Stratification wheel

[Boosted 1]

My M coupe is the first Bimmer I've owned that doesn't have it. Every single time I drive my car I wish and want for one. Me and my wife recently went on a long road trip and it came up in discussion quite often along the way, Maybe it was just highway boredom. But we started thinking and listing all of the BMW's we've owned and this is the only one without it. This may be the first time this has ever been asked, but how would I/could I install one??!!

[RossBMWZseries]

I always feel like I don't need it in my Z, I'm either cold or hot and the temperature knob does the job well. However, in my E92, I ALWAYS use that damn wheel. Maybe I'm just OK with the fact that the Z4 didn't come with it.

[Roadroach]

My Z4C is my first BMW period. What the hell is a stratification wheel? We just bought a 335 GT for my wife, does it have one?

[The HACK]

It’s the little wheel on the dash that controls the temperature of airflow to the vents on dash. Turn it to the red, the dash vents flow warmer air. Turn it to the blue, the dash vents flow cooler air.

Remnants of a by-gone era when there’s no automatic climate control. Our i3 doesn’t have it either.

[XMetal]

Originally Posted by Roadroach

My Z4C is my first BMW period. What the hell is a stratification wheel? We just bought a 335 GT for my wife, does it have one?

I was scratching my head as well when I saw that title lol

Originally Posted by The HACK

It's the little wheel on the dash that controls the temperature of airflow to the vents on dash. Turn it to the red, the dash vents flow warmer air. Turn it to the blue, the dash vents flow cooler air.

Remnants of a by-gone era when there's no automatic climate control. Our i3 doesn't have it either.

I never found that wheel to be all that useful TBH. May be because I always wanted the temperature to be the same coming out of all the vents. So that wheel always sits in the middle between red and blue on my X5.

All BMWs of that era had that wheel even with automatic climate control. It was just a BMW thing if I recalled correctly.

[KevinC]

I used it all the time in my ZHP, definitely a useful feature. In the Z4MC, I've never even thought about it being missing. The cabin is so small that it seems unnecessary. In fact the climate controls in general in the Z4 are my favorite of all time - so simple, so effective. And with one or both windows down, buffeting wind roar are minimal.

[Boosted 1]

I wouldn’t say from a by gone era, we just test drive an M2 and it had it. Man I really miss my wheel

[86Zed]

Can confirm it's presence in my 2011 328 and my wife's 228i, and we use it in those cars - always feel like the air is a little chilly.

No issues with HVAC on the Z4, windows down most days anyhow.

[Boosted 1]

Mines weird it seems like a 1 degree bump in temp from low upwards is about a 5 degree jump, that’s when I noticed I didn’t have my wheel to ”fine” tune my temp

[Roadroach]

OK - now that I know what that wheel is for in my wife's car, I'll try it out - because I'm constantly fiddling with the temp select knob trying to get it in the Goldilocks zone.

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by Boosted 1

I wouldn’t say from a by gone era, we just test drive an M2 and it had it. Man I really miss my wheel

It's from a by-gone era as in it's legacy. It's been in every single BMW model (with a few exceptions) since the early 80s. I remember the first BMW I ever rode in, my cousin's E30 325i, had it. I had to ask him what that wheel does, and he had no idea.

BMW is one of the few manufacturers that uses it. In fact I think BMW is the ONLY manufacturer that use it. It's more there like the hoffmeister kink or the kidney grill now...Although of ALL the features that define what a BMW is, THAT is the last feature I'd expect them to retain.

[The HACK]

On the E46 and the E9x the wheel works great. You turn it to blue in the summer, and the air blows out the vent cold like the rest of the A/C air. But in the spring like now, where it's cold in the morning, you can leave the cabin temp set where it is, and just move the dial to the middle in the morning, then move it to blue again in the afternoon.

It works, as you can just set a temp, and use the dial to fine-tune the air being blown at you from the mid dash vent. It doesn't adjust the other vents so it's just for your own comfort. Although, I never find myself missing it in the Z4, and I never find myself missing it in any other car I own that doesn't have this feature, but I constantly fiddle with it in my wife's 335D.

Because I can?