[ethermal]

sorry for the long title, I have been searching and no where does it say conclusively. I personally don't want nor care for AWD however all the wagons are only offered in AWD so it looks like i have no choice. What i'm looking for is there a simple button or switch or knob that allows for the total disable of the xdrive system? I know in other AWD equipped vehicles RWD can be selected by the user.

I know there was a switch in technology in 2006 and the pre2006 use a slightly different xdrive system. So I guess my follow up question is do the pre2006 work any differently in regards to being able to switch the system into RWD only?

[mds82]

i believe the only time it switches to all rear wheel drive is when you drive over 80 mph. i remember reading that somewhere

[aspiring335]

No, you cannot manually switch from awd to rwd. I don't know of a single car sold today in which you can do this. Some pickup trucks and truck-based SUVs do allow you to do this. The BMW system is dynamic, in the sense that it distributes torque front / rear based on traction and other factors. I don't think in any circumstances it sends 100% to the rear wheels.

Originally Posted by ethermal

sorry for the long title, I have been searching and no where does it say conclusively. I personally don't want nor care for AWD however all the wagons are only offered in AWD so it looks like i have no choice. What i'm looking for is there a simple button or switch or knob that allows for the total disable of the xdrive system? I know in other AWD equipped vehicles RWD can be selected by the user.

I know there was a switch in technology in 2006 and the pre2006 use a slightly different xdrive system. So I guess my follow up question is do the pre2006 work any differently in regards to being able to switch the system into RWD only?

[R12ax7]

Originally Posted by mds82

i believe the only time it switches to all rear wheel drive is when you drive over 80 mph. i remember reading that somewhere

Once it hits 100 mph (although it might be 80 mph, as mds82 said) it sends all power to the rear, otherwise its got a mind of its own.

[ethermal]

ok so I will avoid it.

[phil_]

I had a sensor malfunction that caused the AWD / DSC / DTC lights to come on permanently and my car became RWD until the dealer fixed it.

The manual said to drive carefully, I nailed the gas in 2nd gear and started spinning like crazy something I could never do with AWD on.

I'm sure there's a way but you most likely would lose DSC / DTC and it won't be as easy as a button.

I had a Mazdaspeed6 before and you could pull out a fuse to make it FWD only.

[ethermal]

Originally Posted by phil_

I had a sensor malfunction that caused the AWD / DSC / DTC lights to come on permanently and my car became RWD until the dealer fixed it.

The manual said to drive carefully, I nailed the gas in 2nd gear and started spinning like crazy something I could never do with AWD on.

I'm sure there's a way but you most likely would lose DSC / DTC and it won't be as easy as a button.

I had a Mazdaspeed6 before and you could pull out a fuse to make it FWD only.

Ya I was considering at least on older models, just literally removing the transfer case and all mechanical parts but in the end seems like a lot of work to do. Still might be feasible considering there are few wagons to chose from and many of the old ones are xit and there doesn't seem to be a price premium for used xdrive equipped wagons.

[aspiring335]

I would just import a used 328i wagon from the US. Killer deals to be had with the current exchange rate, and even though it is not sold in Canada you can import it as a used vehicle.

Originally Posted by ethermal

Ya I was considering at least on older models, just literally removing the transfer case and all mechanical parts but in the end seems like a lot of work to do. Still might be feasible considering there are few wagons to chose from and many of the old ones are xit and there doesn't seem to be a price premium for used xdrive equipped wagons.

[Bimmerista]

Just get the darn xit, in normal mode (no slip, good weather), 80% of torque on acceleration goes to the rear-it will drive like a rwd car until an awd is required, and then you will be glad it had the awd capability.

[dassub]

On my old Audi, you could push a button to lock the rear diff. I drove it for years and never ever got stuck anywhere, no matter what the conditions, no matter how hard I tried to get into trouble.. that thing was a tank.

[TwinPowerF30]

i thought the subaru sti can do it...

[deletedelete]

I dont know how the rumor that the awd system turned off at 80 or 100mph started. That is untrue. It can send 100% of the power to an axle during a slip but thats it. The front drive axle cannot be disable.

[mimik]

Originally Posted by Prowess Symphony

I dont know how the rumor that the awd system turned off at 80 or 100mph started. That is untrue. It can send 100% of the power to an axle during a slip but thats it. The front drive axle cannot be disable.

