xdrive questions -- 04+ X5's

[cue03]

I am new to the BMW X5 xdrive family. I come from a Land Rover Range Rover background. I have a couple of questions that popped up while I was driving in the rain today.

Scenerio question... what happens....

Xdrive only transfers power from front to rear or rear to front when slippage is detected. What happens if the entire left side or right side (front and rear wheel) has no traction? does that mean I am stuck since Xdrive won't transfer power left to right or right to left?


When driving my range rover I very rarely felt the steering wheel move when driving in the rain. However today, almost every puddle there was a pull in the steering of the X5. Is this due to the size of the tires on the 4.8is? The truck just didn't seem settled in the wet stuff. Not sure if it is my imagination but my RR is SOLID AS A ROCK in the wet stuff.

Any thoughts and answers will be appreciated. It rains a lot in South Florida so I just want to be sure I made a good buy. My truck is an 04 4.8is with 5025 (5K) miles on it.

Lastly, I have the full air suspension. When I tow, will it auto-level itself once the trailer or additional weight is added to the truck?

Thanks.

Curtis

[motordavid]

My understanding in reading the admittedly confusing and vague
description of XDrive, is that the DSC also kicks in to brake the
spinning/stuck side and transfer power to the other side.

A quote from a road test; wish I could find BMW's long but
vague explaination of XDrive for you...:

"BMW's four-wheel traction solution is the latest version of its xDrive all-wheel drive system, which in the X5 typically provides a 40/60 front/rear split, but can send as much as 100 per cent of the available torque to either end of the vehicle.

Operating as part of a networked system with the standard Dynamic Stability Control and ABS, it can also apportion power side to side by applying brakes to a slipping wheel, acting like a limited slip differential."

Our '01 non-Xdrive has never failed us in climbing severely steep snow
covered roads at our Mtn house, or descending those same.

I have driven a few XDrive Xs, (not in super slippery conditions), and
the XDrive is even more seamless than the old pre-XDrive I have.

I don't know where in South FL one can get into too much trouble
unless you are fire trailing or chasing gators, but I would not give
it a doubt. And, our old '01 3.0, with 132 staggered 19s is RockFreakinSolid
through any puddles, flooded roads, etc., as it was with the orig style 69 18s
on it before. If you are feeling something weird in the steering, I'd get the Stlr
to check it out.

Our old one does not shake her head, ever...
GL,mD

[noncom23]

http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/e...?highlight=dsc

This one?

[motordavid]

Good Dig, as usual, NC, but I was
trying to find the umptyseven paragraphs
that 'splain XDrive better to myself and to
Curtis. I BM'd a lengthy description, I thought,
but damn if I can find it.

NEway, no biggie...
BR,mD

[cue03]

That one is helpful and seems that you overcome the left to right by turning off DSC. However that still brings the question as to how fast can you react while actually driving and you encounter such a situation that you have to reach down and push the DSC button to stop the "non-traction" wheels from spinning so the torque can be transfered to the other wheel(s) that may actually still have grip.

Hmm...

Curtis

[JCL]

Your original question was about driving in the rain. You shouldn't touch the DSC button, and that way DSC will always be active, automatically coming into play when it is required.

The confusion comes from those posters who have had trouble on a hill, in deep snow or on ice, when DSC by itself isn't enough to find traction, and then the computer automatically steps in and reduces engine power. By turning off DSC it defeats that second function, allowing more wheel slip than with DSC enabled. The traction control is still enabled (via single-wheel braking) but the throttle is not reduced, so the wheels can spin to allow you to dig out of a snow bank, or chew your way up an icy driveway. It isn't for offroading, but rather for when you want to allow a spinning wheel. It should be used with caution, since the traction control will still apply a single brake (potentially overheating a brake).

Those aren't normal driving situations, and so unless you are stalled on a steep icy hill, and applying throttle doesn't have any effect since the DSC is reducing throttle automatically, you should always leave the DSC button alone. DSC is best left on at all times on the road.

[mrkbbd]

how do you have an '04 with only 5k miles?

[cue03]

Ok, now it all makes more sense. DSC stays on. Thanks for all the feedback.

As for having a 04 with 5K miles... I bought it CPO from a dealer with 4300 or so miles on it. It was a lucky find. Everything checked out and looked fine. No signs of any odometer tampering or damages anywhere on the vehicle (was checking to see if maybe it was an accident rebuild or hurricane damage or something). It was clean as a whistle. So I got it from Braman BMW in West Palm Beach FL. I was more worried with it being an 04 (resale reasons) and buying it so late in 06. Which to me means I have a 3 year old vehicle RIGHT NOW with very low miles AND the new body style is out. Hopefully I can keep the miles low and not take too much pain at resale.

Curtis