Home Forums Articles How To's FAQ Register
Go Back   Xoutpost.com > Regional Forums > Australia Forum
Arnott
User Name
Password
Member List Premier Membership Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Xoutpost server transfer and maintenance is occurring....
Xoutpost is currently undergoing a planned server migration.... stay tuned for new developments.... sincerely, the management


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #21  
Old 04-05-2011, 09:49 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 240
JDM-20L is on a distinguished road
I was to choose between buying a non sport 3.0D and a Sport 3.0D

We'll just say I put both through their paces and what I found is I was able to bring on the DSC a lot easier in the non sport, mind you it had the optional 18" Y spokes too not 17's

The Sport was the one I ended up buying and to tell you the truth there are moments where I've driven it like I stole it and it just seems so much more stable than the other one I drove with 18's.. perhaps the tyres had gone bad? or something else? The difference was fairly substantial to me.

I like how the car drives with 19's and wouldn't go back, mind you I am city dweller so I don't really have great concerns with getting punctures etc.
Reply With Quote

Sponsored Links

  #22  
Old 04-05-2011, 10:17 PM
Fraser's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: NSW, Australia
Posts: 1,135
Fraser is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by JDM-20L View Post
I like how the car drives with 19's and wouldn't go back, mind you I am city dweller so I don't really have great concerns with getting punctures etc.
On the shit roads down here a non-Sport on 17s handles better than a Sport on the staggered 19s. I driven them both back to back too.
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 04-05-2011, 10:52 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 240
JDM-20L is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fraser View Post
On the shit roads down here a non-Sport on 17s handles better than a Sport on the staggered 19s. I driven them both back to back too.
Thank god I don't have to drive on those types of roads!
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old 04-05-2011, 11:07 PM
Fraser's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: NSW, Australia
Posts: 1,135
Fraser is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by JDM-20L View Post
Thank god I don't have to drive on those types of roads!
To give you an idea, the other day where was a HSV GTS up at the local servo which also serves as the local NRMA depot. According to the NRMA bloke he hit some monster pothole that not only destroyed two tyres via pinched sidewalls but cracked two of his alloy wheels as well. He had to be bought into town on a flatbed truck. I think he had 20s or 22s on it, but I didn't check. Next time he might drove a bit more slowly or keep a better idea out for potholes! Or stay away altogether.
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old 04-05-2011, 11:32 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 240
JDM-20L is on a distinguished road
yeah ouch... ha ha.
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old 04-06-2011, 12:21 AM
Fraser's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: NSW, Australia
Posts: 1,135
Fraser is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by JDM-20L View Post
Thank god I don't have to drive on those types of roads!
Plenty of decent sealed A and B roads here too that are fast and open, not too bumpy and with little traffic and even less police presence. Plenty of opportunity for the 3.0d to stretch its legs.

I'm happy to live and drive in the country after years of being city bound. Sydney traffic, you can have it!
Reply With Quote
  #27  
Old 04-08-2011, 10:32 PM
DanX5d's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Brighton East Australia
Posts: 24
DanX5d is on a distinguished road
22" wheels on a Commode speaks volumes about the owner and their driving ability. You get the looks with the penalty that everything else like handling, ride quality, acceleration (yes slower!) and economy are worse.

Schtonky, The 18's are being stripped and repainted by Ace Alloy wheels in Braeside VIC to original finish. There is a whole industry around straightening, rolling and welding (not always a good idea) alloy wheels.

