2.0d RPM (Auto)

[SurreyX3]

First week in my F25 2.0d auto - I note that the selected gear tends to have me chugging around between 1100rpm and 1500rpm. Is that normal? I had the window down and it sounds a little like it is pinking when accelerating from lowest revs until it starts to pick up to around 1350rpm. Pottering along at 1100rpm seems a little more rattly (sounds like flight idle on an A310) and presumably puts more wear on the mounts and big ends? I guess this has all been thought about by the designers.

[MattX]

Does yours have the driver modes?
Mine feels like a bag of spanners in comfort/eco but much better in sport/+

[SurreyX3]

Fair point! I tend to run it in eco or standard mode and neither makes much difference. I suspect Eco just re-maps accelerating throttle response. I need to read up more on what exactly the "miles saved" is benchmarked against.
Not tried sport mode - On our non BMW, eco mode just means it is dangerous to pull out at junctions, and sport mode just makes things noisy! Was glad to discover getting away at junctions is not overly adversely affected by Eco mode.
I know what you mean about a bag of spanners! It is quite boomy when idling along on the flat at just over 1k rpm. Generally very impressed with the performance in any mode. Just concerned how long my mounts and big ends will survive chugging around close to 1,000 rpm.

[MattX]

[quote="SurreyX3"]
Fair point! I tend to run it in eco or standard mode and neither makes much difference. I suspect Eco just re-maps accelerating throttle response. I need to read up more on what exactly the "miles saved" is benchmarked against.
Not tried sport mode - On our non BMW, eco mode just means it is dangerous to pull out at junctions, and sport mode just makes things noisy! Was glad to discover getting away at junctions is not overly adversely affected by Eco mode.
I know what you mean about a bag of spanners! It is quite boomy when idling along on the flat at just over 1k rpm. Generally very impressed with the performance in any mode. Just concerned how long my mounts and big ends will survive chugging around close to 1,000 rpm.
[/quote]

Mines a 30D so slightly different, and I had read the 2.0 is a rattly engine.
You definitely need to put it in sport mode. On mine it completely transforms the car. I suspect in eco/comfort the timing is retarded and generally power is way down.
Mines like 2 different cars once you go to Sport

[SurreyX3]

Nice - I wanted a 30d but couldn't find an affordable one, though the 20d accelerates up to 40 better than my 30l Audi which is a massive benefit getting on to the high speed small radius roundabouts where I live.
Tried sport mode this evening, and as suspected it turns the 20d in to a vacuum cleaner style experience! Too much rattling and too much noise for my liking - By the sound of things, it'll do it but not in a nice way.
It feels as if there is some throttle remap and some useful extra engine braking but the performance feels better in standard mode. All that rattling and revving doesn't sound healthy and coming out of a V6, the vibration and noise reminds me of the LandRover.
More than good enough for me, and always impressed at how smoothly and quickly it gathers speed - The 30d must be rewardingly rapid. Maybe next time!

[sharpharp]

After owning the 20d Auto for a while now, the engine is one of annoyances while still bugs me. I have the pre-LCI facelift, so my engine is noisier. I believe the LCi facelift models came with a better and quieter engine.

I use mostly ECo-mode on long strengths, then comfort round town and weekly blasts in Sport.
Also I give it some decent Shell V-Power Nitro+ once in a while, which (for me anyway), makes a difference to the smoothness of the engine.

[mogsyman]

[quote="sharpharp"]
After owning the 20d Auto for a while now, the engine is one of annoyances while still bugs me. I have the pre-LCI facelift, so my engine is noisier. I believe the LCi facelift models came with a better and quieter engine.

I use mostly ECo-mode on long strengths, then comfort round town and weekly blasts in Sport.
Also I give it some decent Shell V-Power Nitro+ once in a while, which (for me anyway), makes a difference to the smoothness of the engine.
[/quote]

Mrs. Mogsyman's is a facelift and personally I think the engine is bloody brilliant.

