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      02-23-2020, 05:35 AM   #1
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Kick Down

I know this is probably common knowledge on here, but I just discovered the kick down feature after reading through the manual again. Hands down the most underrated feature. With people driving like lunatics, and now allow you to merge...this feature is crazy. I’ve been using it quite a bit over the past couple days.

Do you guys prefer this, or something else...like paddle shifters or switching to Manual mode? Really hope I don’t screw anything up using this!
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      02-23-2020, 08:12 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by randybobandy View Post
I know this is probably common knowledge on here, but I just discovered the kick down feature after reading through the manual again. Hands down the most underrated feature. With people driving like lunatics, and now allow you to merge...this feature is crazy. I’ve been using it quite a bit over the past couple days.

Do you guys prefer this, or something else...like paddle shifters or switching to Manual mode? Really hope I don’t screw anything up using this!
...what is kickdown?
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      02-23-2020, 08:16 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by nvsocr7 View Post
...what is kickdown?
Isn't it just planting the accelerator to the floor??
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      02-23-2020, 08:34 AM   #4
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James_G0530d I thought the same thing, but I feel a notable difference. I drive in Adaptive Mode 90% of the time. If you need to smash the pedal to accelerate, it's responsive, but more continuous/smooth. Pushing the pedal down beyond the resistance point and easing back up drops the gear down to what the vehicle perceives will provide the most acceleration.

It is such a small thing, but now that I learned about it...it's great. Again, with driving in Adaptive most of the time...Kickdown seems like a shortcut to sport plus acceleration for just a moment. I love that it goes right back to "normal" once you accomplish that needed punch. I know it's probably a small feature that everyone knows about, but I think it's hands down the best little trick. It's hard to describe the difference between this and just smashing the accelerator. Give it a try next time...it'll go into rocket ship mode!
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      02-23-2020, 12:35 PM   #5
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This isn't a unique feature (every car I've owned has this). But I do agree it's very useful when the transmission doesn't quite listen to you when you're trying to wake it up. I seem to use it quite often.
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      02-23-2020, 01:43 PM   #6
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I just "downshift" 2 clicks with the paddle and plant it. My only annoyance is that the paddles are a bit too small; I have big hands, and I can JUST reach them!
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      02-23-2020, 02:53 PM   #7
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can you use the paddles at will even if you're in adaptive or comfort mode (my car is still 700 miles from break in, so I haven't gone over 4500rpm yet)
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      02-23-2020, 03:44 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by thereef510 View Post
can you use the paddles at will even if you're in adaptive or comfort mode (my car is still 700 miles from break in, so I haven't gone over 4500rpm yet)
Yes, you get then 'semi manual' control for a little while, until you stop shifting for a few seconds, perhaps 15s or so. I find it quite handy really, especially if you come to say, a sequence of turns and want to 'take over' the downshift without going full manual.

Or when overtaking of course, as I said, I'm more of the 'two click down and whack it' sort of person, the only problem is that you have to deal with the upshift as well until you are done, afterward it'll take over again...

You can also use the click down for using engine braking, in downhill places, or if you drive behind someone and dont want to have to brake all the time.
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      02-23-2020, 03:47 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buze View Post
Yes, you get then 'semi manual' control for a little while, until you stop shifting for a few seconds, perhaps 15s or so. I find it quite handy really, especially if you come to say, a sequence of turns and want to 'take over' the downshift without going full manual.

Or when overtaking of course, as I said, I'm more of the 'two click down and whack it' sort of person, the only problem is that you have to deal with the upshift as well until you are done, afterward it'll take over again...

You can also use the click down for using engine braking, in downhill places, or if you drive behind someone and dont want to have to brake all the time.
so I don't have to first move the shifter over to the +/- side, I can just use the paddles at will?
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      02-23-2020, 03:48 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thereef510 View Post
so I don't have to first move the shifter over to the +/- side, I can just use the paddles at will?
No use he paddle at will. Only use the stick if you want to stay in manual.
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      02-23-2020, 05:51 PM   #11
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Seems to me that this is just pushing the pedal to the metal reading my owner's manual.

"Kickdown

Kickdown is used to achieve maximum driving performance.

Step on the accelerator pedal beyond the resistance point at the full throttle position."
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      02-23-2020, 06:25 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by randybobandy View Post
James_G0530d I thought the same thing, but I feel a notable difference. I drive in Adaptive Mode 90% of the time. If you need to smash the pedal to accelerate, it's responsive, but more continuous/smooth. Pushing the pedal down beyond the resistance point and easing back up drops the gear down to what the vehicle perceives will provide the most acceleration.

It is such a small thing, but now that I learned about it...it's great. Again, with driving in Adaptive most of the time...Kickdown seems like a shortcut to sport plus acceleration for just a moment. I love that it goes right back to "normal" once you accomplish that needed punch. I know it's probably a small feature that everyone knows about, but I think it's hands down the best little trick. It's hard to describe the difference between this and just smashing the accelerator. Give it a try next time...it'll go into rocket ship mode!
That makes sense, and probably explains why Adaptive is my favorite mode.
Adaptive mode is the most comfortable, and the transmission is very intuitive, to the point where the car learns your driving behavior.

