No Roof Rails mod.. on imola 4.8
 

So i finally got this little mod done and i think it makes the car look x1000 better IMO. :thumbup:

enjoy

looking good.. i think it looks good imo if the X is lowered and has big wheels like yours.. anyways how do you do this mod? do you just take off the roof rails? any holes or anything to cover up??

O lala you also debadged your x i think a good next mod would be rear wiper delete :)

best looking x5 on this site....

Awsome!

Great looking X...can you give us the size of your rims with width of the fronts and rears...BTW what kind of rims are they?

It's up there, next to Wuzin's...

I was going to say that and there are a handful of others that are so nice that you can't really pick a best one.

I would also agree that the no-roof-rack mod looks good on an Imola Red 4.8is with big ol' DPE forged wheels. (I think they're DPE's.) Looking good. :thumbup:

correct..

they are DPE 22" R16s with 275/30/22 all around. The rim is 22x10 all around. I have 30mm spacers on the rear to make it be flush wit the extended rear fenders on the 4.8's

Very nice. I'd be too scared to take my roof racks off. All the same your X looks GREAT!

how do you remove the roof rails? Is it easy to do?

Looks great. Time for some Al RBs though.

I dont know if im going to get the Aluminum RB's. I might...


As far as taking the roof rails off, the torx bolts that hold them down, are pretty tight on there, but with some tools and a T-40 torx key thingy its a piece of cake.

And after doing this mod... i wondered to myself, could the roof rails be a safety "roll over" protection.. maybe not, but i can see how itd help, if the car did roll over.

No structural strength in the rails, compared to the weight of the car. I would not consider them remotely like a "roll bar" or any such thing. Your mod should not decrease the safety of the X5 whatsoever!

Wow, Never realised how good imola red looks on an X5, nicest I have seen, wheels look ace, well done!

I would like to know this too - any bodywork need to be done after removing the rails??

Be good to know too...

What did you need to do to fill the holes? Can we have a close up of the finish?

As much as I love this Imola 4.8, it's starting to transform into a wagon "look" with the suspension lowering and roof rails deletion.

Saw a Volvo XC90 this evening, and thought the same thing:"That looks like an old-fashioned station wagon."

Nothing old-fashioned about a BMW wagon (touring), they look fantastic. I think this X5 looks great, except for the front guard. When I see it I think of someone running over a bicycle rack and driving away. The rest of it, really nice, IMO.

what kind of rims are those? and what size?

They are 22's. DPe r16's

Are you gonna tell us how you finished the fixing holes ie bodyfiller plugs etc?

Or have you just left them uncompleted?

anyone can take the rails off.

WHAT DID YOU DO TO COVER UP THOSE UNSIGHTLY HOLES????????

roof rail delete thread


http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...questions.html

where did you get the clear corners for a 4.8??? I have been looking for them for a while

Roveractive on Ebay.

imola 4.8, couldd you post the close up pics of your completed roof rail delete project?

imola, I'm sorry if I might have missed it somewhere in the thread, but do you have to remove the headliner to get to the torx bolts or are they accessible from outside of the car....maybe behind the rubber seals in the rack itself?

Thanks in advance.

Aloha, Dave

behind the rubber seals of the racks u will see the torx bolts:thumbup:

Thanks brutha. I will check out Lowes for the caps and post pics when it's done. Did you have any other tips I might find useful...tips other than those found in the 2 threads on the rail removal?

Aloha, Dave

Pull back the rubber covers behind the fixings youll find the T30's which fix the roof rails to there block fixings these are attached with 10mm bolts. When you remove these you will find four 18mm holes on each side (f&R) and one 16mm (centre).

I dont know about Imola but the longest time I spent was on cutting back the marks left by the fixings on the paintwork.

Pete & Imola, you guys rock. Much mahalo's (Thanks).

Aloha, Dave

Looks great!!

Body shop?????

thanks!!

I have to say your 4.8 is amazing looking!! I'm not usually a fan of differnet wheels etc but yours is just simply class of a different kind.

i love that type of rear spoiler.....what company makes them

What spoiler? :confused: He has a 4.8is and its OEM equipment in rear.

it could not be 1000 times ..
my guess 1000 times-- it's original desine of people calles themself ingeneers desiners.
so yours with remooval is 50 %..- 500 better !

Side view and close up shot of the plugs....

http://images34.fotki.com/v1195/phot...PIM0245-vi.jpg

http://images34.fotki.com/v1196/phot...PIM0246-vi.jpg

Fantastic car, did you use any kind of sealer when you put the gromet in the hole?

Roof rails removed without any issue, looks much better.