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How to get an e 39 to out perform a e60

15K views 49 replies 20 participants last post by  drmotorhead 
#1 ·
Hello newbi here. I just sold my jeep srt 8 and am looking to get into a m5. I was wondering if you could help me in my search. I am looking to stay under $40 g's and have better performance than the jeep. I like the e39 body as much as the e 60, but perfer the performance of the e 60. What do I need to do to out perform the newer e 60. Thanks Rob.
 
#5 ·
But e39 is more of a car :)
 
#9 ·
get a 540 sport with supercharger and mods custom dual exhaust etc...m5 body kit possibly seats door panels.. thats what i did and have 99 540 steptronic.you be faster than e39m5 and close to e60m5 .best bang for money
1. It still isn't an m5.

2. As the title of the thread asks, it doesn't not 'out perform' an e60 m5

3. It isn't an m5

;)
 
#8 ·
Thanks

I really liked your list it's been helpful in sorting out the good from the bad and being able to see them all together is great .I've looked at a couple you had listed that where near me but I've got a few more to see before I make a choice.Hopefully I'll get it done in the next 2 or 3 weeks. Good luck with your new Beast I hope it's great fun and trouble free.
 
#11 ·
My E60 535i can easily beat a E39 M5...

Nowadays the twin turbo is rocking... If you ever wanna get a car that can match with a E60 M5 or F10 M5, get a twin turbo and mod it..

All the best..
 
#12 ·
.. If you ever wanna get a car that can match with a E60 M5 or F10 M5, get a twin turbo and mod it..

All the best..
Uh, Im confused....why not just buy the F10 M5????

:angel:
 
#49 · (Edited)
My E60 535i can easily beat a E39 M5...

Nowadays the twin turbo is rocking... If you ever wanna get a car that can match with a E60 M5 or F10 M5, get a twin turbo and mod it..

All the best..
EDIT: Oops, I should really read all the posts in the thread, before commenting. Sorry...

I'm sorry, but I doubt your car can beat an E39, unless its chipped.. Assuming you have the newest e60.

e39 specs
weight
Kerb weight 1,826 kg (4,026 lb)
Power
I6 twin turbo, 7,000 rpm redline, 394 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque.

2008-2010 e60 535i
Weight
Kerb weight 1,660 kg (3,659 lb)
Power
N/A V8, 5,800 rpm redline, 306 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque.

So I think the M5 would beat you in a straight line. Also, I think he would beat you on a track. Not only that, if you talk mods.. Don't forget the M5 doesn't even have FI yet.

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#15 ·
Bentley540

Let the engine breathe. Weapon Type-R Exhaust is a good start. K&N Cold Air Intake , GForce Power Chip , E3 plugs and all Synthetic Fluids should get you close. Tweeks on air flow make cars fast. Air intake and exhause should be close to the same spot across car. The idea is to get air through car asap then add enough fuel and fire to keep up.
 
#16 ·
Let the engine breathe. Weapon Type-R Exhaust is a good start. K&N Cold Air Intake , GForce Power Chip , E3 plugs and all Synthetic Fluids should get you close. Tweeks on air flow make cars fast. Air intake and exhause should be close to the same spot across car. The idea is to get air through car asap then add enough fuel and fire to keep up.
You have no clue WTF you are talking about.

I do agree that improving the 'air pumping efficiency' is the key to power.... but your suggestions demonstrate a deep ignorance as to the state of the art on the E39 M5.

A K&N cold air kit will LOWER performance. And exhaust adds NOTHING.

Short of a supercharger you cannot get at E39 to outperform at E60. Even a Dinan S2 wont do it.

Oh, 'synthetics'...please
 
#19 · (Edited)
E93 335i with JB5 for the win

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I don't think you can.. put the math.. Just with Juice box and no other mods you are not gonna come close to 400hp..

FYI E39 M5 is 400hp.. you need FBO.:thumbup:
 
#21 ·
#26 ·
Ok, stock to stock: Stock E39 M5 vs. Stock E60 N54, the E39 M5 wins. :)

I appreciate the N54. I have an S52 in my M Roadster, and it screams... but the M5 is a tick faster even though the roadster weighs like nothing.
 
