M5V8

the ultimate M5? Power increase by 15HP to 575 HP Stiffer stabilizer bars Stiffer and lower suspension 10mm lower Stiffer front axle bushings Active M Differential with a unique tune for the competition package for improved traction New hydraulic rack-and-pinion steering with the M-specific Servotronic function with A MORE DIRECT PROGRAMMING to improve agility during cornering M Dynamic mode of DSC tuned with higher thresholds of intervention New 20" M light alloy wheels Sport exhaust with black chrome tips

this should help bring down the price of the much prettier earlier model. bonus.

If I ever make it up to auck Tristan. I'd be happy to take you for a burn. (or if you are ever in wtgn)

yeah. actually pretty happy. Yes, i just systematically replaced stuff. Yes I could have started with the cheaper stuff and worked my way forward. But they all needed to be done at some point. Out in martinborough last wknd. Pulling out from a winery onto open road. I had all of us pinned into the seat through to 4th gear. Will rescan again this wknd after another longer drive. Certainly happy with the performance. No more random stalls. Throttle feels noticeably crisper. Next up. change diff / gearbox oils - (ill leave that to mr BMW) cooling system refresh. I have my eye on a custom build alloy radiator....

Note to self. Rear sway bar work requires a hoist and should not be attempted on a axle stand in your garage by yourself. 3 freakin hours. On the plus side. Everything's in. Reset - drive & rescan produced no further codes

not that i'm willing to solder in this Lithuanian rubbish. Not even a mention of min fuel RON?? They can't spell properly and you only have a Lithuanian phone number and Gmail account to try to get some recompense when this superchip makes your $50k motor go bang bang. no thanks.

In my experience you aren't going to get 40hp from a NA motor & just a change of software. I call bulls**t

so true'imports' (ie - all other cars but holden/ford) are ridiculously priced over there.

soundstream.... I like your taste.

early xmas presents!

as to the brakes? well i didn't go crazy as this is just a streetcar. zimmerman supply bmw their rotors. So I went direct and picked up a OEM set of bmw M5 disc's but paid alittle extra to have them slotted. (not drilled). Axxis deluxe pads - slight improvement on bite and fade resistance but like 80% dust reduction. BMW OEM brake fluid. I then ported some holes in my front bumper which interestingly have brake ducting within the body already to move air to the front brakes. All I did was open up the airflow. So cooler brakes + new rotors + better pads = better performance. simple

yup. brakes / clutch & rear sway bar links all weak points of the car. I've addressed them now, but probably could still do with a brembo BBK but I can't justify the $6k. So aftermarket slotted rotors & uprated pads & brake ducting will have to do.

it's my current M5. Sorry I have no knowledge about auto boxes.

not really. they are just going to manufacturer them somewhere else (world car program) and Aus will just import them with a few minor local changes. IE - The Falcon will just be a rebadged Taurus or they drop the Falcon badge altogether. Mind you this might not be a bad thing. I hired an Ford Edge whilst in Canada last year. I loved it. (now I feel all dirty for saying I liked a Ford).

from someone whom has taken a e39 onto a track........ Your gearbox and shift points are not your biggest concern. Making your brakes last more than 2 laps stopping a 1800kg car is. I warped out my front disc's in 4 laps of manfield. $1800 worth of new disc's from Germany later...... i decided e39's aren't track cars. Lesson learned. Don't attack braking zones with standard brakes. Sorry no experience with the dinan software, but I'd tend to believe them, they have a good rep.

been on the cards for years, someone finally pulled the trigger.

I've read ray's build thread. I believe there was a reason he checked and changed this gasket. I'll def check if there is any evidence of leaks etc.

http://www.schmiedmann.com/3_series/E46/Eq...page9.htm#12158 this:

these are what you need. they are plastic and with the headlight heat they get brittle and can break. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-...n-593222620.htm The headlight is a sealed unit. You need to open and replace. You can either cut and -reseal or bake and pull open. Then you will need to ensure you have sealed them properly again. Considering the cost of a replacement headlight is like $900 i sent mine to BMW to get fixed.

I did read that low heat in an oven is better than a heat gun however i didn't try this myself. I caved and paid BMW to fix.

+1 there is a possibility you might be throwing away your money & upsetting the handling. Mind you this bar will only come into effect when you are really loading up the rear under cornering. If you have a few hundred and want to improve handling you should be looking at some quality aftermarket springs. Something like H&R's with a small 1" drop & proper wheel alignment will do wonders.

fair point. after my experiences with building high HP motors (my GTR race engine - 3 engine failures - court action pending) I've lost faith in going down this route. The engine will remain stock. It has plenty of getup and go to get me in trouble as it is.

The rest of the interior is actually black

I like mine. Very much an improvement over the standard shifter. It can be alittle notchy and difficult to get into certain gears when cold but it's alot more positive when she's up to temperature. I've heard plenty of talk about how these can damage your gearbox. IMO it's mis shifting or being too fast or aggressive with the shifter that does this. The mechanism below hasn't changed, just the pivot point. So there should be no change to wear. You are just probably more likely to mis-shift with the reduced action.

oh man... i thought that was just a shadow.