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      06-24-2013, 07:34 AM   #80
mkoesel
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Drives: No BMW for now
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Canton, MI

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swamp, I don't recall seeing that comment about the S63Tu vs the S63 before. I have to wonder about how the addition of Valvetronic would effect turbo lag itself. I'm sure turbo lag is present in some form or another in any current turbocharged engine, so I won't argue that point. But the attribution of the increase in lag to the Valvrtronic throttle control seems like it could be debated. It seems to me that this would more likely point toward throttle lag. Perhaps the software in this case was not fully baked yet and needed tweaking. You and I know this type of situation well, what with the early DCT software woes. Speaking of which - there's one more place in the system that lag can rear its ugly head - gear ratio changes. Of course, we'd like to think BMW has that all handled by now. Still, it is curious that the X5 M also uses a different transmission from the M5, which somewhat interferes with the idea of comparing their ability to respond to driver inputs.

I believe that some day we'll be driving turbocharged cars with lag-less character. But I don't necessarily think BMW is going to usher us into that era with the S55. However, they may be prepared to make a significant breakthrough at least. I for one am excited to see what, if anything truly revolutionary, they've come up with. I think that is one thing we all anticipate here, and can all get behind. It could be the single most exciting trait about this engine if even some of the current rumors pan out.
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