I have noticed in Adaptive that you only need a very mild press to kickdown a gear or two, but that doesn't happen too often for me as I have the 30d Diesel, and there's so much low-down torque the tranny only ever needs to go down 1..2-steps at most to get me over most hills.
When I'm cruising in 7 or 8th gear, I gotta put it to the floor to drop 3-4 gears for hard acceleration.

Using Bimmercode, I've made Adaptive my default driving mode now - and loving it.

I only ever drive in Adaptive or Sports Plus these days. I just coded Sports Plus for my car using Bimmercode, as the 30d doesn't support that mode from the factory.

I think BMW should just get rid of Comfort mode. I never use it anymore, its a redundant mode for me now.
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      02-23-2020, 06:45 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by James_G0530d View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by randybobandy View Post
James_G0530d I thought the same thing, but I feel a notable difference. I drive in Adaptive Mode 90% of the time. If you need to smash the pedal to accelerate, it's responsive, but more continuous/smooth. Pushing the pedal down beyond the resistance point and easing back up drops the gear down to what the vehicle perceives will provide the most acceleration.

It is such a small thing, but now that I learned about it...it's great. Again, with driving in Adaptive most of the time...Kickdown seems like a shortcut to sport plus acceleration for just a moment. I love that it goes right back to "normal" once you accomplish that needed punch. I know it's probably a small feature that everyone knows about, but I think it's hands down the best little trick. It's hard to describe the difference between this and just smashing the accelerator. Give it a try next time...it'll go into rocket ship mode!
That makes sense, and probably explains why Adaptive is my favorite mode.
Adaptive mode is the most comfortable, and the transmission is very intuitive, to the point where the car learns your driving behavior.

I have noticed in Adaptive that you only need a very mild press to kickdown a gear or two, but that doesn't happen too often for me as I have the 30d Diesel, and there's so much low-down torque the tranny only ever needs to go down 1..2-steps at most to get me over most hills.
When I'm cruising in 7 or 8th gear, I gotta put it to the floor to drop 3-4 gears for hard acceleration.

Using Bimmercode, I've made Adaptive my default driving mode now - and loving it.

I only ever drive in Adaptive or Sports Plus these days. I just coded Sports Plus for my car using Bimmercode, as the 30d doesn't support that mode from the factory.

I think BMW should just get rid of Comfort mode. I never use it anymore, its a redundant mode for me now.
I think they can't because this is probably the base setting for WLTP / CO2 testing. If they start in a different setting the values won't be as good.
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      02-23-2020, 11:36 PM   #14
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I use the paddles. That way, if I'm sitting behind a big truck waiting to overtake I'm already in the right gear BEFORE planting the foot. Paddles also work well with engine braking.
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      02-24-2020, 04:27 AM   #15
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It is the same as using the paddles to drop a gar or two. To me, it seems to be on par with comparing a DCT vs. MT. The vehicle will always be more precise and know itself better than a human. It’ll achieve smoother gear changes, etc. For kickdown, it selects the most optimum gear to achieve the greatest acceleration on demand. I don’t know how it compares to using Sport or Sport Plus, but for Adaptive and Comfort it’s great. The thing I like is you just punch it down real quick and accelerate (you can let off the pedal a bit for accelerating), pass or merge, and go right back to driving down the road all comfy.

Again, it’s just another option. It seems like BMW has two or three ways to perform functions in their vehicle. Give it a try, see if you notice a difference! I’ve read that manual multiple times, and for some reason didn’t think twice about that feature. Now if I could just figure out how to change the responsiveness on the high beam sensitivity...
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      02-24-2020, 09:29 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by randybobandy View Post
Now if I could just figure out how to change the responsiveness on the high beam sensitivity...
Have you tried the steps listed below?

Sensitivity of the high-beam Assistant

General information

The sensitivity of the high-beam Assistant can be adjusted.

Safety information

Not dazzling oncoming traffic

Warning

If adjustments have been made or the sensitivity has been modified, oncoming traffic may be momentarily blinded. There is a risk of accident. If adjustments have been made and the sensitivity has been modified, make sure that oncoming traffic is not momentarily blinded. Switch off the high beams manually if required.

Functional requirements

The setting can only be performed when the vehicle is stationary. The drive-ready state must be switched on and the light must be turned off.

Adjusting the sensitivity

Push the turn signal lever to the front for approximately 10 seconds. The system responds more sensitively.

A Check Control message is displayed.

Resetting the sensitivity

Push the turn signal lever to the front again for approx. 10 seconds or switch off the drive-ready state.

The sensitivity of the high-beam Assistant is reset to the factory settings.

