4.6is with Dinan S3 - WOW!

[SeattleYates]

Originally Posted by madforce

:$22K was a guess...I just added it up. OMG!
Total: $39,450

Now THAT's funny! The difference just happens to be $17K -- the same amount about which you just finished saying, "many of us that don’t have that kind of money to splash around..."

Apparently you have it -- you just choose to "splash it around" in different ways than I do!

BTW, from the price, it sounds like you have the same Denon a/v unit I do...and the rest of your system sounds awesome, too! Enjoy it...and I'll enjoy my new kick-ass X5!

[Budarooski]

Originally Posted by SeattleYates

Now THAT's funny! The difference just happens to be $17K -- the same amount about which you just finished saying, "many of us that don’t have that kind of money to splash around..."

Let me clarify...upper management (aka "the wife") would shoot me if I dropped ANY money on my X5, BUT, when it comes to home improvements, she's all for it. My house is 1 year old and we're already re-doing all the cabinents. So much for a custom home...lousy craftsmanship!

Originally Posted by SeattleYates

Apparently you have it -- you just choose to "splash it around" in different ways than I do!

If I could get may balls out of my wife's purse, I'd be splashing on my X5, or I'd be driving a Z06.

Originally Posted by SeattleYates

BTW, from the price, it sounds like you have the same Denon a/v unit I do...and the rest of your system sounds awesome, too! Enjoy it...and I'll enjoy my new kick-ass X5!

I have the Denon 2807...killer unit. I got ripped off on the price being I had to buy it RIGHT NOW because the installers found that my 3 year old Yamaha was already "outdated". I could have gotten the Denon on-line for under a grand.

[Michelle]

Originally Posted by madforce

Let me clarify...upper management (aka "the wife") would shoot me if I dropped ANY money on my X5, BUT, when it comes to home improvements, she's all for it. My house is 1 year old and we're already re-doing all the cabinents. So much for a custom home...lousy craftsmanship!



If I could get may balls out of my wife's purse, I'd be splashing on my X5, or I'd be driving a Z06.

[SeattleYates]

In order to get some more precise performance data on my S3 X5 4.6is, I bought a G-Tech ProRR accelerometer ( http://www.gtechpro.com/rr.html ), and had a chance to try it out today. It wasn't a track, and it wasn't a dyno, but it was certainly more accurate than my previous (handheld stopwatch) attempt!

I did half a dozen short runs but wasn't on a track, so I backed off before quite getting 1-100 numbers. At any rate, here's what I found, for inquring minds who want to know:

- Fastest 0-60 speed was 5.4 sec, with most runs coming in at 5.5-5.6 sec. Pretty damned fast!

- The fastest run was in "S" Auto mode. I couldn't quite match it shifting manually or starting in manual 1st gear and letting it "force" upshifts when it approached red-line. I don't know if that's because the Dinan software just does a better job of optimizing shifting than I can do myself, or if there's just too much lag between shifts when done manually.

- The S3 pulls like a bull on steroids in 1st and 2nd, but when it shifts into 3rd, the rate of acceleration is noticeably less dramatic, and in 4th the RPMs drop WAY down. It doesn't impact 0-60 times (which are reached in 2nd), but would surely be a factor in 1/4 mi. and 1-100 stats. My guess is that the 5-speed 4.6is tranny just has 3rd & 4th geared quite high. The 4.8is with 6 gears would likely respond better in 3rd & 4th (although I don't think the Dinan S3 is available for 4.8is, so it still wouldn't be as quick as the S3 4.6is).

Lo-res (and very small) video attached, which also gives you an idea what this beast sounds like with the S3 kit. Once I figure out how to post video someplace else, I'll post a higher-res version so you can see the tach better...

[Banana]

Sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sounds like a race car!!!

[Michelle]

[SeattleYates]

OK, I got the video uploaded to YouTube (a first for me!). It's somewhat better quality, so you can at least see the tach and speedo better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zelScxloBC4

[Michelle]

Originally Posted by SeattleYates

OK, I got the video uploaded to YouTube (a first for me!). It's somewhat better quality, so you can at least see the tach and speedo better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zelScxloBC4

Very cool!

[SeattleYates]

OK, gang, I have a little more performance data on the 4.6is S3. Using some advice from others regarding launching (see http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...ch-e53-x5.html ), I did a few "brake launches" (holding down the brake when pressing the gas pedal a little) with transmission in "S" mode, and got a 0-60 time of 5.2 seconds, or .2 faster than my best time just flooring it without the brake launch (timed with G-Tech ProRR).

5.2 is the same 0-60 time as the Cayenne Turbo, which jives with my experience test-driving a Cayenne Turbo (it felt fast, but no more so than my S3 4.6is)! Of course, the NEW Cayenne Turbo S now has 520hp and does 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, and I don't think I'm ever going to get my X5 to do THAT, but still...the Cayenne will never look as good as an X5, either!

As for gas mileage, after half a dozen tankfulls, my city driving is consistently coming in at 10mpg. That's not the cars fault; it's my tendency to keep it in "S" or shift manually (it's just too damned fun!). Still no stats for highway driving, but I expect that will be little different than stock, since it would be mostly in 5th gear, and supposedly the supercharger doesn't directly hurt gas mileage much.

[AlpineMsix]

Originally Posted by SeattleYates

OK, gang, I have a little more performance data on the 4.6is S3. Using some advice from others regarding launching (see http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...ch-e53-x5.html ), I did a few "brake launches" (holding down the brake when pressing the gas pedal a little) with transmission in "S" mode, and got a 0-60 time of 5.2 seconds, or .2 faster than my best time just flooring it without the brake launch (timed with G-Tech ProRR).

5.2 is the same 0-60 time as the Cayenne Turbo, which jives with my experience test-driving a Cayenne Turbo (it felt fast, but no more so than my S3 4.6is)! Of course, the NEW Cayenne Turbo S now has 520hp and does 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, and I don't think I'm ever going to get my X5 to do THAT, but still...the Cayenne will never look as good as an X5, either!

As for gas mileage, after half a dozen tankfulls, my city driving is consistently coming in at 10mpg. That's not the cars fault; it's my tendency to keep it in "S" or shift manually (it's just too damned fun!). Still no stats for highway driving, but I expect that will be little different than stock, since it would be mostly in 5th gear, and supposedly the supercharger doesn't directly hurt gas mileage much.

do u think the 5.2 time for the Cayenne turbo is probably the BEST time wit a real good launch on a real good day cuz ive read in some places that the cayenne turbos time ranges anywhere from 5.1-5.6? what do u guys think