SB Bimmerfest
04-25-2005, 10:38 AM
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My Ride: 2004 545i - 6 speed manual (July 04 build), silver-grey/black, sports package std equipment (18", active roll, active steering, adaptive headlights), premium sound, bluetooth enabled, folding rear seat, lumbar, 3m hood/bumper protective film, rear tint, euro reflectors.
Stopped in at the Santa Barbara Bimmerfest for a couple of hours this last Saturday - first one I had been to - of course I am a realitively new BMW owner. I would have liked to spend more time and taken part in the rally, but the Honey-do list was calling me.
It was very cool to see all of the BMW's running around.
Alot of tricked out 3 series including the full array of Boom-Boom speakers and at times I did feel like an old man at 43. But, there where plenty of us 5/6/7 owners and some very nice cars.
When I went back to my car, it looked plain compared to some of the E60's on display. Now I have to figure out what, if anything, I want to do. Definately exhaust, air and chip.
The exhibits where very good and I learned alot. Some of you more knowledgeable BMW owners may already have this type of info, but I will pass on what I have learned:
Fog Lamps: I know some people have replaced thier Fog Lamp bulbs with a PIAA lamp, which is what I was going to do, just have not gotten around to it. There was a company thier www.bimmian.com that had fog lamp replacements that they say are the most exact to the headlamps. They are a Xenesis Bulb (9006). I put them in on Sunday and they looked good.
They also have a selection of Solaris bulbs that can replace the orange turn signals, but nobody seemed to have up-to-date info on the E60 bulb specs.
Stealth Bulbs (www.stealthauto.com) has a full selection of the orange bulb replacements. I talked with the owner of the company for a long time who was one of the nicest people. I know the side markers have an orange bulb, and it looks like the front does, but I am not sure if all the orange in front is from the lens. Also not sure about the back, the orange does not show through much.
If anybody has further info on which ones are worth replacing, please let me know.
Stop Tech and others where there with a full array of brake systems. Unfortuntely, there are still not alot of options for the E60 - 545's. I am waiting for Axxis Deluxe brake pads, not as much for performance as for the dust. I am not so sure I need new calipers as the BMW stock ones are pretty good. Obviously drilled rotors would be an improvement which I will switch when my rotors wear out. They did mention the gains you can get from Stainless Steel brake lines. Maybe worth considering when I do my 2 year brake flush.
B&M does not have a short throw shifter for the E60 yet. They will in the future, but did not have a date.
Reducing Pulleys (I believe that is what you call them). Talked to EVOSPORT and learned some of the tradeoffs of the reducing pulleys. They where very knowledgable. They do not have any for the e60 valvetronic engines. It seems that the electronics require alot of power and the alternator can not be slowed down without causing problems. Although they have been playing with it, no solution at this time.
Exhaust - this was the big thing I was interested in and got some good info.
The Hanmann system was on display (I think that is the correct name - lost the card). It sounded GREAT - nice, but not too loud. Any of these systems requires a new skirt and there are some options either from them or from EVOSPORT. Cutting another set of holes does not look like it will work. They quoted me about 14hp gain. The guy from EVOSPORT says it is more like 6hp and the real performance gain is by removing the resonator. Supposidly, with all of the sound proofing of this car, it is not a big deal. The EVOSPORT guy referred to it as passing the Mother-in-Law test.
The exhaust is kind of funky in that the left side is still the major pipe. There is a small diameter pipe that cuts over to the passenger side from the left side muffler. I would think there would be a better way of doing it, but supposidly, that is what is out there.
The Hanmann system was about $3k installed and the skirt another 1k. Seemed expensive for an exhaust mod. I did a full custom cat back exhaust on my denali with dual pipes, ss muffler, resonators and chrome tips for about $650 and it is really clean. I realize it will cost more for the BMW, but still seams high.
I did later find out that supposidly, the Hanmann system is manufactured by Supersprint and you can get this version for less - have not done any pricing on it yet.
