sleepyca31

So last night for the third time a 550 picked on me while on the freeway cruising. And both other times I was surprised how I was able to somewhat keep up knowing the hp diff between the 2. The mods I stuck on really helped my mid and high range and the engine I6 is particularly strong at 80mph plus. So anyway almost the same as other 2. Was cruising at 80, 550 pulls up next to me revs. So I hit it andso does he. He pulls away to about 95 and than the pulling slows signifigantly and we go to 130 and shut down but he was only a couple car lenghts in front of me on a run from 80 through 130 and definetly did not get the feeling of being walked like I have gotten with an M5 which tells me how much more powerful an M5 is. Anyway the I6s with a few mods and a tune definetly run well at higher speeds and higher rpms. 550s could walk me all day long at 0-60 type speeds but I am impressed at the I6s at 80mph-they pull hard and continue to pull through 130 easily. A nice change from most cars which definetly lose gusto above 120.

Anyway obviously 550s are a lot faster but nice to atleast be able to still have some fun and make it a race instead of getting left behind in the dust!

ExGMan

Nice to know the N52 engine can handle the job. However, what effect would a speeding/racing/driving to endanger conviction have on your medical license?

PJMAN

Here in VA they have a classification called 'speeding with intent to kill'. I am not sure of details that put you into this realm but I am sure 130 mph will do it and I would imagine the legal ramifications are very painful and very costly.

EBMCS03

I was almost going to say maybe he was referring to km/hr untill i saw this line.. .

CVTBenhogan

If you were in Chicago that was me messing with you.

You'll never know if that 550 had his throttle all the way down. I've driven stock 530s and these arent impressive after 80 mph. V8 advantages are quite clear at the higher speeds. Not bad at the lower speeds too.

Bimmer32

It really depends on the driver in the 550i and how he handles RPM at triple digit. I have doubt the I6 is and awesome engine compared to others of it's class. I think the real advantage is the transmission and suspension in the bmw compared to other manufacturer.

pennetta

Nice to see others that drive fast at times.

aosman

No disrespect Sir, but screw Virginia. I lived in Northern Virginia for over 17 years and hated it so much! The highways (the few that exist!) there are crappy and not adequate. They are always busy whether it is rush hour or not! The posted speed limits are very low and there are two many police officers giving tickets. Too many left exits too. Despite the high taxes in VA, localities also depend on income generated from tickets. It is not fair!

Virginia Dept. of Transportation still builds roads and bridges in the 50s and 60s style. They are idiots!
If they ever decide to build something the tax payers get riped off! In Texas a full 5 level interchange is built in the $300 million range in less that 3 years. In VA, it costs a billion dollars just to build a 3 level crappy 60s like interchange (the Springfield mixing bowl) and takes almost 10 years! Frustrating!

I live in Texas now and love the freeways here! Lots of lanes, light traffic and almost no enforcement (relatively speaking). You can easily and SAFELY take the E60 to over 100 MPH in Houston?s highways. That is especially true on the Hardy tollway, Westpark tollway, and Katy freeway (new section).

heezy545i

I'm sure your mods help, but "a couple car lengths" is a pretty decent amount.

Also, I feel that at lower speeds, the cars will be better matched. At higher speeds, the HP advantage of the V8 takes over.

sleepyca31

Well I know in the race world " a win is a win" and 2 car lengths is probably huge however I have been picked on recently by an M5 and a C6 vette and they literally walked me so hard where they just kept pulling away out of site. So for me to stay within a couple cars was a "close " race to me-again all relative.

And to the guy said the 530 was weak above 80?? That is like its only strong point-80 plus speeds. The thing sucks at low speeds!

And hey obviously the 550 is fast at all speeds and 2 cars is huge and is driver dependant but I think speeds above 80 take out the driver skill pretty much since all ya do is floor 3rd and 4th gear.

Anyway I would love a 550 and think they are much better cars but its nice to atleast feel some hard pulling in a 530 at those speeds. Was a fun time.

And oh-well you just get to know which roads are patrolled and which are not. Cops are pretty lenient here in arizona if you are not being dangerous. I think there is a big difference between the guy weaving in and out of traffic at high speed v. a couple guys on an empth freeway at 9pm going at it. Not to say had a cop been there we woulda been screwed but you learn where to go.

I also realized the other day I spend 80 percnet of my drive looking all around in my mirrors for cops-sad sad and yes would not like my drivers and medical lisc. pulled when I JUST got it! That would be devestating-gotta be careful.

So ya I just love how the e60 handles at high speeds.