Wife has a 1998 Volvo S70 (paid for) and we have a 2000 Expedition SUV, as well as 2 babies and 2 dogs. I have a further commute, so I drive her Volvo for my daily commute. Since the Volvo is "her" car (that she picked when new), I decide I want to get my choice of commuter cars...hence the shiny new (still unnamed) 325 sitting in the garage. Thought about selling the Volvo, but the resale value is the pits....so we're keeping it, leaving us with three vehicles.
Brave is right about having options: Roadtrip w/ family to grandma's - Expedition My daily commute - BMW Wifes daily commute - Volvo Houston flood like last week - Expedition Weekend storm and BMW freshly washed - Volvo
I say GO FOR IT! I think most people hold off on things like that until they are much older. Then they don't have as long to enjoy them.
Wow, sorry for the long post. Typing this during lunch.
<<The only time I reach for the dash is to fast foward or rewind a CD.>> You can move to the next and last track of a CD with the "radio's" up and down arrows on the steering wheel.
Wondering if anybody bought rubber floor mats from BMW or Weathertech.com. They were originally designed for 325i/330i. Do they fit well in 325xi/330/xi? Thanks in advance.
What are y'alls thoughts / preferences on the exhaust tips for a 325 that is black/black/black? Did not know the black was available until I saw them on Circle BMW. Anyone seen them? Look good? Look cheesy? Thanks.
<<<There is a special "sport" control switch that changes the engine's drive-by-wire throttle calibration. Flipping the switch changes the way the intake butterfly valves respond to the gas pedal. In sport mode, the valves open much more quickly, lessening throttle response time.>>>
It seems easier than we'd thought. Maybe Shipo can help us understand throttle response better now that he's back.
Ok here is what I would do: 1. Call Greg at 800 831 1117 (ext. 6197)...very knowledgeable and helpful BMWNA guy! He may be able to help. 2. If u dont find him, then call Karen at 800 831 1117 (ext 6294) also very helpful 3. Go to www.wlna.com and look for the VPC phone # at Port Newark (its on the pdf file). If you cant find it, call the shipping people at Newark (Tel # starts with area code 973..) and get the VPC info from them....tell them that you want thename and Tel # of the center where they took the commercial (BMW) vehicles on June 12th, once they were off-loaded from the Jinsei Maru...they must have some record of where the cars went! 4. Get back to us either way and I will think of something else in meantime. 5. Maybe Guru can help with his BMW GPS system!! Good luck!
Havent seen the black tips, but I got the chrome installed on my 325xi......sapphire black/gray. Looks great......and very Shtroumphish!!(or whatever!!) Chrome tips Highly recommended!!!
P.S. I'll have a digital camera by tonite......so guys, be prepared for a photographic onslaught!!!! I am gonna paint the board Sapphire Black!!
I called a couple of other dealers around town and they usually certify the cars before. One guy told me that they don't usually certify lo-mileage cars but they can if a customer asks for it.
Also: if they did not do something on the cert. list, then they would have to do it under warranty anyway. So they are usually very thorough.
I also called BMWNA and the guy there said that I should check that the dealer had ensured that the car would meet the certified criteria before marketing the vehicle as such.
I think I would have greater peace of mind if it had been pre-certified, but I will really have to check with a fine-tooth comb (my horoscope said: check pet for fleas) on Saturday.
Well: Got the financing and insurance settled, checked the market for fair pricing (I did OK) will work on the trade-in tomorrow...
what I went ahead and ordered, but wanted your thoughts on it.
Looking fwd to the pics of the Sapphire Black. Came oh-so-close to ordering that color myself, but I was pretty optioned out, so when it came to color, I couldn't justify the $$$$ for Sapphire Blk vs. Black-black.
That's interesting regarding the M3's "switching" ability. I still don't understand why one would ever want less-than-optimal throttle response time -- hence, why make it "swithchable?" Instead, leave it in "optimal" mode at all times. I can understand why one would not leave, for example, a Step in Sport all the time -- there are trade-offs (gas mileage, shift points not ideal for inclement weather, etc.). But I can't think of any trade-offs in this situation. Maybe we do need some help -- perhaps in the form of a bird, a plane, or SHIPOman!
