m3 smg Kangaroo!!
Discussion
Just bought an e46 m3 smg and basically it is extremely difficult to drive without Kangerooing down the road, even with the settings turned right down. I've spoke to the dealer and they said thats it's my driving?
Any help would be really appreciated as all my neighbours think this is most amusing!
Thanks,
Ant.
Any help would be really appreciated as all my neighbours think this is most amusing!
Thanks,
Ant.
Yeah, SMG is a little bit demanding to start with, but you learn how to drive it smoothly after a short while. But if you think that's bad, you should try a Smart! They're almost enough to put you in a neck-brace permanently!
The problem is fundamentally that it fully engages first gear (i.e. lets the clutch out fully) a little too soon. As the engines produce so much torque, are so sensitive to throttle position and are so free-revving, small movements of the throttle produce quick and significant changes in engine speed. In a manual these variations would be smoothed out by clutch slip, but as the transmission is fully engaged by SMG it just shunts the car about instead.
The complication is that it's counter-intuitive; any attempt to iron the shunts out using throttle only amplifies the on/off/on/off delivery and buckarooing!
So the answer is essentially to try to maintain a constant throttle position until the car is at a speed at which you would be fully off the clutch in a manual. Generally try to pull away slowly until you're used to it, that way you can keep it smooth but also legal
.
(Incidentally, mashing the throttle and keeping it there also smooths it out, but you'll end up running into things and getting busted! So obviously don't do that).
The problem is fundamentally that it fully engages first gear (i.e. lets the clutch out fully) a little too soon. As the engines produce so much torque, are so sensitive to throttle position and are so free-revving, small movements of the throttle produce quick and significant changes in engine speed. In a manual these variations would be smoothed out by clutch slip, but as the transmission is fully engaged by SMG it just shunts the car about instead.
The complication is that it's counter-intuitive; any attempt to iron the shunts out using throttle only amplifies the on/off/on/off delivery and buckarooing!
So the answer is essentially to try to maintain a constant throttle position until the car is at a speed at which you would be fully off the clutch in a manual. Generally try to pull away slowly until you're used to it, that way you can keep it smooth but also legal
. (Incidentally, mashing the throttle and keeping it there also smooths it out, but you'll end up running into things and getting busted! So obviously don't do that).
Edited by Andrew D on Wednesday 14th June 12:02
As it's a throttle related thing it'll happen when the car is cold or hot. Just try driving along slowly in 1st gear (or 2nd) then going on/off/on/off the throttle! Once the kangarooing starts it'll be hard to stop it (as DoctorD says above).
The cold start running is a seperate thing altogether.
I'd have thought all long-term E46 M3 owners would know these things (?)
The cold start running is a seperate thing altogether.
I'd have thought all long-term E46 M3 owners would know these things (?)
Is the car brand new???
If so, the unit will take a while to `learn` your style of driving.
If not, take it back to BMW or an indipendent specialist and ask them to reset the gearbox settings as the `box will still think it's driver `X` and not your self, thus being a bit on the jerkey side.
murzo said:
The smg is a wonderful gearbox. I would suggest u fill it with super and take the car for a long drive, u will soon get used to it and then wonder why u ever drove a manual!
I agree and i've got the very first generation in an e36.
I love it and wouldn't have it any other way now....the best of both worlds by far !!!
m3john said:
Is the car brand new???
If so, the unit will take a while to `learn` your style of driving.
If not, take it back to BMW or an indipendent specialist and ask them to reset the gearbox settings as the `box will still think it's driver `X` and not your self, thus being a bit on the jerkey side.
That's not true at all. And even if it was, the jerkyness/kangaroo (or whatever you want to call it) is nothing to do with the SMG, as has been said already in this thread.
mrontheropes said:
That's not true at all. And even if it was, the jerkyness/kangaroo (or whatever you want to call it) is nothing to do with the SMG, as has been said already in this thread.
Sorry i stand corrected on that one then guys. I was just meerly quoting what my local BMW dealership had told me previously.
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff