Build Log: M57 X5

[ucsbwsr]

Originally Posted by dw280

I ordered a custom spec’d set of wheels using your wheel/spacer setups for reference. Your information is amazing, and your build is inspiring. Hopefully my calculations are right and I’ll be joining the 295/45R20 club soon.

Right on, glad the thread is useful! Keep in mind 295/45/20 can rub up front depending on your specific tires. It will wear itself down over time and shouldn't be an issue. You can see a pic of where it rubs in my previous post.

[dw280]

Originally Posted by ucsbwsr

Right on, glad the thread is useful! Keep in mind 295/45/20 can rub up front depending on your specific tires. It will wear itself down over time and shouldn't be an issue. You can see a pic of where it rubs in my previous post.

I don’t have my note sheet in front of me, but I figured out the offset based on the ZL1 wheels with the Toyo’s and the spacers you ran, since the Toyo’s were a bit wider if I recall than the Hankook’s. Ordered wheels with an offset so I wouldn’t need a spacer in the front, just one in the rear. Once I get everything installed, I’ll post it in a new thread and give you the credit you’re due for all the leg work.

[Toothbrush]

Love the 'something of an artist myself' pic.

Just curious, why the wheel swap?

[ucsbwsr]

Originally Posted by Toothbrush

Love the 'something of an artist myself' pic.

Just curious, why the wheel swap?

Snow/Winter. Being in Colorado there is a lot of nice weather throughout the winter but also a fair amount of snow and with weekly (ideally) trips to the mountains, putting around at 10,000-12,000ft elevation its advantageous to have winter tires on a dedicated winter wheel setup so I can swap wheels as needed.

[ucsbwsr]

Feels weird to throw the winter setup on the X5 when it was 68F outside but that's Colorado for you. 5-7" expected for Christmas and no, that's not an inappropriate joke. hehehaha!

With the changing of the wheels I took the opportunity to swap my spherical front thrust arms for some OEM hydro/rubber units. With the rough paved roads and frequent trips on dirt fire roads here in CO the added isolation and comfort from the OEM arms is welcomed.

I was chasing down some front end clunks which ended up being a loose bolt on the lower control arm. I also found the driverside sway bar bracket was missing on of it's bolts ...whoops. This explains not only the clunk but the very "tilty" side to side weight transfer. Hard to say how long this has been loose but my guess is quite a long time, like years as I clearly remember the clunking when driving offroad in Sedona to take engagement photos circa 2020. This sway bar bracket bolt was originally removed and reinstalled with a coolant hose clamp under it during the ATM intercooler install I assume that and the improper bolt torque led to my years of suffering listening to clunks. Should be good now!!



I snagged a set of Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV tires used and the fronts had decent tread (8/32") but the rears were questionable so I ended up buying a new pair of rears. I ended up finding a few online retailers selling them for $131/ea and my local Discount Tire which is handling my tire swaps was able to price match even though they throw their mandatory and overpriced tire insurance in the mix at $75/tire. Nonetheless I am optimistic for these tires given their sporty demeanor and initial impressions on ride quality is very positive, curious to see how they perform in real snow.

I went with 275/45/20 405/40/20 The tires in this size are actually an OEM "NO" variant and are built for E3 Cayennes. In predictable form I up sized the aspect ratio for a bit more cushion and fill of the fenders. Working within the constraints of tire options and <1% rolling diameter delta F/R for the X-Drive this is what worked. The 305 is a bit stretched on the 11.5" wide rear wheel but whatever.

Summer/All Season setup for reference


Fronts


Rears..... WOOOOF!!


High contrast vs Low contrast


Although the OEM X5M wheels are painfully heavy the silver lining is they are made for X5s so I am able to ditch the monster 30mm rear spacers that accommodated Camaro wheels.



Took some time to fluff and buff the studs to keep the threads clean.


Studs remounted and 12mm spacer installed



I kept the KWs are max ride height to see how I got on with the new setup and see if I could get away without lowering it. Excessive fender gap is offensive and I have standards. It was looking pretty good.


Then, when walking out from a store the light was hitting the tires just right to highlight that I did indeed need to lower the X5 a bit. Look at that rear fender gap "Ewww David!"