Even after the board's discussion about the red dot / blue dot wheel, it did not dawn on me until now to suggest that you should make sure the wheel between the dash vents is set to 2 or 3 blue dots when you are using the A/C. That should maximize the A/C output. Dahh on my part.
I know in motor racing, what they do to conserve fuel is essentially change the air-to-fuel mixture, which I'm sure impacts throttle response as well. Faster throttle response would make your car leap forward under full throttle - I can see how a lot of people would not want these jerky movements for everyday driving. The question remains, though: Can drive-by-wire throttles as those found in the 3-series adjust to driver's style? Mine seems to have improved dramatically after the first 2,500 miles. Has the Ship arrived?
I had rubber in my Jetta VR6 and they were very homely looking even in an economy car. Would not think about putting even the best rubber mats in a BMW. As far as these ones, I'm sure they fit well if they were designed for the 3-series.
Probably "Shtroumpfish" is better....or maybe "Shtroumpish"?......i dunno But I wanted to clarify ur comment on my "worrying": Unlike some people, I typically am not used to a smooth sailing (or what I would like to think of as smooth!). I have been bitten more than once in my short life so far, and frankly dont have the patience or reserve for things to go wrong anymore! I have become compulsive about most things.....I like to take precautions, ask questions, clarify, beat the doubts to death.....sometimes it is possible to be ahead of the game using this approach, at other times its not.....but that is the basic philosophy! I am in a comfortable position today not perchance or due to good fortune only, but by using my own meticulous approach to life. Hence, when I get a solitary chrome trimmed window in an otherwise shadowlined 35k bimmer, alarm bells start ringing........ BTW, the sapphire black was my wife's choice!
I had rubber in my Jetta VR6 and they were very homely looking even in an economy car. Would not think about putting even the best rubber mats in a BMW. As far as these ones, I'm sure they fit well if they were designed for the 3-series.
The unofficial brave1heart edition of Webster's says "Shtroumpfish" is correct. Not to be confused with Phish.
It is very difficult to advise on life philosophies - all that matters is that you pick one that works for you. In real life, I can be very stubborn, aggressive, and biting - you've seen that trait of my personality on the board. Yeah, you can read a lot about the real person from the board. Most of what I've achieved, just like you, I had to fight ferociously for. I was a lot more restless when I was 25 and I like the 32-year-old version of me much better b/c I'm at peace with myself and am very comfortable with who I am. But in my experience, I've realized that when you take a punch in life, you shouldn't be standing stiff and tight - it hurts more that way, like going head against the wall. It's typically better to flex a little as you're taking the punch - it softens the impact and although you do lose some ground at first, you can use the bounce to come back and even attack. Think about it - maybe you'll interpret it better for yourself than the way I can explain it. Ultimately, I measure my success by how happy and at peace with myself I feel and how happy I can make the people that I love. Worrying a lot about getting ripped off doesn't help me achieve any of this b/c it often breaks my emotional balance. You can replace a lot about your body (where should I start?) but there's not much you can do about your nerves - they are a limited resource that you use up over time and unlike, say hair, you can't regenerate them or transplant them. I believe in working smart, not necessarily very hard )
I have to agree with your approach...beating an issue to death is the only way to ensure that you have covered all aspects of it. It doesn't guarantee anything, but at least the horrors are minimized.
I agonized for weeks about whether I should splurge and get this car instead of something like a Honda Civic. I did a great deal of research and forecasting. But ultimately, it was the people on this board that helped me make up my mind. I'm glad I didn't end up on some of the other boards (bimmer.org for eg.). It would have scared me off big time.
Of course, once I drove the car, I was sold...so all reason and logic pretty much went out the window.
And I have always wanted a BMW before I was 30...so there!!!!
A couple of vineyards do make it here. East Dell for one has a particularly fine one, but I don't remember the year. Most wineries/vineyards have a pretty good Ice Wine, but I find that overall, the VQA (Ontario wine growers assoc.) is overpriced in comparison to say French or Italian table wine.
The Napa and Sonoma Valleys were a better Wine Route, but Niagara is not too bad.
