EDCIII Switch - P or S - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

illjah · 11th August 2006, 12:15

So, having got my first car with EDC & switch for "Practical" and "Sports" settings I have a question -

Why would you want to use the P - "Practical" setting?

I'm assuming mine is still working ok, I can feel a difference between the two settings, but the car feels better cruising at high speeds on Sports setting, it deals with the road better, and obviously when pressing on in twisty stuff it feels loads better in Sports as well.

In P mode it is wafty, and feels disconnected from the road more, and wallows unsatisfactorily. I reminds me of my 3.6 SLS suspension... Hopefully this is not a sign of my shocks being knackered...

Its not even much of an advantage on speedhumps IMO.

I am used to (and like) my cars suspensions being quite hard.

So who out there uses P mode and finds it better/more comfortable in certain situations?

The bloke i bought the car from, said he never used "S" mode but then he was in his 50's....

Simonal · 11th August 2006, 12:23

Sport for me too

///M Flipy · 11th August 2006, 12:54

well i drive mine for about a week now, but most of the time in S mode.

i like the s mode, p is a little to soft for me.

but my question to this is: what about lifetime of the shocks in s mode? do they get worn out faster in s mode?

BURTON · 11th August 2006, 13:26

I use mine in P mode nearly all of the time!

Rockwell_ · 11th August 2006, 13:28

I use P mode for normal cruising and it's hard. S is very hard

illjah · 11th August 2006, 13:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockwell_

I use P mode for normal cruising and it's hard. S is very hard

I don't know if its just me, but P seems quite soft (for a performance car) with tendancies for the front of the car to wallow (not like a merc tho, granted), particularly over small undulations in road surface at speed. S mode is harder, but still not as hard as I would expect/want.

Perhaps mine is more tired? Or perhaps its just expectations?

My 3.6 on H&R's and Koni's was stiffer (it was brand new setup though, as oppossed to a 86,000 miles, 10 year old as my shocks are) I think, and i guess I have just got used to it... Oh, and my EDC car has two new springs at the back, but suspect fronts are original...perhaps this is adding to the wallowy nature of the fronts if they are softer (due to being older) than the rears...

illjah · 11th August 2006, 13:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simonal

Sport for me too

Even on long motorway cruises?

I tried cruising on P, but it just felt a bit disconnected to me... so S 100% of the time at the mo...

illjah · 11th August 2006, 13:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by BURTON

I use mine in P mode nearly all of the time!

Ok, i'd love to know why? Does it not feel a bit vague and wafty?

BURTON · 11th August 2006, 13:50

Mainly to do with 2 of my shocks not being great but also the fact that the suspension adjusts itself to a sportier setting if it feels the need.

Jon Baker · 11th August 2006, 13:59

'S' for me most of the time (99%).

In 'P', if your shocks are on the way out as mine must have been prior to going to the 'Ring', the front can seem quite bouncy and unsettled. This meant that you never felt confident of pushing on in 'P' as the car never gave the impression that it would stiffen up. Hence 'S' all the time.

The only benefit I saw in 'P' was that the ride did soften up in compared to 'S' which was sometimes more acceptable for certain passengers.