New E53 X5 3.0 owner introduction
 

Just picked up an E53 X5 3.0i Sport for my wife and I. New to the BMW SAV world, but previously had an E30 325es that was a great ride (and which I still miss). Here's a couple pics from when I picked it up:

http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/...psu49db2jj.jpg

http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/...pshicndecl.jpg

Got it for a great price, and am the third owner. First owner was a lease, and the second owner had it from 2004 to when I purchased it a few weeks ago.

Pretty impressed with the X5 so far, but did have some unexpected (yet after looking on this site, common) issues with the DISA valve and the CCV system both crapping out shortly after purchase (was leaving a smoke screen behind me before fixing).

Hope to learn a lot from members on here, and contribute what I can once I become more familiar with the E53.

Looking great! Welcome to the forum. I grew up in Roseburg so nice to see people from Oregon on here

:xoutpost:

Look to be in good shape. Used to live in Seattle.

Welcome to the forum. This site is a wealth of knowledge base on our vehicles and many are here to offer insight and comments that may or May Not be helpful....

Sport Package is always a great find!

Welcome! You'll love your new ride...

Great looking car, congratulations. Looks pretty darn well loaded except for Sport Seats (additional option on the 3.0, not included in the Sport Package). Again, congrats, beautiful looking X5!!

^Something I still complain about to this day, I never got sport seats on my Sport Package equipped '03

Welcome!

Don't forget to visit the Navigation Forum for tips on upgrading the nav firmware, and new maps. There are also discussions on adding an Aux Port so that you can play music from your phone, or other device, over the vehicle sound system.

Navigation System - Xoutpost.com

I love my sport seats in mine. I wish they were heated, but that is only for the bells and whistles and not because I would actually use it. I think I have used my heated seats less than 30 times in the last 8 years on my 545i.

Thanks! Will definitely have to check that out.

The lack of sports seats seems to be one of the only boxes not ticked by the original owner. I would have liked to have the sport seats, but who knows, can always pick up a set from one being parted down the road.

My 3.0 has Sport Package and Heated Sport Seats. I wanted the power lumbar adjustments, so I removed my Sport Seats and tracked down some of the rare 'Comfort Seats' from a 4.8is. They move about a zillion different ways, are heated and have the 4-way lumber. I love it!!!!!

^Sapphire do you still have your original sport seats?

Welcome to the epic adventure that is e53!

I sent him a PM earlier, and they are already sold. I had the same idea though :thumbup:

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!

Your Sport should have 19" wheels on the ground, and a 17 in the trunk. All of the X5's that we looked at had the same 17" rim in the trunk, no matter what wheels were on the ground. The tire in the trunk should be a 235/65x17. An equivalent 19 would be a 235/55x19, although the larger rim should also be wider, and I am not sure what they use.

You said your X5 is the 3.0 with a sports package, it should have 19 on it. The pic looks like 17s.

More tire tidbits you might enjoy knowing,
You can easily calculate the overall diameter by multiplying the width x the aspect ratio (235 x .65) to get the sidewall height in millimeters. Multiply this result by 2, then divide by 25.4 to convert the sidewall to inches, then add the rim size. The result is the overall diameter.

235 x .65 = 152.75 x 2 = 305.5 / 25.4 = 12.02 + 17 = 29.02. All X5s should have a tire that is close to 29 inches in diameter. As the rim gets larger, the aspect ratio (65, in this example) gets smaller to give a smaller sidewall, leaving you with the same overall diameter. If the rim gets larger AND the width is increased, then the aspect ratio is reduced some more so that the overall diameter does not become larger.

The 235/65x17 becomes a 235/55x19, with an overall diameter of 29.17. I'm not sure, but I would expect a 19 to have perhaps a 255, so it would be a 255/50x19, or a 265/50x19, to give a diameter of 29.03 to 29.4, respectively.

There are staggered fitments available, too. These fitments have a wider tire on the back than is on the front. For example, the rear might be something like a 315/40x19, to give an overall diameter of 28.92. A 325/40x19 has a diameter of 29.23 inches.

BMW will select front and rear tire sizes that will be within about 1/4" of being the same from front to rear. In this example, the 255/50 (29.03") on the front would be coupled with the 315/40 (28.92") on the rear, and the difference in diameters is .11 inches. The difference in circumference is 0.3456", which is meaningless.

His car has 18s, and they are the correct sport wheels for a pre-lci 3.0 with sport package.

Agreed. The largest wheel any E53 3.0i ever came with was 18s. Even the 19s for the 4.4i sports package was optional.

My 05 3.0 with Sport package has 255/55r18.

+1

And my mother in law's '01 3.0 SPP has the same wheel in the trunk as is on the ground. They did not change until after the face lift. My '04 3.0 SPP had the different spare.

My '04 4.8is (obviously SPP) had the smaller, temporary 'donut' spare. I swapped the entire mechanism, including the lift straps and spare cover from the 3.0 into the 4.8is before I sold the 3.0.

This is a 3.0 SPP with 18" wheels window sticker I found from another thread:

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...REDUCE1024.jpg

I also found an '06 4.4SPP with the added 19" for $950.

I ran my VIN using the BMW VIN decoder to confirm that I indeed have the sport package as well. Here's the link for anyone interested in checking out options on their X as it came from the factory: BMW Baureihenarchiv · BMW Vehicle Identification Number Decoder · bmwarchiv.de