Build Log: M57 X5

SLOWESTN54

Captain
Feb 9, 2021
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Honestly if one is going down these more extreme alternatives, a compelling answer is LS swap an X5M. Cheap, reliable power, with a strong 3rd party integration market at this point. The amount of reliable juice one can build out is just on another level.
How strong is the X5m/X6m drive train
 

TwinTurboWagon

Corporal
Nov 7, 2016
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San Diego
Man, I jumped back on these forums today and am so happy to see the updates on your X5 and the wagon. Jealous of your move to Colorado! It's been on my bucket list for some time.

Also loving the bike photos; I built up a full suspension Nukeproof Reactor and really love ripping it on some trails. Looks like your setup is also potent! :D
I rarely get off-topic in my threads but I do for bikes!

I love bikes! The Nicolai (hand welded German frame) is amazing. It's my beefy 41lb do-everything full suspension but I am a hardtail guy at heart and spend 75% of my time on the Titus Loco Moto. The bikes have nearly identical geometry; long, slack, loooooow. :)
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TwinTurboWagon

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Nov 7, 2016
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How strong is the X5m/X6m drive train

Dunno but can't be worse than an E9x I suspect.

They did the X5 V12 LMR with the E53 ...

E70 X5M should have the ATC700 TC which is pretty stout and it has same style torque vectoring rear diff as I retrofitted to my X5. That style diff was used in both E70 X5M and F85 X5M. I can't confirm but I believe it's a 210mm ring/pinion internally and I don't about many F85 diff failures so I assume it's fairly robust as well.

I would assume that LMR had custom/modded drivetrain to accommodate that engine.
 

SLOWESTN54

Captain
Feb 9, 2021
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2007 E92 335i
E70 X5M should have the ATC700 TC which is pretty stout and it has same style torque vectoring rear diff as I retrofitted to my X5. That style diff was used in both E70 X5M and F85 X5M. I can't confirm but I believe it's a 210mm ring/pinion internally and I don't about many F85 diff failures so I assume it's fairly robust as well.

I would assume that LMR had custom/modded drivetrain to accommodate that engine.
Recently, I thought I broke the diff on my dads X6M while slightly turning and accelerating with about 70% percent throttle from a stop. So we diagnosed it, bought a diff then realized it was a axle. But From all that I learned the axles are pretty weak apparently. Its common for them to break if your slightly turning and accelerating from a stop. I assume the diff locks up. Depending on which way you were turning, the axles breaks on the side that had to do lesser rotations. From what i saw no one makes a upgraded axle for a E70/E71 X5/6M. And bmw currently does not make new rear axles for them. Also the F85 has a different final drive ratio but is the same diff case.
Incase anyone needs a diff out of a E70 X5m i have one now šŸ¤£
 

wheela

Captain
Jun 4, 2021
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Twin Cities, MN
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2015 e84 X1 35i Msport
I rarely get off-topic in my threads but I do for bikes!

I love bikes! The Nicolai (hand welded German frame) is amazing. It's my beefy 41lb do-everything full suspension but I am a hardtail guy at heart and spend 75% of my time on the Titus Loco Moto. The bikes have nearly identical geometry; long, slack, loooooow. :)
View attachment 76755View attachment 76756
Nice! Assuming 41 lb is a typo? I don't ride much any more, but I have a vintage Wicked Fat Chance, fully rigidšŸ‘
 

TwinTurboWagon

Corporal
Nov 7, 2016
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San Diego
Nice! Assuming 41 lb is a typo? I don't ride much any more, but I have a vintage Wicked Fat Chance, fully rigidšŸ‘
No sir, the Nicolai is 41/42lbs. My titanium hardtail is a svelte 32. My previous hardtail build was steel and 36lbs. But all my current bikes are feathers compared to the 61lbs Banshee Scream w/ a Monster T I rode in college. :) Yew!
 
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derekgates

Lieutenant
Feb 23, 2018
740
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NW FL
derekgates.us
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2011 335is
I rarely get off-topic in my threads but I do for bikes!

