Roof Rail Delete
 

Just a quick question. I did a roof rail delete. I purchased some universal plugs but doesn't fit so well. It never really bothered me because the X5 was always in the garage but now I have to park it outside. I don't want water dripping inside the holes because of the plugs being not a perfect fit.

Does anybody know where I can get perfect fitted plugs for the roof rail mounting holes?

Thanks

I believe you need RTV sealant to make them water tight. I can't think of any OTS plugs that have a rubber seal on it.

When I took my rails off, I took some clear vinyl and taped over the plugs so they were water tight. I reinstalled the rails after 1 year so I don't have long term durability of the vinyl (rated 5 years outdoors).

Your X looks bald! :)
Why do guys want the roof rails off??

Agreed. I kept a ski rack on it for six months because I thought it looked funny with nothing up there. Note I do not, and probably never will, ski.

There have been reports that roof rails cause a lot of drag and hurt gas mileage. Yes, Roof Boxes And Ski Racks Really Do Cut MPG—More Than You Might Think

I remember reading stuff on Ecomodders, etc. I didn't have mine off for very long and I don't remember if I had any mileage increases with them off, though.

I get that. Removing the ski-rack had a distinct and immediate improvement in mileage (up 1.5-2MPG), comfort (noise) and drivability (at least subjectively it felt less wind prone).

The OEM factory rails, mounted front to back (longitudinally) , are unlikely to have any measureable effect on fuel consumption or drag etc.

Mount some cross rails (laterally) on them and its a different story.....

I don't know enough about flow to really know how it affects drag. I'd expect the lower amount surface area the air stops on to have a big effect, but you could be correct.

I don't really know squat about it either but it's pretty clear that the low frontal area of the OEM longitudinal rails will have little drag. The drag of the spaces underneath the rails is probably greater (pressure differences create drag - layman's description!). But even that is pretty low.

Removing the rear spoiler probably makes more difference at speed but it would make the car look neutered... :rolleyes:

Adding lateral rails can typically add 5-15% to most car's drag coefficients.

Roof Racks a Drag on Fuel Economy | Berkeley Lab

I take mine off in the summer. The X5 handles so much better without the rails and ski rack up top. That is a lot of weight up there.

I do think removing the rails does look funny on stock non-is models.

I used Rola lateral cross rails to mount my SUP carriers. They have a smaller leading edge and look a little better than the Thule or factory cross bars. They do create some whistling at 25 MPH and then quiet at all other speeds. I do remove them when I don't need them...

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....L._SL1200_.jpg

Thanks for the reply guys. Hah it's funny to hear some of your responses with aerodynamics and gas consumption.

Well I didn't delete rails for that purpose. I actually like the sleek look on the X5. I've even deleted the rear windshield wipers just because I like the clean look.

I don't I'm defeating the purpose on these accessories but I really just toy around with the X5 and I don't do much of transport or really really long drives in bad weather conditions. The onky thing I really haul around with this truck is a trailer for my motorcycle.

Here's how she looks. She's a bit different now. Different rims and some chrome delete.http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g5...69322670_o.jpg

I'm rocking the same wheels. :thumbup::thumbup:

I love them. Unfortunately construction workers left a man hole cover aside where they were doing work at and didn't seal it back up with no orange cone or any type of warning. I ran over it at 25mph and the manhole took a bite out of the rims. I was soo furious.

That is some straight up bullshit. I feel you. There's a construction zone near me that put a screw in my tire every time I went near it. Patching isn't as bad as rim work though. Ouch.

I want a set of those 214's for the E53! Can't find them anymore. :dunno:

eBay. You can get replicas for under $1k, or mix and match sellers for OEM without too much hassle but a lot more money.

I have looked but all I can find are the E70 version that do not fit properly. I remember there were after market that had the correct hub bore. Do you have a link?

214's
 

you can use the e70 214 wheels. you just need some hub centric rings

I purchased mine on 4/27/2015

Discount Performance.com
74.1 - 72.56 mm
$15.00

Absolutely right. My tire shop did the hub centric rings free when they mounted the tires on the new wheels.

Speaking of: SET OF FOUR 4 20" x9.5" 10.5" for BMW X5 X6 35I 48I 50I WHEELS RIMS NEW Y BLACK

Thank you guys! This is exactly the information I am looking for. Rich, can you could provide a link for the adapters and do they push the wheels out any? OrangeFurious, those are exactly what I am looking for but I want the standard silver, I will keep looking. (Great price BTW) I just need some education on the hubcentric pieces I need for the conversion from E70 to E53. (74.1mm to 72.56mm) :thumbup:

Here ya go: SET OF FOUR 4 20" x9.5" 10.5" for BMW X5 X6 35I 48I 50I WHEELS RIMS NEW Y SILVER | eBay

$50 less even. :)

This is the guy I bought my wheels from. Shipping was great, wheels are great, overall very satisfied. That said they're heavier than OEM and harder to balance. Mine are fine with a road-force balance, but not every shop can do that. Also worth noting the OEM TPMS sensors won't fit these rims, so budget for a little extra.

214
 

try discounttiredirect.com and no the do not push the tires out

Rich, I scoured your link and can not find any hubcentric rings. Am I missing anything? What are the best rings to get in your opinion. Is there a direct link to the ones you have?

Thanks OrangeFurious. Those look like the one's I'll get. So any vibration at all?

I had pretty nasty vibration from a number of things so it's hard to pin anything on one part. I can say without a road-force balance I did get a noticeable vibration on these wheels under hard acceleration and braking. After the road force balance it was markedly improved. After doing ball joints, tires and rotors it was gone. I kinda pulled all the levers at once, so I may not be the best sample case. :)

I'm not a great sample case - I had nasty vibration at all times and ended up replacing the (previous) wheels, tires, thrust arm bushings and pads/rotors. I pulled all the levers at once so it's hard to say what did what. That said, I can say when my first shop mounted the tires there were a lot of weights on the wheel from their balance. Doing a road-force balance cost a bit more but removed about 1/3rd of the weights and gave me a perfectly smooth ride.

hub centric rings
 

try these guys, I purchased from them 6/17/2011

directperformance.com
800-938-3456