What are 5th and 6th gears for?

[13eastie]

It was a nice, sunny morning in London - the kind of day that makes you want to get up early and get lots of important stuff done.

So I took the morning off.

And set off out of town to finish running in my car.

I now know for myself that this engine is truly awesome.

I have been frustated by the 5,500 rpm "limit" for the last couple of weeks, because changing gear at this point feels rather unnatural except when driving gently - that, so far, untapped reserve of torque is almost palpable.

Exploring further into the rpm range, the dyno-graphs that we have seen are finally given vitality.

The engine noise does not change particularly in charcter, but builds progressively in pitch and intensity until it completely overwhelms the road and exhuast noise. For a while I could not give a damn that my iPod still doesn't work properly. Very satisfying.

Overtaking on the motorway is very easy in any gear, but the fun way to do it is to double-de-clutch into 3rd from 70 or 80 mph and floor the throttle. You will not have long to check the dials as 100mph races up on you and you reach the red line...

The red line itself is something of a twilight zone. When you reach it, subjectively you will have noticed a rapid increase in the pitch of the engine and a couple of seconds of thrust that just does not diminish. In other words, unless you look at the dial, there is no sign that you are running out of revs at all. I get the distinct feeling that this motor would be happy running a fair bit quicker, even than 8,300rpm.

It's convenient and easy to forget that you still have 5th and 6th gears, amazing since you can happily cruise around town at 30mph in 5th. (I'm almost certain I could see the petrol guage actually moving).

Accelerating in 1st gear, it seems that the throttle is connected directly to the rev counter and speedo - the needles move when your foot moves, it's that simple.

Oil is still good, service at 1,400 miles.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by 13eastie

Accelerating in 1st gear, it seems that the throttle is connected directly to the rev counter and speedo - the needles moves when your foot moves, it's that simple.

Nice. That's why I want to buy this car. What's up with your iPod connection by the way?

[Epacy]

So glad to hear the joy after the break-in period.

Originally Posted by lucid

What's up with your iPod connection by the way?

Check the audio forum.

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by 13eastie

Overtaking on the motorway is very easy in any gear, but the fun way to do it is to double-de-clutch into 3rd from 70 or 80 mph and floor the throttle. You will not have long to check the dials as 100mph races up on you and you reach the red line...

This is very much like the E46 version, though obviously with more grunt. I love dropping to 3rd and jetting by doddlers!

I get the distinct feeling that this motor would be happy running a fair bit quicker, even than 8,300rpm.

You do know the actual redline is 8,400, right? Probably hard to avoid the limiter as fast as it winds up, though.

Enjoy--maybe in a few months us Yanks can do the same.

[Pancho]

Originally Posted by 13eastie

It was a nice, sunny morning in London - the kind of day that makes you want to get up early and get lots of important stuff done.

So I took the morning off.

And set off out of town to finish running in my car.

I now know for myself that this engine is truly awesome.

I have been frustated by the 5,500 rpm "limit" for the last couple of weeks, because changing gear at this point feels rather unnatural except when driving gently - that, so far, untapped reserve of torque is almost palpable.

Exploring further into the rpm range, the dyno-graphs that we have seen are finally given vitality.

The engine noise does not change particularly in charcter, but builds progressively in pitch and intensity until it completely overwhelms the road and exhuast noise. For a while I could not give a damn that my iPod still doesn't work properly. Very satisfying.

Overtaking on the motorway is very easy in any gear, but the fun way to do it is to double-de-clutch into 3rd from 70 or 80 mph and floor the throttle. You will not have long to check the dials as 100mph races up on you and you reach the red line...

The red line itself is something of a twilight zone. When you reach it, subjectively you will have noticed a rapid increase in the pitch of the engine and a couple of seconds of thrust that just does not diminish. In other words, unless you look at the dial, there is no sign that you are running out of revs at all. I get the distinct feeling that this motor would be happy running a fair bit quicker, even than 8,300rpm.

It's convenient and easy to forget that you still have 5th and 6th gears, amazing since you can happily cruise around town at 30mph in 5th. (I'm almost certain I could see the petrol guage actually moving).

Accelerating in 1st gear, it seems that the throttle is connected directly to the rev counter and speedo - the needles move when your foot moves, it's that simple.

Oil is still good, service at 1,400 miles.

I agree fully with your comments 13eastie. The engine is very flexible. I feel there is still a lot to explore with this car.

[southlight]

5th and 6th are exclusive for German Autobahn...

Best regards, south

[aerisolphaln]

Originally Posted by 13eastie

The red line itself is something of a twilight zone. When you reach it, subjectively you will have noticed a rapid increase in the pitch of the engine and a couple of seconds of thrust that just does not diminish. In other words, unless you look at the dial, there is no sign that you are running out of revs at all. I get the distinct feeling that this motor would be happy running a fair bit quicker, even than 8,300rpm.