I love bikes! The Nicolai (hand welded German frame) is amazing. It's my beefy 41lb do-everything full suspension but I am a hardtail guy at heart and spend 75% of my time on the Titus Loco Moto. The bikes have nearly identical geometry; long, slack, loooooow. :)
View attachment 76755View attachment 76756
hahahaha, freaking AWESOME. That downhill FOX setup is insane. These bikes look looooong. I ride an XL and this seems similar! 29"?

I was running a Trek Roscoe 7 previously and really want a Nukeproof Scout as an alternative; the weight savings and fun factor are what I long for again. Also... a gravel bike since I raced my FS and that was brutal even with some XC tires and locked suspension, lol.


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Bikes are fun :D
 
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wheela

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Jun 4, 2021
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2015 e84 X1 35i Msport
Still dirty from last few rides. She needs a decal refresh for sure. 25 lb of vintage gloryšŸ˜€
 

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fmorelli

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Staff member
Aug 11, 2017
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E89 Z4 35i, F10 535d
IMG_0675.jpg. IMG_0670.jpg. IMG_0679.jpg. IMG_0672.jpg

I just sold my house, this summer, but for past 20 years lived on about a half-mile of gravel road before hitting pave-in-place. In the county I'm in we have mixed gravel and pave-in-place roads. It's kept rustic that way because of horses and a desire to keep a rural feel (pretty hilarious too, given all the multi-million dollar homes and high-end cars, pretty funny). Anyway I built this bike a number of years ago, purpose-built. "Mountain bike" style too slow on the pave-in-place, cyclocross just meh on all that loose gravel (you can ride miles at a time on gravel). I had both a Bianchi 1885 road bike, and then a Colnago EPS (which was a monster road bike). But all of those required loading the bike up and driving a mile over to where I could park on the pave-in-place. Then have to avoid the matrix of gravel roads.

The cross-bike I put together uses a titanium 29er frame from Motobecane. It's made in Taiwan and is a work of art, like many Taiwanese products (little Japan, really). Hardware is mostly titanium, and most parts are carbon fiber - secondary for weight reduction, primary for helping to isolate vibration from the gravel riding, especially at the front. It's a hard tail, with a lockout front suspension. The tires are German, with ceramic bits in the tires which make them ostensibly puncture proof - I've never had puncture and am on a second set of tires. It's certainly not road bike fast, but it will gobble asphalt for what it is, while being stable and reasonably quick on gravel.


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Somehow, bombing Evan's thread with bicycle stuff seems like the kind of thing he'd be okay with :grimacing:
 

TwinTurboWagon

Corporal
Nov 7, 2016
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San Diego
I have completed my sound deadening project, for now. I will add some more when it's convenient but the majority of work has been done. I made a separate thread for it here:

Final wave of vacuum system V2
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DIY black roundels.
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With the roundel off the car I drilled a hole in the middle so I could push the metal cap out.
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Scrape and scuff
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Prep, tape, prime, paint
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3M VHB on the rear for mounting
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Inner roundel reattached with JB Weld, laser aligned!
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A couple glamour shots with the new roundels installed. I also raised the KWs to max height.
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Early Christmas gift
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Local LKQ yard treasure hunting
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First time using the ski pass in my E61!
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2nd row seat base from 2-row X5.
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After some angle grinder action
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+ sound deadening
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Cargo floor before
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Test fitting and trimming carpet and side cargo panels
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Installed, now my cargo floor is secured in place.
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Brrrr
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ShocknAwe

Captain
Jan 24, 2018
1,580
1
806
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Charleston, SC
Ride
N54/3 1er ///Mutt
Wow probably one of the big reasons yours was so loud. I'm on vogt springs and Koni SA dampers, all new mounts etc and copied your tire/machined Camaro wheel fitment and my 4 corner coil spring and base 2 row xd is pretty damn quiet over bumps. Or could be that my comparison is my loud as hell 1er.

Will probably do the weatherstripping work to quiet tire roar and wind shear.
 

fmorelli

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Aug 11, 2017
3,763
3,619
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58
Virginia
Ride
E89 Z4 35i, F10 535d
Wow probably one of the big reasons yours was so loud. I'm on vogt springs and Koni SA dampers, all new mounts etc and copied your tire/machined Camaro wheel fitment and my 4 corner coil spring and base 2 row xd is pretty damn quiet over bumps. Or could be that my comparison is my loud as hell 1er.