Again, the sound was great! Throaty, but not too obnoxious.
If anybody has the contact info for the company displaying the Hanmann system, please post as I wanted to contact them.
I asked EVOSPORT about the Eisemann??? system. They said they did not sell anymore due to quality issues. This is just from one source, so not sure how accurate it is. After all, how much quality issues can come from an exhaust system.
Further info that anybody could shed would be much appreciate.
EVOSPORT had some good info on the performance chips. Supposidly, the 545 engine is pretty good, but they still have to detune it to run if the wife puts in 87 octane. They said that if you do the exhaust, different air filter and chip, you are probably looking at about 20-25hp gain. The real gain is made on the torque curve and supposidly you will notice a much quicker response. (www.evosport.com).
Some of the ground effects packages, looked good. I am not as much into lowering the front bumper as I hit mine already, but some of the side kits looked good and are worth considering.
I always thought my 18" rims where big for the car, but after seeing some of the 20's, when I walked back to my car, they looked small. Still, I am happy with them and partial to the BMW rims.
Any comments and suggestions will be most appreciated as I am new to BMW mods and trying to sort through the info and opinions I received at the fest.
It was very cool to see all of the BMW's running around.
Alot of tricked out 3 series including the full array of Boom-Boom speakers and at times I did feel like an old man at 43. But, there where plenty of us 5/6/7 owners and some very nice cars.
When I went back to my car, it looked plain compared to some of the E60's on display. Now I have to figure out what, if anything, I want to do. Definately exhaust, air and chip.
The exhibits where very good and I learned alot. Some of you more knowledgeable BMW owners may already have this type of info, but I will pass on what I have learned:
Fog Lamps: I know some people have replaced thier Fog Lamp bulbs with a PIAA lamp, which is what I was going to do, just have not gotten around to it. There was a company thier www.bimmian.com that had fog lamp replacements that they say are the most exact to the headlamps. They are a Xenesis Bulb (9006). I put them in on Sunday and they looked good.
They also have a selection of Solaris bulbs that can replace the orange turn signals, but nobody seemed to have up-to-date info on the E60 bulb specs.
Stealth Bulbs (www.stealthauto.com) has a full selection of the orange bulb replacements. I talked with the owner of the company for a long time who was one of the nicest people. I know the side markers have an orange bulb, and it looks like the front does, but I am not sure if all the orange in front is from the lens. Also not sure about the back, the orange does not show through much.
If anybody has further info on which ones are worth replacing, please let me know.
Stop Tech and others where there with a full array of brake systems. Unfortuntely, there are still not alot of options for the E60 - 545's. I am waiting for Axxis Deluxe brake pads, not as much for performance as for the dust. I am not so sure I need new calipers as the BMW stock ones are pretty good. Obviously drilled rotors would be an improvement which I will switch when my rotors wear out. They did mention the gains you can get from Stainless Steel brake lines. Maybe worth considering when I do my 2 year brake flush.
B&M does not have a short throw shifter for the E60 yet. They will in the future, but did not have a date.
Reducing Pulleys (I believe that is what you call them). Talked to EVOSPORT and learned some of the tradeoffs of the reducing pulleys. They where very knowledgable. They do not have any for the e60 valvetronic engines. It seems that the electronics require alot of power and the alternator can not be slowed down without causing problems. Although they have been playing with it, no solution at this time.
Exhaust - this was the big thing I was interested in and got some good info.
The Hanmann system was on display (I think that is the correct name - lost the card). It sounded GREAT - nice, but not too loud. Any of these systems requires a new skirt and there are some options either from them or from EVOSPORT. Cutting another set of holes does not look like it will work. They quoted me about 14hp gain. The guy from EVOSPORT says it is more like 6hp and the real performance gain is by removing the resonator. Supposidly, with all of the sound proofing of this car, it is not a big deal. The EVOSPORT guy referred to it as passing the Mother-in-Law test.
