Quote:
Originally Posted by mole7374
Well...I'll agree, disagree, and be neutral on different parts. First, I agree that some sort of physical evidence or a statement from BMW is necessary to clear this up...I think most of us are right on some parts but off on others...I think it's impt to say that none of us here really knows 100% no matter what we think. Second...I'd agree that from everythign I read, in non-dhp cars, and 35i only, the toggle switches are only SUPPOSED TO change steering and throttle...however...when then is the chassis setup still in the idrive and why are many users reporting a different suspension feel? it's weird...not sure what to think there. The one confusing to me is on the M-sport where it says "sport suspension delete"...so what does that mean relative to the non-dhp cars...does that mean they have sports suspension? WTH right? I have to think that what BMW wrote is somewhat accurate in that 28i cars with no dhp get nothing....35 cars with SAP get the switches to adjust steering and throttle and that this chassis feel is due to the steering change...however I'm still suspect b/c of what other users have been reporting... and in DHP you get all that plus the dynamic dampening. The dampening factor is what happens to each wheel indivdually.
I'll disagree with this that you wrote: Also, with DHP the suspension setting isn't changed for individual wheels. You either get soft or hard set up at all 4 corners. I'm 99% sure that is incorrect...modifying the feel of each wheel is the exact point of DHP..."dynamic"...it's not an all or nothing thing...why do you think the system when you are at highway speed and hit a pothole adjust the rear wheel after the front wheel detects the bump...it's modifying one wheel differently than the other...again that's the whole point of DHP. This system has been around for a while in the other lines...it totally adjusts each wheel and not the whole setup. What it will do is this...adjust the whole setup to be geared towards a sport mode, however the system still modifies and adjusts each wheel accordingly...that's just it.
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Yeah you're right about that last part, Mole. The front wheels receive and read the road "information" first, then immediately adjust power and suspension damping for the rear wheels so the car exhibits the least amount of inertial violence as possible. Reading on the BMW international website, Dynamic Damper Control (and its brother and sister systems) reads the road information, working with the electro-hydraulic suspension damper adjustments to PUSH the wheels down to the ground. The wheels will be "pushing" hardest when in stiffer suspension modes. This works directly with DTC and the drivetrain/chassis settings to maintain maximum grip, cutting power and applying this "pushing" where needed most. The "pushing" sort of acts as a sidekick to aerodynamic downforce/drag to keep the car down. The system works somewhat like the X5's (and other models') Adaptive Drive which monitors road conditions and dampens the suspension to offer a more nimble yet comfortable ride (Electronic Damping Control); this $3500 feature also comes with Active Roll Stabilization, which applies this downward "pushing" to inside wheels, and in addition applies upward pushing on the side of the car taking the outside of the turn. The car exhibits less body roll and inertial violence, maintaining grip. They really should have offered this Adaptive Drive option on the X3 instead of the DHP, as ARS and EDC seem to be more sophisticated systems that work best together.
I've done some more research, and I've learned/remembered that the seemingly nameless option with the SAP and M-Sport that comes with the switches is called Dynamic Drive Control. It used to be there. Now it's just chillin' in the back. On the 7-series, this feature is actually called Driving Dynamics Control. On the Z4, Driving Dynamics Control is defined as having Normal, Sport, and Sport+ modes; I believe this is what we have, although it remains mysteriously unlisted for the X3. On the X6 xDrive50i there is a standard feature called Dynamic Performance Control.
In Canada, the Dynamic Handling Package is called the Dynamic Comfort Package because the Dynamic suspension is more comfortable in Normal mode than the standard suspension. This option has also been known to ghost as Variable Damper Control.
As much as I love BMW's marketing team, I dislike very much their overuse and misuse of the words Active, Adaptive, Dynamic, Variable, and Control. Active and Adaptive mean the same thing, essentially, in that an Active system should Actively Adapt to the conditions, and in that way the system should be Dynamic, because it is always changing, which means that the system is also Variable. BMW also uses that last word, Control, too often where the driver actually does not Control the system, rather that responsibility rests on the car's computer. Active, Adaptive, Dynamic, and Variable should also imply some driver input, but do not; although some systems ascribed to these falsely characteristic names do allow driver input, there are systems with the same characteristic title but one does not offer driver input where the other does.
Shall we make a list?
Dynamic Stability Control
Dynamic Traction Control
Dynamic Brake Control
Dynamic Damper Control
Variable Damper Control
Electronic Damper Control
Dynamic Drive Control
Driving Dynamics Control
Performance Control
Dynamic Performance Control
Active Roll Stabilization
Adaptive Drive
Adaptive Transmission Control
Adaptive Headlights
Adaptive Sport Seats
Active Ventilated Seats
Active Head Restraints
Active Steering
Variable Sport Steering
Adaptive Brake Lights
Park Distance Control
Adaptive Cruise Control
Dynamic Cruise Control
Active Knee Protection
Active Blind Spot Detection
ActiveHybrid
EfficientDynamics
Hill Descent Control
Adaptive Light Control
Cornering Brake Control
Adaptive M Suspension
Let us not forget the names ascribed to the upholstery choices.
Boston Leather
Dakota Leather
Nevada Leather
Kansas Leather
Novillo Leather
Nappa Leather
Merino Leather
Alcantara Leather
What kind of operation are we running here? A tour of the American territories and then a jetset to Italy?
And what about the lovely model names (which make me feel like a rocket scientist when I say them)?
BMW ***i xDrive, xDrive Sports Wagon, xDrive GranTurismo,
BMW 7**i/iL xDrive, ActiveHybrid 750i/iL,
BMW X* xDrive**i/d,
and last but not least,
BMW Z4 sDrive35is.
I think we're all suffering from some BMW syntax errors. We all mean the same thing, but there are so many fucking absurd names for the same features that we don't know what anyone else is saying. The same features on different models are called different things. That's a problem. The only place that can offer you any understanding as to the truth of the features is the Owners' Manual, which you have to download, but you shouldn't have to. It should all be clear in the features & specs tab. cer2225, you're absolutely right. This convoluted bullshit is just a game to make stupid amounts of money on stupid people with stupidly overexcited check-marking fingers. I'm happy with my car, but I don't appreciate that their ill-advised release of arbitrary names and specifications for one could put a less observant person in a car that doesn't have everything they want or that they could have spent too much on something they did not want AND two makes me look like a babbling idiot because I think I've finally understood the features lineup, BUT NO, GOD FORBID someone actually knew what they were talking about, BMW might melt like a witch under water.
