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Sedans BMW 5-Series BMW 5-Series Accessories and Modifications
115 messages, Last post on Feb 02, 2009 at 7:06 AM
You are in the BMW 5-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
| If you want the HP/Torque of a 530i I suggest that you save up for a while longer and buy the real thing. There is simply no way you can bump the power of the 2.5 up to the level of the 3.0 short of going to forced induction-which will more than erase the price difference of the two cars(not to mention the resale value). | |
| Hello, everyone. Any suggestions regarding what compatible winter wiper blades for the BMW 2003 530i are available and where can they be purchased? | |
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I have a 2001 530i, manual 5 speed with 42,000 miles. I bought it new in July of 2001. It came with Continental ContiTouringContact 225/55 R16 tires. Does anyone know what the mileage rating is on these tires? Also, I would also like to replace them sometime next year and am looking for higher performance (and better traction) tires. I tend to drive aggressively (i.e. fast acceleration, pusing speed limits, etc.), put about 15000 miles per year on the car, and drive in conditions that can include snow (although it doesn't last long in Cincinnati, Ohio, there are a lot of hills here) and sleet in the winter, and lots of rain in spring. Any recommendations? Thanks! |
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| I've read some great things about Bridgestone Turanza's both in formal reviews and from users. They'll be my next tires. | |
| Conti Tourings are terrible if you tend to drive with any sort of enthusiasm-think of them as barely adequate rim protectors. My wife's 1998 3er came fitted with them; if you leaned on the car they would squeal. When we switched over to Michelin Artic Alpins for the winter the Three actually handled much better. Why not get a set of winter tires mounted on steel rims and then buy a dedicated summer tire such as the Bridgestone S-03 Pole Position, Dunlop SP Sport 9000, Michelin Pilot Sport or Yoko AVS Sport? If you still want a really good performance all-season tire I'd go with either the Pirelli P7000 Supersport or the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. | |
These are $75 tires on tire rack. I had a '99 5er with them and went to Pilot Alpins for the winter and they did MUCH better than the Contis. I am not sure why BMW makes them standard on 16" wheels. They wobble at high speeds and suck in hard cornering. Mine as well drive a Camry  I have Pilot Sport A/S for the other 3 seasons. |
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| Building off of what div2 wrote, "if you tend to drive with any sort of enthusiasm", then the only way to go is with the Sport Package. Going the Sport Pkg route will get you much better tires and they will be 3-seasons. I can't imagine wanting a BMW without getting the Sport Pkg. But if you get one without the Sport Pkg, did you ever really want to drive the car with "enthusiasm"? | |
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"I can't imagine wanting a BMW without getting the Sport Pkg. But if you get one without the Sport Pkg, did you ever really want to drive the car with "enthusiasm"?" Riez, c'mon, you're narrowing out on us... you trashed my 530 w/o SP and hurt my feelings!! (just kiddin') There are many who believe you can't drive any sedan with real "enthusiasm". I happen to be one of them. 5s are great road cruisers but they aren't sports cars. Their mass and mass distribution are no match for their muscle. Real sports cars have the balance of power and stability that provide the ultimate thrills. Then again, one man's enthusiasm is another man's ennui. As usual, it comes down to individual preference, and SP in a 5 although a notch better still leaves me thirsty. In addition, it's annoying on urban roads.
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designman... Methinks you'll save a fortune by driving something like a used Chevy Malibu. Cheap transportation that won't bring an ounce of driving pleasure or enthusiasm. Can't say I concur with your thoughts. Last time I checked, the weight distribution for the E39 and E60 5 Series is near perfect. Nor are their weights that bad, when you factor in the room for four and a decent trunk. Also, while an M5 is a lot more car for a lot more money, even a 5-speed manual 525i Sport can be an absolute blast to drive hard on twisting roads! Think we are talking about apples and oranges. Seems like you are talking about lightweight cars like S2000, MR2, Miata, Elise, etc. Or maybe hardcore 2-seaters like Corvette or Viper. But that is NOT what a serious sport sedan is all about. These are sports cars. Serious all around sport sedans like 5 Series, 3 Series, IS300, etc. are designed to be both great fun to drive hard and be practical enough for family use. That is my definition of a true multi-purpose vehicle. If you want to bring out their best, you have to go manual transmission, Sport Pkgs, etc. To do otherwise is to settle for less than the car can be. But I can appreciate your comments. Can't wait till my pre-teens go to college. Love to have something like a supercharged Miata 6-speed manual! |
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Riez, I agree that the pragmatic purchase usually rules. In my case the 530 family sedan was optioned for my wife. She loves it and drives rather civilly. But my ship came in yesterday—02 Boxster S, 6-speed manual with 110 miles. Got it from a Porsche dealership as a new car purchase with full Porsche 4-yr/50k warranty for $42K. I have always loved BMW sedans but Porsche is the one that presses my thrill buttons from performance to the minimal styling. I’ve been shopping since the summer and was really hot on getting a 993 911. It was a tough choice but I couldn’t turn down that warranty and price. The resale on it down the road will be the same as those who paid $56K. Furthermore, there are many who believe the Boxster handles better than the 911. Since I don't have extensive flight time on either, I’m not qualified to get into this, but I do know that both are masters on the curves and, at 5.6 0-60 with max speed at 162, the Boxster S has plenty of kick. Along the way I also ogled two gorgeous low-mileage M6s and an 01 M5 at $57K with... get this... 2,500 miles. The latter was real hard to walk away from. However, the sedan redundancy didn’t work for me. Now the task is to get my wife to appreciate the manual. If this happens, there could be an M5 sharing the garage with the roadster someday. No matter, I’ll count my blessings right now. A long time ago I told myself I’d someday have a BMW and Porsche. Had to wait some 30 years but that dream came true yesterday. BTW, that Elise is something else. Don’t care for the styling but the internal anatomy and performance are real intriguing. Also, the S2000 was a strong contender... real fine roadster at a great price with Honda reliability. However, the Porsche pedigree has always been deeply rooted in my psyche... had to have it. |
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