Question On Giving It Gas

[Justin318is]

Alright here is the situation, i have an automatic bmw 318is and when i floor it from a dead stop it takes about three seconds for power to actually kick in, now i know it is an automatic and it is not going to be fast but i want to know why there is such a delay becuase when i drive my parents cars which are both automatics and you put the gas down it is very responsive please help me becuase i would like to know what is happening because when i go up hills from a dead stop it feels like it isnt going to make it and it always has to be floored to actually go anywhere

Originally posted by Justin318is@Jun 20 2005, 08:27 PM
Alright here is the situation, i have an automatic bmw 318is and when i floor it from a dead stop it takes about three seconds for power to actually kick in, now i know it is an automatic and it is not going to be fast but i want to know why there is such a delay becuase when i drive my parents cars which are both automatics and you put the gas down it is very responsive please help me becuase i would like to know what is happening because when i go up hills from a dead stop it feels like it isnt going to make it and it always has to be floored to actually go anywhere

[snapback]355345[/snapback]

What years are their cars..

[Justin318is]

2000 and 2000
one is an intrepid and a van but even on my freinds cars when i drive them you give it gas and it is responive mine is not responsive like the other day coming back from the moives i was at a red light with traffic around me and it went green gave it gas and it takes forever for the power to kick in

Thats because their automatic transmissions are better then yours.

[thekid]

You've got a couple of things working against you, one it's an auto, two, it's an auto. Basucally ride in a simliar car, perferably a 318i or is, if you can. Then see if you can tell a difference. But honestly the 318 is not the quickest car off of the line. Even with a manual it takes a pretty aggresive launch to get the car to feel quick off of the line (trust me, look at my sig). So it may be, that is all you are going to get, or there might be a problem. But it si snot becaues their automatic transmissions are better than yours.

[jkh2828]

Ok, so for the most part the previous responses are totally not helpful and quite inane.

Sure, I drive a 318i 1995, it is pretty slow off the line compared to many other cars, but maybe you have a real problem; other than 1) being an auto, and 2) being an auto.

Here's what I would do:

1) Move the gear selector into 1, and then jump on the gas. If you feel the car accelerating better then, you car may not have been starting in 1st, possibly 2nd or even 3rd. Don't forget to shift into 2nd, or stop accelerating before you blow past the red-line.

You can use the A/M switch to toggle between Automatic shift and manual. Under manual, you will need to manually shift the gears with the selector - but don't worry, there is no risk in changing gears at any point in time (regardless if A or M is selected), I frequently drop it into 3rd while decelerating quickly, or if I want to pass someone.

Remember, the gear selector is an UPPER limit while in A mode - it won't go above that gear. And, also, there is a danger of putting it into first if you are going 60mph - but there might be a lock-out safety, but I haven’t tested that, for obvious reasons.


2) Check your RPM's when you start, and write them down at different speeds. 2nd will always be about 2000 at 20 mph for example (it may not be, I just made that up) So, if you are going 20 mph, and you are at 1000 rpms that means you are in 3rd gear.


Hope that helps - and remember your 318is - not only looks way cooler than a POS intrepid, but it handles about 1000 times better.

Please let me know how you make out.

[mrsoul]

Does this car have "traction control"?

[Justin318is]

thank you guys for the help and i will try it out after i get my pipes and mufflers replaced and i will inform you

[///M Power]

Does what jkh said.

Drop the car into first. Floor it. When you hit you're about to hit redline pop it up a grear (to 2nd if you cant count). Then redline again. You should defitnely feel the pull maybe int he 3500-5500 range. And keep procedding all the way up to your fourth gear.

Similarily you can also rev match/downshift int eh car. Time it well or youll defitnely feel your mistake.

[4evrwyntr]

I don't think 318's had traction control; if you are experiencing wheel slip, it is time for new tires, or it's raining. There should be few other reasons to spin the wheels in an automatic 318.
If you over rev, you shuoldn't worry (too much) - the rev-limiter will kick in and kill your engine; reducing it to 2000 rpms max. Oops.
Yeah hopefully it isn't a problem - another thing; do the revs go up but you don't move and THEN you go? This might be a clutch thing. Check your tranny fluids. And I don't mean my uncle.

[Delmarco]

Yeah this kids car, needs alot of new things before he needs to discuss performance issues....

I disagree: I have a 1995 318i and of course my car is fully serviced (oil, brakes, tires, fuel sensors) and my car is quicker of the line than other cars...4 cyclinders with 93 octane launch quicker that bigger engine cars with more torque and HP. However our cars launch quicker but would be eventually beaten by a bigger engine car.

If you guys want performance don't look at exhaust pipes and chips and EBAY air filter kits and "ricer kits"...just take your BMW to get fluids serviced and put better tires on your car and also check tire pressure and use proper octane fuel.

Usually, when I service my 318i..it drives like a brand new car.
Cars are also sensitive to alot of other wear and tear issues that would diminish performance...

[VLAD_325is]

yeah, basically first of all make sure that you actually start in first gear.. because it doesn't sound right that it takes 3 seconds to get the rpms going... put it in first, floor it and wait until 3-4k rpms.. don't have to redline it.. if the response is about the same as in drive position than look in other areas for solutions...


maybe your injectors are not very clean?

maybe your throttle body needs cleaning.. could be many things i think..

[Gator]

It could also be a slipping transmission. It would be great if you could find another car similar to yours to compare. Then you could tell if you had a mechanical problem causing your car to be slower than normal.

[thekid]

Um you do not want to shift the automatic tranny manually. This is not the best idea. Not to mention it has been discussed that this makes your car shift SLOWER than it would normally. Off the line there isn't anything that you can do in your 318i that would not hurt the tranny, enginer, brakes or some other part of your car. If you do insist on doing something regardless of damage, then holding the brake pedal down as you hit the gas, the releasing the brake pedal will give you the fastest time.

However, should you use this braking technique it will destroy your car over time. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR.

So what you should get used to, is that the auto 318i, is slow off the line. I would recommed learning how to make the car upshift by slightly letting off the gas then back full, where you want the car to upshift. But, this will not help you off the line.

Delmarco- Question, which car with a bigger engine, more HP and more torque, that is not a luxary car or a car with an anemic 6cly or a mini-van, is the 318i quicker than off the line? I'm just curious. I'm trying to form a mental list, but am coming up quite short.