A/M button on automatic 325i

[ghettoflow21]

I think my dad acidentally pressed it, when he was using the car... the engine sounded less functional, like he had to press on the gas a lot more, and the RPM's were going to about 5,000. I think this button is used for manual mode, but I'm not sure. Do any of you have this feature? Have you used it before? and how does it work?

[CiscoKid]

where is it located?

[ghettoflow21]

it's located on the driver side of the shifter. It is closer than the window buttons.

[CiscoKid]

its most likely
a = crusing shift pattern (smooth)
s = agressive shift pattern (jerkier, higher rev shift, less gas milage, faster)

[skawful]

no not at allll

it is manual mode (woo...)

on a:
you can downshift by selecting the gear (ie: if your in second pull all the way to 1 and you downshift ///slowly) also the car selects the gears when on D

when on m:
you select when to shift
you can down shift to any gear
faster shifting
when you shift it shifts (unlike in A)

[ghettoflow21]

where exactly are these shifting things? it's an automatic.....there's P, R, N, D, 1, 2, 3. there is no clutch, and im pretty sure you have to press the brake to change the gears?

[camnipotent]

Not really, you have to press the brake to go from park to any drive. I am not sure, but on most other automatic cars there is a button to push in, correct? That is the only thing that needs to be pushed in order to shift gears. No clutch or brake needed. You have 1, 2, 3, and drive/overdrive to shift through.

[ghettoflow21]

yes, there is a button there, but that doesn't seem logical just to use that for those gears, because when it was in "M" mode, and in D, there was no need to use gears 1-3, and what would the 4th gear be, D? Has anyone had experience with just using D while in "M" mode? Can someone please give a detailed "how-to"? on how to operate, trying to describe a real-life situation? i.e. if i was to use the gears, what RPM to shift at, etc. (I usually dont drive stick)

[camnipotent]

The other gears beside D are there if you want to use them for some reason. Putting it in D will drive the same both ways, I think. It will automatic none-the-less. If you started shifting from 1, then yes, D would be like a 4th gear, and then there is electronic overdrive, which is also a button near the shifter. If you wanted to control the shift times, you would want to be in M mode. This will be much closer to a stick. It depends on how much demand you have for acceleration etc. If you want to see the closest to the true benefits of a stick, shift around 5000. Just push the button and shift up when you near the 5. For normal stick shifting, I shift between 3000-4000. It's really how much you want to rev the engine that matters when you shift.

[YNGRVP]

I have used mine all the time for racing what you do is you set it to "m" then you drop it to 1st, and hit the gas then you control the shifting just like a stick when you'r reving higher you shift and yes d is = to 4th gear. You get a whole lot more power out of your auto this way well at least my 325i goes faster that way.

[ghettoflow21]

what if you just keep it at D, in the M mode; will the RPM's just go higher? if you wish just not to use the 1-3 gears, and just to feel more like a stick shift, instead of actually using it?

[camnipotent]

I don't know if they are going to go hire, I have never tried it in an automatic. If they do while in D then they will most likey change at a certain RPM. If you want a more accurate stick feel, change them yourself while in M mode. If M mode is made for higher revs, I am guessing gears will change at those higher revs as well.

[roguesniper1]

D acts as a 4th gear when in M-mode. I use M-mode lot during snow. So I can have good launches from 2nd over if lot of snow on the ground, even 3rd. Usually I just drive in 3rd or 4th in the snow.
Lastly it is not recommended to manual shift the tranny to race, that way they go tits very quickly.

[Kevin325i]

Originally posted by camnipotent@May 18 2004, 02:44 AM
I am not sure, but on most other automatic cars there is a button to push in, correct? That is the only thing that needs to be pushed in order to shift gears. No clutch or brake needed. You have 1, 2, 3, and drive/overdrive to shift through.

Bad .

You press the button on the shift nob for automatic cars to move from P R N D. To shift between 1 2 3 4 DO NOT press the button, it's there as a safety so if you jerk and accidentally push to hard the car doesn't go into reverse or park.

Kevin

[camnipotent]

FU. You're right though. It's been awhile since I've driven an automatic. You don't have to push the button to go through the gears. Going from D to R destroyed my best friend's uncle's Ford F-350, brand new.