Just to give u an example of how it helps me..... My friend was coming in this evening from Boston I called the airlines just to make sure that i have everything correct Guess what....his original flight is canceled And they are filling up the remaining airlines with those passengers......and my friend didnt know about it (he is the carefree types) so i called him....and a stitch in time saved..... So, there u go.....
We had a lot of it at our wedding two years ago and everybody loved it. I've never been a huge wine fan but even I love this sort. Ours was directly shipped from Alsace (France) and it was inexpensive, esp. for a wedding - sth like $20-25 a bottle I think. Good stuff, maybe we'll take another trip up to Niagara and Toronto this summer and check it out.
and the Prime Minister declares a National Emergency. (Actually, the rest of Canada laughed at us when Toronto's mayor called in the Army to clear the snow a couple of years ago)
From the Edmund's M5 review: "The fly-by-wire system operates thusly: The driver give commands with the accelerator pedal to two potentiometers which move each throttle butterfly operating in its own housing mounted directly at the intake ports. As the driver moves the gas pedal, the commands are calculated by the engine's computer processor and received by a DC servomotor between the cylinder banks. In turn, through a small gearbox, this motor drives a shaft that drives a link to each cylinder bank to rotate the throttle butterflies of that bank.
These two links rotate the throttle shafts, connecting via balljoints at cylinders 3 and 6. From these points, the other three throttle butterflies are opened and closed and the servomotor reacts to any pedal movement in a light-speed-like 120 milliseconds. The result is the driver perceives no lag time — only instant throttle response. Furthermore, the M Driving Dynamics Control System, controlled by a switch on the dash, provides two settings for throttle response: normal and an even quicker sport mode. In addition, the throttle butterflies for cylinders 4 and 8 have their own feedback sensors to monitor operation. If a fault is recognized in the system, one of four limp-home modes allows operation of the car at speeds of up to 62 mph."
Oddly enough, my name is Shipman. I got the Shipo moniker from a Professor long ago who was a Marx Brothers fan "Time wounds all heels". In this class there was me, Dale Shipman and Ken Sharp, we were instantly dubbed "Shipo" and "Sharpo", I guess it kinda stuck.
On the subject of throttle response, I have never seen the code behind the throttle by wire for any car BMW or otherwise, so I can only make a speculative guess as to what is going on.
Most throttle bodies are fairly linear in their opening (ie. 10% pedal travel yields ~10% throttle). With a conventional mechanical linkage, once it is set by the engineers, that is it. With throttle by wire you have complete control of the "Butterfly valves" in the throat of the throttle body (or throttle bodies in the case of the M3). Can a computer be programmed to "learn" a driving style and adapt? Yes. Has BMW done this for the E46? I am leaning toward NO.
Given the "Fuzzy Logic" necessary to read the mind of the driver and adapt the throttle response to said driver, the code would have to be far more complicated than the M3 which has a simple two position switch for setting throttle response. If BMW had an adaptive throttle, I suspect it would be on the M3 and the rest of us would have the switch, not the other way around.
Many people (including myself) have noticed that the throttle response on our E46's became crisper somewhere between 2K and 5K miles. Guess what? For the benefit of my business partner, I lurk over in the Dodge Intrepid R/T board, they have notice the same improvement that we have. My guess is that the engine and drive train has loosened up a little and we are experiencing less engine and drive train friction loss.
One item of note, when I was at MB, I was talking to one of the engineers about throttle bodies vs. dynamic valve train engines (no throttle body). He told me that one problem with a free flowing throttle body is that initial engine acceleration was too much for normal driving situations. During testing, MB found that they had to "De-Tune" the throttle body a little so that people would not hit the car in front of them when in heavy traffic. With a throttle by wire system, the physical throttle body can be totally optimized and the computer can actually slow the opening of the butterfly valve (ie. 10% pedal travel yields 7% throttle).
