Improve Throttle Response

[Grimlock85]

Hi all,

Recently got a 2011 135i and I want to do something about the throttle response. It's a manual transmission and while i love the engine I really want to do something about the delay in throttle response. From what i've read through several threads, it seems that the PPK improves throttle response fairly well. Could others confirm this?

I also realize the PPK doesn't provide nearly as much bang for the buck as some of the other tunes, do any of the other tunes also improve throttle response? If so, maybe i'll look into other forms of tuning.

[flinchy]

Even just an ots stage1 linear map helped like crazy with response

[Dackelone]

Sounds like your car has BMW's SW update that leaves the turbo's waste gates open at idle and they don't fully close until 3K rpms. Hence your lag low throttle response. Only solution is a new tune. Either BMW's PPK which will fix this or an aftermarket one. Cobb and Gaic are good ones too. A lot of guys go with a piggy tune as well. Their are pros and cons with them all. I prefer a flash tune.

[BBursey]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Sounds like your car has BMW's SW update that leaves the turbo's waste gates open at idle and they don't fully close until 3K rpms. Hence your lag low throttle response. Only solution is a new tune. Either BMW's PPK which will fix this or an aftermarket one. Cobb and Gaic are good ones too. A lot of guys go with a piggy tune as well. Their are pros and cons with them all. I prefer a flash tune.

Interesting. That's the first time I've heard lag described as the waste gate staying open, but fits with what I experience in my car as well. The throttle response doesn't seem slow or late compared to my foot movement, but it seems like the torque isn't available in the lower rpm's like it is when I go above 3000 rpm.

Anyone know if the Dinan stage 2 tune for N55 would also fix this (i.e. provide access to max torque at lower rpm like this engine should deliver)? I've already dropped enough cash with Dinan that I might as well keep going.

Cheers,
Bryan

[ONDEMAND]

NOT A POWER MOD AT ALL, but if you are tuned in some fashion a chargepipe and intake will help with throttle response. I noticed a big improvement when I installed both at the same time.

Not going to "cure" the dull throttle response of these cars but will help a good bit.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by BBursey

Interesting. That's the first time I've heard lag described as the waste gate staying open, but fits with what I experience in my car as well.

The way I noticed it, was... you have to press down 1/2 to 3/5ths throttle to get the same performance as you use to have using only 1/4 throttle. Ultimate HP feels about the same. It is just the engine is very laggy and not very responsive at low to mid range rpms. Not until 3,800 rpms in my case. This SW update totally guts the car's part throttle response. Its why some of us bought the dam car in the first place. It should be criminal what BMW is doing, but hey it is what it is.

Its kind of like how BMW built the early 1M's (also N54's) with SW that produced 390 HP instead of the 340 HP. These cars were all early March, 2011 builds. Then as those "press cars" got sold off and came in for service... BMW "updated" their SW to produce the regular 340 HP numbers.


Dack

[Dmacc]

Here is an interesting little quirk I found with my car that may help you out.

For the longest time, every time I would start my car after it was already warm, and would let the car's idle drop slightly before taking off, I noticed that my throttle response was always a little laggy and delayed. I'm a 6MT and noticed this with traction both fully on and fully off, as well as on the stock n54 tune. It drove me nuts for months, trying to figure out why some days my car was easier to drive than others.

One day I tested letting the car's idle fall all the way down to 640rpm, its normal idle, before driving off or giving any gas. And what do you know, the car was more responsive than ever. It explained why after morning cold starts, even though my car was cold, it was still responsive. On warm starts letting the idle drop to 640rpm now lets me have that quick and fast throttle response instead of that hiccup you might feel when trying to give it gas after a shift. I'm on the newest software from BMW and am also tuned as well. Tune or not, I noticed this issue always persists.

You could try letting the car warm up fully even if the oil is already warm and see if your response increases. You could also reset your adaptations on your car as some times that might be exactly what you need.

Anyways I just wanted to add this bit of info here because it drove me nuts for so long, and finally being able to have swift response has made me enjoy my car all over again.

[dm135is]

Originally Posted by BBursey

...Anyone know if the Dinan stage 2 tune for N55 would also fix this (i.e. provide access to max torque at lower rpm like this engine should deliver)? I've already dropped enough cash with Dinan that I might as well keep going...

I have Dinan Stage 2 with no other engine mods and would say "yes". I experienced noticeable throttle lag with my stock car, it is all but gone with my Dinan Stage 2 tune. The car pulls strong from just off idle to nearly redline. The acceleration is just about instantaneous as well as almost anti-climactic and undramatic in its delivery, just a steady swell of power. I rarely exceed 4K RPM on the street because it just seems so unnecessary, unless I'm stretching for redline every few drives to clean out the gutty works. I can't compare to any other tunes though, they might be more effective or dramatic.

[Prodigy.]

Originally Posted by Dmacc

You could also reset your adaptations on your car as some times that might be exactly what you need.

Can you confirm how you actually reset the adaptions, in particular on a N55 DCT if it differs, as my car suffers from poor throttle response and hoping this may fix it.

[w3rkn]

I suffer from the same lack of throttle response, I have a 135is.

Can a BMW tech make the pedal more linier, instead of having the bubble?

[ShocknAwe]

To reset throttle adaptations:

turn on ignition (lights on dash)
hold down throttle for 30 seconds
turn off ignition

[SuperCNJ]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

To reset throttle adaptations:

turn on ignition (lights on dash)
hold down throttle for 30 seconds
turn off ignition

Can you explain what this does and what you mean by throttle adaption?

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by SuperCNJ

Can you explain what this does and what you mean by throttle adaption?

The ECU learns what you do on a daily basis and tries to optimize performance for you. This procedure erases that "learning" and sets the throttle input back to stock.

I find a huge difference every time I do it as I sit in traffic A LOT and over time I get more throttle lag than I want.