My 2013 X5M 50d finished & on the road
 

All done,

Painted Calipers
Ceramic Pads
Black Grills
M-Performance Peddles
Crash Camera
SMS & Emails on iDrive
Tint
Towbar

Nice! But any really light and saturation pics?

Heres a normal photo

looks great!

i've just finished reading the review of X50d///M on this issue "wheels' magazine - an awesome machine

Got it run in yet? I still reached 4K in my 40D yet...

And are yet to get over this flu...I'm yet to reach 4k...

Ive done around 1000klm, the brakes have just bedded in?

Thrashed it up the beach the other night (oneway 10klm, no road) to the beach house, was full tide, wave crashing up against the sanddunes. Pulled 3700revs in third gear, the X5 fully loaded with gear as well, interesting run.

The M50d was really just cruising compared to the 35d which had to work really hard in that soft wet sand, used to run at 4500revs in 1st & 2nd gears.

I'm actually interested in the performance relative to a 40D, but you may not be able to tell me if you've come from a 35d. I'm toying with the idea of a proper tune with the dp filter removed....

The 35d I had was the same as the 40d, it became the 40d when the LCI model with 8 speed gearbox came out.

The my engine was the second geneartion, only 20nm difference. If you do a high performance chip to the 40d you can get 720nm out of it and about 50bhp more and its the same for the 35d.

I think your economy will go down but thats the price you pay.

I really think the latest 40d does not need a chip, with the 8 speed it gets up and goes. The difference between the 40d & 50d is not neck snapping, remember these 5000lbs vehicles not race cars.

I cannot drive the 50d too hard, like the 40d its has more than enough torque, in a straight line is fine but at speed around corners you have to remeber its a SUV not a M3.

What's the fuel consumption like? I've been spoilt by the X5 Diesel. I don't think I can live with the consumption of a full size petrol SUV again.

Sorry you lost me?

X5 M50d is a diesel, only difference is I believe - bearings, crank mods, strengthening of aluminium block, boosted rail pressure, different injectors and 3 turbo's ( engine weighs 20kg more than the 40d) coupled to a sports 8 speed gearbox.

And it gets better economy than my old 35d did.

I know it is. Hence the affirmation that I can't see myself getting another SUV apart from a diesel. Specially when there are engines like the one in the X5 M50d.

So what's the fuel consumption?

Sorry for that, I miss understood!

As of tonight (combined city & country driving) it is currently sitting at 10.3ltr/100klm, which is the same as my old 35d. Have now done just over 1000klm, its been coming down all this week which is a good sign considering it's been city driving.

We are heading up the Sunshine Coast tomorrow evening once again and then on upto the beach house (some more beach night driving - low tide this time)

Its a round trip of 330klm (come back Sunday).

I should end up with a fuel consumption of around 9.8ltr/100klm going by the onboard computer.

Going by the trip meter I have gotten 815klm out of the tank so far and it pretty close to empty, but no fuel warning yet, the tank holds around 85 litres, so the onboard computer is pretty accurate at 10.3ltr/100klm.

Hey watrob

Sorry for hijacking your thread,

My X5 is due for a front brake replacement. Given it is out of warranty, I've been looking for an aftermarket. Do you have any recommendations?

Do you still have the stock one that comes with your X5M 50d? Perhaps I could buy it off from you.

Cheers
Leon

Look at the rotor size difference, Not gunna happen.

The M50d comes with these large calipers, the rotors are 385mm, you could buy these rotors & calipers off BMW but they require 20" wheels and the dish shape of the wheel will have to suit also as there is not a lot of clearence.

Your best bet would be what I did on my old M-Sport 35d, is have the calipers painted and install ceramic pads, either from Carbotech Brakes in the US or EBC in the US or from the UK, they have a new version of there RedStuff pads which are ceramic.

Thanks Watrob. I have 20" 214 wheels currently fitted on my X5, shouldn't be a problem fitting larger rotors.

Will look into EBC and Redstuff pads, not fussed about the painting the calipers as it's just a cosmetic improvement.

