Modding for Show - or for Go?
05-10-2011, 01:04 AM
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My Ride: E61 535d carbon black m-kit panoramaroof with beige nasca interior and wood trim. 172m rims. DimSport Race, SB, SAT
There are many factions within this (or any car) forum; you have the wheelies who want the pressed out, low ridin' gangsta look with wheels as big as they can be manufactured. Then there are the audio buffs who want the audio to be capable of 10.000 watts with subwoofers as big as the wheelies rims. Some modders go allout on suspension parts, brakes, LSD's; some pump the engine output up 200%. Some people want to trick out the engine room so it's clean and shiny like a jewelry shop, others just want to stick a wunderbaum next to the fuzzy dice on the rearview mirror. Many of us may do mods we don't fully understand; because they look or sound cool and we saw them on another car or always wanted one or... What's driving it all is a desire to personalize our rides and spend more time connecting with the car and the way driving, owning and tinkering with the car makes us feel about ourselves.
I think I fundamentally have more respect for modding that improves performance incl ride and handling, as opposed to "sticker" modding. However, that can also easily go to far, and I have a hard time understanding why anyone would use a large, heavy family sedan as the base car for really serious performance mods. Why take outset in a 5'er if you are going to invest in cross drilled 6-caliper racing brakes, unyielding rollbars and coilovers and expensive LSD's. If you want to spend many thousand $$$$$ on those kinds of mods, why not get a track car like a Lotus Elise or Renault Spider or a Formula Campus and then truly enjoy all out performance but under controlled, safe conditions?
Personally I (currently) want the car to look great but doing so without making it look like I'm trying. Nothing ostentatious yet it musn't be anonymous. Inside I want it stock and clean and I want good sound from the stereo. Under the hood, I want as much power as I can economically achieve without compromising drivability. I want a ride biased towards sport so I can take curves quickly while remembering that I don't take my car to the track and I have a family who needs to be able to tolerate the ride quality. These aims have led me to improve the stereo, chip the engine and put on slightly larger wheels while retaining the factory sport suspension option.
So why do you mod, and if you are an allout performance modder, why did you take outset in a 5'er?
I think I fundamentally have more respect for modding that improves performance incl ride and handling, as opposed to "sticker" modding. However, that can also easily go to far, and I have a hard time understanding why anyone would use a large, heavy family sedan as the base car for really serious performance mods. Why take outset in a 5'er if you are going to invest in cross drilled 6-caliper racing brakes, unyielding rollbars and coilovers and expensive LSD's. If you want to spend many thousand $$$$$ on those kinds of mods, why not get a track car like a Lotus Elise or Renault Spider or a Formula Campus and then truly enjoy all out performance but under controlled, safe conditions?
Personally I (currently) want the car to look great but doing so without making it look like I'm trying. Nothing ostentatious yet it musn't be anonymous. Inside I want it stock and clean and I want good sound from the stereo. Under the hood, I want as much power as I can economically achieve without compromising drivability. I want a ride biased towards sport so I can take curves quickly while remembering that I don't take my car to the track and I have a family who needs to be able to tolerate the ride quality. These aims have led me to improve the stereo, chip the engine and put on slightly larger wheels while retaining the factory sport suspension option.
So why do you mod, and if you are an allout performance modder, why did you take outset in a 5'er?
05-10-2011, 02:24 AM
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My Ride: Alpine White 2006 530Xi (SLD)
Love this thread btw 
My style of modding is still in it's infancy, but I try to look at the original concept of the car, consider the ways I use it most, and what brings me the most pleasure while using it. Then I mod those parts that can use some modding
My 530Xi came pretty much fully loaded from the factory, but didn't have the iPod interface - so I had the Dension unit installed and car programmed by John (Motorcepts). It is somewhat sluggish, so I tried out the sprint booster. But I ended up taking it off and selling it - logic being that it does not add any actual power, and I like the greater degree of being able to modulate the throttle opening with the gas pedal, rather than snappy accelerations - more important to me, because I like to carve up some curves occasionally. I also added slotted and drilled rotors when brakes needed to be done, because the original brakes will fade on you after exactly one mountainous serpentine pass - up or down! Proven by a pretty scary experience. When suspension needed work, I sprung for a sportier setup with lower stance. Bent a wheel - replaced rims with BBS's. Right now, among other things on my list of things that need to be done: steering wheel re-wrap. But I'd say, my most frivolous mod was probably the body kit - was not really a "necessity" in any way, shape or form - other than to finish off the awesome look of the E60. Set it off right, so to speak.
