non-rice upgrade questions

[lord4play]

Originally Posted by J.Belknap

Sounds like a PLX DM-100 would suit your wants.

Hmmm sounds like you should stay out of my head. Lol
Just kidding that was one of the things I was looking at for the instrument cluster. Plus I can get my hands on 10inch and 7 inch touch screens for dirt cheap. But if that's the route I go it will take a while to build, test, and install.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

Dinan, in the case of the 4.6 closed cold air box with K&N filter, states the gain in HP and torque you can expect. No, I did not confirm their numbers. However, I have confirmed that the stated hp and torque for the all of the Dinan mods I have, which includes the air box, exceeds their claims.

At least the Dinan air intake is sealed and not drawing in hot air from the engine bay. I wouldn't attribute their claimed gains to the K&N filter. Interesting that they have taken many of their cold air intakes and claims of hp gains off their web site, leaving the ones for turbocharged models.

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by JCL

At least the Dinan air intake is sealed and not drawing in hot air from the engine bay. I wouldn't attribute their claimed gains to the K&N filter. Interesting that they have taken many of their cold air intakes and claims of hp gains off their web site, leaving the ones for turbocharged models.

I don't know if the Dinan branded K&N filter did anything. My only point is that it is their choice for the cold air box. I think it is a good assumption they chose what delivered the best results for a performance product.

In the 2002-03 catalog Dinan stated the cold air box was worth 13bhp and 12lb/ft on the 4.4 and 14bhp and 11lb/ft on the 4.6.

During that simpler time there still was a half a page at the back of the catalog dedicated to explaining how the testing was done. It was not labeled as a disclaimer but it is obvious that was the intent. I am not surprised performance claims are now so limited. I read about a class action suit against MacDonalds for selling quarterpounders with 4 instead of 5 pieces of onion on them.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

In the 2002-03 catalog Dinan stated the cold air box was worth 13bhp and 12lb/ft on the 4.4 and 14bhp and 11lb/ft on the 4.6.

During that simpler time there still was a half a page at the back of the catalog dedicated to explaining how the testing was done. It was not labeled as a disclaimer but it is obvious that was the intent. I am not surprised performance claims are now so limited.

What I found interesting is that the performance claims are there for the turbocharged models, but not for the N/A models. I think it is very possible to get more hp from a turbocharged engine by playing with the boost. Not so easy to get additional hp from a naturally aspirated engine. You may be right about why they removed those claims (legal concerns), or maybe they just weren't achievable under real world conditions (which is my guess).

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by JCL

What I found interesting is that the performance claims are there for the turbocharged models, but not for the N/A models. I think it is very possible to get more hp from a turbocharged engine by playing with the boost. Not so easy to get additional hp from a naturally aspirated engine. You may be right about why they removed those claims (legal concerns), or maybe they just weren't achievable under real world conditions (which is my guess).

Dinan will provide performance numbers if asked. They have always been very candid with me. Obviously dyno results differ for lots of reasons but the runs I have done with my 4.6 verified better numbers than Dinan. I talked about my findings with Steve Dinan when he was in Dallas some time ago. He explained their development and testing process, it is extremely detailed and thorough. Based on the the Dinan prices, and the 'intensity' of their customer base, they wouldn't still be in business if the stuff didn't deliver customer satisfaction.

I haven't looked at how they improve the turbo engines performance and there is certainly more latitude if you mess with boost but in the past I wouldn't expect them to go there much, if at all.

[racingbmwm3]