#28 ·
ok bro no one here is talking about the N54... the person who came to ask was referring to the e39... one of the best built bmw of all time... which btw the feeling you get in an e39 cant be matched by an e60 no matter how much faster it is. we all know the n54 is probably bmws most moldable engine but... when you see an e39 m5 you just know its a special car and everyone who sees it knows its a special car... when you see a e60 535i... its just meh... any real bmw enthusiast will agree.
 
#32 ·
Dude, just answer me how many awards did the E39 M5 engine win? Go check and see on the N54..

Do you think the folks awarding are fools..
do you know how to read? go back and read what I wrote. I didn't say the N54 was bad did I? Personally I am in love with the N54. i plan on buying a 135 as my next car just because of how fun it is to mod... but my point is still e60s are left and right... and e39 M5 anyone who sees it will know its a special car. and again no matter how fast an e60 is it will not match the feel of an e39 m5. drive one and find out.
 
#35 ·
Oh, I forgot to mention, the guy who posted above me is smoking crack!

The E39 M5 has the S62 engine. My E39 M5 costs about $50K less than your 535 and drives much better! Do they even make that car in a stick? How do you float your clutch on a launch?

It says a lot about a car when Business week reviews it. It says even more about tit when they liken it to a 7 series but emphasis that it gets good gas milage. Those were never words used to describe the M5.

Bring your 535 to Greenville on the 20th. We are having a mountain run. It will give you a chance to see several M5's pulling away from you at once.

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/usa-southeast-forum/277234-carolina-mountain-run.html
 
#36 ·
Last week drove home from San Francisco, 380 miles, without stopping for gas. Averaged 24 MPG in the M5. I had 50 miles range left as I pulled into the garage.

I have a pic of the dash after resetting the CONS2 while coasting downhill... 98 MPG :)

Try that in the E60 M5.
 
#37 · (Edited)
Very lively and interesting discussion here. To the OP question: how do you get an E39 M5 to walk on an E60 M5? The answer: buy an E60 M5. If you are only getting into this to be "faster than..." you are 1) potentially going about this all wrong and 2) will never be satisfied with an E39.

Here are the things to understand:
- the E39 M5 was - and sometimes still referenced as - the benchmark for high performance sedans for nearly a decade
- the 400hp that the E39 M5 lays down is still impressive and will embarrass a lot of newer cars
- with the exception of a few, most cars that can keep up with an E39 are modded...heavily
- the E39 M5 is 13 years old and has limited - expensive - performance options
- you don't buy an E39 M5 with the idea of "tuning" it

F1.tifosi's ride is an excellent example of an enthusiast taking pride in their car and pushing it to the limit. I have no doubt that, thanks to all his mods, he could quite possibly outpace an E39 M5. And at a cost of several thousand dollars, I can imagine he probably spared no expense in doing so. If I saw his car and it did indeed best my beast, I would nod, shake his hand and say, "That is an impressive machine!"

Would I be butt hurt? No. Would I be embarrassed? Not in the slightest. You know why? Because if I wanted to, I could 1) spend 5K and get a Stage 1 ESS KIT - 552hp/460tq (ESS supercharger) and show him and anyone else a thing or two about speed or 2) be proud that after all that hard work and thousands of dollars spent, a heavily modified car was just able to beat my entirely stock Beast.

rconner if you want to play the tuner game, then sure, get the E39 and plan to shell out an additional 7k for the supercharger (includes installation price). Oh and to play it safe, an additional $1500 to handle "general maintenance" to get the car up to factory tune if you are buying a used E39 M5 with a few lovingly extra miles on her prior to getting the supercharger put on.

If you want to say you have the fastest car, then consider some other options the non M5 guys are talking about. Just bear in mind, they don't drive M5's. They bought cars they could afford and are doing everything they can to give their cars the performance and power an M5 delivers. And I'm not being negative...that's the truth. And in many cases, after a lot of money, they now have cars tweaked to all hell that can keep pace with or best an M car. But believe me when I tell you, an M car is pure driving pleasure and no amount of mods or upgrades can replace that.

However, something not mentioned, the point of getting an M car isn't to mod it per se. It's to own a rare category of cars that have been tuned from the factory to be lucifer on wheels. These cars are mean, powerful, angry machines when they want to be but as tame as a lamb as needed. You buy an M car because you aren't trying to be like everyone else. 540. 535. 135. 335. 550. 330. Anyone can own those cars.

It's something special to say you drive an M: the most powerful letter in the alphabet.

Good luck with your decision rconner.
 
