2006 Bmw M5

[Driver72]

Went to LACR last night and too my surprise a middle aged
guy in a brand new midnight blue M5 rolls in.

I started to talk to him immediately.
He just got the car in December.

After him running the car several times, he
OFFERED to let me take it for a drive down the 1/4 mile.

As great as that offer might have been I turned it down.
Two reasons mainly:
He was already in the staging lines and I had no clue as
to how to work the launch control or even have time to adjust the seats
or anything AND
I didn't want to wreck or ruin this guys car!!

So the next best thing, he had me jump into the passenger seat for
a ride along down the strip.

Nice fast car, but I've got to say, the SMG just SUCKS.
I've heard the complaints of how jarring and unsmooth it is
in the M3, but now imagine a car with 167 more HP?
The thing rockets off pretty good, but the jolting thunk between each
gear shift makes you think you just dropped the tranny.

Speaking of which the other point, this is his second clutch already.
He tried launching the car hard ONCE without the use of "launch control" and it fried the clutch and it had to be replaced.
Launch control should be renamed...."hinder your launch control"

If there was one thing I noticed after watching the car
leave the line a half dozen time, and after riding in it once with
launch control on, it BOGS the CAR down.

We made sure we had the all 500 hp going too. But it just wouldn't
allow ANY wheelspin. AND it appears to cut the power and not allow any wheel spin for the first couple hundred feet.

I told him to try a run WITHOUT launch control.
He was worried because this is how he fried the clutch before.
I told him, don't just hammer the throttle on a 500 hp car you'd spin
through the 1/8th mile. EASE the throttle down so you get a good
launch but just on the edge of spinning the tires.

Well, he tried it, got a pretty good launch, but started spinning, backed out of the throttle a bit, then got back on it...but too hard, 200 or so feet down the run, he started fish tailing and had to back out again.

All in all, I'm impressed with the car, but got to say, for $90+ K
(he paid over a $100K as he said he paid a $10K over MSRP for it)
it just has TOO MANY computer controlled BS and NEEDS a manual tranny again.

In the final race of the night, we raced a lightly modded black C5 Corvette.
He had ZO6 badge on it, but I was told it was NOT a ZO6 (which I believe since it had non-ZO6 wheels).
We snuck 3 people in the car (the owner, his friend, and me).
We used "hinder" launch control, which of course allowed the Corvette
to get a nearly 2 car length jump on us.
But we started to real in the Corvette and crossed the stripe just over 1 car length behind.
Not bad considering the inevitable bogged launch and cut back power for
the first couple hundred feet the M5's ECU does...and the fact there was an extra 340 pounds in the car (me and the car owners friend).

M5's best run of the night at the crappy and slow LACR
was 13.8 @ 104+ with one driver (we did 14.0 @ 102+ with 3 people)
That vette ran a 13.7 @ 101

Weather conditions were about
low 70's
25% humidity
strong right front 1/4 wind (weather channel said 18 mph)
elevation is just over 2700 ft.

[Driver72]

Oh, one other thing, I told the owner to take the car in
and see if his launch control is working properly.
he agreed, he thinks it shouldn't be cutting
the power at launch like it does...he said he would take it in.

[MikeyMike]

I believe they are releasing the M5 in a manual transmission soon.

[papagz]

13.7??

[Hyde]

launch control doesnt cut power and it does allow wheel spin. unless u had TSC on which i dont believe BMW allows.

with S6 mode, there is no way any average driver can match the precise launch control and lightning fast shifting.

[Driver72]

Maybe he had the traction control on too.
I asked him, but he said once you engage launch control
the traction control is defeated.
Plus, the run where he didn't have launch control on
he spun like crazy, so I know he had traction control off.

I think his launch control wasn't working as I said above.
I just went to Streetfire and saw several new M5 videos
where the tires spun a bit even with launch control on (as it
should).

His car's ECU needs to be reflashed. maybe when they put in the
new clutch they messed up the launch control.
There's no doubt the car felt fast and ran right up to redline, but
the launch and first 1/2 of first gear just didn't feel right or that strong.

The car also lurched several times when staging requiring him to put it
in reverse and restage.
He'd be staged and have launch control engaged and then suddenly the
car would lurch forward a foot or two.
I doubt it's suppose to do that either.

Another sign his launch control is F-ed up and needs servicing from BMW.

[Msedanman]

Wow with that kind of power, you'd think he'd be in the 12's.
Sounds like a great ride anyway. Kudos for him taking it to the track, I wouldn't have.

C.

[Hyde]

for launch control

all u need to do is floor it and it does the job for u, pefect launch everytime, if u cant get a perfect launch, they maybe is is frying the new clutch already.

but SMG is a very fragile piece... mine was stuck in reverse cuz the hydralic clutch broke.

i find it more fun to drive then standard manual, cuz its just "different"

[InTgr8r]

I never was a fan of SMG.

The idea... absolutely
but BMWs impementation was less than perfect...
All they did was take an existing manual box, add servos & hydraulics (& software)

There's a reason it's been pulled from most of the 3 series.
The new DCT units are expected to be a huge improvement.

[papagz]

i like Audi's DSG tranny that thing is smooth as butter, but so fast

[InTgr8r]

Originally Posted by papagz

i like Audi's DSG tranny that thing is smooth as butter, but so fast

I agree...
Had an A3 3.2 Q out for a drive...
Loved that tanny.. wish we could get it in the G35

[papagz]

^^ i may be getting that but in the 2.0T rather than 3.2.

[telegramsam]

The SMG in the 2006 M5 is not the same as in the M3. Take a ride in one with a driver that knows how to drive it and set it and the experience can be quite different. There are multiple settings for the SMG which affect the way it behaves.

I will give you a more balanced critique when mine arrives in July and I have found the optimal settings for my driving style. I have been in one driven by someone who knew what they were doing. I was so impressed, I ordered one.

[mercury3545]

My dad has an M5 and it dosent do any of the above. The only time it semi "bogs down" is when he has it on the regular driving mode. The time between gears when he shifts is a little long. He took it to the track not to long ago and ran a 12.7 which i beileve is .2 sec off the manufacturer spec times. There must be something wrong with his computer like you said beacuse the launch control is a beautiful thing. When you floor the car it hardly chrips the tires and then just plants you back into your seat. It is a very amazing car.

[absolutg]

LACR is notorious for really bad times. adjusted i bet he's running upper 12's low 13's