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      08-10-2019, 04:36 PM   #1
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The sound! The SOUND! How do they do that?

Long time BMW owner, mostly 5 series sedan here - but proud new owner of 2020 Z4 M40i. Just getting to 1st 1000 miles. I owned a 2000 Porsche Turbo. This car is faster, and MUCH more livable.

I'm very pleased that, unlike my 5's - there is a DIFFERENCE between moving the shift lever into "Sport" and pressing the "Sport Mode" button. In this car they are additive. And does sport mode deliver! Best automatic yet in any BMW I've owned. Snappy upshifts, predictive rev-matched downshifts under braking - you just don't need to shift manually- this car is ALWAYS in the right gear when driven hard.

SO - in "Sport Mode" - the car gurgles, pops, burps, farts and just in general gives you a GLORIOUS SOUND TRACK that is well-muted in "comfort" mode. Is this JUST because the throttle response and shifts are faster? Or are they doing something specific with timing, injection, I dunno - to elicit these sounds? I suspect the latter but have no idea HOW they're doing it. Anyone know?


Inquiring minds want to know!
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      08-10-2019, 09:49 PM   #2
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Did you try Sport Plus yet?

By the way, if you are in Sport Plus, then go to another mode or leave the car, the next time you start it up and press the Sport button, it will go into Sport Plus immediately, no need to press twice. Same for Sport Individual - it will remember the mode you were in and always switch back to that with one single button press.
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      08-10-2019, 11:55 PM   #3
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Traction control in Sport Plus/Individual

Concerning Sport Plus:my dealer said not to touch it because then all the driving aids like Traction control,...are disabled. BUT when I enable Sport Plus I don't see the symbol on the dash that shows Traction Control disabled. When I press the button dedicated to Traction Control you see the symbol on the dash.
Same with Individual...

So I guess I can enable Sport Plus and still have Traction control...
Meaning my dealer is wrong.

I have to say I own a 1 series (6 years old) and when I put that one in Sport Plus the Traction control symol automatically lights up in the dash...
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      08-11-2019, 12:23 PM   #4
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I use Sport Individual - all the settings of Sport Plus but with comfort steering. I don't need heavier steering loads - both are equally numb in terms of feedback. (I'm not complaining - the cars goes where you point it.)



Quote:
Originally Posted by CeEl View Post
Did you try Sport Plus yet?

By the way, if you are in Sport Plus, then go to another mode or leave the car, the next time you start it up and press the Sport button, it will go into Sport Plus immediately, no need to press twice. Same for Sport Individual - it will remember the mode you were in and always switch back to that with one single button press.
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      08-11-2019, 12:24 PM   #5
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Your dealer is wrong. Traction control is not disabled by engaging sport plus. It is disabled by press-holding the traction control button.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kv1980 View Post
Concerning Sport Plus:my dealer said not to touch it because then all the driving aids like Traction control,...are disabled. BUT when I enable Sport Plus I don't see the symbol on the dash that shows Traction Control disabled. When I press the button dedicated to Traction Control you see the symbol on the dash.
Same with Individual...

So I guess I can enable Sport Plus and still have Traction control...
Meaning my dealer is wrong.

I have to say I own a 1 series (6 years old) and when I put that one in Sport Plus the Traction control symol automatically lights up in the dash...
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      08-23-2019, 10:40 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gheumann View Post
in "Sport Mode" - the car gurgles, pops, burps, farts and just in general gives you a GLORIOUS SOUND TRACK that is well-muted in "comfort" mode.

...

Inquiring minds want to know!
I'm afraid at least some of that is fake "Active Sound" coming from the speakers.
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      08-23-2019, 10:50 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mwickens View Post
I'm afraid at least some of that is fake "Active Sound" coming from the speakers.
There is more than ASD



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      08-23-2019, 11:18 AM   #8
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There is ASD and you hear it most prominent when the top is up. However, with top down the pops, crackles are REAL especially in Sport Plus.
The Z4 sound is more prominent than in my M235 with MPE.
Good thing is you can switch into Comfort Mode or Sport Individual when tired of the crackles...
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      08-29-2019, 09:21 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mwickens View Post
I'm afraid at least some of that is fake "Active Sound" coming from the speakers.

I dunno. What I'm hearing is much more audible when the top is down and sounds like it is coming from the exhaust. It is loud - and bloody entertaining!
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      08-30-2019, 10:16 AM   #10
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IMO, ASD isn't "fake" noise, it's amplified actual engine noise.....unlike the recordings, etc. that some other manufacturers are purported to use.

Honestly, I can't tell on my Z4 but then I drive mostly with the top down so I'm assuming that the actual engine noise drowns out the amplified noise.

Dave
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      08-30-2019, 10:43 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DPelletier View Post
IMO, ASD isn't "fake" noise, it's amplified actual engine noise.....unlike the recordings, etc. that some other manufacturers are purported to use.

Honestly, I can't tell on my Z4 but then I drive mostly with the top down so I'm assuming that the actual engine noise drowns out the amplified noise.