Now for the good stuff, in theory, a throttle body is unnecessary! If somebody could invent a totally dynamic valve train that could withstand the rigors of adjusting from 0 lift to full lift and full duration, you can then use the valve train as your throttle. Under testing, they have found that a fully dynamic valve engine can produce anywhere from 7% to >20% more power from a given amount of fuel. I think the term the engineer used was the elimination of "Pumping Losses". I guess that the new valve train that BMW is going to start using in a year or two is moving in this direction.
WARNING, much of what I have just written is speculation based upon many sources, so take it for what you paid for it.
Let's see if we can get Shipo or burrsr to translate this for those of use who are uninitiated in butterflies. Can you imagine a J.D./M.D. who could also explain the response throttle of an M5? Fascinating.
Here we go - I have to go read Shipo's response above.
Hey! I love this varietal! But the US producers tend to make it too sweet. I agree with Brave...Gewrtz from Alsase is the best! My fav label is Trimbach...but it can be a bit pricier than the rest.
genie: awesome! I should have guessed that they can grow grape vines up there. They make some decent table Reislings in Michigan.
I'd love to take the credit for discovering the Alsacian Gewurtztraminer but I'll have to give it to my wife. She is originally from Alsace and knows a lot of good stuff. I'm just lucky to have her and the wine that goes with it )
Pomerol and Chateauneuf-de-pape are pretty good. I had some excellent local wines when I was in Provence last Fall. (five weeks working in the south of France...I feel sooooo lucky)
C-de-Pape is from near Avignon (Bouches de Rhone). I was about 45 minutes away in a small town between Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. This region is one of the most amazing places I have visited.
The wheel with the blue dots helps set the temperature of the air coming out of the vents. 3 blue dots for coldest and 3 red dots for hottest. The Auto climate control only controls fan speed in response to the measured temp in the cabin. The I/O's by the vents control flow from that particular vent.
I, too, live in Chicago and in the 90 degree weather my parents commented on just how comfortable and cool the car was...until the aux fan died on Sat, that is.
Mystic5. How do you like that 325iX? I'm trying to convince a neighbor to buy a 325iX or A4 Quattro instead of an RX300. The car he's dumping is a Subaru and his other car is a Saab 9 turbo convertable. I don't think that he'd be happy in an SUV, even a car like one.
"Under testing, they have found that a fully dynamic valve engine can produce anywhere from 7% to >20% more power from a given amount of fuel" I am guessing that we are giving up this efficiency in everyday driving so we don't bump up into cars in front of us?? Interesting, it's a pretty significant loss.
Now that i'll likely get the retrofit. i,m wondering if the retro rack is identical to those used in 328s or is what's being used in current 330s or something different entirely?
Now that Shipo's back I also have a question about a clicking noise i hear from the rear deck above the rear seat. It seems to be related to inertia because it comes on like clockwork when i accelerate from 0 to 15. The sound seems to be coming from too high to be related to the drivetrain itself.
You are incredibly lucky! What occasion did you have to stay so long? My wife and I just spent 10 days in Provence at the end of May. (for the second time...my whole family went this time. yikes). We stayed in Aix and Les Baux. Beautiful place, Les Baux. I'd recommend it to anybody...especially the restaurant Oustau de Baumaniere. Go for lunch and have the tasting menu outside by the pool.
We did some wine tasting in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and around Aix. It was great! Of the ones that allowed tasting I favored Chateau Mont Redon, 1998...not quite ready yet, but powerful and with a great finish. The local wines there are great also...but so many of them are pretty heady with high alcohol contents.
Pomeral is region of Bordeaux, unless I am mistaken. Quite a different style and grape from the -du-Pape's and Cotes du Rhone in Provence. But a totally robust style.
Personally, I prefer the big but subtle Burgundies...or even the Burgundian styled American Pinot Noirs.
If you like the -du-Papes...have you tried the Austrialian Syrrah's or Mertages? They're also very robust and flavorful.
While my car was in the shop...I got to drive a 323i. The steering on that car is noticeably tighter than on my 2001 May production 325i with SP. I was somewhat surprised but not entirely so. How can you find out if you have the new steering or the new-new steering? I really liked the old steering better than mine. I do like mine...a lot...but after driving the old one, I long for the heavier feel. The new one feels like BMW feel with near Audi lightness. Kinda weird.