I agree. The dealer told me as well that you cannot switch off the AWD. It would have been nice to get that option. In any case, it is slightly a rear wheel drive vehicle as only 40% of the power goes to the front while 60% of the power is delivered to the rear wheels.

[ethermal]

Originally Posted by aspiring335

I would just import a used 328i wagon from the US. Killer deals to be had with the current exchange rate, and even though it is not sold in Canada you can import it as a used vehicle.

Know any good used car sites to use, i've done the typical autotrader type stuff and haven't found a good site yet.


not to mention i've been finding the american used car prices are way higher then the canadian used car prices. When factoring the exchange, taxes and import costs.

[jasonintoronto]

try will, he's brought up a lot of bmw's:

http://www.willz.ca/importusatocanada.htm

[eclipsor]

Originally Posted by Prowess Symphony

I dont know how the rumor that the awd system turned off at 80 or 100mph started. That is untrue. It can send 100% of the power to an axle during a slip but thats it. The front drive axle cannot be disable.

I think this was officially documented somewhere, at some point.

During the winter months, with summer tires on my XI, I have definitely felt the rear tires slip above 100 mph on a straight road while travelling over some minor road imperfections. IMO, that's something that would NOT happen if the car was still sending power to the front axle.

[que2k]

You can't swtich it off.

This is from BMW's technology guide.


The BMW all-wheel drive system, xDrive, ensures your BMW has the best possible traction at all times, enhancing agility and keeping you safely on track, even on fast bends.

xDrive is the permanent all-wheel drive system from BMW: under normal circumstances, it distributes driver power between the front and rear axles in a 40:60 ratio, and changes this figure variably when the road surface or overall driving conditions change.
Acting virtually instantaneously and a manner so subtle as to be go virtually unnoticed by the vehicle's occupants, xDrive can direct up to 100% of drive forces to one axle. Enabling the driver to start up effortlessly even on slippery surfaces or steep hills, xDrive routes all power to the axles with the greatest traction. When parking, the system reacts to the need for high manoeuvrability at low speed by opening the clutch completely so the powertrain functions optimally.
At the first sign of understeering, drive power to the front axle is reduced. If oversteering is detected, xDrive directs more power to the front axle. Thanks to this dynamic redistribution of power, vehicle stability returns to normal even before the driver notices anything amiss.
Driving on a winding road or taking a fast bend in dynamic style is particularly enjoyable with xDrive: you feel as if your BMW is being guided along the curve. xDrive ensures that none of drive power is wasted on a loss of traction: every kilowatt of power is effectively brought to bear on the road.
xDrive is regulated by Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and uses information from the latter system’s sensors to monitor road conditions. In addition, brake force courtesy of DSC is used when there is traction difference between the two sides of the vehicle and wheel spin is likely.

[goldn]

Originally Posted by eclipsor

I think this was officially documented somewhere, at some point.

During the winter months, with summer tires on my XI, I have definitely felt the rear tires slip above 100 mph on a straight road while travelling over some minor road imperfections. IMO, that's something that would NOT happen if the car was still sending power to the front axle.

be sure it's a 328 wagon, not 325.
the car is heavy and the extra power is necessary.

loving my e91.

[who's ur daddy?]

Some module recently failed in my xi and I got all of the DSC/DTC/4x4 lights on. The car was effectively RWD with no ABS, etc. It was fun - I was doing RWD peels from stoplights - something that is impossible with the AWD system (when it is functioning, of course - LOL) in auto tranny cars.

[xelasmada335xi]

I realize this post is 11 years old, but there is a firmware update called X-delete that allows the awd to be turned on or off on E and F 3 Series.
I have it.
It works well.

[Cyril Sneer]

.... and any setting in between. Which I think is even more beneficial than the binary ON/OFF settings that the name insinuates.

[Jw8127]

😂 yes you can …. It’s called Xdelete , it’s a flashing software for bmw . Lolol

Originally Posted by aspiring335

No, you cannot manually switch from awd to rwd. I don't know of a single car sold today in which you can do this. Some pickup trucks and truck-based SUVs do allow you to do this. The BMW system is dynamic, in the sense that it distributes torque front / rear based on traction and other factors. I don't think in any circumstances it sends 100% to the rear wheels.