First off, great forum. I really like how you guys run this board and there are a lot of nice and helpful people from what I can see so far. I just got my "Interlagos" blue M5 from the dealer two weeks ago and have been messing with it on my way to my office every day. It does take some getting used to, as I've driven a z06 for the last four years.
I've tried to keep the break in rules in mind, and I have only gone over 5500 RPM twice that I know of. The "no full throttle" thing... well it's been tough to keep that one. I break that rule for a second or two almost daily.
I am pretty acquainted with the car so far, but I have two questions. The first one is, about the D mode. I hate driving in D. I can't stand it. This is the first car without a clutch I have driven since I was young, and believe it or not I actually like the SMG but I still like being in control of shifting. I have about 300+ miles on the car, and it has seen D for about two miles. Is this bad?
My second question is about shifts. When I hit second, it engages nicely. From second to third gear, (regardless of mode) it shifts like as if the car was letting go of the clutch and stopped for a 10th of a second before disengaging completely, giving you a slight jerky shift. Is this the SMG breaking in? I noticed it today that I am stepping on it a little more, but W wasn't sure.
Thanks!
Last edited by TheWheelMan; 8th August 2006 at 08:29.
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Ashok
2002 E39 Carbonblack/Caramel M5 (best car I ever owned)
2005 E60 Blue Onyx/Caramel/Light Figured Ash M5 (worst car I ever owned)
2007 E90 Montego Blue/Black Alpina D3 (sublime) Let me tell you what SMG stands for...
You can drive in either "D" or "S" mode no problem, but should not drive in S6 or S5 until the break in is complete.
On thesecond question yes it could be a little more "jerky" or slow during the first 300 miles. You can read about in the manual, the first 300 miles are big for the tires, brakes, diff and tranny.
Thanks for the quick replies. The third gear shift issue has just started yesterday. Either way, I'll attempt to hold on and wait for it to go away. I've just been so paranoid about the break in period because everyone has warned me so much about it's importance.
Welcome! D mode is basically used only in 'special circumstances'. You need to drive the car as if it was a manual. Lift slightly just after you hit the shifter, and you'll smooth things out considerably. Also, make sure you're in 1st gear every time you stop - it's good to get into the habit of manually shifting into first every time. Don't get frustrated - it will take you about 5,000 miles to really use the SMG well, and it might take another 5,000 miles to make it 'second nature'. I now find myself tapping the back of the steering wheel whenever I drive a true manual.
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Mike
2006 E60 M5 Silverstone II/Silverstone/Aluminum, All Options, 35% tint, Aluminum Pedals, Valentine V1 and Passport 9500i Hardwired, Blinder Xtreme M40, Michelin PS2's on 20 inch BBS RS-GT's, Winter Pirelli Sottozeros on OEM 19 inch wheels, Resonator Delete, Charcoal Filters Removed, Eibach Springs and Spacers, Active Autowerks ECU, BMC Filters, RPI Air Intakes, Evosport Pulley. Retired from track duty 10/08. Dinan diff replaced with OEM at my cost due to failure at 56,000 miles.
What do you do for a living? Something with wheels??
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07 550i White/Gray/Dark Burl
Options: CWP, Steptronic, Rear Air Bags, Rear Shades, Comfort Seats, Fold Down Seats, Heated Rear Seats, Navigation, Heads Up Display, Satellite Radio, Logic 7, Real Time Traffic
Born on 2/4/2007......Delivered on 3/10/2007 and driving ever since!!
Mods: V1 Hardwired with Consealed Display, iPod Intergration, HUD Adjustment, K & N Airfilter w/charcoal filters removed, Highgloss Shadowline Chrome Trim on the B & C Pillars.
Thanks for the advice. To answer your question MGUY, the Z06, was not a bad ride. For the price, I was out there out-handling and leaving lots of cars twice the price in the dust. Great car, lots of fun. A factory 12 second car that looked great. Slap in an exhaust and intake, you were good. The car cornered and was actually very well balanced. Always underestimated by those owning far more expensive sports cars. I had some good times for sure. Fit and finish was always my complaint though. I had a 2002, and then a 2004. Brand new they felt great, however the interior was plasticy and the leather was cheap, so wear and tear inside the car was very apparent. After 7k miles the brakes would begin to squeak. Little interior rattles came about around 30k miles. (I hate little noises) The LS6 block also suffered from crappy lifters, so at about 2500 rpm, you would hear a constant tick, but it wasn't anything to worry about. Looking in the car, I felt there were a lot of cookie-cutter parts from the cheapest models in the car. Specifically, the outdated DELCO radio that was shared with a car that costs less than a quarter of the price bothered me. The plus side to it was, that you could replace that with a hell of a pioneer head unit, unlike the all-in-one CPU type unit that controls more than just audio and navigation in cars like the M5.But I still say that when it comes to bang for the buck you can't go wrong with the Vette. From what I see GM has made massive improvements to the car with the 05 models, but I thought it was time to try something else.
My first car was a 60k mile 1987 325i, and I can say that car felt the same no matter what I did to it. I've always remembered that.
Last edited by TheWheelMan; 9th August 2006 at 06:27.
It does take some getting used to, as I've driven a z06 for the last four years. 
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