Danny's X5 4.6 Thread

[dannyzabolotny]

Originally Posted by X53Jay4.8is

Trust me on this start with the Magnaflow X-pipe/Magnaflow Resonated X-pipe and take it from there. Sound clips do it no justice. I tell you this because I listened to every Dinan X5 exhaust clip and E39 M5 Dinan Exhaust clips and none of them sounded anything like what I actually have installed on the vehicles. If you are not happy with the X-pipe modification then you can go from there. I'm telling you baby steps on this mode is the best way to achieve your goal unless you have already heard the modification on someone else's X5.

Yeah, a Magnaflow X-pipe might be the best place to start, since it seems to have worked out quite well for a lot of X5 owners.

You're completely right about videos not doing the exhaust sounds justice. My Dinan M5 exhaust sounded pretty mediocre on camera because the camera couldn't quite capture the chest-invading rumble the mufflers made. It was odd, really. You could feel the exhaust vibrate through you if you were standing near the mufflers.

[CleanIsFast]

Wish DINAN made an exhaust with the oval tips. I personally like them more over the quad tips. Eisenmann makes a set of oval exhaust mufflers but they are $$$$$

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by CleanIsFast

Wish DINAN made an exhaust with the oval tips. I personally like them more over the quad tips. Eisenmann makes a set of oval exhaust mufflers but they are $$$$$

If I didn't have the Dinans I would have installed the Eisenmanns. I had a set that I sold last month for $860. Nice exhaust.

[dannyzabolotny]

Originally Posted by CleanIsFast

Wish DINAN made an exhaust with the oval tips. I personally like them more over the quad tips. Eisenmann makes a set of oval exhaust mufflers but they are $$$$$

Can't you technically cut the tips off of the stock mufflers and stick them onto an aftermarket muffler? Or would that ruin the flow somehow? I do love the way the stock tips look, that's easily one of my favorite parts about the 4.6.

[Plattus1000]

Danny, damn. That's a ton of reading to catch up on everything.
Nice ride, I see it was in Seattle, interesting. Sweet looking rig, ours is the twin.

You've been busy and done some really thoughtful stuff.

Anyone want to not keep their oval tips? It's the one trim piece I want to replace my quad tips with to tie in the 4.6is engine I'm running in my wagon.

I'd love to have them. I always see them but sold as a part of the entire exhaust assembly. I only want the oval tips.

[dannyzabolotny]

Filled up the 4.6 for the second time since I got it running. I got about 300 miles out of a tank, 13.2mpg calculated at the pump. Sounds about right since half of my commutes are in stop and go traffic, while the nicer commutes have me going at 80-85mph. I was doing 85mph all day today— it's rock solid at that speed, much better than the 04 Range Rover I had. I also attribute the somewhat poor gas mileage to me having a lead foot and "exploring" the X5's capabilities, aka redlining it at every opportunity.

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny

Can't you technically cut the tips off of the stock mufflers and stick them onto an aftermarket muffler? Or would that ruin the flow somehow? I do love the way the stock tips look, that's easily one of my favorite parts about the 4.6.

Of course you just have to have a good shop that can handle that level of detail on the weld.

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny

Can't you technically cut the tips off of the stock mufflers and stick them onto an aftermarket muffler? Or would that ruin the flow somehow? I do love the way the stock tips look, that's easily one of my favorite parts about the 4.6.

If the total area of the Dinan muffler exit pipes is not reduced by attaching the ovals there should be no loss in performance.

[dannyzabolotny]

Yesterday afternoon I had some free time and the weather was really pleasant (72º and sunny) so I decided to give the X5 a thorough wash. First I cleaned the wheels and then I used dish soap to strip off any dirt or oil from the paint. After that, I used a Meguiar's clay bar all around the whole car, and it picked up quite a bit of dirt:



After the clay barring was done, I gave the car another wash and then dried it off carefully using damp microfiber towels. It's crucial to dry off the car completely when you're in Arizona, because the tap water here is extremely hard and will leave nasty white water spots otherwise. Once the X5 was dried, it looked like this:



At this point it started getting dark, so I brought out the halogen work lamps and started applying Ammo Skin to the whole X5. Ammo Skin is an awesome synthetic sealant that lasts far longer than wax— I used it on my Range Rover and I was very pleased with it. After I applied it to the entire car I waited a few minutes and then buffed it all off with a clean microfiber towel.

As the finishing touch, I applied Zaino Tire Gloss to the tires, to give them that extra pop. I like Zaino Tire Gloss because unlike other tire shines on the market, it's not oily or greasy, nor does it sling off onto the car. Once the tire shine was applied, I gave the rims a coating of spray wax, just to make cleaning off brake dust easier in the future.

Since it was too dark in my neighborhood to take pictures, I took the X5 to a nearby parking lot that was reasonably well-lit. This also gave me a chance to try my new camera tripod. I love having a tripod for nighttime shots— I can do long exposure shots without any blurring.













I'm going to try and get some nice daytime shots today, it's even shinier in the daytime.

After the photo session, I went back home and plugged in my laptop to do a bit of personalization. I fired up PA Soft 1.40 and hooked it up to the X5. Interestingly enough, the software says that this X5 is an Alpina, which is kinda funny. I do recall that BMW and Alpina did develop this 4.6 engine together, so maybe that had something to do with it.



I checked for errors and I didn't see any major new ones, most were just old minor errors from the battery running low (the battery was dead when this X5 was delivered to me). I then proceeded to disable the daytime running lights, which was nice and easy with the LCM module:



I also disabled convenience opening, because I'm not a fan of the windows rolling down if I hold the unlock button for a second too long. With how temperamental the window regulators are, the less I use them, the better.

[Ricky Bobby]

Phenomenal looking - I also love Larry's products and like to support him as he has helped us all in detailing so much with his free videos - Hydrate is UNREAL to use after the wash -

When the Zaino runs out grab some Ammo Mud!