The exhaust is kind of funky in that the left side is still the major pipe. There is a small diameter pipe that cuts over to the passenger side from the left side muffler. I would think there would be a better way of doing it, but supposidly, that is what is out there.
The Hanmann system was about $3k installed and the skirt another 1k. Seemed expensive for an exhaust mod. I did a full custom cat back exhaust on my denali with dual pipes, ss muffler, resonators and chrome tips for about $650 and it is really clean. I realize it will cost more for the BMW, but still seams high.
I did later find out that supposidly, the Hanmann system is manufactured by Supersprint and you can get this version for less - have not done any pricing on it yet.
Again, the sound was great! Throaty, but not too obnoxious.
If anybody has the contact info for the company displaying the Hanmann system, please post as I wanted to contact them.
I asked EVOSPORT about the Eisemann??? system. They said they did not sell anymore due to quality issues. This is just from one source, so not sure how accurate it is. After all, how much quality issues can come from an exhaust system.
Further info that anybody could shed would be much appreciate.
EVOSPORT had some good info on the performance chips. Supposidly, the 545 engine is pretty good, but they still have to detune it to run if the wife puts in 87 octane. They said that if you do the exhaust, different air filter and chip, you are probably looking at about 20-25hp gain. The real gain is made on the torque curve and supposidly you will notice a much quicker response. (www.evosport.com).
Some of the ground effects packages, looked good. I am not as much into lowering the front bumper as I hit mine already, but some of the side kits looked good and are worth considering.
I always thought my 18" rims where big for the car, but after seeing some of the 20's, when I walked back to my car, they looked small. Still, I am happy with them and partial to the BMW rims.
Any comments and suggestions will be most appreciated as I am new to BMW mods and trying to sort through the info and opinions I received at the fest.
04-25-2005, 10:52 AM
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My Ride: '05 545i, silver gray, black leather with anthracite maple wood, sport package, premium sound, navigation, cold weather package, electric rear sunshade, folding rear seat, satellite radio prep, PIAA 4150K fogs, red rear reflectors, hardwired Valentine One
Here's a thread with info & pix on my turn signal bulb replacement:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=7226
I've used Philips Silver Vision bulbs on previous cars, but they don't make the front wedge type bulb, so I bought the Solaris Invisi-Bulbs from Bimmian.com. One of the rear bulbs arrived defective so I installed a Philips Sliver Vision I had lying around, and it was a bit brighter than the Solaris, so I have Philips in the rear and Solaris in the front and sides.
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=7226
I've used Philips Silver Vision bulbs on previous cars, but they don't make the front wedge type bulb, so I bought the Solaris Invisi-Bulbs from Bimmian.com. One of the rear bulbs arrived defective so I installed a Philips Sliver Vision I had lying around, and it was a bit brighter than the Solaris, so I have Philips in the rear and Solaris in the front and sides.
04-25-2005, 02:26 PM
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My Ride: 2004 545i - 6 speed manual (July 04 build), silver-grey/black, sports package std equipment (18", active roll, active steering, adaptive headlights), premium sound, bluetooth enabled, folding rear seat, lumbar, 3m hood/bumper protective film, rear tint, euro reflectors.
Originally Posted by heezy545i' date='Apr 25 2005, 11:48 AM
Good stuff.? I walked around a few times, but didn't really talk to the vendors or get a chance to listen to some exhausts.? Did you go on the rally?
[snapback]119838[/snapback]
Did you go on the rally? Never been on one, what was it like?
04-25-2005, 02:29 PM
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My Ride: 2004 545i - 6 speed manual (July 04 build), silver-grey/black, sports package std equipment (18", active roll, active steering, adaptive headlights), premium sound, bluetooth enabled, folding rear seat, lumbar, 3m hood/bumper protective film, rear tint, euro reflectors.