Dave
From a bimmerpost article:

"Speaking of sound, I struggled initially with the idea of having any kind of ‘Active Sound’ in an M car. Through first hand conversation with Albert Biermann, head of BMW M, I confirmed that active sound operates on an algorithm with multiple parameters including: throttle position, engine speed and engine load. From these values, the system calculates synthetic engine sounds to be projected into the cabin to accompany the mechanical soundtrack. Albert said that the intention was to provide greater engine speed feedback to the driver to compensate for the more muffled sound of the turbo engine. While the system cannot be switched off, he told me that if it were deactivated, its absence would be quite obvious to the driver."
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      08-30-2019, 11:58 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DPelletier View Post
IMO, ASD isn't "fake" noise, it's amplified actual engine noise.....unlike the recordings, etc. that some other manufacturers are purported to use.

Honestly, I can't tell on my Z4 but then I drive mostly with the top down so I'm assuming that the actual engine noise drowns out the amplified noise.

Dave
Just stay outside and let someone else start it up & drive it a bit ... what you hear sounds good and I am reasonably certain doesn’t come from the inside speakers ...
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      08-30-2019, 12:01 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CeEl View Post
Just stay outside and let someone else start it up & drive it a bit ... what you hear sounds good and I am reasonably certain doesn’t come from the inside speakers ...
The sounds in the two videos that I posted in #7 are definitely from the exhaust, not the speakers.
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      09-02-2019, 01:44 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gheumann View Post
Long time BMW owner, mostly 5 series sedan here - but proud new owner of 2020 Z4 M40i. Just getting to 1st 1000 miles. I owned a 2000 Porsche Turbo. This car is faster, and MUCH more livable.

I'm very pleased that, unlike my 5's - there is a DIFFERENCE between moving the shift lever into "Sport" and pressing the "Sport Mode" button. In this car they are additive. And does sport mode deliver! Best automatic yet in any BMW I've owned. Snappy upshifts, predictive rev-matched downshifts under braking - you just don't need to shift manually- this car is ALWAYS in the right gear when driven hard.

SO - in "Sport Mode" - the car gurgles, pops, burps, farts and just in general gives you a GLORIOUS SOUND TRACK that is well-muted in "comfort" mode. Is this JUST because the throttle response and shifts are faster? Or are they doing something specific with timing, injection, I dunno - to elicit these sounds? I suspect the latter but have no idea HOW they're doing it. Anyone know?


Inquiring minds want to know!
What made the Porsche Turbo unlivable?
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      09-08-2019, 03:00 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan View Post
What made the Porsche Turbo unlivable?
It was very hard riding, loud cockpit interior, low seating position.

It sure was a gas on the track, though!
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      09-08-2019, 03:02 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gheumann View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan View Post
What made the Porsche Turbo unlivable?
It was very hard riding, loud cockpit interior, low seating position.

It sure was a gas on the track, though!
I bet it was. Being a single guy with no kids, I would take a GT3 any day of the week.
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      09-15-2019, 12:10 AM   #17
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I just drove the Z4 30i today and even it made a nice sound. Maybe my expectations are low.
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      01-23-2020, 03:19 PM   #18
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So i guess you can't deactivate the so called "fake engine sound"? I was wondering if it's doable on new Z because there are a lot of posts/videos online that show people how to deactivate the ASD on M cars to get rid of synthetic engine sound.
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      08-22-2021, 06:41 PM   #19
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Is ASD only on the Z4 M40i? I own a 2021 Z4 sDrive30i and I cannot find the "engine sound" selection within the "settings > general settings" menu of the vehicle, which leads me to believe that ASD is only on the M40i model.
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      08-22-2021, 09:04 PM   #20
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I turned off ASD in my M40i with BimmerCode, and frankly I really can't tell the difference. Might be because my top is down 95% of the time.
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      08-23-2021, 09:40 AM   #21
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Top down and initial start produces gurgles and pops and that is purely from the exhaust. It does sound nice.
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      09-15-2021, 03:54 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gheumann View Post
Long time BMW owner, mostly 5 series sedan here - but proud new owner of 2020 Z4 M40i. Just getting to 1st 1000 miles. I owned a 2000 Porsche Turbo. This car is faster, and MUCH more livable.

I'm very pleased that, unlike my 5's - there is a DIFFERENCE between moving the shift lever into "Sport" and pressing the "Sport Mode" button. In this car they are additive. And does sport mode deliver! Best automatic yet in any BMW I've owned. Snappy upshifts, predictive rev-matched downshifts under braking - you just don't need to shift manually- this car is ALWAYS in the right gear when driven hard.

SO - in "Sport Mode" - the car gurgles, pops, burps, farts and just in general gives you a GLORIOUS SOUND TRACK that is well-muted in "comfort" mode. Is this JUST because the throttle response and shifts are faster? Or are they doing something specific with timing, injection, I dunno - to elicit these sounds? I suspect the latter but have no idea HOW they're doing it. Anyone know?


Inquiring minds want to know!
If i drive in a parking garage and speed up a little bit you hear the reflections of the sound with the cover down. Marvelous
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