BMW Z3 COUPE, Manual

Page: 177 / 198

177 n
Index
Data
Te
chnolog
y
Repairs
Car care
Controls
Overview
The airbags located under the marked
covers inflate and unfold in a matter of
a few milliseconds. In this process they
tear through the designed breaking
points of the upholstered covers or
press them out.
Because the inflation process must be
virtually instantaneous, it is necessarily
accompanied by a certain amount of
ignition and inflation noise. The gas
required to inflate the airbags is not
dangerous, and it dissipates together
with the associated smoke.
The entire process is completed within
one twentieth of a second.
Precision sensors monitor the number
of revolutions of the wheels. When
equipped with DSC, they also monitor
steering angle, lateral acceleration,
brake pressure and the movement of
the vehicle around its vertical axis.
If differences in the wheel speeds oc-
cur, the system counteracts the danger
of wheelspin by reducing the torque
flow. If necessary, the system also re-
sponds with additional braking inter-
vention at all four wheels.
In addition, DSC permanently monitors
the vehicle's current operating condi-
tion and compares it with an ideal con-
dition that is calculated from the sen-
sor's signals. If deviations from this
occur (understeering or oversteering,
for instance), DSC can stabilize the
vehicle in fractions of a second by re-
ducing engine output and with the
assistance of braking intervention at in-
dividual wheels. As a result, dangerous
skids can be prevented even as they
are just beginning.
You may need some time to become
accustomed to this system's interven-
tion. However, it provides optimum
propulsive force and driving stability.
The braking intervention may be ac-
companied by a certain degree of
noise.
The AM frequency bands (medium-
wave, long-wave and short-wave) make
it possible to receive stations from a
great distance, because the broadcast
signals travel not only along the ground
as surface waves, but also as atmos-
pheric waves that are reflected from the
ionosphere.
Frequency-modulation (FM) provides
substantially better sound quality than
AM. However, because FM transmis-
sions rely on line-of-sight broadcast
waves, their effective reception range
is limited.
The limitations which are inherent to ra-
dio reception in a moving vehicle have
been minimized by the use of innova-
tive systems.
365de062
Airbags ASC+T/DSC
*
Radio reception