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      02-25-2020, 06:27 AM   #17
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Yup. Took the car out of the garage, left vehicle running, turned lights off, then held the stalk forward for 10 seconds. I never get the prompt saying anything happened. I have no clue what’s going on.
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      02-25-2020, 08:57 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by randybobandy View Post
Yup. Took the car out of the garage, left vehicle running, turned lights off, then held the stalk forward for 10 seconds. I never get the prompt saying anything happened. I have no clue what’s going on.
Perhaps you should try it again because you didn't follow one of the steps. You wrote that you left the engine running...the instructions state to have the car in the "drive-ready state" which I interpret as the START button has been pressed (without foot on the brake pedal) so that control modules are powered but the engine is not running.
Functional requirements
The setting can only be performed when the vehicle is stationary. The drive-ready state must be switched on and the light must be turned off.

Adjusting the sensitivity

Push the turn signal lever to the front for approximately 10 seconds. The system responds more sensitively. A Check Control message is displayed.

Resetting the sensitivity

Push the turn signal lever to the front again for approx. 10 seconds or switch off the drive-ready state.

The sensitivity of the high-beam Assistant is reset to the factory settings.
FWIW...I have no desire to even mess around with this feature because it works so well on my f06. It seems to turn off the high beams way before it would blind oncoming traffic or slower moving traffic I approach from behind...as well as turns off when cars approach from a perpendicular angle (traffic approaching from side streets).
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Last edited by Qsilver7; 02-25-2020 at 09:03 AM..
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      02-25-2020, 11:52 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Qsilver7 View Post
FWIW...I have no desire to even mess around with this feature because it works so well on my f06. It seems to turn off the high beams way before it would blind oncoming traffic or slower moving traffic I approach from behind...as well as turns off when cars approach from a perpendicular angle (traffic approaching from side streets).
I agree with your findings as well. At least as far as my vehicle is concerned.
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      02-25-2020, 02:40 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Qsilver7 View Post
Perhaps you should try it again because you didn't follow one of the steps. You wrote that you left the engine running...the instructions state to have the car in the "drive-ready state" which I interpret as the START button has been pressed (without foot on the brake pedal) so that control modules are powered but the engine is not running.
Functional requirements
The setting can only be performed when the vehicle is stationary. The drive-ready state must be switched on and the light must be turned off.

Adjusting the sensitivity

Push the turn signal lever to the front for approximately 10 seconds. The system responds more sensitively. A Check Control message is displayed.

Resetting the sensitivity

Push the turn signal lever to the front again for approx. 10 seconds or switch off the drive-ready state.

The sensitivity of the high-beam Assistant is reset to the factory settings.
FWIW...I have no desire to even mess around with this feature because it works so well on my f06. It seems to turn off the high beams way before it would blind oncoming traffic or slower moving traffic I approach from behind...as well as turns off when cars approach from a perpendicular angle (traffic approaching from side streets).
Drive-Ready State is foot on brake pedal then press Start aka starting the engine...I think you’re confusing it with something else. I think this proves the point that BMW over complicates something yet again. It shouldn’t be this confusing to follow 3 steps to adjust sensitivity. For your reference on a Drive-Ready State:

Drive-ready state
Concept


Switching on drive-ready state corresponds to starting the engine.

General information

Some functions, such as DSC Dynamic Stability Control, can only be used with drive-ready state switched on.

Switching on drive-ready state
Concept


Steptronic transmission
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Press the Start/Stop button.

The ignition is activated automatically for a brief time and is stopped as soon as the engine starts.

Most of the indicator/warning lights in the instrument cluster light up for a varied length of time.

Last edited by randybobandy; 02-25-2020 at 02:41 PM.. Reason: Formatting
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      02-25-2020, 03:46 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by randybobandy View Post
Drive-Ready State is foot on brake pedal then press Start aka starting the engine...I think you’re confusing it with something else. I think this proves the point that BMW over complicates something yet again. It shouldn’t be this confusing to follow 3 steps to adjust sensitivity. For your reference on a Drive-Ready State:

Drive-ready state
Concept


Switching on drive-ready state corresponds to starting the engine.

General information

Some functions, such as DSC Dynamic Stability Control, can only be used with drive-ready state switched on.

Switching on drive-ready state
Concept


Steptronic transmission
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Press the Start/Stop button.

The ignition is activated automatically for a brief time and is stopped as soon as the engine starts.

Most of the indicator/warning lights in the instrument cluster light up for a varied length of time.
Well...there ya go...I need to take my foot out of my mouth and put it on the brake pedal.

Apparently I'm confusing the "radio ready state" & "standby state" that is used often in the F series owners manual and conflated it to the new G series "drive ready state". Big mistake on my part.

Thanks for clearing up my confusion.
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      02-25-2020, 04:37 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Qsilver7 View Post
Well...there ya go...I need to take my foot out of my mouth and put it on the brake pedal.

Apparently I'm confusing the "radio ready state" & "standby state" that is used often in the F series owners manual and conflated it to the new G series "drive ready state". Big mistake on my part.

Thanks for clearing up my confusion.
I’m with ya, since I get all messed up with the correct state for wipers. Ha I only found the real drive ready state since reading again. I have no idea the difference between just hitting start with no brake and hitting the volume/power button in. It’s all too much to keep straight. They need to start a BMW Camp for adults...kind of like space camp for kids!
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