Active steering, Technology for driving comfort and safety – BMW 325xi Sports Wagon 2006 User Manual

Page 72

Technology for driving comfort and safety

Press button

2 for approx. 5 seconds, until

the reading shown below is displayed.

Start to drive.
Initialization is completed while the car is on
the move, without any feedback.

Indication of a flat tire

The warning lamps come on in yellow
and red. In addition, an acoustic sig-
nal sounds. There is a flat tire or sub-
stantial loss of tire pressure.

Cautiously reduce speed to below 50 mph
or 80 km/h. Avoid sudden braking and
steering maneuvers. Do not exceed a speed
of 50 mph or 80 km/h.

If the car is not equipped with Run-
Flat Tires, refer to page

110

, the stan-

dard equipment by design, do not continue
driving. Otherwise a severe accident could
result after a tire puncture.

At the next opportunity, check the air pres-
sure in all four tires.

If all four tires are inflated to the cor-
rect pressures, the Flat Tire Monitor

might not have been initialized. The system
must then be initialized.

In the event of complete tire pressure loss,
0 psi/0 kPa, you can estimate the possible
distance for continued driving on the basis
of the following guidelines:

With a light load:
1 to 2 persons without luggage:
approx. 155 miles/250 km

With a medium load:
2 persons, cargo area full, or 4 persons

without luggage:
approx. 90 miles/150 km

With a full load:
4 or more persons, cargo area full:
approx. 30 miles/50 km

Drive cautiously and do not exceed a
speed of 50 mph or 80 km/h. In the event

of pressure loss, vehicle handling changes. This
includes reduced tracking stability in braking,
extended braking distance and altered natural
steering characteristics.
If unusual vibration or loud noises occur during
the journey, this may be an indication that the
damaged tire has finally failed. Reduce your
speed and pull over to the side of the road at the
earliest opportunity. Otherwise, parts of the tire
could come loose and cause an accident. Do
not continue driving. Contact your BMW Cen-
ter.

Malfunction

The warning lamps come on in yel-
low. The Flat Tire Monitor has a mal-
function or has failed. Have the sys-
tem checked as soon as possible.

Active steering*

The concept

Active steering varies the turning angle of the
front wheels in relation to steering wheel move-
ments. It also varies the steering force required
to turn the wheels depending on the speed at
which you are driving.
When you are driving in the low road-speed
range, e.g. in a town or when parking, the steer-
ing angle increases, i.e. the steering becomes
very direct, and less effort is required to turn the
wheels. In the higher speed range, on the other
hand, the steering angle is reduced more and
more. This improves the handling capability of
your BMW over the entire speed range.
In critical situations, the system can make tar-
geted corrections to the steering angle pro-
vided by the driver and thus stabilize the vehicle
before the driver intervenes. This stabilizing