I'm glad you brought this point up as I have been thinking about this for the last couple of weeks.

In my current 6MT, I've got a REV light that starts flashing at 500RPM before a "set point" (which I've put at my 7000 redline) to let me know that I'm getting close to needing to shift. I've noticed in my G35 that the last 2000 or so RPM on the tach go by so quickly and with such an increase in acceleration, that I might hit the rev-limiter quite a bit if it were not for the flashing REV light. Also, when exploring the upper limits of the tach, I usually am at WOT and concentrating on the road, not staring at the dials.

Does the M3 have any kind of indicator that you are getting close to red-line or your personal pre-determined shift point other than taking your eyes off of the road and focusing on the tachometer?

Thanks in advance.

[southlight]

Originally Posted by aerisolphaln

Does the M3 have any kind of indicator that you are getting close to red-line or your personal pre-determined shift point other than taking your eyes off of the road and focusing on the tachometer?

Thanks in advance.

No, only the DCT version does have shift lights.

Best regards, south

[footie]

Originally Posted by aerisolphaln

Does the M3 have any kind of indicator that you are getting close to red-line or your personal pre-determined shift point other than taking your eyes off of the road and focusing on the tachometer?

Thanks in advance.

Yeah, your ears.

[UltimateBMW]

Great feedback. Always love to hear about it.

One thing I'm going to ask that will show my inexperience with 6MTs is.. why is the double clutch downshift more fun?

(Just a disclaimer so poeple aren't like, zomg your getting a 6mt without knowing how to double clutch! I plan on getting the DCT but if I was getting a 6MT I would get a civic or something for a few months to make sure my clutching skill was down.)

[13eastie]

Originally Posted by footie

Yeah, your ears.

My point really was that one's senses are rather misleading. The message sent to your ears is more like, "Don't stop pushing, there's plenty more where that came from!" I would not be at all surprised if the CSL has a higher red-line.

[13eastie]

Originally Posted by UltimateBMW

One thing I'm going to ask that will show my inexperience with 6MTs is.. why is the double clutch downshift more fun?

Well an 8,000 rpm throttle blip sounds rather nice and it also gives a fairly strong indication of your intentions to anyone within a couple of miles of you!

On the less fun side, it's a pretty good idea to avoid locking up the rear wheels on the motorway - no amount of DSC will help you out of a badly executed block shift. The un-fed motor actually seems to have a lot of friction and loses speed very rapidly unloaded - I'm wondering how much of a fly-wheel there is?

[ChrisW]

13eastie
I’m in full agreement with your thoughts on the car. Despite all the negative stuff that has been posted here or written elsewhere, those of us lucky enough to already own the car are more than happy.

I’ve now done 2,800 miles and the car is everything I hoped for. The engine grabs your attention and is a gem. Just when you think it is time to change up a quick glance down will likely tell you that there are a few hundred RPM still to play with.

It is a complete car for the boring practical reasons which I need – seats, luggage etc. BUT it is seriously fun and doesn’t feel as bloated as the figures tell us. It feels nimble even on tricky tight bends. I am enjoying our recent rain soaked roads which allow occasional play at drifting which is easy and controlled – not yet pushed things too far on dry roads as I’m not one for totally trashing a new set of tyres – that will come in time.

Re: what all those gears are for? I have had a few imaginary trips to Germany and can confirm that the car gets into indicated 160’s (mph) very very easily. Even at those speeds it is pulling strongly and there would be much more to come if not for the imminent limiter.

[Filthy Monkey]

Damn! You're catching up with me. I'm done 3,300 miles now, although have just started a new job which involves a lot of travelling, so I'm only adding another 50-100 per week at the moment. I still hit the rev limiter sometime, as the car really does feel like it could go on revving for ever!

As for those imaginary trips along the A13 in 'Germany', it hits 160 so easily that I'm tempted to get have the limiter removed, just to find out what it really can do...

[the_stranger]

Originally Posted by Filthy Monkey

As for those imaginary trips along the A13 in 'Germany', it hits 160 so easily that I'm tempted to get have the limiter removed, just to find out what it really can do...

can you remove the limiter?

[MI6]

Originally Posted by Pancho

I agree fully with your comments 13eastie. The engine is very flexible. I feel there is still a lot to explore with this car.

Wait a minute, someone (Mexico) on this side of the pond already has a new M3?

What's up with that? Why do we have to be last???????????

[13eastie]

Originally Posted by the_stranger

can you remove the limiter?

The "M-Driver" package, available in some coutries, includes re-restriction of max. speed to 280 km/h.

Doubtless there will be some after-market tool also, but this will almost certainly invalidate the warranty.