Originally Posted by stream' date='Apr 25 2005, 10:52 AM
Here's a thread with info & pix on my turn signal bulb replacement:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=7226
I've used Philips Silver Vision bulbs on previous cars, but they don't make the front wedge type bulb, so I bought the Solaris Invisi-Bulbs from Bimmian.com.? One of the rear bulbs arrived defective so I installed a Philips Sliver Vision I had lying around, and it was a bit brighter than the Solaris, so I have Philips in the rear and Solaris in the front and sides.
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=7226
I've used Philips Silver Vision bulbs on previous cars, but they don't make the front wedge type bulb, so I bought the Solaris Invisi-Bulbs from Bimmian.com.? One of the rear bulbs arrived defective so I installed a Philips Sliver Vision I had lying around, and it was a bit brighter than the Solaris, so I have Philips in the rear and Solaris in the front and sides.
[snapback]119805[/snapback]
BTW - nice color!
04-25-2005, 03:33 PM
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Originally Posted by jsal' date='Apr 25 2005, 03:26 PM
No, would have liked to, just too many projects around the house.? I saw a stream of BMW's heading north on 101 and a bunch in the gas station near my house when I was coming back from Home Depot.
Did you go on the rally?? Never been on one, what was it like?
Did you go on the rally?? Never been on one, what was it like?
[snapback]119920[/snapback]
To me, bimmerfest is all about the actual driving. Whether it be the caravan to santa barbara or the rally. Walking around and looking at cars is fun and all, but I just need an hour to tire of that. At the smaller car related meets that I've been to, I find it easier to meet people and converse, but in the bigger meets such as this, I don't find myself talking all that much. I'm just glad I brought my gf along.
After driving around the dealer a few times, I saw a group head up on the 101N for the rally and I decided to follow them. I had some good runs with a 645 and a 330 as I topped out 3rd and 4th a few times. On the two stops that we made, the site of hundreds of BMWs parked along the road was really a site to be seen. Once we started up again, I found myself behind a trio of e39 M5s. On the latter part of the drive, there was some good canyon roads. These were one lane roads, but on occasion there would be two-lane sections for a good amount of time. Allow me to quote a post I made on the M5board about following the three m5s.
Originally Posted by heezyo2o
I was the silver 545 behind you on the rally. When the 2nd lane became available a couple times, we had some good runs as I topped out 3rd and 4th trying to follow you guys. When I hit redline in 4th(if my memory serves me right), it actually suprised me as I don't get to do that to often. On that second run, I was getting rock chipped to hell , but that's okay. When you guys decided to pull over, I was a bit saddened as it was probably the best part of the day for me. I'll try to put some pics up of the three of you later.
04-25-2005, 03:42 PM
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My Ride: 2004 545i 6 spd Sports Package | NAV | PDC | Logic 7 | BT retrofit | SW V13.3
Originally Posted by heezy545i' date='Apr 25 2005, 03:33 PM
[quote name='jsal' date='Apr 25 2005, 03:26 PM']No, would have liked to, just too many projects around the house.? I saw a stream of BMW's heading north on 101 and a bunch in the gas station near my house when I was coming back from Home Depot.
Did you go on the rally?? Never been on one, what was it like?
Did you go on the rally?? Never been on one, what was it like?
[snapback]119920[/snapback]
To me, bimmerfest is all about the actual driving. Whether it be the caravan to santa barbara or the rally. Walking around and looking at cars is fun and all, but I just need an hour to tire of that. At the smaller car related meets that I've been to, I find it easier to meet people and converse, but in the bigger meets such as this, I don't find myself talking all that much. I'm just glad I brought my gf along.
After driving around the dealer a few times, I saw a group head up on the 101N for the rally and I decided to follow them. I had some good runs with a 645 and a 330 as I topped out 3rd and 4th a few times. On the two stops that we made, the site of hundreds of BMWs parked along the road was really a site to be seen. Once we started up again, I found myself behind a trio of e39 M5s. On the latter part of the drive, there was some good canyon roads. These were one lane roads, but on occasion there would be two-lane sections for a good amount of time. Allow me to quote a post I made on the M5board about following the three m5s.
Originally Posted by heezyo2o
I was the silver 545 behind you on the rally. When the 2nd lane became available a couple times, we had some good runs as I topped out 3rd and 4th trying to follow you guys. When I hit redline in 4th(if my memory serves me right), it actually suprised me as I don't get to do that to often. On that second run, I was getting rock chipped to hell , but that's okay. When you guys decided to pull over, I was a bit saddened as it was probably the best part of the day for me. I'll try to put some pics up of the three of you later.
[snapback]119962[/snapback]
[/quote]Topped out fourth.... You should have bean doing about 120mph. Sounds like fun.
04-25-2005, 04:06 PM
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My Ride: 2001 BMW330ci, Steel Gray, Black leather, Steptronic, PP, SP, PDC, Heated seats, Xenon head lights, HK, 6 disk changer, OEM alarm, OEM clears,Iice white fog lights ,Universal trasnciver, 17 inch Michelin Pilot Sport Tires
2005 530i Titanium Gray,Black leather, Nav.,HUD,PP,CWP,SP,PDC,Xenon lights,Steptronic,Logic 7 sound system,,Fold down read seats,Power shades
ON ORDER
ISAL- About the fog lights.On3/30/05 on one of the other sites some one posted about the Xenesis Tru Match Bulbs and I was very intrested in them but me and others never got a reply.Maybe you can help us out with the information we are looking for.
1- Are they an exact match to Xenon,s ?
2-Where are they obtainable ?
3-What was the cost?
4- Do you know a short cut to install them?
TIA
cheers
vern
looking forward to your reply
1- Are they an exact match to Xenon,s ?
2-Where are they obtainable ?
3-What was the cost?
4- Do you know a short cut to install them?
TIA
cheers
vern
looking forward to your reply
04-25-2005, 04:30 PM
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My Ride: '05 545i, silver gray, black leather with anthracite maple wood, sport package, premium sound, navigation, cold weather package, electric rear sunshade, folding rear seat, satellite radio prep, PIAA 4150K fogs, red rear reflectors, hardwired Valentine One
Originally Posted by vern' date='Apr 25 2005, 05:06 PM
ISAL- About the fog lights.On3/30/05 on one of the other sites some one posted about the Xenesis Tru Match Bulbs and I was very intrested in them but me and others never got a reply.Maybe you can help us out with the information we are looking for.
1- Are they an exact match to Xenon,s ?
2-Where are they obtainable ?
3-What was the cost?
4- Do you know a short cut to install them?
TIA
cheers
vern
looking forward to your reply
1- Are they an exact match to Xenon,s ?
2-Where are they obtainable ?
3-What was the cost?
4- Do you know a short cut to install them?
TIA
cheers
vern
looking forward to your reply
[snapback]119970[/snapback]
FWIW, I installed PIAA Xtreme White 4150K fog bulbs, and they match the xenon headlights very well. PIAA are high quality and I've used them on several cars with great results--here's a thread with info & pix:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=7232
Here's a thread with install instructions & pix:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=5912
04-25-2005, 04:38 PM
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My Ride: 2004 Titanium Gray/Black Leather 545i, 6SP Manual, Sport Package, Anthracite Maple Wood, Satellite Preparation. H&R coilover suspension, Radenergie 20's
about the Hamann quad exhaust:
The guy at Wheel Power(exclusive distributor of Hamann) told me that it had to be modified for the USA version vehicles. Because there are things that US cars have that blocks the way of the pipings. But there's a dual version(one sided) and it fits right in with no modification at around $1600. You can call Tim at Wheel Power for more info 714-375-9666. Tell him Leo reffered you.
The guy at Wheel Power(exclusive distributor of Hamann) told me that it had to be modified for the USA version vehicles. Because there are things that US cars have that blocks the way of the pipings. But there's a dual version(one sided) and it fits right in with no modification at around $1600. You can call Tim at Wheel Power for more info 714-375-9666. Tell him Leo reffered you.