pkancel

My two cents, is in this case the two vehicles are likely comparable in handling due to the fact that the 5 series is a non-sport with softer springs and more body roll. The comparable is that the X6 even with all of its advanced technology aids and sport like suspension, is still significantly heavier and higher center of gravity so take a tighter corner going in and out, the X6 will be slowing more to stay in control, whereas the 5 being a rear drive only can also sweep the corner like drifting if necessary. The X6 is AWD which does help with grip but also limits the speed in and out of the turn.

I would bet with two experts driving the 5 would have a slight advantage in handling alone but there is also the big difference of horsepower/torque so to contradict my earlier statement, unless the roadway is mostly turns and not much straightaways or not many long turns, the X6 could potentially keep the lead. Obviously various roadways would have various outcomes. How about someone call Top Gear and get them to compare on their test track

Shebs

I have attached a the photo of the corner. It is the one to the top right.

swajames

To a great extent, yes it absolutely can. He's also putting much more rubber on the road than you, you'll have a much smaller contact patch and the PS2s you're running aren't the grippiest tire to begin with. Add the significant body roll from a non-sport suspension into the mix and you'd be surprised just how much technology can offset. BMW's chassis and handling engineers threw pretty much everything they know at the X6/X6M, yours by comparison is nowhere near as sophisticated.

Having also looked at your picture of the corner in question, I'm absolutely confident that the X6 50i will be able to take the corner faster than you.

Shebs

And his tyres aren't the grippiest either. My tyre compound is much grippier than his. What is in your opinion is the grippiest tyres? BF Goodrich Slicks ?

And for the body roll it is not that significat. My car will have a maximum roll of 20 degrees, and if you follow this link http://www.autozine.org/technical_school/h...eight-Body-roll you will find that the weight distrbution is not as significant as you think it is. It will be much more significant to his car due to the extermely high CG, but not to my 5er due to the much lower CG.

Why is it then that the 530i is much faster on the Autozeitug track (link below) than the X6 x50i although the X6 will eat it alive in a straight ?

http://www.fastestlaps.com/track24.html

sdg1871

Well, there's only one way to settle this -- go race the X6 around the corner and bring back the video.

Have fun and enjoy.

vkhong

For the E60: lower weight and lower center of gravity.

For the X6: more power, more traction, torque vectoring.

Close call, depending on how much of the course is straight line and curve.

Why not duke it out at a road course track?

cobradav

You beat me too it. I was also going to add the point that the X6 will have the contact patch advantage so in this case he can carry more speed in this curve face off. And it appears this driver may know how to wring that out of his X6, but then again, maybe not. Although most road courses would also not be a fair test as there would be some straights that certainly the higher HP/torque of the X6 would have the advantage, a road such as the ToD (318 curves in 11 miles) could possibly even things out to the better balanced car. I have seen and run against everything thrown at the the ToD from E24 on up EXCEPT any BMW SUV/SAV (including X5/6M), but including every other M out there. I have to say that it is pretty much a driver difference in all the combos I have seen but the 135i and M3s of any vintage have an inherant advantage in their HP/weight/wheel base ratio compared to everything else as there are some absolutely killer curves of 180 degrees, increasing and decreasing radii, on and off camber turns and more. And speaking to the PS2s, I removed them from my car just because of their poor performance on the ToD. Turn-in was poorer and lost grip earlier than some other tires (hence one of only two spinouts I have had in 54+ spirited runs of the ToD) was on the PS2s.

Please be safe in this test and report the results after you do your face off. Will your friend let you swap vehicles and do the test in each others vehicles? That would be a good way for each of you to test their skill against the vehicle. Will be interested in results.

swajames

It's probably safe to assume that the 530i in question wasn't crippled, as a non-sport car will always be, by its suspension and its lack of driver aids and technology.

As others have said, just go have the race and report back with video evidence. We'll see who was right!

Greenberg

my previous car was E70 X5 3.0Si Sport, now I run an 2008 E60 525i Sport.

The E60 holds corners way better then my eX5'er although I miss the size... The 5'er is so much smaller and lighter.

The only time I will move back to the X's is either the 4.8i engine or the 3.0d chip tuned! Or just jump to the ///M X5 but that will send me a penny back in care costs... If only ///M-Powered BMW's would be sold with 2 sets of tires for free I would burn so much rubber..

*runs outside the house and checks his summer wheels, rear tires like almost gone 11,XXX Km on the speedometer darn love burning rubber... thats only a 525i Sport if the engine was 550i my tires would be gone around 5000K

swajames

Right, but your old X5 wouldn't have had any of the handling and suspension technology present in the X6 - and that's essentially the same point we're making in relation to the OP's 523i as compared to his friend's X6 50i. I'm not over enamored by some aspects of the the X6's design and styling, but there's no arguing with the performance or the technology that BMW deployed to aid ride and handling.