Guess my mentality is two-fold them: if something needs to be fixed, and there is a way to mod/upgrade it, I'll mod it while fixing it. And if a mod is not "expensive", and is proven to improve the car, I'll add it. But I try to stay within the confines of the original E60 concept and stick to OEM, or OEM- and higher-quality parts. That said, I must say that in case with this car, I do strive to keep the weight at minimum and power at maximum - it is rather underpowered for it's weight stock, and don't even get me started on the lack of torque. At least to my taste, it is kind of weak. I should have - in retrospect - waited and gotten a 535Xi, but I hadn't. No worries - lesson learned, and more reasons to mod this one, right?
well, maybe some will say that it is a reason to trade it, but that's not an option right now.
All the cosmetic mods I've done, I think, were a necessity to complete the look of the car. As for all the mechanical/performance mods - I try to stick to keeping the car reliable and original, within reason. Would I consider putting on more mods on it? Probably would, but I doubt I will - unless something breaks and presents an opportunity. Otherwise, I think I'm pretty much done for now - just gonna enjoy it...
...after I get the steering wheel re-wrapped in alcantara, fit the new alcantara shift boot, do CDV mod, re-tint windows, get an RPI exhaust, ECU tune, CF hood and trunk... well, okay, some of these things will never get done. And I'm serious about not wanting to spend any more money on modding this thing - time to start thinking about what's next, while enjoying this one. The funny thing is, I still look at the E60 and it still looks very modern and relevant to me. Sometimes more so, than the F10 (even though the F10 did grow on me, and I would definitely consider it as the next car). Why would anyone complain?! I'm just grateful I'm in a position to do all these things.
My style of modding is still in it's infancy, but I try to look at the original concept of the car, consider the ways I use it most, and what brings me the most pleasure while using it. Then I mod those parts that can use some modding
My 530Xi came pretty much fully loaded from the factory, but didn't have the iPod interface - so I had the Dension unit installed and car programmed by John (Motorcepts). It is somewhat sluggish, so I tried out the sprint booster. But I ended up taking it off and selling it - logic being that it does not add any actual power, and I like the greater degree of being able to modulate the throttle opening with the gas pedal, rather than snappy accelerations - more important to me, because I like to carve up some curves occasionally. I also added slotted and drilled rotors when brakes needed to be done, because the original brakes will fade on you after exactly one mountainous serpentine pass - up or down! Proven by a pretty scary experience. When suspension needed work, I sprung for a sportier setup with lower stance. Bent a wheel - replaced rims with BBS's. Right now, among other things on my list of things that need to be done: steering wheel re-wrap. But I'd say, my most frivolous mod was probably the body kit - was not really a "necessity" in any way, shape or form - other than to finish off the awesome look of the E60. Set it off right, so to speak.
Guess my mentality is two-fold them: if something needs to be fixed, and there is a way to mod/upgrade it, I'll mod it while fixing it. And if a mod is not "expensive", and is proven to improve the car, I'll add it. But I try to stay within the confines of the original E60 concept and stick to OEM, or OEM- and higher-quality parts. That said, I must say that in case with this car, I do strive to keep the weight at minimum and power at maximum - it is rather underpowered for it's weight stock, and don't even get me started on the lack of torque. At least to my taste, it is kind of weak. I should have - in retrospect - waited and gotten a 535Xi, but I hadn't. No worries - lesson learned, and more reasons to mod this one, right?
well, maybe some will say that it is a reason to trade it, but that's not an option right now.All the cosmetic mods I've done, I think, were a necessity to complete the look of the car. As for all the mechanical/performance mods - I try to stick to keeping the car reliable and original, within reason. Would I consider putting on more mods on it? Probably would, but I doubt I will - unless something breaks and presents an opportunity. Otherwise, I think I'm pretty much done for now - just gonna enjoy it...
...after I get the steering wheel re-wrapped in alcantara, fit the new alcantara shift boot, do CDV mod, re-tint windows, get an RPI exhaust, ECU tune, CF hood and trunk... well, okay, some of these things will never get done. And I'm serious about not wanting to spend any more money on modding this thing - time to start thinking about what's next, while enjoying this one. The funny thing is, I still look at the E60 and it still looks very modern and relevant to me. Sometimes more so, than the F10 (even though the F10 did grow on me, and I would definitely consider it as the next car). Why would anyone complain?! I'm just grateful I'm in a position to do all these things.
05-10-2011, 11:53 AM
#3
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My Ride: E61 535d carbon black m-kit panoramaroof with beige nasca interior and wood trim. 172m rims. DimSport Race, SB, SAT
Some very sensible comments as far as I'm concerned. I note you also ponder CF bodyparts; what's the driver there?
05-10-2011, 12:14 PM
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My Ride: 08 528I Sport/Prem
05-10-2011, 01:03 PM
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OK, I'll admit it, I'm a Modding for Go guy.
The e60 is a great sedan within it's price range. It looks good, is not too big or too small, has elements of luxury, and isn't so specific with it's design goals that it couldn't be adapted for cruising, speed, or entertainment purposes. In short, I think it's a great platform from which to start modding.
