Astra SRI Sport Button - Press it or not?

meths · 29 Nov 2009 at 02:37

I've just got a year old Astra SRI and there's a button marked 'Sport' on the dash. When it's pressed the steering, suspension and responsiveness (when accelerating) of the car are altered a bit.

Is there any reason not to just drive about with it on all the time?

Sone · 29 Nov 2009 at 02:49

if you have to ask quite frankly i don't think you man enough; i take it you like a shandy down the pub?

TONY · 29 Nov 2009 at 02:54

If it were an auto you would not leave it in sport mode because it usually holds the gears longer and you would be using more fuel for nothing if you were just driving normally, I cannot see why you could not drive around in sports mode all the time in a manual car though but I would be interested to here other peoples thoughts on this.

Andybtsn · 29 Nov 2009 at 03:29

Sport mode is on!

BigglesPiP · 29 Nov 2009 at 04:22

TONY said:
If it were an auto you would not leave it in sport mode because it usually holds the gears longer and you would be using more fuel for nothing if you were just driving normally, I cannot see why you could not drive around in sports mode all the time in a manual car though but I would be interested to here other peoples thoughts on this.

Pushed the sport button in an automatic 156? Never lets you go below 3500RPM or so. They really mean it when they write sport on a button.

Howard · 29 Nov 2009 at 09:01

No, don't press it.. FOR GODS SAKE don't press it! Oh, you've pressed it..

DO YOU REALISE WHAT YOU'VE DONE??

peterattheboro · 29 Nov 2009 at 09:27

Sports mode in an Astra SRI?

I somehow think that you aren't going to notice any difference

Youstolemyname · 29 Nov 2009 at 09:40

It probably just tunes in to five live on the radio by default if you press sports in an Astra

EddScott · 29 Nov 2009 at 09:42

Leave it on just don't drive over 88mph or you'll end up in a cheesy 80s movie.

Begbie · 29 Nov 2009 at 09:56

Leave it on.

ZG002 · 29 Nov 2009 at 10:00

Woah.. Don't touch the spots button! It's like the new easier scew mod. It will blow you away..

iaind · 29 Nov 2009 at 10:10

I hear it means you can beat a veyron - is it a CDTi by any chance?

Reminds me of the time a friend hired an automatic diesel zafira of some sort - the fact it had a sport button on the dash was amusing enough, but it was quite an amusing game for passengers to play. Wait till he's acellerating and press it, it would just get a lot noisier and lurch violently when it changed gears

Meridian · 29 Nov 2009 at 10:13

iaind said:
it would just get a lot noisier and lurch violently when it changed gears

Of course - how else would you know it was in sports mode?

M

iaind · 29 Nov 2009 at 10:13

The light next to the button?

thepharcyde · 29 Nov 2009 at 10:23

They do seem held back on power considering it uses the same engine as the VXR that produces circa 240bhp and the SRI produces 168bhp.

Wonder if the sports button ups the boost??

iaind · 29 Nov 2009 at 10:24

thepharcyde said:
They do seem held back on power considering it uses the same engine as the VXR that produces circa 240bhp and the SRI produces 168bhp.

Wonder if the sports button ups the boost??

Would it not need to create a turbocharger for that?

Edit - nope, right you are

thepharcyde · 29 Nov 2009 at 10:25

iaind said:
Would it not need to create a turbocharger for that?

Edit - nope, right you are

iaind · 29 Nov 2009 at 10:27

I thought the SRIs were all N/A petrols or turbodiesels

It is a big power jump, there must be something fundamentally different - bigger turbo on the VXR maybe?

thepharcyde · 29 Nov 2009 at 10:28

It all depends on what version he has 1.8 or 2.0T that have either circa 168bhp or 200bhp

meths · 29 Nov 2009 at 10:31

iaind said:
I hear it means you can beat a veyron - is it a CDTi by any chance?

Nope it's a 1.8 petrol engine.

Not had a chance to race a Veyron yet cause the chavs round here can't really afford them and tend to opt for Corsas instead.

From doing a bit of reading about it it seems that it doesn't affect fuel economy that much by having it on.