There is NO part of an X5 that makes it a good platform to start with, that was my only point. But I have NO doubt that you can make your X5 a decent off roader. Many of the weak points I already mentioned will be VERY hard and VERY expensive to overcome. I hope you have access to a good fabrication and machine shop, as you're going to need it. I do think it is cool to do, my comments are coming from the practicality side.

As far as how BMW tests them, that course is specifically designed to respect the limitations of the vehicle, and sure, I'd bet that it surprises some soccer moms as to it's capabilities. But I would bet money that none of the water holes take it to a depth past 18" to put the ABS module under water. Or have big rocks on a steep upgrade that would require a low range, etc. This does NOT reflect real world off-roading.

No leveling. Just springs. Air suspension 8 cylinder would be fun to do. I have the prototype adapter and shaft to retrofit a low gear transfer on to the zf transmission

Damnit man. You are not getting it. Why do what has been done a million times already? Sarek is having fun with the unknown. I love it.

Who cares if it costs more money. Let him try, he is having fun rocking the trails at hand with a BMW. I praise him for that alone. The fact the he straight up took apart and is modifying the x5 is even cooler. I would watch his build thread over any jeep thread. Because it has never been done, and people like us, that generally don't go rock crawling, don't give a shit about a jeep. An e53 doing what it was "not meant" to do, is beyond cool.

Again, xoutpost, not jeepforums.

How much would you be willing to bet? Betting means you could lose.

If practical reigned supreme none of us should have purchased a $70,000 SUV. Further, since the vast majority of us never go off road, paying for (potentially) more off road capabilities of the Porsche Cayenne is even less practical.

If practical applied to off roading in any way no one would be doing it.

Assuming the BMW ABS system would be a problem, while the Porsche may not have the same problem, it makes sense that the Porsche would have other problems that BMW would not as neither is factory prepared to do what Sarek is doing.

Finally, which one would would be better off road from the factory is clearly hypothetical at this point.

I can identify with Salek. I used to drag race a nail head Buick with an automatic transmission. It wasn't cool to have an automatic. It was easy to make a Chevy go fast. The Buick was a huge challenge, cost more to be competitive, and took some time to get there but can you imagine the feeling of accomplishment, gratification and the fun I had when I started winning? Not much has changed. My X5 is a big sleeper, not the practical way to go. It pegs the fun meter and you should see the expressions on peoples faces at the Cars and Coffee. I'm guessing you would one of those by expression think I am crazy--I hope so.

The ABS 18" off the ground comment is interesting. Not sure I see a problem there. The unit is pretty well sealed for the occasional splash or swim. Not like it is going to stay under water.............wait a minute, just had another idea..........X5 submarine project!

Guys, skyline is right. :iagree:












































...which makes what Sarek is doing all the more cool! :thumbup:

I am not being practical. Never said I was. Still will have to disagree that there is nothing good for off road on the x5, but its ok for you to think that.

I have had someone ask me if my wife knew I had her suv out on the trails. I said yes and proceded to go thru everything without a problem. They were amazed to say the least. I thought the comment was a good one though....wifes suv...hilarious!

I do have a machine shop local. Also driveshaft shop. Welders . Im not thinking of doing it. I am doing it.

I have been on the off road course there. Have you? If you havent, then you might not want to assume.

The low gear is being taken care of.... and you may be surprised that that modification is not as expensive as you might think.

It has been in holes deeper than 18" and no abs issues. The key is to get out of the hole not stay in it for hours...lol. I will let you know when it fails. Then I will replace it.

Glad you've had good luck so far. I'm just in the middle of replacing my ABS module, caused by moisture ruining the unit, (not rebuildable). Given that it's a $1,500+ part from BMW, I was happy to get a lifetime guaranteed re-man part for $460. It's a bit of a PITA to get to on the V8 X5 as well, and the new one needs to be coded to the car. And my X5 has never been off-road at all or in any deep water. Just car washes and normal road splashes in the rain was enough to kill mine. Perhaps the seal between the module and the pump gives way a bit with age. I think moving this unit would be VERY hard given all the hard lines and wiring going to it, but you might want to try to waterproof it a bit, perhaps a lot of plastic wrap.

Another water concern at a similar height is the transmission. AFAIK, every automatic tranny must have a vent, I don't know where the vent is on the X5 tranny, but it if water gets to the height of the vent, you're screwed. A very small amount of water in an automatic tranny will ruin it quite rapidly. In my Jeep, I plugged the original vent hole, (which was inside the bell housing behind the TC), and moved the vent to a elbow fitting tapped in the top of the transmission case. From there, a hose runs to a small K&N filter at the top of the firewall, right next to the extended front axle vent.

No, I have not been on the BMW off road course, but I do have 40 years of off-roading experience. I am not the least bit impressed with what an X5 can do on a factory course. Certain types of relatively scary obstacles do not really challenge a vehicle, as long as they are specifically designed to be passable by a given vehicle. It's just not real world. Give an X5 a steep loose dirt trail with modest sized rocks and it would not make it without expensive carnage, if at all. As an example of how deceiving a scary trail can be, check out this video of a stock Crown Vic going up Lion's Back at Moab, (a trail that many off-roaders consider pretty challenging):

Moab rock crawling in a Crown Victoria - baby lions back slick rock jeep climb - YouTube

The reman route can be a nightmare. I had one that I sent to a certain company. They said that they could not rebuild it. Then I had to pay to have them send it back.. then it was totally dead. U might want to find someone with a wholesale account that can get bosch parts. They have a new unit that is way cheaper than 1500. Its about as much as your rebuild and it is new. Just fyi for the rebuild route. Read the fine print on that lifetime warranty too.

I am going to look at the abs unit again and look at sealing it. Not a bad preventative measure. Cant hurt really.

They have vent pipes for the transmission and both differentials that come up quite high. The front diff vent goes to the top of the engine bay. Rear diff goes up into the top of the left rear fender liner trim area. Pretty surprising to see how long the vents are. The transmission vent can easily be extended a bit if the shifter box is not high enough. It is about as high as your knees are when sitting in the car. Granted, the manual transmission does not have that hose type vent for some reason. It has that check type vent stack on the top. Probably going to vent it higher.

What I don't get is how you're going to fool the vehicle electronics when there's no TC actuator motor to shift power front to rear. Maybe you could just leave the little motor attached hanging there and swap the case.

But a further issue is that all the TCs you mentioned are either 2WD or locked in "Part Time" 4WD, and none have particularly low, low ranges, (which is why you see doublers used). No way can you drive one of these on a dry road in 4WD. I guess you could run with DSC off when in 2WD, but I'm not sure the TC electronics would go for this. But a Full Time 4WD box might work.


Perhaps a better option would be a NV249 Full Time 4WD case from a Jeep Grand Cherokee. (I think there was an even more robust double chain FT 4WD version of this from the early Hemi Durangos as well). These use clutches/viscous coupling to distribute power, and with no electronic input at all. The only electric input is for the little dashboard pictogram that shows Low/High range. The Jeep 249 is robust enough for 300hp/350ft lbs. But the clutches will only last about 125k miles, so if you get a used one, keep this in mind; (new viscous coupling is over $900). The low range is not the lowest, but it's much lower than any of the boxes you mentioned, (in stock form). The bonus is that the car would always be in 4WD, and not confuse the DSC. If you left the X5 actuator motor attached, a TC like this might do a very similar job to the stock box in terms of playing nicely with the traction control, but it would do so mechanically. Might work, but this is all guesswork on my part.