I really wanted the top non-M model in it's class, either 5 or 3 series. I was stuck between the 335 and the 550- couldn't decide on which one to go with. In either case, I wanted to build an "M fast" (or faster than M) car, but I definately wanted to build something unique. A non-M fit the role perfectly. I knew that the modding-for-performance trail on a non-M might allow me to encounter more engineering challenges than an M because it's less likely that performance parts will be built for a non-M than an M, but that excited me. For me, the more hands-on engineering and one-off custom parts, the more fun.
To answer the question about why not start with a car more geared for speed or performance, I'll speak for myself:
There is really only one "fastest" or "best handling" car, literally. To me, the challenge of making *a car you like to begin with* go as fast as you can make it seems much more enjoyable than trying to rank against cars in other classes. For me it didn't take long to accept that there will always be a faster car. I've only started, but I'm having a ton of fun building my non-M car and making if faster and more unique. There will be a day when it will run as fast or faster than an e60 M5, and that's ok with me. It's also ok with me that it cost me more to build it than as if I had just bought the e60 M5, but for me it's the journey that matters. Also sort of cool to end up with a unique build in the process. Hopefully there are others on this forum who understand my not-so-common rationale.
The e60 is a great sedan within it's price range. It looks good, is not too big or too small, has elements of luxury, and isn't so specific with it's design goals that it couldn't be adapted for cruising, speed, or entertainment purposes. In short, I think it's a great platform from which to start modding.
I really wanted the top non-M model in it's class, either 5 or 3 series. I was stuck between the 335 and the 550- couldn't decide on which one to go with. In either case, I wanted to build an "M fast" (or faster than M) car, but I definately wanted to build something unique. A non-M fit the role perfectly. I knew that the modding-for-performance trail on a non-M might allow me to encounter more engineering challenges than an M because it's less likely that performance parts will be built for a non-M than an M, but that excited me. For me, the more hands-on engineering and one-off custom parts, the more fun.
To answer the question about why not start with a car more geared for speed or performance, I'll speak for myself:
There is really only one "fastest" or "best handling" car, literally. To me, the challenge of making *a car you like to begin with* go as fast as you can make it seems much more enjoyable than trying to rank against cars in other classes. For me it didn't take long to accept that there will always be a faster car. I've only started, but I'm having a ton of fun building my non-M car and making if faster and more unique. There will be a day when it will run as fast or faster than an e60 M5, and that's ok with me. It's also ok with me that it cost me more to build it than as if I had just bought the e60 M5, but for me it's the journey that matters. Also sort of cool to end up with a unique build in the process. Hopefully there are others on this forum who understand my not-so-common rationale.
05-10-2011, 01:23 PM
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My Ride: E61 535d carbon black m-kit panoramaroof with beige nasca interior and wood trim. 172m rims. DimSport Race, SB, SAT
Hat's off to you for a very clear vision. Does your build include handling bits as well or is it mostly power?
05-10-2011, 01:50 PM
#8
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The build includes handling bits as well as power bits. My current bits consist of basic bolt-ons so far until I can find a garage to do the "real" modding:
(For handling)
- KW Coilovers
- Brembo Big Brake Kit
- Color matched CF Trunk (~20 lbs lighter)
- Quaife Limited Slip Differential
- Lightweight battery (~30 lbs lighter)
- Lightweight exhaust (~50 lbs lighter)
- Forged wheels (lighter)
- Runflat's delete (lighter)
(For power)
- Dinan dual intake (charcoal filter delete)
- Dual RPI Air Scoops
- Aftermarket Exhaust
- Headers are supposedly in the mail...
05-10-2011, 01:56 PM
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My Ride: E61 535d carbon black m-kit panoramaroof with beige nasca interior and wood trim. 172m rims. DimSport Race, SB, SAT
Great stuff. I take it it's a slushbox, do you have the SAT option?
What other plans do you have on the engine? Larger turbos and intercooler? (i believe the 550 isn't normally aspirated, right)
What other plans do you have on the engine? Larger turbos and intercooler? (i believe the 550 isn't normally aspirated, right)
05-10-2011, 02:41 PM
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I just received an email from Supersprint a few minutes ago and they said the headers should be at my house in the next 10-14 days so that will be next.
After headers I will blow the engine and continue reverse-engineering the software. I'd eventually like to have the engine re-built to better specs with better parts. A slight overbore, forged rods, pistons, shaved crank, flywheel and/or pulley would be nice. Beyond that, probably just lighten the car. Nothing too hardcore. Still want to be able to drive it on weekends, have real glass windows, and be able to have both of the front doors open and close.
Current transmission is regular AT and it does not have the SAT option which is okay. We priced out a used SMG and it makes more sense to just swap it out for the SMG so we'll likely do that.