question about the OP: how do you burn the reflectors on an HID? I'd think most cases of dim headlights just needs a new bulb and the plastic lens needs to be polished and restored. See other threads here about restoring the lens.
Also, I'm pretty sure most states have laws against running with 4 headlights on at all times. Plus, the halogen high beams offer more glare than xenon if your intent is 'blinding' people. I haven't looked at the wiring going to the highbeams, but if you only use the higheams occasionally for the short duration while flashing people, you could look up the amperage rating of the size of wire, multiply that by 12V and find out how high of wattage you could install to replace the 55W halogens. Of course, you also need to see if the fuse and relay would also allow that.
Or you could get some wicked offroad rally lights and tie it into the highbeam flasher switch...
BMW extracted an extra 10HP from the 3.0 (look up the ZHP package) and that is about all you should ever expect to get from the engine without any major work and alot of money. Cheaper to buy a 4.4 setup...Aren't really any bolt-ons you can get that accomplish anything other than sounding different and losing power. BMW doesn't win so many engine awards for building 'ok' engines.
Unless you are driving on lots of various road tracks in various weather conditions, adjustable shocks aren't really necessary. Lots of good lowering kits available. But the X5 is never going to handle as good as an M3. 3 tons is still 3 tons. It definitely is a major plus for the looks though! and ease of entry/exit.
wheels, bigger means slower. the tires make the difference in handling, not the size of the wheel. if this wasn't true, F1, NASCAR, LeMans, etc would all be riding like Donks on 30+ rims. (not entirely true as there are regulations for wheel sizes...). The overlooked sole reason for having larger rims is the need for more space for larger brakes. Larger brakes are needed because of higher speeds being achieved (or towing more weight). If you aren't adding a supercharger/turbo along with a BBK needed to account for the extra speed, your handling, accelerating, decelerating, and gas mileage are all better off with finding some good quality tires for your 17's or 18's that you have now. Of course, you can always improve on the weight of your wheels, as some high quality forged 17's or 18's will weigh less than the stock wheels, same size, and reducing the weight by more than a couple of pounds WILL increase your performance across the board.
Aside from the performance, 20's look very good on the X5

and if you win the lottery, I recommend the new X5//M or a new Cayenne Turbo S. They already go as fast or faster than you could achieve with the E53 and a twin turbo setup and come with a warranty.

[racingbmwm3]

question about the OP: how do you burn the reflectors on an HID? I'd think most cases of dim headlights just needs a new bulb and the plastic lens needs to be polished and restored. See other threads here about restoring the lens.
Also, I'm pretty sure most states have laws against running with 4 headlights on at all times. Plus, the halogen high beams offer more glare than xenon if your intent is 'blinding' people. I haven't looked at the wiring going to the highbeams, but if you only use the higheams occasionally for the short duration while flashing people, you could look up the amperage rating of the size of wire, multiply that by 12V and find out how high of wattage you could install to replace the 55W halogens. Of course, you also need to see if the fuse and relay would also allow that.
Or you could get some wicked offroad rally lights and tie it into the highbeam flasher switch...
BMW extracted an extra 10HP from the 3.0 (look up the ZHP package) and that is about all you should ever expect to get from the engine without any major work and alot of money. Cheaper to buy a 4.4 setup...Aren't really any bolt-ons you can get that accomplish anything other than sounding different and losing power. BMW doesn't win so many engine awards for building 'ok' engines.
Unless you are driving on lots of various road tracks in various weather conditions, adjustable shocks aren't really necessary. Lots of good lowering kits available. But the X5 is never going to handle as good as an M3. 3 tons is still 3 tons. It definitely is a major plus for the looks though! and ease of entry/exit.
wheels, bigger means slower. the tires make the difference in handling, not the size of the wheel. if this wasn't true, F1, NASCAR, LeMans, etc would all be riding like Donks on 30+ rims. (not entirely true as there are regulations for wheel sizes...). The overlooked sole reason for having larger rims is the need for more space for larger brakes. Larger brakes are needed because of higher speeds being achieved (or towing more weight). If you aren't adding a supercharger/turbo along with a BBK needed to account for the extra speed, your handling, accelerating, decelerating, and gas mileage are all better off with finding some good quality tires for your 17's or 18's that you have now. Of course, you can always improve on the weight of your wheels, as some high quality forged 17's or 18's will weigh less than the stock wheels, same size, and reducing the weight by more than a couple of pounds WILL increase your performance across the board.
Aside from the performance, 20's look very good on the X5

and if you win the lottery, I recommend the new X5//M or a new Cayenne Turbo S. They already go as fast or faster than you could achieve with the E53 and a twin turbo setup and come with a warranty.

[X5SND]

A burnt projector bowl can happen in a couple ways...but most of the time it's just yellowing of the bowl from the heat over time that causes the reflective medium to erode.

You're more likely to burn a bowl with aftermarket bulbs as the cheaper bulbs tend to run hotter. This has no relation to the color temperature...it's specifically the operating temperature of the bulb.

[racingbmwm3]

since both of our cars now have HID's, what brands of bulbs are the good choice? The OEM are Osram or Sylvania right? Are there better choices or cheaper that are just as good OEM?

[Ricky Bobby]

OEM bulbs are Philips 85122. Considering that the popular Morimoto aftermarket bulbs will only save you about 20 bucks for the pair, I'd stick with genuine Philips.

www.hidbulbzrus.com is the best source I've found for GENUINE Philips 85122 bulbs, about 74 bucks shipped for a pair, and he is a neighbor of yours over in Utah so you'd get them quick.