do it!!!!! You only live once!!! :D

Either that or save the money and get a C6 with Z51 or a C6 Z06 :thumbup:

however, a lil X5 with a blower would be an AWESOME sleeper. :wow:

I was at Dinan a few weeks ago and drove a supercharged X5... if you have the dough, GET IT!

I'd go with the ASA Superchargers, ESS uses their kompressors, and Alpina uses them in their vehicles too. :)

ahhhh supercharger! its one of a kind. as stated, never excpect to get that money back. as much as you will justify to yourself that your car is one of a kind, it is most likely the one that fitted you like a glove and no one else's hand. spend the money, enjoy it, and when its that time to sell, dont cry over spilled milk and just let go. consider it expensive entertainment and enjoy it while it lasted. its like a 5 thousand dollar hooker, she was fun, but then you cant get her back. i did the supercharger on my x5 and i dont regret it. thought about selling it to buy the next car, but thought about it, got some input and decided i spent the money on it already, mind as well keep it. its a great car.

now ess vs dinan stuff. my friend went with ESS for his 540, you have to find a master tech you can trust to install it. even then, i think he had to use dinan software to run his tranny. tech support is good i hear, but i like the idea that any dinan authorized bmw dealer can service your car. if your car is out of warranty, it is not to your advantage to use dinan, go with ess.

I agree with LVR
 

[Having gone through the expensive process, I can offer that once you start tampering with engines that are designed for one level, you usually find that other items (exhaust/fuel injectors/management/gearbox) all come in to question for the new power generated. Failures are expensive and tracing propblems time consuming.

Pay the money for a 4.8 if you want more Hp.

Cheers[/QUOTE]

After reading LVR's reply, I've gotta say I fully agree with him :thumbup:

I have pondered the same for my E39 540i and to date have done many hours of research. It is true of course that mods will not necessarily increase the overall value of your car but you must think about what these mods will do towards the increased driving "fun-factor". VF will be coming out with a kit for the E53 that I think is surely worth the wait. If history proves itself correct, their kit will be a bit cheaper than ESS with the added benefit of GIAC chip tuning.
And when you decide to sell the X5, remove the kit and throw it on eBay to recoup some cash.
So if your pockets are deep enough to afford this mod I say go for it! :thumbup:

:bustingup

well, seeing as how you are asking for everyone's opinions, I will throw mine in the mix (coming from a different vehicle, but still the same mentality).

You don't spend over 5k, 10k or what-have-you to modify the car so that you can get that money back. You spend that money so that the car becomes that much more enjoyable. I disagree about having all kinds of problems (as mentioned by someone else with an older car), because you are not building a motor or anything of that nature, you are simply throwing on a 'kit' that is made to be an add-on. You are also modifying a BMW, and in that respect you aren't going to go cheap and the companies providing the parts take this into consideration. Get the installation done right, get it tuned properly, know how the system works and you are well on your way to a great time.

Don't for one second think you will just install the kit and never have any small issues or things to adjust here and there, that is the nature of modifying something. Just buy what has been proven and do it all the right way the first time. I have owned a 350whp turbocharged car and I now drive a 380whp supercharged car; and I am a 'lurker' for now while I try and find the best deal on a 4.4 ;)

Those Georgia troopers are going to luv you. :dancing: Ga, the home of the original speed trap. :rolleyes: They will spend a hour with you oooohin' & aaaaahin' over your mods but you'll still have a ticket. :dunno: If you are lucky, maybe only one. :thumbup: Especially with a 'furrin' car. :D

The problem is that the 4.8is isnt really all that much faster or more powerful in stock form than the 4.4i. I really wish the top of the line X5 got the 5 L 400hp engine from the M5. THAT would be worth the price of admission. The 40 hp difference between the 4.4i and 4.8is is nothing comared to conservatively 105-135 hp that can be extracted from the 4.4i safely using supercharger, tuning, intake, and exhaust. You could do the same with a 4.8is, but the 4.4i is probably better for adding forced-induction becuase of its lower compression ratio. The N62 4.4i is a well-designed engine and there is plenty of room to extract more power. It's not like the S54 that is so high-strung.

Of course, then you get into the discussion of how much power do you really need in an SUV...don't really want to open that can of worms. But I say GO FOR THE SUPERCHARGER.