After a long two month wait, my 325 CI finally arrived. Upon arrival I noticed 7 scratches, three very deep. I declined the car and luckily they were able to locate an identical one allready one week on the water. At VPC they had to repair a chipped left side molding on the drivers side door.
I have owned 9 cars and have never experienced anything like this. Why should I purchase a car that has allready had to have the door repainted by some body shop? I hope the second car that was repaired at the VPC was fixed properly. Am I out of line to be upset??
I got a Shipping report from my dealer and none of the 9 cars that they had received with the same shipment had ANY damage at all. Checking for scratches and damage was one of the reasons why I wanted to go look at the car as soon as they got it at the dealer lot and before it was prepped. Your story blows my mind and it's just too much of a coincidence with two cars. I dunno what to say but it's very unusual and you are in your right to be upset. I know I would be. On the plus side, they do a good job repairing these cars at the dealer's but then again, you're paying for a new car and you should be getting a new car.
My 325i SP's steering is exactly like you're describing it - great road feel but it's almost as light as our A4's steering. It wasn't nearly as heavy as the 323 that I drove back-to-back the day I picked up my car from the dealer. BMWNA was supposed to have fixed this issue with all cars that went into production after 4/1 but it came out that they have been inconsistent about it and a lot of cars that were produced after that date still have the patched steering instead of the original heavy steering. The rack they use for the newest heavy steering is taken right out of the 323/328's, so it should be VERY close to the 323 that you drove. I'm also hearing that no-one has been contacted for a retrofit in almost two months. I myself have been on the list for a month and a half.
Comments
Brave is right about having options:
Roadtrip w/ family to grandma's - Expedition
My daily commute - BMW
Wifes daily commute - Volvo
Houston flood like last week - Expedition
Weekend storm and BMW freshly washed - Volvo
I say GO FOR IT! I think most people hold off on things like that until they are much older. Then they don't have as long to enjoy them.
Wow, sorry for the long post. Typing this during lunch.
You can move to the next and last track of a CD with the "radio's" up and down arrows on the steering wheel.
Did not know the black was available until I saw them on Circle BMW. Anyone seen them? Look good? Look cheesy? Thanks.
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadtests/firstdrive/46799/article.html
<<<There is a special "sport" control switch that changes the engine's drive-by-wire throttle calibration. Flipping the switch changes the way the intake butterfly valves respond to the gas pedal. In sport mode, the valves open much more quickly, lessening throttle response time.>>>
It seems easier than we'd thought. Maybe Shipo can help us understand throttle response better now that he's back.
Ok here is what I would do:
1. Call Greg at 800 831 1117 (ext. 6197)...very knowledgeable and helpful BMWNA guy! He may be able to help.
2. If u dont find him, then call Karen at 800 831 1117 (ext 6294) also very helpful
3. Go to www.wlna.com and look for the VPC phone # at Port Newark (its on the pdf file). If you cant find it, call the shipping people at Newark (Tel # starts with area code 973..) and get the VPC info from them....tell them that you want thename and Tel # of the center where they took the commercial (BMW) vehicles on June 12th, once they were off-loaded from the Jinsei Maru...they must have some record of where the cars went!
4. Get back to us either way and I will think of something else in meantime.
5. Maybe Guru can help with his BMW GPS system!!
Good luck!
Looks great......and very Shtroumphish!!(or whatever!!)
Chrome tips Highly recommended!!!
P.S. I'll have a digital camera by tonite......so guys, be prepared for a photographic onslaught!!!! I am gonna paint the board Sapphire Black!!
Also: if they did not do something on the cert. list, then they would have to do it under warranty anyway. So they are usually very thorough.
I also called BMWNA and the guy there said that I should check that the dealer had ensured that the car would meet the certified criteria before marketing the vehicle as such.
I think I would have greater peace of mind if it had been pre-certified, but I will really have to check with a fine-tooth comb (my horoscope said: check pet for fleas) on Saturday.
Well: Got the financing and insurance settled, checked the market for fair pricing (I did OK) will work on the trade-in tomorrow...
I will soon be set to enjoy this car....
