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Speed limit assist offset

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Old Feb 28, 2023 | 10:28 AM
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Speed limit assist offset

Is there any way to adjust the speed limit assist "offset"?. (I.e.: to be always 3MPH above posted speed; 43mph in a 40mph zone)?

This was an available option in both my BMWs, and bothers me that the vehicle always adjusts to exactly the same exact posted speed, which makes the speed adjust feature useless and makes me drive at a lower pace than the traffic. Everyone drives at ~2-3mph above posted speed especially on highways).

Problem is, if I manually adjust it via the knob, then next time it sees a new posted speed sign it will not auto-adjust to it because the car things I manually specified the speed limit (isn't)? I started to appreciate BMW tech now, but I hope that's not enough to let go the joy of re-joining the Benz community.

Last edited by S_W222; Feb 28, 2023 at 12:59 PM.
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Old Feb 28, 2023 | 09:43 PM
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It looks like nobody is using that feature except me here
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Old Feb 28, 2023 | 10:39 PM
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FWIW, I have this turned off in the USA. Had it turned on during my European Delivery trip to avoid speeding tickets and they take it serious with their speed cameras, so an offset could mean a speeding ticket. Around here, 10-20mph over is the norm, and speed limits don't really constantly change on the highway like they do in Europe. I can always manually adopt the current speed limit by pressing Resume while DISTRONIC is already active. I use that to set the initial speed and then adjust it to the 10-20mp over, and I can always hang behind a lead car to stay with the traffic flow.
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Old Feb 28, 2023 | 11:00 PM
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Originally Posted by superswiss
FWIW, I have this turned off in the USA. Had it turned on during my European Delivery trip to avoid speeding tickets and they take it serious with their speed cameras, so an offset could mean a speeding ticket. Around here, 10-20mph over is the norm, and speed limits don't really constantly change on the highway like they do in Europe. I can always manually adopt the current speed limit by pressing Resume while DISTRONIC is already active. I use that to set the initial speed and then adjust it to the 10-20mp over, and I can always hang behind a lead car to stay with the traffic flow.
The offset comes in really handy for in-town / city driving. My last 2 vehicles before this W222 were BMW. I used to have the offset set to 3 MPH, so in a 40 MPH zone, the car is always at 43mph, and then when I pass a 35 mph zone, it is 38 mph. This way I don't need to touch the pedal or even press any button while also always just 3mph above posted speed which means police won't stop by 99.99% of the times. Now with this S560, speed limit assist is always 40 exactly or 35 exactly, which means I have to take an extra step and adjust it manually. Super lazy right? Probably yes, but it's just hard to get used to something and then having to do one addition step or button about 5-6 times on my daily 15 trip to work where my BMW used to take me 95% of the route without a single button or a single switch.

I also noticed that the drive assist pro on BMWs is much more refined than Mercedes driver assistance. The S560 drive assist is super great, but you can feel it making adjustment constantly, wherein BMW system makes micro adjustments that you won't feel because it is always dead center between the lane. The S560 on the other hand tend to slightly shift closer to the left-right edges of the route. Small differences I know, but thought I'd share my experience. I still like my S560 now more than BMW.
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Old Feb 28, 2023 | 11:08 PM
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Originally Posted by S_W222
The offset comes in really handy for in-town / city driving. My last 2 vehicles before this W222 were BMW. I used to have the offset set to 3 MPH, so in a 40 MPH zone, the car is always at 43mph, and then when I pass a 35 mph zone, it is 38 mph. This way I don't need to touch the pedal or even press any button while also always just 3mph above posted speed which means police won't stop by 99.99% of the times. Now with this S560, speed limit assist is always 40 exactly or 35 exactly, which means I have to take an extra step and adjust it manually. Super lazy right? Probably yes, but it's just hard to get used to something and then having to do one addition step or button about 5-6 times on my daily 15 trip to work where my BMW used to take me 95% of the route without a single button or a single switch.

I also noticed that the drive assist pro on BMWs is much more refined than Mercedes driver assistance. The S560 drive assist is super great, but you can feel it making adjustment constantly, wherein BMW system makes micro adjustments that you won't feel because it is always dead center between the lane. The S560 on the other hand tend to slightly shift closer to the left-right edges of the route. Small differences I know, but thought I'd share my experience. I still like my S560 now more than BMW.
I never use it in town/city. With all the stop signs and traffic lights I have to use the brakes anyway, and I rather coast to slow down when I see a light turn red ahead or in preparation for a stop sign. DISTRONIC would just be annoying as it doesn't recognize traffic lights and stop signs. It does slow down for certain intersections, but it's still not ideal and I drive more spirited than DISTRONIC does. Speed changes so frequently in town/city due to traffic and other drivers doing stupid things that I rather be on the pedals ready for anything, and zip around all the dreamers, but I drive an AMG and not a lazy S Class.

