why would BMW bother to have Sport mode in EDC?

[sayemthree]

according to reviews ( I havent drivenone yet) its pretty stiff and the BMW engineers recommend the normal active setting as the fastest way around a track?

so is it just a gimmick?

[gblansten]

Originally Posted by sayemthree

according to reviews ( I havent drivenone yet) its pretty stiff and the BMW engineers recommend the normal active setting as the fastest way around a track?

so is it just a gimmick?

It gives M3 drivers an opportunity to see what it would be like to drive a C63 and then to be glad they got an M3 instead. It's progressive and intelligent marketing.

[sayemthree]

Originally Posted by gblansten

It gives M3 drivers an opportunity to see what it would be like to drive a C63 and then to be glad they got an M3 instead. It's progressive and intelligent marketing.

LOL.

so when you switch back to normal you say, wow I am glad I paid BMW extra for this button?

[DJ9]

Originally Posted by sayemthree

according to reviews ( I havent drivenone yet) its pretty stiff and the BMW engineers recommend the normal active setting as the fastest way around a track?

so is it just a gimmick?

Huh? That makes no sense at all. What would be the point of the Sport setting then?

[ilron]

Originally Posted by DJ9

Huh? That makes no sense at all. What would be the point of the Sport setting then?

Actually it does. Sport is fine for nice surfaces, it would be interesting to see a direct comparsion between the two modes on a very good track. However, around a track like Nordschleife Normal mode may be the better choice, remember that normal mode is more like an ACTIVE mode than "normal". Sport keeps the car almost compleately flat at all times, which is great fun and feels good, but bumpy surfaces make the rear wheels bounce more than normal mode.

Just my .2 kr.

[gblansten]

Originally Posted by sayemthree

LOL.

so when you switch back to normal you say, wow I am glad I paid BMW extra for this button?

Nope. You say, "wow I'm glad I don't have to have a harsh ride that offers no performance gain." You're stuck with that ride in the C63 especially with the performance package which you must get if you want the limited slip differential.

[sayemthree]

i was referring to the M3 vs ISF artical wherin the writer states that BMW advised leaving the normal mode on for the track - I beleive it was Laguna Seca. I would think sport would be faster?

[Keto]

IIRC the M test drivers on the 'ring found that Normal was faster than Sport.

Thus, I don't understand the point of sport, unless you want a more predictable, passive feel. I suppose there are pristine tracks where it might be better.

EDIT: Maybe it's to mollify purists aghast at the idea they will always have another electronic device between them and the road. Never mind if it works .

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by gblansten

It gives M3 drivers an opportunity to see what it would be like to drive a C63 and then to be glad they got an M3 instead. It's progressive and intelligent marketing.

like he said! gives M3 drivers the opportunity to say "i beat your ass even on a half assed EDC setting" to a merc driver

[Hammer]

It makes sense if you change the setting according to the track.

First statement: on some track-surfaces is sport>normal.

If the hole track has such a surface, sport is superior.

If just parts of the surface are "good" the driver would gain a benefit by changing the mode from sport to normal and back ( e.g. by the M-Button).

But this should make just some .1 ... which may weight a lot...

[enigma]

Originally Posted by Keto

EDIT: Maybe it's to mollify purists aghast at the idea they will always have another electronic device between them and the road. Never mind if it works .

Yes, and largely the same reason we have the sport throttle. Some people think rough, touchy, and bumpy is fast. They are wrong, but they will spend money to go slow.

[wahoo]

Hmmm...seems like a 'stripper' model makes more and more sense. Great post.

[Ronin13]

There may be a driver's preference to the feel of Sport Mode, but maybe not any performance advantage. I was surprised to read in C&Ds last review (IS-F Comparison Test) that Normal Mode has the potential to be even stiffer than sport...

" On the recommendation of the M3 project manager, Bernd Limmer, we left the shocks in normal because, when selected, the computer reacts to various inputs from steering-wheel angle and wheel-speed sensors and might stiffen the shocks to an even greater degree than the sport mode would."

[Pancho]

It is nice to have the option of Sport on EDC. It is stiff but not as stiff as the normal Damp Control on the Porsche 997. Porsche suspension is pretty stiff and that makes driving uncomfortable, particularly on poor road conditions.