Looking fwd to the pics of the Sapphire Black. Came oh-so-close to ordering that color myself, but I was pretty optioned out, so when it came to color, I couldn't justify the $$$$ for Sapphire Blk vs. Black-black.
"Shtroumpish"?......i dunno
But I wanted to clarify ur comment on my "worrying":
Unlike some people, I typically am not used to a smooth sailing (or what I would like to think of as smooth!). I have been bitten more than once in my short life so far, and frankly dont have the patience or reserve for things to go wrong anymore! I have become compulsive about most things.....I like to take precautions, ask questions, clarify, beat the doubts to death.....sometimes it is possible to be ahead of the game using this approach, at other times its not.....but that is the basic philosophy!
I am in a comfortable position today not perchance or due to good fortune only, but by using my own meticulous approach to life. Hence, when I get a solitary chrome trimmed window in an otherwise shadowlined 35k bimmer, alarm bells start ringing........
BTW, the sapphire black was my wife's choice!
It is very difficult to advise on life philosophies - all that matters is that you pick one that works for you. In real life, I can be very stubborn, aggressive, and biting - you've seen that trait of my personality on the board. Yeah, you can read a lot about the real person from the board. Most of what I've achieved, just like you, I had to fight ferociously for. I was a lot more restless when I was 25 and I like the 32-year-old version of me much better b/c I'm at peace with myself and am very comfortable with who I am. But in my experience, I've realized that when you take a punch in life, you shouldn't be standing stiff and tight - it hurts more that way, like going head against the wall. It's typically better to flex a little as you're taking the punch - it softens the impact and although you do lose some ground at first, you can use the bounce to come back and even attack. Think about it - maybe you'll interpret it better for yourself than the way I can explain it. Ultimately, I measure my success by how happy and at peace with myself I feel and how happy I can make the people that I love. Worrying a lot about getting ripped off doesn't help me achieve any of this b/c it often breaks my emotional balance. You can replace a lot about your body (where should I start?) but there's not much you can do about your nerves - they are a limited resource that you use up over time and unlike, say hair, you can't regenerate them or transplant them. I believe in working smart, not necessarily very hard
I agonized for weeks about whether I should splurge and get this car instead of something like a Honda Civic. I did a great deal of research and forecasting. But ultimately, it was the people on this board that helped me make up my mind. I'm glad I didn't end up on some of the other boards (bimmer.org for eg.). It would have scared me off big time.
Of course, once I drove the car, I was sold...so all reason and logic pretty much went out the window.
And I have always wanted a BMW before I was 30...so there!!!!
The Napa and Sonoma Valleys were a better Wine Route, but Niagara is not too bad.
My friend was coming in this evening from Boston
I called the airlines just to make sure that i have everything correct
Guess what....his original flight is canceled
And they are filling up the remaining airlines with those passengers......and my friend didnt know about it (he is the carefree types)
so i called him....and a stitch in time saved.....
So, there u go.....
Summer was last week here...we're on to winter.
"The fly-by-wire system operates thusly: The driver give commands with the accelerator pedal to two potentiometers which move each throttle butterfly operating in its own housing mounted directly at the intake ports. As the driver moves the gas pedal, the commands are calculated by the engine's computer processor and received by a DC servomotor between the cylinder banks. In turn, through a small gearbox, this motor drives a shaft that drives a link to each cylinder bank to rotate the throttle butterflies of that bank.
These two links rotate the throttle shafts, connecting via balljoints at cylinders 3 and 6. From these points, the other three throttle butterflies are opened and closed and the servomotor reacts to any pedal movement in a light-speed-like 120 milliseconds. The result is the driver perceives no lag time — only instant throttle response. Furthermore, the M Driving Dynamics Control System, controlled by a switch on the dash, provides two settings for throttle response: normal and an even quicker sport mode. In addition, the throttle butterflies for cylinders 4 and 8 have their own feedback sensors to monitor operation. If a fault is recognized in the system, one of four limp-home modes allows operation of the car at speeds of up to 62 mph."
On the subject of throttle response, I have never seen the code behind the throttle by wire for any car BMW or otherwise, so I can only make a speculative guess as to what is going on.