#39 ·
Mel is right:

"It's something special to say you drive an M: the most powerful letter in the alphabet."

Although I think he made the alphabet business up!

You buy and drive an M5 because it is and that just speaks for itself. If it doesn't speak to you, you are not an M5 guy/gal. There is nothing wrong with that. It's just what's so. Clearly you should forgo the time and expense of owning one of these. Cars and driving them is an American pass time. Drive the car that makes you most happy and be proud of it because it is yours and that makes it special. What anyone else thinks is about as worthless as wearing a raincoat while pissing into the wind.

In 1988 I bought one of the first GSXR 750's imported into the country because it was an iconic step in motorcycle design. It was brutal to ride most magazine reviews called the body position compared to other race bikes of the day as maniacal but WOW!

It handled like a 250 two stroke and had the power of a 1000. There was nothing like ridding it. In 1990 I bought the new GSXR 1000. The power was almost uncontrollable and it was a lot of work making it handle nimbly but it was worlds of fun to rid.

The last bike I bought was an R1 when they first came out. I bought it for the same reasons I bought the other bikes. It was iconic. And brother, let me tell you, if I never ride another fast motorcycle again, the R1 was enough!

That is why I bought an E39 M5. It is an icon. It can't out pace some other cars in a straight line, it can't slalom as fast as a few others and it weighs to much so it chews up rear tires. But, it is exactly everything I want in a performance car. The power is huge and the handling is a thing of beauty! I can easily control a full power slide at 60 MPH through most corners smoking the tires in 3rd gear. With the muffler delete it sounds better than anything I have ever heard. Most importantly I grin like cheshire cat, strike that, way more than a cheshire cat every time I turn the key and feel the rumble. The driving experience just improves from there!
 
#41 · (Edited)
ESS option for an E39 M5

N54 has gone way past it

http://benzboost.com/content.php?34...horsepower-record-with-693-wheel-dyno&page=10

http://www.audiboost.com/content.ph...-horsepower-record-with-693-wheel-dyno&page=3

Note- All these are not hypes posted in BMW sites or forums..

Btw rrides- I am heading for vargas or RB's soon, let me know where to meet you and your folks for a race.. Waiting..
I hope this isn't where we're taking this thread...

F1.tifosi, no one is doubting the performance of your 535i. In fact, I'm impressed at the level you've claimed to take your car. Kudos! :thumbup:

If and when I want to make my car any faster than it already is, I'll cross that bridge when I get there. For now, with the little things I've done to her, she is plenty fast and delivers all the quoted 400hp I need. I drive home with a smile everyday and I'm sure you do the same. *tips hat*

To the original poster. If owning a BMW to make it blistering fast is your goal, consider non M models like F1.tifosi has done, and go to town. Maintenance is cheaper and parts aren't M specific. Although once you go the custom route to get more speed, parts are much more particular and costly.There is a give and take...

Or, if you want to own a BMW without having to do much else other than get in it and drive hella fast, get an M (E39, E46, E60, E90, E92). All very fast cars that will not disappoint and all come with the exclusivity of saying you own an M car (its self fulfilling for sure, but sh1t, to say you drive an M5 (no matter what year) vs a 5xx...I can't lie...feels good) :bigpimp:.

At the end of the day, F1.tifosi drives a fast 535i. A 535i. If that's your goal, then go for it. ard, rrides, 900, mark_m5, and I drive M cars. That's what we wanted and we're plenty happy we stepped up and made the plunge.

rconner, do what's right for you. Drive the cars. Feel them out. Then at the end of the day, make a decision. Forget internet arguments. Subjective, biased articles. Youtube videos and races. Buy with your heart and what feels good to you and more importantly, your wallet. You can never go wrong when you do that.

F1.tifosi, Ill see you on the road. If and when we meet, first round of drinks are on me.

Good luck, rconner!
 
#42 ·
Also, I'd be remissed if I didn't mention, again (as it has already been brought up) that the S3 stroked and supercharged kit can lay down an impressive, minimum 620HP. While it does come at a significant cost, if rconner says he has 40k to spend on a car, he could get a 14 - 17K E39, spend 18K on an S3 performance tune, $160 to tint his windows lest the cops see him, and could walk on a lot of cars. But that means there is a significant love for the legend and body style that is the E39. Meaning he would be willing to spare no expense in making that car a monster.

Anyway, just putting that out there. :)
 
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