side of your shoe against the carpeting to the right to help you regulate movement of the foot.

Hope this help and enjoy practicing.


----------



## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

Cowboy Bebop said:


> Actually I believe there is a "D" mode... BMW has replaced the A with D and the "0" with N on the 04's.
> 
> that out of the way I have the complete oposite response to the 1st or 2nd gear start.
> In 1st i find it smooth and responsive but find that often in 2nd gear starts that the car boggs down and hesitates momentarily. However I do use it if I an making a long left turn from the light so I can keep the revs down a bit while waiting for the car to straighten out so I can reach the paddles (-;
> ...


That's interesting, they renamed 'A' mode to 'D' ...hadn't heard that. Is 'S' mode still named the same? I guess the '0' did confuse some people as well.


----------



## bymer (Dec 28, 2003)

StahlGrauM3 said:


> That's interesting, they renamed 'A' mode to 'D' ...hadn't heard that. Is 'S' mode still named the same? I guess the '0' did confuse some people as well.


S is still the same, but in my 2004 A is now a 'D'


----------



## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

I did not know of the A to D change.

WRT 1st gear starts, the recommendation to press lightly and hold until moving is a good one. If you stop for a while, the transmission shifts into neutral. So if you start pushing, and push harder and harder until you move, you may end up with a lot more throttle than you wanted.

Overall, the big thing is to keep practicing with it. It is not an automatic, you have to drive it more like a manual, with more dirver involvement.


----------



## Cowboy Bebop (May 17, 2003)

Yup, a lot of times I find myself "Rocking" the car at a light... think letting the clutch out a bit to hold possition on a slight incline... this keeps people behind me from getting too close fearing that I may roll back into them when the light turns green, and it re-engages the clutch so I am ready for a fast getaway then it does eventually go green!

It is a bad thing to do to a clutch, but as I said, some old habits die hard


----------