I found the Carbotech pads the cleaner than the EBC pads. If you go carbotech get the "1521" compound, otherwise the EBC RedStuff compound.

You will have to buy from overseas as here in Australia they are not stocked.

Have you heard of Ate or Textar? Apparently they are the same supplier as the OEM BMW pads. These brake pads are German made.

What about http://hsy.com.au/ate-ceramic-brake-pads which are locally available.
If you have a new car is it worth changing to ceramic?
Is it just to keep the wheels clean?

I run ATE's in mine (non ceramic) and those are good.

Will definitely try these next ^^

I'm running Textar at the moment, it is great and generates less brake dust than OEM.

I find the ceramic based pads work quite well on the X5's. The only problem I had with the M50d front pads is that since this X5 is only sold in Europe & the UK etc but not the US, and that these front pads are different (due to the size of the calipers) I could only find one company that sold the ceramic pad replacement for OEM.

These calipers have only been on the the X5 & X6 M50d models plus on the X5 V8 & X6 V8's in Europe only (for high speed Autobauns), so I was limited as to where I could get the pads to suite.

What sort of crash camera have you got is it factory standard? I've got a 3rd party carsh cam installed.

I install a DOD GSE550, wired it into the top console, has built in GPS, 120deg angle, records speed & is HD 1080 & voice. Comes on when I start the car, I record in 10 min intervals, has a 16gig mini SD but will take a 32gig.

Its tucked away behind the rearview mirror so don't see it or catch your eye while your driving.

You've done a neat job installing. Did u plug into the cigar socket or hard-wired?
I've got Blackvue dr400g at the front (plugged onto cigar socket) and FineVu 200HD at the rear hard wired nicely ticked, I'll post a pic later.

Attachment 55914

Attachment 55915

Attachment 55916

here is my crash cam setup
sorry abt the bad pic quality

Nice setups! Now I'm considering this... Thinking about doing this for a long time now.

Driving a M50d now. I reckon it's a good step up from the 40d, which was a little better than the 35d but thanks more to the eight-speed than the slight tweak in power/torque due to the different turbo set up between the 35d and the 40d.

Welcome back mate!!:thumbup:

:thumbup:

Hey Fraser, glad to see you joined the X5M 50d club:p:

Only on loan for a week or so. I'm very envious of you. The M50d is a sensational drive.

That is awesome.. how did you manage that? :popcorn:

Let's just say it's who you know and not what you know!

obviously! :popcorn:

I got this:thumbup: for a day.

Nice. Hard to top that.

What I'm lovin' about the 50d is that you can fang the s**t out of it (I live out in the 'sticks' with lots of traffic-free, fast, and open roads) and it still isn't averaging much over 10 litres/km. 18 months back I had a X5M down here and it was a 22 litres/100km drunkard when fanged, and even crusing it used 16-18 litres/100km. Okay it was far more brutal in terms of power than the 50d and faster point to point but not by a big margin. The 50d has to be the best all-round engine that BMW has ever put in the E70.

I am averaging with 70% city & 30% country diving 9.6ltr/100klm and thats with pretty heavy optioned X5.

You also need to keep the tyres pumped up pretty hard at the top of the range per the manual. I run 48psi fronts 43psi rears, but I am going to bump that up a couple more psi.

One thing I have noticed is the AD suspension is a little softer than my last X5, also the bridgestone tyres have a little softer tyre walls than the dunlops do?

I thought that the suspension was pretty compliant too. A lot of the roads in my area are pretty rough (typical Aussie country roads) and the ride is surprisingly good.

While I still surprised how compliant the ride is on 20s, if this M50d was mine, I'd be putting 18s, and taller, narrow rubber on it. Too much bump-steer from the 20s and too damage prone for mine, in my neck of the woods on these s**t roads.

Regardless, the 50d engine is sensational. In terms of the performance/economy trade-off, it's the best engine ever to grace an X5.

Think the problem is BMW put Bridgestone on it instead of Dunlops which are the better tyre.