Last edited by superswiss; Feb 28, 2023 at 11:12 PM.
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Old Mar 1, 2023 | 11:10 AM
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Originally Posted by superswiss
I never use it in town/city. With all the stop signs and traffic lights I have to use the brakes anyway, and I rather coast to slow down when I see a light turn red ahead or in preparation for a stop sign. DISTRONIC would just be annoying as it doesn't recognize traffic lights and stop signs. It does slow down for certain intersections, but it's still not ideal and I drive more spirited than DISTRONIC does. Speed changes so frequently in town/city due to traffic and other drivers doing stupid things that I rather be on the pedals ready for anything, and zip around all the dreamers, but I drive an AMG and not a lazy S Class.
Not sure if you are interested to even hear this, but the X7 BMW I had before I got my S560 was coded to also respond/stop at traffic lights... I can truly take a 20 miles town/city trip without pushing the brake/gas or tilt the steering even once. I certainly miss BMW technology a lot, but BMW luxury is different.... Edit: I had to code my BMW to recognize traffic light (it comes de-coded by default for all countries but the hardware is capable of doing so. Not very accurate though for US style headlights, but still helps in many cases)

Last edited by S_W222; Mar 1, 2023 at 01:01 PM.
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Old Mar 1, 2023 | 12:00 PM
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Originally Posted by S_W222
Not sure if you are interested to even hear this, but the X7 BMW I had before I got my S560 was coded to also respond/stop at traffic lights... I can truly take a 20 miles town/city trip without pushing the brake/gas or tilt the steering even once. I certainly miss BMW technology a lot, but BMW luxury is different....
Always interested. I knew that Tesla's Autopilot does this, but wasn't aware that BMW does it, too. I'm a techy and software engineer by trade, so technology interests me in general. However, a self-driving car is not something I'm particularly interested in owning as a car enthusiast who buys cars for the driving experience. The level of automation that MB offers is just about what I want to take over some of the mundane driving tasks on the few occasions I find myself in stop&go traffic or to reduce fatigue on a long drive. Self-driving cars are not gonna solve the traffic nightmare in this country. Fortunately, I haven't had a commute for about 10 years, and before that I mostly lived close to trains to commute to work, or even walking within walking distance. Now my commute involves walking down the hallway to my home office. I don't miss the daily commuter mess out there.

Last edited by superswiss; Mar 1, 2023 at 12:12 PM.
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Old Mar 1, 2023 | 01:00 PM
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Originally Posted by superswiss
Always interested. I knew that Tesla's Autopilot does this, but wasn't aware that BMW does it, too. I'm a techy and software engineer by trade, so technology interests me in general. However, a self-driving car is not something I'm particularly interested in owning as a car enthusiast who buys cars for the driving experience. The level of automation that MB offers is just about what I want to take over some of the mundane driving tasks on the few occasions I find myself in stop&go traffic or to reduce fatigue on a long drive. Self-driving cars are not gonna solve the traffic nightmare in this country. Fortunately, I haven't had a commute for about 10 years, and before that I mostly lived close to trains to commute to work, or even walking within walking distance. Now my commute involves walking down the hallway to my home office. I don't miss the daily commuter mess out there.
I should have been more clear by adding that (I had to code it to respond to traffic lights). The feature is there but BMW did NOT release it (it was decoded for all countries). Coding a BMW is easy and not exclusively held by any pro coder(s) and good people made cheap ways (software and hardware) that anyone can get for a 100 bucks and do as may coding as they want as long as they know what to code. So it was easy to remove the traffic-lights recognition decoding. I hope one day we can get there with Mercedes.
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Old Mar 1, 2023 | 01:06 PM
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Originally Posted by S_W222
I should have been more clear by adding that (I had to code it to respond to traffic lights). The feature is there but BMW did NOT release it (it was decoded for all countries). Coding a BMW is easy and not exclusively held by any pro coder(s) and good people made cheap ways (software and hardware) that anyone can get for a 100 bucks and do as may coding as they want as long as they know what to code. So it was easy to remove the traffic-lights recognition decoding. I hope one day we can get there with Mercedes.
Oh, I see. Yes, that's in line with what I just read. They disabled many of the features, because of the lack of legislation. MB recently released their Level 3 system, but so far it's only approved in Nevada, but MB will start offering it in the USA starting next year. It will only work on approved roads and for now only below 45 mph in stop&go traffic. Not sure you wanna activate this via coding until they are properly vetted, unless you are prepared to explain why your car just ran somebody over. We are far from true self-driving in cities with unpredictable pedestrians etc. Here in San Francisco we have self-driving ride share cars and they constantly cause issues. They've blocked emergency vehicles and caused traffic chaos by simply stopping in the middle of an intersection due to unexpected road construction etc.

