Here are my suggestions:

Pick up your next BMW in Munich and open it up on the Autobahn.

Invest in a good radar detector.

I did both. Had lots of fun over in Germany. Well, that's where I grew up after all. Here in the US a good radar detector can go a long way avoiding stupid tickets. And the HUD helps too.

Felix

 

there's always that urge. its just second nature to test the car and see what you could do in it as the driver, especially since we are all enthusiasts. at the same time, that urge needs to be controlled and its limits must be known. ive never had an issue about driving and have never received any ticket. im thankful as all of us to own a car that is "luxuriously comfortable" that is capable of even further enjoyment, as in spirited driving, and not having a problem with it (knock on wood). safe spirited driving everyone.

 

I feel your pain guys ... my 530d seems to almost beg to be pushed hard, which is almost impossible on Dutch roads. Our speed limits are 100km/h (~60mph) to 120km/h (~75mph) but good luck trying to get anywhere near that on the crowded roads here. Add to that the seemingly gazillions of mobile laser traps and the measly 1.5mph allowance before the cops will nab you regardless of whether you are on a busy motorway or on an open, deserted and dry road where you could hardly do harm to anyone but yourself.

A couple of mates and I have managed to scout out some good open back roads, but blasting along these is limited to the later hours of day, and we're planning to get ourselves onto a track. If all that fails, I guess it does help that the German border is 75 miles away from me

 

1. I have a 520d so even if I had the urge I haven't got the BHP.

2. To play I have a Kawasaki.

 

Well two of your Toronto buds (M5 and M6) did join some of us last October for some fun on the Tail of the Dragon. Then about 7-8 of us did it again this April. Next trip is scheduled for October for the BMW DragonSlayers. Between ToD and the Cherohala Skyway it really helps keep me pumped. Great test of driver and car. I love it far more than organized events such as Autocross and regular track events, although they sure do help as well.

Link here: http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

 

The rule of the thumb is to do it on roads you know very well and where police presence is minimal. Racing/driving aggressively on unfamiliar roads is very dangerous (you do not know what to expect) and can easily end up with unwanted encounter with police or a road hazard. I am not sure about 530 but 8-cyl 5-series can be fun just when pushed hard from a stop light till 60-70 mph or from 70mph to 100-110 mph on a highway. As to being immature, last week I had a very exiting run with Chrysler SRT8 that was driven by a man in late 50-s. Guess older people want to have fun too. BTW to my surprise my humble BMW was able to keep up with the mighty SRT8 from stop and was only a little bit slower at higher (100mph+) speeds.

 

Isn't it ironic how the SRT cars are put on a pedestal for their power/performance while the 550 is tested against Hybrid Lexus and Infinity by the magazines. My old man has a 300C SRT-8 and the 1/4 mile times for it and the 550 are within .2-.4 seconds of each other. That's not much. With my K&N filter and Dinan exhaust, I'm sure its even closer. But still the magazines won't pair a 550 against a V-10 S6 Audi or any SRT car. I bet its in part becasue the results would be sobering for the competition. Maybe now that the 550 sport comes with the body kit included, the magazines will take it a little more seriously...Its a massively powerful car.

Regards,
DRP

 

Is this a US thing about drag racing ? A deserted back road with no other cars but loads of twists and turns can be much more fun - and testing of a true drivers car - than traffic lights grand prix !

Incidentally, for the most over policed roads New Zealand really takes the biscuit - often saw 10 or more hidden police cars with radar out on a journey of 100 miles or so. The crazy thing there is that the same limit applies to a laden oil tanker as to a BMW E60, yet suspect the stopping distances and damange quotient are slightly different

 

Probably... But I like the twisties, too. This a.m. for the first time in a long time, I took a somewhat longer back way into work and... well, it was a spirited driving experience. However, being "challenged" by another car for 0-60 can be quite fun, espc. if you win. For some reason this week has been busy for me in that regard - full moon? See prior post for two examples, and then yesterday some guy in a Mustang GT (not the new one...) decided to run me. Again, a lot of noise from him, but he was always well behind me. I felt a bit sad for him because he had his GF in the car and I don't think it left a good impression with her that he was beaten by an old man in a "luxury car". I suppose, though, that is why I like doing it so much!

 

In the UK we have several problems, like paying nearly twice as much for our BMWs than our American counterparts but at least we do have some fantastic twisty roads with 70 mph limits (particularly in Scotland - where I live). In fact, in Scotland we have some decent Policemen too, last week a police car (a nice 535d e60 on a country road, doing 70mph) indicated left to allow me to overtake and gave me a flash to acknowledge the thank you I gave him. What a nice guy. I've found that you can pretty much get away with 90mph on the motorway as long as you don?t hog the outside lane or tailgate people? In Scotland, at least, the police are more concerned about people exceeding the 30mph limit in town and particularly 20mph near schools ? all of which I can understand. Scottish roads can be quite good fun, very twisty with fast sections leading in to slower corners and moments when you can nail the throttle and kick the back end out, all of which can be conducted under 70 mph and leave the driver with a huge grin on his face! I took my new BMW E61 to Milan last month through Germany and my remapped 525d was sitting happily on the speedo at 150mph! It seemed to be doing 28 mpg at that speed too!

I think BMWs are at home in the Bavarian hill roads and at speed on the motorway, an environment similar to rural Scotland (just minutes away from my house) and not creeping around town and limited to 55/60mph on motorways. I think if you are a true BMW enthusiast, you should be looking for a nice little driving holiday to get out of the city and have some real fun in the cars. BMWs are, for some, status symbols but get the bloody car out and nail it! It?s one?s duty!