the rear air suspension is just self-leveling, that's the only reason it has it, I believe you get an extra 1000lbs towing capacity with it

Thank you Mrkbbd! Was the self leveling rear suspension an option on all X5's? Was it mandatory on the 4.6is?

Could the rear air suspension be removed? Would it be a pain to reprogram the computer?

I know I will not be putting in any heavy loads or towing with the X5. Upside would be not having another system that could have a part break and that very heavy pump would be out of the vehicle.

early 4.4s and all 4.6is's have rear air suspension, it was optional on the 3.0s, then the full air suspension came on the 2004+ models (some optional). The air suspension can be reprogrammed by the dealer (however a lot will not do it due to the "potential" harm to suspension components). On the full air suspension x5s there is something called an intrax module that intercepts the signal from the suspension and lowers it even more. But to lower the suspension on your x5 you would have to get new front springs and someone to reprogram the rears.