KW adjustment range is 235mm-260mm in the front (measured from strut pinch bolt to top of threaded KW collar. I went from 260mm down to 245mm. Rear links lowered to match. This gave me ~6.25" from top of wheel to lower edge of fender flare. Originally I had 10mm spacers up front but it offered a little too much poke relative to the rear so that was dropped to 5mm. 5mmF 12mmR
Much better.




I particularly enjoy this photo since it shows off the stance/wheel offsets but also to the enthusiast's eye you may notice the custom cold air intake, the LED light bar, and the upgraded intercooler peeking through the grills.


I will admit I do appreciate the contrast the Style 611M wheels offer and I think the machine/gunmetal finish pairs well with the platinum grey metallic paint. Also, the machined wheels help tie in the chrome/silver headlights and aesthetically it all works pretty well. Definitely OEM+
Here are a couple collages showing the ride height Before/After

Happy Holidays!

[ucsbwsr]

After getting the winter setup installed and KW adjusted down I got an alignment done (lifetime at Firestone) and the results weren't great regarding camber. The E70 lacks useful adjustment in the rear and has no camber adjustment up front, not ideal when you are lowering a vehicle.

Previously I installed Meyle HD upper wishbones with a camber adjustment but never adjusted them. I also snagged some SPC upper trailing control arms for the rear and a magnetic camber gauge so I could crudely DIY this and see the improvement.

Here are my "before" at-home measurements:

FL -2
FR -1.6
RL - 4.2
RR -4.1

"After" at home measurements:
FL -.6
FR -.5
RL -1.75
RR -2.2

"After" according to Firestone:


I asked for them to set total F/R toe to .02 instead of .2 and they weren't able to oblige. "We got as close as we could." But I've seen many posts of E70s getting the toe down to .02 so I know it's possible. I might go to another, more competent Firestone ....if such thing exists.

Precise science! Garage floor level?


...kinda


SPC control arms



Here is a look down at the top of the Meyle HD upper wishbones on the front. This is there "normal" position before.


...and after with + camber maxed out. I couldn't find info online with their adjustment range but I think it is +/- 1 degree.


I also installed a new K&N filter, hydro sock, and cleaned the MAF. Performance greatly improved after this. I think I over-oiled my K&N previously and Colorado grime was clogging it up. I now have a significant performance gain, like >30% power. Whoops! Once I get ISTA properly installed I will reset the MAF and injector mean as well. I've never done this even with my various intake setups.



Local LKQ had a couple E70s so I grabbed a couple trim pieces I needed to replace broken ones and I also stumbled upon this tray/insert for the center console.


Living a life of true luxury ...with my Carmex in a secure spot. Colorado shit.



With temps dropping my battery was showing weakness. A bit annoying as I was trying to adjust my rear ride height via air suspension and sensors and the battery died, adding insult to injury my fancy-pants Schumacher INC-700a charger isn't powering up so I was forced to use my mobile power station / car jumper but it wasn't allowing the jump and stating the battery was in a protection mode. I was able to recover the battery over night with my trickle charger but the real solution was a new battery.

Current battery was installed shortly before I bought the vehicle ~5 years and 55k miles ago. It was an AC Delco 49AGM. 95AH 900CCA. It aside from the drop in performance with ambient temps around or below freezing it has served me well.

Replacement is Super Start AGM. 105AH, 950 CCA


Turns out when the last battery was installed it was never registered to the vehicle so the X5 thought it has a 105AH and it really had a 95AH. That has been corrected.

[ucsbwsr]

I decided to try a different intake setup. My cold air intake has served me well over the past 4+ years but I wanted to try something with better filter protection. Now that I live in Colorado (previously San Diego) I find myself driving more off road and in winter conditions where there is exponentially more airborne dirt and grime. Yes, I know there is the OEM intake I could reinstall but that's so boooooring.

Intake was mostly inspired by the system I built for my N54 which utilizes the same filter and velocity stack.


"Less is more" was the mindset of this intake with the priorities being to minimize restriction and keep airflow smooth entering the MAF. Aside from having the outlet of the velocity stack slightly ovalized to perfectly match the MAF, this is as good as it gets. The bonus of the minimalistic design is a shorter and less expensive parts list.

Measuring hood clearances, it will be tight but possible!


RACE TROCK!