Most throttle bodies are fairly linear in their opening (ie. 10% pedal travel yields ~10% throttle). With a conventional mechanical linkage, once it is set by the engineers, that is it. With throttle by wire you have complete control of the "Butterfly valves" in the throat of the throttle body (or throttle bodies in the case of the M3). Can a computer be programmed to "learn" a driving style and adapt? Yes. Has BMW done this for the E46? I am leaning toward NO.
Given the "Fuzzy Logic" necessary to read the mind of the driver and adapt the throttle response to said driver, the code would have to be far more complicated than the M3 which has a simple two position switch for setting throttle response. If BMW had an adaptive throttle, I suspect it would be on the M3 and the rest of us would have the switch, not the other way around.
Many people (including myself) have noticed that the throttle response on our E46's became crisper somewhere between 2K and 5K miles. Guess what? For the benefit of my business partner, I lurk over in the Dodge Intrepid R/T board, they have notice the same improvement that we have. My guess is that the engine and drive train has loosened up a little and we are experiencing less engine and drive train friction loss.
One item of note, when I was at MB, I was talking to one of the engineers about throttle bodies vs. dynamic valve train engines (no throttle body). He told me that one problem with a free flowing throttle body is that initial engine acceleration was too much for normal driving situations. During testing, MB found that they had to "De-Tune" the throttle body a little so that people would not hit the car in front of them when in heavy traffic. With a throttle by wire system, the physical throttle body can be totally optimized and the computer can actually slow the opening of the butterfly valve (ie. 10% pedal travel yields 7% throttle).
Now for the good stuff, in theory, a throttle body is unnecessary! If somebody could invent a totally dynamic valve train that could withstand the rigors of adjusting from 0 lift to full lift and full duration, you can then use the valve train as your throttle. Under testing, they have found that a fully dynamic valve engine can produce anywhere from 7% to >20% more power from a given amount of fuel. I think the term the engineer used was the elimination of "Pumping Losses". I guess that the new valve train that BMW is going to start using in a year or two is moving in this direction.
WARNING, much of what I have just written is speculation based upon many sources, so take it for what you paid for it.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Here we go - I have to go read Shipo's response above.
genie: awesome! I should have guessed that they can grow grape vines up there. They make some decent table Reislings in Michigan.
C-de-Pape is from near Avignon (Bouches de Rhone). I was about 45 minutes away in a small town between Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. This region is one of the most amazing places I have visited.
And lets not even get into the fabulous food...
I, too, live in Chicago and in the 90 degree weather my parents commented on just how comfortable and cool the car was...until the aux fan died on Sat, that is.
Mystic5. How do you like that 325iX? I'm trying to convince a neighbor to buy a 325iX or A4 Quattro instead of an RX300. The car he's dumping is a Subaru and his other car is a Saab 9 turbo convertable. I don't think that he'd be happy in an SUV, even a car like one.
Now that Shipo's back I also have a question about a clicking noise i hear from the rear deck above the rear seat. It seems to be related to inertia because it comes on like clockwork when i accelerate from 0 to 15. The sound seems to be coming from too high to be related to the drivetrain itself.
We did some wine tasting in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and around Aix. It was great! Of the ones that allowed tasting I favored Chateau Mont Redon, 1998...not quite ready yet, but powerful and with a great finish. The local wines there are great also...but so many of them are pretty heady with high alcohol contents.
Pomeral is region of Bordeaux, unless I am mistaken. Quite a different style and grape from the -du-Pape's and Cotes du Rhone in Provence. But a totally robust style.
Personally, I prefer the big but subtle Burgundies...or even the Burgundian styled American Pinot Noirs.
If you like the -du-Papes...have you tried the Austrialian Syrrah's or Mertages? They're also very robust and flavorful.
I have owned 9 cars and have never experienced anything like this. Why should I purchase a car that has allready had to have the door repainted by some body shop? I hope the second car that was repaired at the VPC was fixed properly. Am I out of line to be upset??
2nd car is on the way....had a chip on the drivers side door molding which was repaired at VPC
Does anyone have any info on VPC "standards"
for repairs..?
Thanks..Adam