Went Off-Roading!

[jobaker4]

Hello All! I am a newbie in regards to ever making a post on X5World...or so I think from my memory. anyway, I have been a long time reader of X5world and give a big hello to all of you!

I attached a picture of my X after some off-roading fun this weekend. (doesn't show much, but you get the idea) I'm in the foothills of the appalachian mountains (VA Tech) and have access to some great off-road areas.

I have done a lot of research on this forum in regards to the off-road capability of the X5, and to be honest based on all of the posts was VERY nervous. Took along a tow rope just in case (went with a buddy of mine who has a Hummer H3).

Let me say that the X5 performed way beyond my expectations!! It was capable of keeping up with the Hummer (aside from one scrape due to the ground clearance). The XDrive performed flawlessly, and when I got hung up on a muddy ledge, I hit the gas, turned the wheel and up she went!

If you would like to hear more about my trip please let me know, my post is getting lengthy so I don't want to bore you all. (As you can see in the picture I went with the stock 17" michelins on the 3.0) I kept DSC off, and used manual mode on the tranny. Climbed over rocks, through water holes, and more! (now if I only had adjustable ride height!!)

Tomorrow she will be getting a good bath, then the 20" Diamari's go back on for some on road fun. Take care guys! And know that if you ever get the desire to head off road and are in SW Virginia hit me up... I'll take you out for some serious fun!

[Technomage]

WHoa Tell me more! I want more pics too!

[LI_BIMMER]

Yes, please tell us some more and did you take any pics of the X5 in action. Thanks.

[jobaker4]

Ok, here are some more details... unfortunatley I have no "action shots" because the area we were going through was barely wide enough for the X at times and required a lot of attention to ensure you took the right path.

Here's another after the outing shot:


We headed out for an overnight camping trip up in the mountains, I had taken off the 20's about two weeks ago for another expedition that was not nearly as challenging.

As I said before the X kept up with the Hummer H3 just fine. I only rubbed the bottom one time when I got a little overly ambitious, going through some ruts that were like two huge pot-holes side by side. When both sides of the vehicle went down we bumped the bottom. (As a side note my vehicle was completely filled with 3 people, a dog, and camping gear)

The main path was a fire access trail, so it didn't have any maintenance, however it was for vehicles. I noticed that the H3's rear axle sits pretty low (I believe the ground clearance is rated at 9.1 inches) the X according to BMWUSA.COM is rated at 8.1 inches. Anybody know WHERE they measure from?? Edmunds.com has completely different numbers. I never felt the X struggle, the XDrive was active and doing its job (how ever that works!?!) and it kept me out of trouble. Like I said before, there was one section that was particularly deep rutted, so I decided I wanted to straddle that section. I turned into it and hit the gas. Despite the struggle for the tires to get grip (it was all mud), the XDrive put the power to the wheels and up I went.

I made sure to put the tires over all the rocks as is encouraged, my only concern was puncturing one of the stock michelin tires. Once again, both the tires and vehicle did an outstanding job, despite their primary design for road use.

I can say to all of you out there that knowing that a huge majority of X5's never see off-road action just know that when put up to the challenge, your vehicle will hold its own (as long as the driver does the same!) against some basic lower level competion. It certianly is no "true" 4 wheel drive or whatever many people say... but given the chance it does its best.

(oh and sorry folks, I have posted before, it has just been a long time! )

[statdoc]

Help me with the "DSC off" concept. Why do you turn it off, and when is it appropriate to have on/off (mud/snow/rain, etc)?

[jobaker4]

With the DSC on the computer will not let the wheels spin and you can end up stuck. (guys help me out here... that right?) I just read on here that it needs to be off, so I cut it off and did really well.

[LI_BIMMER]

Originally Posted by jobaker4

With the DSC on the computer will not let the wheels spin and you can end up stuck. (guys help me out here... that right?) I just read on here that it needs to be off, so I cut it off and did really well.

Last June I took an off road excursion course and the instructor had us go through various courses with his vehicles. He explicity said that you must maintain an even speed (uphill, going through a trench, etc.) and do so while preventing wheel spin. The minute you spin the wheels or one wheel you will loose your traction and once that happens, you are setting yourself up for trouble.

He stressed this all day to us and that is why I think DSC should have been left on. Even though this is all we have, we can still get into trouble with it but I doubt you would have gone on a difficult trail.

His vehicles were true off roaders with over sized underinflated tires and low/high gears. Did you deflate your tires? Anyone else can add to this?

[jobaker4]

I didn't change the inflation pressure of my tires, but I do know that had I left the DSC on I may have had trouble moving up and across the deep tracked ruts.

[rogerkiu]

With DSC on, the system will reduce the engine power output to avoid drifting. However, if you are in offroading and get stuck, you will need more engine power to get out of the stuck. DSC will reduce the power so that you have not enough power to get out of the stuck. The x-drive and ABS and other system will work as normal when you turn off DSC, so the wheel(s) which lose traction will be locked itself to avoid power lose.

Jobaker4, I also use my X to go offroading frequently. Although My x dosen't have X-drive, I found that my X handled tough road quite well. It will much better if the ground clearance can be adjusted to 230mm (9 inches). I suggest that you should install the underride protection to protect your x's underbody from damaging your engine under cover or other parts by bottoming out since the x's ground clearance is somewhat not enough. The part number is 51130392164. If you frequently use your x for offroading, I think it is worth to install it.

[jobaker4]

I'm not familiar with this part... is it the decorative skid plate or is there something more robust for the undercarriage?

Originally Posted by rogerkiu

With DSC on, the system will reduce the engine power output to avoid drifting. However, if you are in offroading and get stuck, you will need more engine power to get out of the stuck. DSC will reduce the power so that you have not enough power to get out of the stuck. The x-drive and ABS and other system will work as normal when you turn off DSC, so the wheel(s) which lose traction will be locked itself to avoid power lose.

Jobaker4, I also use my X to go offroading frequently. Although My x dosen't have X-drive, I found that my X handled tough road quite well. It will much better if the ground clearance can be adjusted to 230mm (9 inches). I suggest that you should install the underride protection to protect your x's underbody from damaging your engine under cover or other parts by bottoming out since the x's ground clearance is somewhat not enough. The part number is 51130392164. If you frequently use your x for offroading, I think it is worth to install it.