1996 BMW 318 Logo
Posted on Oct 24, 2008

S & M Switches in 318i 1996 MBW

I see a switch written on S & M near the Gear Lever of my BMW, what is it used for, i drive in "D" 99% of the time. in which conditions do i switch to S or M. What are the fuel consumption implications of each?

Unfortunately i don't have an owners mannual, Can someone kindly let me know where i can freely download it. we got no credit cards to purchase online here.

James, (Uganda)East Africa

1 Answer

A

Anonymous

In S and E modes your car will start in 1st gear and progress up to which ever gear you have the shifter in, 2, 3, 4(D).
In M mode the transmission STARTS in which ever gear you have selected. If you have the gear shift in 2nd, the car will start in 2nd and STAY in 2nd until you change it. It will not shift up to 3rd or ever down into 1st.

This as someone above stated is for adverse weather driving where low gears have too much torque for the traction offered by the road surface.

ALSO, this is NOT a manual setting. This should never be used for "performance" driving unless you are looking to destroy your auto tranny in a hurry. It is strictly for poor traction conditions.

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