[Hans Delbruck]

Agree with a few posters above, it didn't make sense to me until you guys said it...

On a completely smooth track surface, Sport WILL make sense.

I have a track car with 1000lb springs, it works great when the track is smoothly paved and it is superior to softer sprung cars. Throw in some bumps though, and I will bounce around and lose grip.

Depends on the track (street) surface.

IMO!

[skierman64]

Sport mode will work great at Watkins Glen. Big, wide, fast, smooth track.

[swamp2]

Originally Posted by Hans Delbruck

Agree with a few posters above, it didn't make sense to me until you guys said it...

On a completely smooth track surface, Sport WILL make sense.

I have a track car with 1000lb springs, it works great when the track is smoothly paved and it is superior to softer sprung cars. Throw in some bumps though, and I will bounce around and lose grip.

Depends on the track (street) surface.

IMO!

Not so sure Hans. For one, most in the know (BMW folks) insist the car is faster in normal mode meaning with active suspension. If your shocks can be both stiff for keeping things flat under high cornering loads and then in an instant adjust to quite soft to maintain tire contact under a particularly sharp bump, how could a system with a single damping value be superior? I think they put an active suspension in the car because it is superior and similarly they made the default mode of normal active for the same reason.

I agree that Sport mode it is most likely for purists who may either want the active feature of EDC off becuase they can feel it or they think Sport mode will make them faster.

Lastly do recall here that we are talking about shocks and damping rates not the spring rates. The effects of more damping and higher spring rates can be similar but it is not identical.

[enigma]

Originally Posted by swamp2

Not so sure Hans. For one, most in the know (BMW folks) insist the car is faster in normal mode meaning with active suspension. If your shocks can be both stiff for keeping things flat under high cornering loads and then in an instant adjust to quite soft to maintain tire contact under a particularly sharp bump, how could a system with a single damping value be superior?

Swamp, shocks don't keep the car flat. Thats the job of the springs and sway bars. The shocks can control how fast the car leans and the distribution of force front and rear while the car is rolling.

BMW could change the f/r dampening values on turn entry and track out. This would make the car turn in better and more stable on track out. Not clear if its this advanced.

[ruff]

Originally Posted by swamp2

I agree that Sport mode it is most likely for purists who may either want the active feature of EDC off becuase they can feel it or they think Sport mode will make them faster.

Purists are usually not keen on any kind of electronic device they believe may artificially reduce direct feedback from the road surface. That is why purists get teary eyed when discussing the Exige's sublime connection to the road.

[rvacha]

Originally Posted by ruff

Purists are usually not keen on any kind of electronic device they believe may artificially reduce direct feedback from the road surface. That is why purists get teary eyed when discussing the Exige's sublime connection to the road.

I thought it was the weight and extraordinary disregard for NVH!

But seriously, I challenge you to detect that EDC has taken away direct feedback. And if I had to have a tech stripper I'd do a Noble.... same intimacy, fewer fused disks!

[enigma]

Originally Posted by rvacha

I thought it was the weight and extraordinary disregard for NVH!

But seriously, I challenge you to detect that EDC has taken away direct feedback. And if I had to have a tech stripper I'd do a Noble.... same intimacy, fewer fused disks!

ARS, EDC are electronic options that should have no impact on feedback.

[lucid]

One could argue that EDC lessens road feel, but that depends on how road feel is defined. If it is defined as bouncing around when you don't need to, I guess the answer is that EDC does indeed reduce road feel; let’s keep in mind bouncing around might be kind of fun for some people the way some find SMG's neck snapping shifts fun. (I am not one of those people).

I personally do not see the system as an undesired intervention that throws the driver off in terms of predictability of behavior. I haven't driven another car with active suspension, so I can't compare.

IF the active Normal EDC setting programming is thoroughly optimized for performance, there is no way the passive Sport setting can beat it--in any performance oriented driving scenario on any surface (I bolded and capped that IF at the beginning of the sentence). What I mean by that is that if the Normal setting is programmed in such a way that the dampers:

1. act the same way they would in the Sport setting when that is indeed the most optimal setting for performance.
2. act differently than the they would in the Sport setting when the situation calls for different types of response for optimal traction/handling.

The only question in my mind is if the Normal programming BMW has chosen to implement indeed results in item 1 above or not.