Will probably do the weatherstripping work to quiet tire roar and wind shear.
I've found a fair bit of people confuse "sound deadening" with "sound insulation". The sticky rubber stuff is sound deadening, so it prevents panels from resonating and acting like a speaker, if you will. Generally it works quite well on, say, door panels, quarters, roof where there are large sections of thin metal that can act like a drum. Putting pieces here and there on structural metal can help NVH transmission. After that one is looking at sound insulation. Any "hatchback" (which includes SUVs) can have rear tire noise issues. Tires can be one contributor (tread/tire age/material) ... but I would be inclined to add some sound insulation there, if you notice noise that is beyond what one cares for.

My Z4 is completely deadened, with sound insulation in a few places. I did so because I wanted the car to be quiet and comfortable inside - and there isn't a piece of compliant material in any of my suspension, and an exhaust. Worked well. My 7.3 Powerstroke ... did the same. Huge difference, I can now take calls with a cab speaker while rolling down the road in an F350 with all terrain tires. On the 7.3 I will likely add sound insulation under the carpeting and up the firewall.

I have not done my X5 as I guess I find that pretty quiet compared to anything else I own lol. But that said cheap wins are to do the door panels. Good excuse to put new sealant on the vapor barriers. Those can fail on any BMW ... common on the E39s and such ... not so common on the E70 but it does happen.
 

TwinTurboWagon

Corporal
Nov 7, 2016
225
243
0
San Diego
2022 ended with a nice road trip to Flagstaff, AZ for New Years. It was a fun opportunity to explore more of the Rockies and put the X5 to work. On the outbound trip there was "motivated" driving to get as far as possible before we hit weather a couple hundred miles in, once we hit snow the pace simmered and the second half of the trip through Durango and Cortez was mellow. I filled up just outside Flagstaff and the trip yielded 29.5mpg over the 580 miles.

On the return leg we took a different route North from Flagstaff to Moab, UT so we could take i70E and pass through Vail. With the total trip being 600+ miles from AZ to CO this was a nice opportunity to get a nice clean pull for fuel efficiency, the X5 was also free of any roof cargo box and/or mountain bike air-brakes hanging off the back.

So often the fuel efficiency deteriorates quickly with urban (or spirited) driving and having a vehicle with a long range seldomly do you get mostly highway miles on a tank. The speed limits on our route were mostly 65mph except for i70 where it was 70/75mph but weather and some congestion slowed the flow of traffic. Average speed on the return trip was ~65mph which worked to the X5's advantage as efficiency really suffer at speeds above 70mph, even with my 3.15 gearing.

On this return trip elevation was between 5,000-11,000+ft with a cumulative elevation gain of 20,000ft. No doubt the X5 would be more efficient on a level surface especially at sea level with denser air but the X5 seems to do well with rolling hills and elevation gain where there is an equal amount of elevation lost afterwards.

The X5 returned an impressive 35.5mpg over 650miles. My goal was to make the trip in 1 tank which I did easily. I calculated my theoretical range if I kept driving and it was 800+ miles for the tank! Not bad for a 5,000lb athletic brick that makes great power, runs 295 section width tires, and was filled with cargo. Can't beat the power + efficiency of a diesel. I plan on enjoying them while I can before they are phased out. It also makes me want to build a X7 M50d or SQ7 TDI here in the US. mmmmmmm Anyway, onto the pics.

My original plan was to keep my all seasons on my 20x11 wheels and put the snow tires on another 20x10 set but I didn't get my act together quickly enough and had to swap the snow tires onto my 20x11s.
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Hitting weather in the Rockies on the outbound trip ... and potty break for the doggo. Platinum Grey Metallic is such a cool color!
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Yummy
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Did I mention PGM is a cool paint color?
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Early morning departure from Flagstaff
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Following the Colorado River in Moab
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Lunch just outside Breckenridge
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Who's a good boi?
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7mph seems a bit excessive
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What an engine!
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