You may well be right that the Dunlops are better than the Bridgetones but regardless, the 20s and their W-rated 275/40 and 315/35 tyres aren't what you want on rough, poor-quality roads, more so if the road is unsealed. This is not so much a criticism of the M50d's tyre and wheel package but more a comment on what's best in my neck of the woods - out in the boonies!

That's the problem with the M50d, you are stuck on 20" and only some of the 20" will fit also? they are a tight fit not only in depth but width as well.

PS. I cannot even get my finger between the spokes of the rim to the face of the caliper?

Yep, I know exactly what you mean. I'd be happy with the 20s in a different driving environment (smoother, better roads) just not ideal down here.

My M50d has now done a little over 5000klm, and my 70% city & 30% country driving is giving me now 9.3ltr/100klm. I am calculating this by actual klm driven to litres used by the fuel pump purchase not the computer readout. I do not reset my ltr/100klm readout on the dash with each new tank full of fuel, I do reset the trip meter thou.

I am hopeful that by the time the X5 has been run in I can achieve around the 8.9ltr - 9.0ltr/100klm>

Before I returned the 50d I did one tank with easy, light-throttle, no-fanging driving on country roads and it got down to 7.9 litres/km (calculated, not off the OBC).

Overall average while I had the 50d was 9.2 litres/100km, which is pretty good given I gave it the boot ... too much fun not to! Pretty much all country driving though.

I'm still torn between this of the X5///M :confused: This is cheaper, and better fuel economy, but its not as big a thrill as the ///M :( I will see when the time comes, I like the new cayenne turbo S :)

If you buy the X5M 50d, then chip it you get well over 850nm of torque, that would put it below 5 sec to 60kph, at 746nm standard it does 5.4 sec.

This thing is great for a DD, remember you cannot hoon around all day long, this thing kicks a**e and more people will buy a secondhand X5M 50d than the X5M V8.

I recieved my special X5M book from BMW Australia, there is not to much difference other than Diesel 3 turbo to V8 2 turbo Petrol. Both are designated as X5M's. Its is not a M-Sport and there not many around?

Here's a couple photo's of the brake calipers:-

First photo is of my X5 M-Sport 35d caliphers.

Second is of the X5M 50d.

Both X5's are running 20" wheels.

I'd take the M50d over the X5M any day.

Sure, the X5M is more ballistic in the top-end thanks to the extra power but the M50d is very competitive with the M at real world road speeds and well beyond... As stock, the M50d makes more torque than the X5M. Both are ridiculously fast.

But the big deal is fuel consumption. When I had the X5M it used close to twice the fuel as the M50d. Around 18 litres/100km average whereas the M50d is just over 9 litres/100km. If I fanged the X5M it was a 24 litres/100km guzzler, whereas the M50d is 14 litres/100km at worst.

Hi there, jumping nto court post from another BMW forum...
First post!

I took delivery of my X5M50d 2 weeks ago. Fully optioned car in black on black
Loved it stock, but capable of so much more.

Have now lowered it 40mm all round
had a power upgrade completed:
stock = 280 kW / 740nm
Now = 322 kW / 840 Nm
Now has the power it should have had from the factory, the straight M car is quicker from a standing start, fractionally, but hit 2500 rpm and this x5 delivers the torque that pulls away from just about anything.
We've timed it at 0-100 in 4.7, passed 200 smoothly but haven't timed it yet.

Exhaust, weight reduction, brakes and wheels to come, I'll post more as it evolves.

Sounds good ,keep us all posted :thumbup:

Nice!

Coming along nicely
 

Hi There.... Ive had the following completed now;

HARTGE Power upgrade module installed as mentioned above
Now = 322 kW / 840 Nm

H&R Suspension lowering module installed with new front springs (rear is air suspension electronically controlled of course)

Supersprint Race exhaust giving us an extra 15HP without the droning noisy results of other exhausts - sings at high power though :)

Next are the wheels, which is when Ill post a pic - been focusing on power, balance and performance so far. She's riding beautifully.