Hill Brake (Hill Assist) with 6MT

[RickMonet]

Kind of a silly question, but wondered what everyone is doing.

When stopped on a hill - the hill assist feature applies the parking brake to hold the car for approx 2 seconds after releasing the brake pedal. With 6MT, this allows time to switch your right foot to the throttle and release the clutch.

So, should the correct strategy after initiating hill assist by releasing the brake pedal be:

1) Immediately get on the throttle and release the clutch to power-over the brake hold and start moving forward?

2) Time the throttle and clutch to bring on power right as the 2 seconds is elapsing and the brake hold automatically releases?

Thanks

[Noisygriff]

1.

[solstice]

Just drive away without thinking about it. I do, works every time, the car release the assist nicely even if you go just after releasing the brake which is what I do. Very nice seamless implementation by BMW of the 6MT just as rev matching. Love these advancements of the MT.

[myzmak]

Originally Posted by solstice

Just drive away without thinking about it. I do, works every time, the car release the assist nicely even if you go just after releasing the brake which is what I do.

This.

[dclowd9901]

You're not "powering through the brake hold"; the brake will release as soon as the car moves forward. Moving forward before the brake releases is what hill hold was intended for.

[brianeck]

Basically just pretend you're pulling away on a level flat surface.

[Blindside_137]

Originally Posted by dclowd9901

You're not "powering through the brake hold"; the brake will release as soon as the car moves forward. Moving forward before the brake releases is what hill hold was intended for.

This.

Very cool feature.

[RickMonet]

Originally Posted by solstice

Just drive away without thinking about it.

Originally Posted by dclowd9901

You're not "powering through the brake hold"; the brake will release as soon as the car moves forward. Moving forward before the brake releases is what hill hold was intended for.

Okay - good advice, will try driving away without thinking about it. There is an underground parking ramp I use which has a very steep exit hill (gated) - need to apply good amount of power to get moving after stop and want to avoid over revving.

[solstice]

Originally Posted by RickMonet

Okay - good advice, will try driving away without thinking about it. There is an underground parking ramp I use which has a very steep exit hill (gated) - need to apply good amount of power to get moving after stop and want to avoid over revving.

The car is so powerful and with the hill assist you really don't need much throttle even at a steep hill. Good luck!

[l!ve]

For me, I still prefer to use the handbrake as I have a few older manual cars and I do not want to get used to hill assist.

But when I'm lazy, I'll just drive off as is and hill assist works really well.

[Falafel Combo]

Originally Posted by l!ve

For me, I still prefer to use the handbrake as I have a few older manual cars and I do not want to get used to hill assist.

But when I'm lazy, I'll just drive off as is and hill assist works really well.

Sadly, BMW still doesn't know how to make a proper, funtctional hand brake. If they did I would use it more. It's crap. On all the BMWs I've owned.

[Falafel Combo]

Another vote for just pretend it's not there. Timing your launch for when the brakes release sort of negates the convenience it provides, no?

[Autotech]

to me its 100% seemless...compared to my subaru its night and day!

[dhoggm3]

And another vote to act like it's not there. It only exists for when you mess it up - then it has your back. Really nice and invisible most of the time.

UNlike the poorly executed Porsche electromechanical hill-hold brake on the new Boxster S, which is so intrusive as to be really annoying. It will actually stall the car if you have the nerve to just drive the car up a hill after stopping.

[bdoooh]

Originally Posted by brianeck

Basically just pretend you're pulling away on a level flat surface.

This.

I was doing it all weird until a friend of mine described it this way. It's the smoothest way to go about it.

[l!ve]

Originally Posted by Falafel Combo

Sadly, BMW still doesn't know how to make a proper, funtctional hand brake. If they did I would use it more. It's crap. On all the BMWs I've owned.

Really? It has worked well for me.

[Falafel Combo]

Originally Posted by dhoggm3

UNlike the poorly executed Porsche electromechanical hill-hold brake on the new Boxster S, which is so intrusive as to be really annoying. It will actually stall the car if you have the nerve to just drive the car up a hill after stopping.

[MatthewDavid]

On the steep hills of San Francsico this functionality is hugely important in my E92. I noticed the throttle releases the hold so you want to begin releasing the clutch and hitting the throttle with that expectation. Hopefully the F80/82 has more than enough power down low to make this less a tricky proposition than on the E92!!

Originally Posted by RickMonet

Kind of a silly question, but wondered what everyone is doing.

When stopped on a hill - the hill assist feature applies the parking brake to hold the car for approx 2 seconds after releasing the brake pedal. With 6MT, this allows time to switch your right foot to the throttle and release the clutch.

So, should the correct strategy after initiating hill assist by releasing the brake pedal be:

1) Immediately get on the throttle and release the clutch to power-over the brake hold and start moving forward?

2) Time the throttle and clutch to bring on power right as the 2 seconds is elapsing and the brake hold automatically releases?

Thanks

[brocurls]

Hate to revive a really old thread but need some clarification:

Coming up to a steep hill and I shifted down to 1st to make a pending right turn. Cross traffic had the light so I braked but stayed in 1st since it's only 2 cars I had to wait for.

I expected hill assist to trigger but it never did as soon as I released the brakes, rolled back immediately. Braked again (still in first), released brakes thinking hill assist would activate but I rolled back again.

Does hill assist only activate/reset when you are stopped and in N? Meaning if you are bumper to bumper on a hill, you have to keep shifting back to N to reset hill assist?

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by brocurls

Hate to revive a really old thread but need some clarification:

Coming up to a steep hill and I shifted down to 1st to make a pending right turn. Cross traffic had the light so I braked but stayed in 1st since it's only 2 cars I had to wait for.

I expected hill assist to trigger but it never did as soon as I released the brakes, rolled back immediately. Braked again (still in first), released brakes thinking hill assist would activate but I rolled back again.

Does hill assist only activate/reset when you are stopped and in N? Meaning if you are bumper to bumper on a hill, you have to keep shifting back to N to reset hill assist?

No, I think it has to do with how long you're on the brakes for. There is hill assist on DCT too as it rolls backwards if you're in D but not applying throttle. On my DCT, on slight inclines, my car rolls back, inclines so small where you wouldn't think the car would roll at all.

[EricSMG]

Never liked this feature. It's unnatural just like rev matching. But I couldn't turn the hill assist off like I could the latter.

[Arcades]

Originally Posted by brocurls

Hate to revive a really old thread but need some clarification:

Coming up to a steep hill and I shifted down to 1st to make a pending right turn. Cross traffic had the light so I braked but stayed in 1st since it's only 2 cars I had to wait for.

I expected hill assist to trigger but it never did as soon as I released the brakes, rolled back immediately. Braked again (still in first), released brakes thinking hill assist would activate but I rolled back again.

Does hill assist only activate/reset when you are stopped and in N? Meaning if you are bumper to bumper on a hill, you have to keep shifting back to N to reset hill assist?

The hill assist only triggers if you let off the gas immediately. It would hold for maybe 2 seconds or less and the car would start rolling forward or back immediately.

Either always be on the brake or apply the gas and get the car to engage the clutch as soon as possible. I'm guessing you are 6MT, just keep your foot on the brake and don't let go. When you need to go forward just throttle and brake again. Aka do not depend on the hill assist.

With M-DCTs it should reengage if the clutch fully engages again, it would repeat the Hill Assist for a second or two but I never rely on it because you would start rolling pretty quickly. The best way for both DCT and 6MT, just pull on your Hand Brake.


P.S. btw when I mean pull on Hand Brake, I don't mean no wimpy, half ass pull. I mean pull all the damn way up.