New E53 Owner

[FlyingYeti]

All:

Just wanted to congratulate everyone on a great forum and I have thoroughly enjoyed the plethora of information that everyone has contributed.

I am recently the owner of an E53 manual 6-spd and love the car. I am looking to make a few minor adjustments to the stock setup and am looking for recommendations/guidance on a few mods. All your help is greatly appreciated on each topic.

1) Wheelset
I have the stock 18" rims and am looking to keep the for winter however, want something a little nicer for summer. To avoid the excessive "bling" factor I am thinking along the lines of the Beyern Multi Rims (http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/0/1...32456989_o.gif) however am a little concerned with sizing and feel of ride. If any body has put these on their X5 how much have the effected the ride? Will the 22" make a noticeably stiffer ride? There seems to be some debate on this in the threads. Additionally, are there any other rims that I might consider that still have the "Alpina'esq" look to them? Also, what is a suitable offset? 9.5" and 11"?


2) Xenon Hi-Beams
As with most of the E53's I have seen mine comes with the stock hi-beams (Halogen) and Xenon project lights. I am interested in getting rid of the mirrored hi-beams and going with Xenon projectors as a replacements. Additionally, I am interested in installing new Angel Eyes as well. Is there an entire new unit I can purchase that will alleviate all of this - and save me the headache of running angel eyes off my battery?

3) Exhaust systems
I have done an extensive amount of research and thus far it seems that the Eisenmann Race Oval is the best option for sound and performance. Does anyone have this on their car? Also, will it make that much of a difference on my 3.0i?

If there is anything I am missing please do not hesitate to add some suggestions.

Thanks..

Matt