The straight coupler's 4" length was a bit too tall and I needed to position the velocity stack as low as possible so I cut it down to 3". The filter literally has millimeters of clearance around it and when the hood is shut the padded insulation on the bottom of the hood juuuuuust barely touches the top of the filter. The insulation has maybe 3/4" of give to it so I don't foresee any issues with the tight clearances and the engine movement while under load but it is something I will keep an eye on.



~$200 worth of parts:
Vibrant 10960 Filter
Vibrant 10592 Velocity Stack
3.5" Coupler
3.5"-3" Reducing Coupler
HPS Worm Gear Clamps



For those who aren't familiar the Vibrant filter and velocity stack are designed to work together.



This filter is really stuffed into the engine bay so there were a couple modifications to accommodate. I used a large zip tie to pull the AC line out of the way and then my 335D engine cover needed a slight trim.



Finished product (for now). Initial impressions are very positive. Overall in the intake performs just like the cold are intake with excellent response. The most noticeable difference is the added induction noises in the cabin; the *whooooses* *psst pssts* and *wuhbuhbuh* is easily heard from the driver's seat. Some might find it annoying but I love hearing what the turbos are doing. There is still plenty of noises heard from outside the vehicle as well.

I am very aware that this intake will be pulling warmer air from the engine bay and that was a sacrifice I was willing to make in exchange for the filter protection and turbo response. I plan to install an air scoop which will direct cold air towards the filter. I may also entertain building an additional heat shield to act as a partition between the filter and the exhaust manifold and turbos.

[Toothbrush]

Originally Posted by ucsbwsr

This part ... chef's kiss.

[ucsbwsr]

Winter is wrapping up in Colorado, technically it's Spring but Colorado weather follows plays by it's own rules. 75F, 6" of snow, 75F, more snow...

In March we got ~18" of wet snow, not the typical light/fluffy/dry snow we normally get that can be blown away with a leaf blower. Our neighborhood isn't plowed so I took the opportunity to test the X5s ability to handle deep snow. It didn't go great. I got stuck twice but it was a lot of fun to plow the streets. Ground clearance was the main issue causing the vehicle to high side and get stuck once momentum is lost. The wide 265/305 tires didn't really help but regardless it's fun to test the capability of a vehicle. The wife's Q7 faired better.




X5 plowing and planing the streets...




Love me the little tailgate. Useful for transporting an exterior door.


Snagged some more goodies to throw in the To Do pile of parts to install. OEM Individual Audio speakers and amp. Stinger amp is for an aftermarket subwoofer. Plan is to have the Stinger amp power an Audiomobile Evo 12. System will be processed with an Audio Control DSP.


Short road trip up to Cheyenne Wyoming to collect some steel from Menards. This will be ceiling and wall coverings in my garage. Thunderstorms and strong winds on the drive. 23.5mpg for the 200mile round trip.



For reference here is what it looks like going up


Got some new rubber for the summer wheels. Michelin Pilot All Season 4 295/45/20. I'm excited to try the tires as they seem to be the benchmark for all seasons. I particularly like the performance to longevity ratio they offer.


On paper the Micnelins are 6-7lbs lighter per tire compared to the Hankooks and Toyos I've ran. Once they were mounted I noticed the Michelins definitely appear narrower than the section width suggests and the sidewalls do have a stretched looks which I didn't experience with the other brands. The Michelins "look" more like a 275/285 than a 295 which was surprising but per usual form>function.

The Michelins + Camaro wheels does make for a fairly lightweight setup when you consider the 295/45/20x11 combo.


Swapperoo


Back to business

[Bdc101]

This is quite a thread! It took me about 5 days to read through every post. I just bought a 2012 35d which looks almost exactly like yours did when it was stock -- same wheels, same color, same interior, but no third row/air suspension.

Question for you, if there was one mod that improved your mileage what would you say it was? 35 mpg in any SUV is pretty crazy, especially one with lots of guts. This last post said 23.5 mpg for a round trip towing a cargo trailer full of steel roofing. I have been towing my camper with my E53 for the past 8 summers, so the idea of getting even 20mpg when towing sounds like a dream.



EGR blockoff is probably in my future as I've only had it a week and it already went into limp mode with an EGR valve fault once.

Nice to see a fellow MTBer as well -- I live in Bend and try to spend as much time on the trails as I can manage. If only these pesky BMWs would stop breaking down on me.