I never use eco mode and occasional sport, it's never going to set a world record so why thrash it?

We recently travelled to Wales and with a large top box still managed nearly 40mpg and that was at legal speed  ::)

[SurreyX3]

Does your turbo whistle/warble at very low revs? Haven't heard that noise since I ran a Land Rover Td5. Presumably a lot of the LR diesel tech. filtered across.

[mogsyman]

[quote="SurreyX3"]
Does your turbo whistle/warble at very low revs? Haven't heard that noise since I ran a Land Rover Td5. Presumably a lot of the LR diesel tech. filtered across.
[/quote]

Not as far as I'm aware.

[MattX]

[quote="mogsyman"]
[quote="sharpharp"]
After owning the 20d Auto for a while now, the engine is one of annoyances while still bugs me. I have the pre-LCI facelift, so my engine is noisier. I believe the LCi facelift models came with a better and quieter engine.

I use mostly ECo-mode on long strengths, then comfort round town and weekly blasts in Sport.
Also I give it some decent Shell V-Power Nitro+ once in a while, which (for me anyway), makes a difference to the smoothness of the engine.
[/quote]

Mrs. Mogsyman's is a facelift and personally I think the engine is bloody brilliant.

I never use eco mode and occasional sport, it's never going to set a world record so why thrash it?

We recently travelled to Wales and with a large top box still managed nearly 40mpg and that was at legal speed  ::)
[/quote]

Does the box make a lot of difference? My 30D does around 40mpg without one.

[mogsyman]

[quote="MattX"]
[quote="mogsyman"]
[quote="sharpharp"]
After owning the 20d Auto for a while now, the engine is one of annoyances while still bugs me. I have the pre-LCI facelift, so my engine is noisier. I believe the LCi facelift models came with a better and quieter engine.

I use mostly ECo-mode on long strengths, then comfort round town and weekly blasts in Sport.
Also I give it some decent Shell V-Power Nitro+ once in a while, which (for me anyway), makes a difference to the smoothness of the engine.
[/quote]

Mrs. Mogsyman's is a facelift and personally I think the engine is bloody brilliant.

I never use eco mode and occasional sport, it's never going to set a world record so why thrash it?

We recently travelled to Wales and with a large top box still managed nearly 40mpg and that was at legal speed  ::)
[/quote]

Does the box make a lot of difference? My 30D does around 40mpg without one.
[/quote]

I was amazed not only the performance didn't seem to be affected but also by the MPG

I did buy Whisbar roof rails which are apparently as aerodynamic as these things get and also the box seems to be fairly well designed.

I've had to buy slightly bigger bars for my X5 but we've now got a set up for both.

[SurreyX3]

I had a set of Whispbars on the Audi - Very quiet but I found the machine screws holding the feet to the bar could have been much more robustly designed. I broke mine whilst assembling them. From memory, there were cast aluminium joints that I would have made from steel.
Good YouTube clip demonstrated the sound vs. others.
Now have the latest Thule bars, which are much better made and seemingly just as quiet, albeit the rubber strip in the T-track would benefit from being made like the Whispbar's.

[mogsyman]

[quote="SurreyX3"]
I had a set of Whispbars on the Audi - Very quiet but I found the machine screws holding the feet to the bar could have been much more robustly designed. I broke mine whilst assembling them. From memory, there were cast aluminium joints that I would have made from steel.
Good YouTube clip demonstrated the sound vs. others.
Now have the latest Thule bars, which are much better made and seemingly just as quiet, albeit the rubber strip in the T-track would benefit from being made like the Whispbar's.
[/quote]

The Whispar bars need an additional fitting to suit the rails on the X3/5 and it all looks pretty robust.

You remove part of the bar and then add a 'converter' (for want of a description). One large screw and then two more smaller M6 screws keeping everything in check.

Looking at it with my limited engineering background it certainly seemed to be well made and strong.

I've not actually used the bars without the box so I can't confirm if they are as quiet as they suggest!