Last edited by superswiss; Mar 1, 2023 at 01:10 PM.
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Old Mar 1, 2023 | 01:10 PM
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Originally Posted by superswiss
Oh, I see. Yes, that's in line with what I just read. They disabled many of the features, because of the lack of legislation. MB recently released their Level 3 system, but so far it's only approved in Nevada, but MB will start offering it in the USA starting next year. It will only work on approved roads and for now only below 45 mph in stop&go traffic. Not sure you wanna activate this via coding until they are properly vetted, unless you are prepared to explain why your car just ran somebody over.
I honestly had the traffic light at that time as an assist type of feature and my foot was always on the brake. BMW already has the (<45 MPH) full hands-free driving on highways approved and released by default from factory since 2018-2019 model years, which I really liked and enjoyed. I guess if I want to enjoy my S560 now I should forget about the tech in the BMW. The S560 is still a much more refined vehicle if I leave the tech aside. I mean the road and wind noise alone was driving me crazy on every BMW I had, compared to a dead-silent S560!
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Old Mar 1, 2023 | 01:16 PM
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Originally Posted by superswiss
...but I drive an AMG and not a lazy S Class.

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Old Mar 1, 2023 | 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by S_W222
I honestly had the traffic light at that time as an assist type of feature and my foot was always on the brake. BMW already has the (<45 MPH) full hands-free driving on highways approved and released by default from factory since 2018-2019 model years, which I really liked and enjoyed. I guess if I want to enjoy my S560 now I should forget about the tech in the BMW. The S560 is still a much more refined vehicle if I leave the tech aside. I mean the road and wind noise alone was driving me crazy on every BMW I had, compared to a dead-silent S560!
Just to be clear. Level 3 is more than just handsfree driving. You are legally allowed to do something else while the car is driving, like watching a movie or reading the newspaper and it will give advanced warning when you have to take over again. BMW can't offer this w/o legislation. My AMG pretty much drives handsfree in stop&go traffic as well. Only have to touch one of the touchpads on the steering wheel every 30 seconds to acknowledge that I'm still paying attention, but otherwise it drives itself. It also changes lanes automatically. I just have to signal and if the adjacent lane is free it changes into it.
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Old Mar 1, 2023 | 02:11 PM
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Originally Posted by C Swenson
I was thinking the same thing. Then why is he here?????
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Old Mar 1, 2023 | 03:47 PM
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Originally Posted by carlosinseattle
I was thinking the same thing. Then why is he here?????
It's a free country, and this thread is about a feature that's not specific to the S Class. You might be surprised how many parts are shared between models.
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Old Mar 3, 2023 | 01:07 AM
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Here in NJ this feature is pointless.
Here you are either in crawling traffic or flying at over 100mph…..
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Old Mar 3, 2023 | 11:24 AM
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Originally Posted by S_W222
It looks like nobody is using that feature except me here
I quit using Distronic all together, and I turned off all the driving assists, too.
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Old Mar 3, 2023 | 01:45 PM
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Originally Posted by superswiss
It's a free country, and this thread is about a feature that's not specific to the S Class. You might be surprised how many parts are shared between models.
It is a free country, no problem with that, and the REASON you're here. We all benefit from the exchange of ideas and information. Your comment about "Lazy S-Class" is what I was referring to. I probably would buy a C class if I fit, but I don't, I'm 6'4" and 330lbs. That's not the car's fault, it's mine. I find forums work better if we can be positive about the differences in the models. I don't consider my S-Class Lazy.

His thread is about the use of the Speed Limit Assist feature. I'll stick to that moving forward.
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Old Mar 3, 2023 | 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by S_W222
It looks like nobody is using that feature except me here
I rely heavily on Distronic and I always have to fiddle manually with the speed limit, just to get it 3-4km/h over the speed limit. Haven't found a way to automate it, perhaps it's feasible with coding though.
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Old Mar 3, 2023 | 01:54 PM
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Originally Posted by carlosinseattle
It is a free country, no problem with that, and the REASON you're here. We all benefit from the exchange of ideas and information. Your comment about "Lazy S-Class" is what I was referring to. I probably would buy a C class if I fit, but I don't, I'm 6'4" and 330lbs. That's not the car's fault, it's mine. I find forums work better if we can be positive about the differences in the models. I don't consider my S-Class Lazy.

His thread is about the use of the Speed Limit Assist feature. I'll stick to that moving forward.
Looks like you took lazy as some kind of an insult. It was meant as in not energetic or vigorous. The S Class is meant to be driven sedentary. I made that comment in relation to using DISTRONIC etc. around town. I don't use it around town in my AMG, because an AMG is energetic and vigorous and encourages to zip around slow traffic, whereas an S Class is more laid back and just wafting along and has more of the driving style that would encourage somebody to just let the car drive itself. I probably should have been more clear.

Last edited by superswiss; Mar 3, 2023 at 01:59 PM.
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Old Oct 13, 2025 | 04:27 AM
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Originally Posted by superswiss
Looks like you took lazy as some kind of an insult. It was meant as in not energetic or vigorous. The S Class is meant to be driven sedentary. I made that comment in relation to using DISTRONIC etc. around town. I don't use it around town in my AMG, because an AMG is energetic and vigorous and encourages to zip around slow traffic, whereas an S Class is more laid back and just wafting along and has more of the driving style that would encourage somebody to just let the car drive itself. I probably should have been more clear.
Did anyone ever figure out a solution to this? Being able to do a 5-10mph offset would be a huge help in the states.
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