its stock and they respond pretty much the same on the shift knobs. It's fast enough for me and if i modify it then it will be more than what i need. So i am cool the way it is right now.

I got the wheel from jay (member here), when he was parting out his X5 back in January and i got it for $575.

sounds like this mod is mostly for looks and for that purpose it totally works..

yes, just looks. I hardly even use it myself. But the feeling is different with 2 paddles on each side of your wheel, without them feels like there is so much room in there.

gotcha. u should def try the AFE intake. looks cool, sounds great and improves power all for less than $300:thumbup:

i did and i sold it. No power gain, just a little roar. Mrbmwx5 and zerochief can attest to that and me, the third one.

what did u use to measure power? i used this http://www.myradardetector.com/passport_g-timer.htm.
consistenly clocked max power of 325hp with the AFE intake. 315hp pre installation.

i meant no "noticeable" power gain. 10hp might be so little that you cannot even feel the difference? How much does those gadget cost? If you feel it, good for you. I might go to dinan route, but not on my priority list, but wont go back to afe. But if it works for you, that's a good thing. So you're facelift right? Coz, we prefacelifts, we have under 300HP stock. :banghead:

originally retailed for over $200. i bought one last year on "sale" for $149. you can get them now at amazon for $80. product works great but has a very limited customer base.

what year did the E53 get a facelift?

2004. Mine is 2001 and i have either 275 or 290 stock.

your car has the looks of a machine with much more horsepower. guess all that matters is that it gets the job done for you...in style:thumbup: