[greentrbo95gst]

I finally got mine 3 months later. About to install the red center caps too.

[hybrid_eg]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

Useful information for those speccing their custom wheels.

My current setup is:
HRE 301M in Brushed Gloss Clear 22x10.5F ET20 and 22x11.5R ET23
Pirelli PZERO PZ4 295/30/22 and 315/30/22

Dropped on MSS suspension with alignment dialed back to as close to factory as possible.

Under under driving and situations i have ZERO rubbing but after my road trip to Cape Cod with a full roof box, full trunk and 5 people in the car i did see very very minor rubbing marks on the rear tires. Not enough to do any damage and a quick wash of the tires removed whatever markings were there but that tells me that i wouldn't spec the offset much more aggressive than what I have if you plan on dropping it and driving with a full trunk for long distances.

I think if i had a smidge more negative camber it wouldn't rub at all but that's not worth the trade off of inner tire wear and wet weather traction.

Thank you Alan!! This is great info for members considering aftermarket wheels! You car looks stunning as usual

[Alan l.]

Originally Posted by greentrbo95gst

I finally got mine 3 months later. About to install the red center caps too.

That looks so good and clean! Need to take a pic of them in the sun to show how it all pops together!

Alan

[hybrid_eg]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

Before anyone asks about my Carbon mud flaps I actually made them myself. Takes about an hour and just sticks on to the car via 3M double sided tape so fully reversible. Typically I am the last person to ever add "mud flaps" to my cars but after having several X5's in the past and seeing the carnage big sticky summer tires does to the paint I had to do something on this one. I noticed with only several hundred miles on the odometer I already had a hand full of paint chips on the lower parts of the doors. My previous X's were completely sandblasted on the sides because of wide sticky summer tires.

I purchased these on amazon and just cut them to the shape I wanted. Held on by double sided tape and has prevented anymore rock chips on my car which has over 10K miles on it now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1


one 400x250x.05 is enough for two flaps and they are thin enough to cut with regular scissors. After cutting just light sand the edges and you are done.

Also note mine are the matte carbon which is what i recommend. I also purchased a set of gloss carbon sheets and that did not work. The material was brittle and would crack as i was cutting the sheet. The matte version is surprisingly flexible and could bend a lot without cracking.

I took your advice and made some.. i was able to make all 4 out of a single sheet.. i used regular scissors and metal snips to cut. Both worked well and it was easier with metal snips since they are heavy duty. I have not mounted them on the car yet as I'm unsure about the looks. Perhaps just needs to grow on me a bit? I also scanned a template for those wanting to do the same without having to measure put on paper/cardboard/carbon, along with dimensions of how far they extend past the fender. I did the front first then modified that template for rear. Since rear is a bit more flared out on the bumper the plate has about 5mm less coverage in bottom to middle area.

[onfireX5]

Alan, now that you have had the X5MC for a few months, how are the rattles ? My old F85 was rattle free the 3 years I owned it. Rear air suspension ruled. My F90 had a couple of rattles that I finally found. Wife’s X3MC has a couple.

[Alan l.]

Great job on the flaps. I’m not a huge fan of adding these types of things on my cars but it’s a necessity or suffer from the sides being sand blasted.

Honestly they are so thin after awhile you don’t even notice them anymore.

As for rattles I think I chased down most of them now. Still have one from the pano roof but that only happens on rumble strips on some roads. Minor creaks on dash on first drives which is temperature dependent. Typical bmw stuff.

I have felt tape and foam in so many areas of the car I can’t even remember lol.

Alan

[hybrid_eg]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

Great job on the flaps. I’m not a huge fan of adding these types of things on my cars but it’s a necessity or suffer from the sides being sand blasted.

Honestly they are so thin after awhile you don’t even notice them anymore.

As for rattles I think I chased down most of them now. Still have one from the pano roof but that only happens on rumble strips on some roads. Minor creaks on dash on first drives which is temperature dependent. Typical bmw stuff.

I have felt tape and foam in so many areas of the car I can’t even remember lol.

Alan

thanks! ill give them a shot.. worstcase i can take them off, afterall its just double sided tape, but benefit will surely outweigh possible removal, lol!

noise wise i think i have similar one in the Pano right by my driver side wisor.. super weird.. only hear it in morning when radio is not on and car had been sitting overnight. when i push the headliner up i can hear similar popping noise, like its been poorly installed on not clipped correctly.. i have a feeling if i take it dealer they will think i'm crazy.

onfireX5 i would say in my case F96 has less noise than F85, in fact it feels to be a much better insulated chassis, and wast improvement over squeaky fake CF trim on the F90 dash/door panels which drove me insane..

[Chas8283]

Curious if you have an update on how the carbon sheets are holding up as rock guards? So far (9k miles) I'm not seeing road rash on bottom of doors or rear fenders (no spacers on my wheels, so that may help), but inside edge (sitting right behind tires) of fender trim and rocker panel are a mess so I need to come up with something.

[Alan l.]

I have about 15K on my car now and those carbon sheets have done their job. Minimal rock chips on the side of my car and the ones that are there came before I added the flaps. It’s a necessity in my opinion. These big sticky tires throws up everything. I can hear it hit the carbon flaps all the time.

[Alan l.]

I recently added the Dahler Exhaust valve module on my X5M with Akra slip on system. Def adds a tad bit more volume around town and especially on the highway when it would appear the factory valve control would either not fully open the valves all the way even in Sport + mode or even close the valves to minimize drone. Have it programmed to the rear view mirror homelink buttons so I can toggle stock valve function or always fully open. Plug and play and we’ll worth it. Easy install since it doesn’t require any additional power source like some of the others.

https://www.kiesmotorsports.com/coll...39668953612373

[DCC]

Originally Posted by greentrbo95gst

I finally got mine 3 months later. About to install the red center caps too.

Is that M5 MBB?…looks like a whole shade darker than the X5M…

[EyeBalz]

Originally Posted by onfireX5

Appreciate the comments. I miss my F85. Perfect all rounder RAMBO. It was totally rattle free until I traded it to the F90 3 years later. The size increase and the digital mods plus the refinement (good thing for the market , bad for visceral feedback) has kept me hesitant on the F95. Glorious engine though......best of the best.

I would love to have an F85 with the F95s engine and red M paddles on the steering wheel. The climate control and overall dash setup of the F85 was much better than current F95 IMO. Of course, the ride was better too.

[onfireX5]

Originally Posted by EyeBalz

I would love to have an F85 with the F95s engine and red M paddles on the steering wheel. The climate control and overall dash setup of the F85 was much better than current F95 IMO. Of course, the ride was better too.

Can’t beat air ride for sure. But I could not hold on any more and have a F95 coming in 2 weeks !

[155ND]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

I recently added the Dahler Exhaust valve module on my X5M with Akra slip on system. Def adds a tad bit more volume around town and especially on the highway when it would appear the factory valve control would either not fully open the valves all the way even in Sport + mode or even close the valves to minimize drone. Have it programmed to the rear view mirror homelink buttons so I can toggle stock valve function or always fully open. Plug and play and we’ll worth it. Easy install since it doesn’t require any additional power source like some of the others.

https://www.kiesmotorsports.com/coll...39668953612373

Hi Alan,

I had the Akra sound kit installed recently:

https://www.akrapovic.com/en/car/pro...32&yearId=6689

... the shop guys think it seems to keep the valves open in comfort mode, whereas my M1 & M2 settings are not 'comfort'

So, I'm not convinced the sound kit was really worth having, especially with the hassle factor that you need to press the button every time the car starts to turn it on.

What's your view on the Dahler sound kit?

P.S. I've booked in with HRE to have my wheels polished (stone chips, scratches from a tyre change which I don't want to talk about ) & they said they would re-finish the wheels from Brushed Clear to Brushed Dark Clear at no extra charge, so I thought I would take them up on that offer ... I'll post pics before and after

[Alan l.]

Originally Posted by 155ND

Hi Alan,

I had the Akra sound kit installed recently:

https://www.akrapovic.com/en/car/pro...32&yearId=6689

... the shop guys think it seems to keep the valves open in comfort mode, whereas my M1 & M2 settings are not 'comfort'

So, I'm not convinced the sound kit was really worth having, especially with the hassle factor that you need to press the button every time the car starts to turn it on.

What's your view on the Dahler sound kit?

P.S. I've booked in with HRE to have my wheels polished (stone chips, scratches from a tyre change which I don't want to talk about ) & they said they would re-finish the wheels from Brushed Clear to Brushed Dark Clear at no extra charge, so I thought I would take them up on that offer ... I'll post pics before and after

Sorry to hear about the HRE's but sounds like you will have it all sorted. Brushed dark clear will def. be easier to maintain since it will show less dust.

I went with the Dahler kit because it was easy to install. No additional wiring needed. You just connect it to the stock valves and then find a location to secure the device. Once you turn it on it will force the valves fully open. Turning it off will revert back to stock functionality. I'm usually driving around in Sport+ mode all the time so my valves were probably mostly open without the device but now with it, I do notice the exhaust volume is louder and deeper. Really noticeable on the highway because i suspect the factory function will close the valves at light throttle to prevent any droning even in sport+. Right now i get a consistent exhaust tone from the car no matter what speed which is great. Not the cheapest option out there but the unit seems well made (made in germany) and required the least amount of work for install.

Alan

[cmyx6go]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

I have about 15K on my car now and those carbon sheets have done their job. Minimal rock chips on the side of my car and the ones that are there came before I added the flaps. It’s a necessity in my opinion. These big sticky tires throws up everything. I can hear it hit the carbon flaps all the time.

I just put my summer wheels on yesterday. Damn, I forgot how sticky the tires are. I'm kicking up everything. It was pouring this morning. It was like driving through raging rivers and I still hear the tires kicking up rocks/gravel. I guess some type of mud flaps are in order.

[Chas8283]

Originally Posted by cmyx6go

I just put my summer wheels on yesterday. Damn, I forgot how sticky the tires are. I'm kicking up everything. It was pouring this morning. It was like driving through raging rivers and I still hear the tires kicking up rocks/gravel. I guess some type of mud flaps are in order.

I know. Same. I'm going to try the DIY route this weekend.

[radmjk]

Originally Posted by hybrid_eg

I took your advice and made some.. i was able to make all 4 out of a single sheet.. i used regular scissors and metal snips to cut. Both worked well and it was easier with metal snips since they are heavy duty. I have not mounted them on the car yet as I'm unsure about the looks. Perhaps just needs to grow on me a bit? I also scanned a template for those wanting to do the same without having to measure put on paper/cardboard/carbon, along with dimensions of how far they extend past the fender. I did the front first then modified that template for rear. Since rear is a bit more flared out on the bumper the plate has about 5mm less coverage in bottom to middle [...]

Hello, Do you recall the thickness of the flaps that you made? Were they 0.5 mm as Alan had stated? How did they hold up over time?

Thank you, Matt

[radmjk]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

I have about 15K on my car now and those carbon sheets have done their job. Minimal rock chips on the side of my car and the ones that are there came before I added the flaps. It’s a necessity in my opinion. These big sticky tires throws up everything. I can hear it hit the carbon flaps all the time.

Hello, did you really use 0.5 mm thick carbon for the flaps as you had indicated? That seems very thin. How did they end up holding up?

Thanks, Matt

[Alan l.]

Holding up just fine. Been through several winters. The flaps are sand blasted but not my car which is the sole purpose of these.

Alan

[arlind94]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

Sorry to hear about the HRE's but sounds like you will have it all sorted. Brushed dark clear will def. be easier to maintain since it will show less dust.

I went with the Dahler kit because it was easy to install. No additional wiring needed. You just connect it to the stock valves and then find a location to secure the device. Once you turn it on it will force the valves fully open. Turning it off will revert back to stock functionality. I'm usually driving around in Sport+ mode all the time so my valves were probably mostly open without the device but now with it, I do notice the exhaust volume is louder and deeper. Really noticeable on the highway because i suspect the factory function will close the valves at light throttle to prevent any droning even in sport+. Right now i get a consistent exhaust tone from the car no matter what speed which is great. Not the cheapest option out there but the unit seems well made (made in germany) and required the least amount of work for install.

Alan

Which method did you use for the dahler, the inside trunk or underbody method? I tried to install it through the trunk and was able to get the cables out of the passenger side, but hard to secure the cable on the drivers side while passing it through underbody. Will probably need to throw the car on a lift and install it that way.

[Alan l.]

Originally Posted by arlind94

Which method did you use for the dahler, the inside trunk or underbody method? I tried to install it through the trunk and was able to get the cables out of the passenger side, but hard to secure the cable on the drivers side while passing it through underbody. Will probably need to throw the car on a lift and install it that way.

I went the easier route and mounted it under car. I found a spot behind the rear wheel fender liner to tuck it away with double sided tape and zip ties. The unit looks very well made and sealed so no issues so far.