Just curious to hear replies on everyone’s daily selection when driving?
Stock tune (which I have now) feels like a dog generally in D. In S mode it’s much better but sometimes holds a gear longer than I’d expect. I seem to keep winding up in M.
I’ve only had manual trans cars for the last fifteen years so I’m curious what you all prefer in your S6 use?
Also, if you have/when you got a tune, did you change your daily selection at all?
Before I got the exhaust, I generally always drove in normal drive mode. After the exhaust, I drive in sport mode whenever possible; no traffic, warmed up fully, feel like wasting gas and being loud, etc… I haven’t gotten the JHM tune installed yet, but that’s scheduled for this week I believe. May just wait and see if the dash and pedal set I ordered show up so I can get it all done at once, but we’ll see.
I know its not a V10 but The 4.2 has all the same crap issues with transmission and driving as the 5.2
I used to use manual most of the time as the RPM shift points were not enough.
After the JHM tune. I keep it in D about 90% of the time. The tune will change somethings in the way the transmission acts. Enough that it will help fill in lots of the blanks from the OEM ECU tune
Thanks for the insight. Can’t wait to get my tune installed.
I’ve got a pretty short and sedate commute; I’m in D most of the time, but I still find myself downshifting all the time. Trans also feels really “lazy” in first and second; slow to shift, never really feels like it locks up. Once it shifts to 3rd it finally wakes up and you’re well above legal 
D most of the time, until I come across a BMW driver, then I slap it into manual. 
I primarily use sport, and sometimes manual, cannot stand the sluggishness of drive. It does hold gears too long in sport on occasion, however I just tap the paddle to up shift. The throttle tip in while in sport mode is very immediate and takes a delicate touch not to snap your passengers heads ;D, (just ask my wife!, she loves the car, hates sport mode) I’m very interested to hear from those that have the JHM tune, as I heard some comment on the sensitive throttle tip in and was wondering if this was in drive, sport or manual. Mine is basically stock, with the addition of the JHM spacers during a recent carbon clean. (which really woke up the throttle response on my car!) Looking at the exhaust, tune and pulley in the near future, however it’s leaking oil like the EXXON Valdez at this time so I need to address those issues first.
Before my car’s visit to JHM, I mostly drove around in S. Now, it’s just downright difficult (in a good way) to drive around town normally in S mode, it’s almost a struggle to keep the car from lurching about with all that added low-rpm torque. So now it’s mostly D mode for me, and S mode when I want to have a little extra fun ;D But D mode is not at all “sluggish” anymore, it’s plenty sporty for daily driving now (but it wasn’t very sporty before the JHM tunes and other work).
While I generally prefer manual transmissions, and it wasn’t an option with this car, I still almost never use M mode. There’s nothing wrong with it I suppose, but it just doesn’t bring anything to the table that S mode isn’t already doing. And the novelty of the paddle-shifters wore off after only a few hours. The way I see it, it’s an automatic transmission, so I’ll drive it like one.
I wondered is the kick down in from D mode the same as in S mode.
As in If one is cruising at 60mph in D6 and then kicks down hard, does it assume you want it sporty.
I drive in D most of time as not many chances to give it the beans. I find S mode is enough for me when I do need to overtake probably being a crap driver ;D One thing I really like about automatic is when going very fast that you can totally 100% focus on steering.
Just got my car flashed yesterday and I agree that now normal ‘D’ mode is much sportier than it was previously. Perhaps perfect for everyday city/highway driving. Sport mode is what I end up in most of the time though due to the glorious sound. Sadly, even in moderate traffic… I can see the visit to the gas station increasing at a rapid rate since exhaust installation, and now it’s going to be even worse(better?) after the tune…
LOL so true. When you can play that motor music with your right foot its hard to let the band get a rest.
This seems to be the case. When you mash the throttle in D (or M for that matter), the car immediately goes as fast as it can and the shift points are all the same. However, when you mash the throttle in S mode, the initial throttle impulse is a little more instantaneous, partly because of throttle remapping (the throttle is basically at 100% way before you take it all the way to the floor, whereas in the other modes the throttle isn’t as “touchy” and doesn’t hit 100% until you hit the floor - longer pedal travel takes more time), and also partly because you’re generally already starting from a lower gear when you’re in S mode vs D mode. But yes, once the throttle hits 100% and the car picks it’s gear, then it’s all the same - or that’s how it appears to me, anyways. In M mode, if you’ve noticed, the same occurs at 100% throttle - it drops gears for you automatically (it assumes nobody would ever floor the throttle and not want to be in the lowest gear possible).
D mode during warmup, S mode for fun and passing.
side note - is there an active component to the exhaust system? The exhaust note (even stock) seems much more audible in S-mode vs D.
Have the tune and a milltek exhaust…
definitely have it in D most of the time after the tune… S mode invites speeding tickets galore, lol.
S for highway and suburban travel where speeds are over 70km/h (40mph) anything else and it’s far too jumpy to be left in S and an added note, with snow on the ground it far more lively and kicks the rear out far easier than pre-tune.
It also kicks the rear out easier on track when ESP is turned off…
I’ll be driving in D usually as I’m typically not looking to hawk down Honda Accords, driving long commutes or having too much room between lights and cars. Every once and a while I will kick it into S on the toll road to remind myself that I drive a badass car and occasionally I will discourage those same Honda Accords when they attempt to match my speed… I am only 21 after all. 
with the ESP fully disengaged (ASR & ESP off) it’s downright a handful on the streets if you’re heavy on the pedal… feel like a full fledge rally driver on back roads near my place. super fun. easy to manipulate with the throttle, this tune plus Michelin Pilot Alpins is bliss ;D