Last edited by DanX5d; 04-08-2011 at 10:57 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #28  
Old 04-08-2011, 11:05 PM
DanX5d's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Brighton East Australia
Posts: 24
DanX5d is on a distinguished road
Arrow

Quote:
Originally Posted by JDM-20L View Post
The Sport was the one I ended up buying and to tell you the truth there are moments where I've driven it like I stole it and it just seems so much more stable than the other one I drove with 18's.. perhaps the tyres had gone bad? or something else? The difference was fairly substantial to me.
You weren't imagining it. At that time, the only tyre manufacturers producing 19's also made high end road/race rubber so they had plenty of knowledge and experience. The difference would be like driving a road car on Kmart or Bob Jane All Rounders (an Oxymoron, the tyre name not Bob) and then bolting on a set of Bridgestone S02 or Toyo R spec tyres. The later could grip better in the wet than the std road tyre could in the dry!
Reply With Quote
  #29  
Old 04-09-2011, 01:41 AM
Fraser's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: NSW, Australia
Posts: 1,135
Fraser is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanX5d View Post
You weren't imagining it. At that time, the only tyre manufacturers producing 19's also made high end road/race rubber so they had plenty of knowledge and experience. The difference would be like driving a road car on Kmart or Bob Jane All Rounders (an Oxymoron, the tyre name not Bob) and then bolting on a set of Bridgestone S02 or Toyo R spec tyres. The later could grip better in the wet than the std road tyre could in the dry!
Tyres go off too with age. I'm not sure if JDM-20L was talking about new or used Xs with his comparison. The OEM tyres, either 17s, 18s or the staggered 19s or 20s were all good quality even if the speed ratings varied.

It all depends on your driving environment and driving style. If you plan to hot-lap the Nurburgring then the staggered 20s are the way to go. If however you wish to run in the Production class in Dakar Raid you'll need the 17s. Down where I live it's more Dakar than Nurburgring.
Reply With Quote
  #30  
Old 05-09-2011, 08:42 AM
DanX5d's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Brighton East Australia
Posts: 24
DanX5d is on a distinguished road
Hi X5ers, Guys and Gals?
I have the OEM 18's now fitted with the latest from GT Radial tyres ($290 each) and they are a good fit with the rim well protected by the overall width of the tyre plus it has a sidewall lip near the rim that is supposed to help. I will get some pictures up soon, but the wheels are already black from brake dust after my test runs to 160+ Km/h. The X5 is very stable given my test road is pretty rough in spots. No broken tarmac just lumpy, hence not much traffic. The road noise is much and I mean much quieter, the handling is sharper and the ride quality hasn't seemed to have suffered. It varies from better to occasionaly not depending on the road surface.

A few thoughts after 6 weeks ownership
a) Who ever programmed the sport S mode on the auto needs to be taken outside of the computer room and spoken too by someone who drives a car and not a joystick (pun intended). What a wasted opportunity. They could have focussed on operating in the diesel engine's maximum torque band, but no, lets rev the door handles off because that is sporty. Max acceleration is somewhere between 3/4 throttle and before the kick down switch is felt (not activated). I only use the sport mode when deaccelerating to stop the 'lurch' into 1st or when I have a tailgater and I smoke them out on full throttle kickdown!
b) Yes I can get the avg fuel consumption below 10L/100km for the tank, but it requires an extended driving interval above the 30 mins to work and back. Recently took a trip to Pakenham for the kids basketball and the beast averaged 7.5L/100km there and back which I was happy with. I noted that the L/100 is not that accurate. In fact it looks much better that it really is. Try calculating your fuel consumption from the odometer and the amount of fuel the bowser says and it can be as much as 8% higher in my car.
c) The GPS is a 2004 edition and that meant it thought I was driving through farm paddocks instead of the Packenham bypass. It kept asking me to do a U turn and the arrow pointed backwards with 5200m showing. Kept the kids amused!
d) Found a number of BMW parts sites in the US with very good prices on the cargo blind and safety nets I was chasing. Try 35% of the local dealer price from getbmwparts.com

Cheers, Dan
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:08 AM.
vBulletin, Copyright 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. SEO by vBSEO 3.6.0
© 2017 Xoutpost.com. All rights reserved. Xoutpost.com is a private enthusiast site not associated with BMW AG.
The BMW name, marks, M stripe logo, and Roundel logo as well as X3, X5 and X6 designations used in the pages of this Web Site are the property of BMW AG.
This web site is not sponsored or affiliated in any way with BMW AG or any of its subsidiaries.