My Bimmer Today

oh man i am sorry! Hope everything works out for ya!



E

 

Sorry to hear you got hit. Hope the bodywork turns out well. One question though. What is an M540? There is an M5 and a 540 Sport but I have never heard of an M540. And those are not M5 wheels so I tend to think it is not an M5....Could it be a 540 Sport?

Just curious.......

 

uhh....that tends to happen when body panels/bumpers are being replaced, I don't see what the big deal is

 

It will be ok, just be glad the truck did not hit you!! Cars can be repaired/replaced.

 

Nice sleeper Initially I thought you meant it's a 540 with the M sport package. Hope it turns out okay!

 

Ouch. Once it's fixed swap the engine back and sell it.

 

Sounds kinda cool. How about the M5 suspension, brakes, etc? How did you acquire the M5 engine? Was it out of a salvage? I know a crate motor with all the electronics needed to make it work could be almost as much as a new car. And it looks as though it has stock 540i exhausts. The M engine needs a good exhaust system to let it breathe.

Do you have any trouble with traction, using the smaller tires than what is used on a real M5?

Just curious. I was with BMW for 17 years so anytime anthing like this comes along I am full of questions. Not attacking you, please understand that.......

 

Sorry to see your BMW in that condition.

It'll be back on the road before you know it!

 

You are probably losing 30-40 hp due to the exhaust only. The proper exhaust makes all the difference. You are compromising the excellent handling of the M5 also by not upgrading the suspension. The 540i Sport is an excellent car in its own right and is a great alternative to the M5.

Oh, I have driven many of the super high performance cars so I do know just a little about what I speak. How hard was it to update the electronics when putting in the M5 engine????

 

Stay away. Was my first sportscar and I loved it like a drug addiction. Heavy, thirsty, big GT. Weight let down performance despite a few mods on my part, (decent ones such as Dinan engine management and wire systems, sport tires.) Early i series not worth the time at all. 840 supposedly had a great box and bulletproof engine but certainlly didn't go, ci or csi only real options. Once the warranty expired, car fell into the toilet, which seemed to be over 1K for the most mundane service visit... " center LED spotty? Well that's $1500 to repair," and for something that seemed so small.

Gas, I loved my 8 series and always thought it was a car that did not get the love nor respect it deserved. It didn't fly but its use for a good looking GT that would eat highway miles was perfect. Once age caught up to it, car fell apart and fell apart fast. I regret to say, stay away.

RocketBoy

 

Just got back in town...
Very sorry to see your BMW damaged. Hope she'll be repaired nicely.

 

Hartge 5.5 would be a good choice. Hard to get imported though. Check on how much you would spend getting it done.....

The Dinan stage 3 makes for a pretty fun car but you have to consider the cost of it in comparison to the stage 2 and how much performance difference there is. I believe it was either Road and Track or Car and Driver who did a comparison of the Stage 1,2 and 3 packages and compared their performance boosts with their cost differences. This was probably back in 2000 I believe....

If you want to keep the 540i with the M5 engine, I highly suggest both suspension and exhausts upgrades. BMW's are not drag race cars. They are built for handling and overall speed. Not redlight to redlight. Someone else in a new Mustang or an older Ram Air Firebird will probably outaccelerate you but let them try to stay with you on a roadcourse. They will go into the bushes trying to keep up with "that crazy BMW driver". Use it for some club track days and see how much fun you can have..........

 

I was with BMW for 17 years in every role from sales, sales mgr, general sales mgr to general mgr. I can absolutely guarantee you that if you get a Mustang Cobra or a Ram Air T/A, you can get skunked. A new Mustang (high output of course) can accelerate 0-60 in under 5 seconds. This is pretty quick.... Your car will not. You will, however, outclass any American hotshoe car..........You are right about Mustangs having nothing on a 5 series if you are talking of quality, overall performance and class. Now if it is just acceleration, don't be caught redfaced trailing one to the next light....

Now, like I said, put them on a roadcourse and you can smile as you see them disappear into you rearview mirror.

 

Great, have fun........

 

I would like to see some pics of the car now that the repairs are done. The previous pics didn't do the car any justice.

I would really like to see some pictures of the M5 motor in the car. I just would like to see the differences in the engine bay of a converted 540 as opposed to an M5.

Thanks,
Will

 

It will be as good as new soon! I must say a very interesting project and good luck with the repairs.