is it wrong that i cant sleep?

TomO · 2 May 2007 at 17:30

Vertigo1 said:
Didn't fancy coming back as passengers in the Exige & 911?

When will the M5 be repatriated then?

adam took the passenger seat in the exige. Porsche - only back seats available - no thanks!

Dangerous · 2 May 2007 at 17:33

TomO said:
http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/3919/img5525jj3.jpg
poor baby getting picked up from nurburg.

guess you are back o.k. then dave.

Aye just got back easy drive managed to get 62mpg

Send me some high res pics of that - I want to put it in the video

Vertigo · 2 May 2007 at 17:37

Is this the video scheduled for release around Christmas?

Get any good bulletcam footage, either on the track or on the way over?

Although nice to be ferried home courtesy of BMW, must have been a bit of a bummer not to have the chance to drive back. The road trip is half the fun, especially in that monster.

Dangerous · 2 May 2007 at 17:43

Vertigo1 said:
Is this the video scheduled for release around Christmas?

Get any good bulletcam footage, either on the track or on the way over?

Although nice to be ferried home courtesy of BMW, must have been a bit of a bummer not to have the chance to drive back. The road trip is half the fun, especially in that monster.

I'm off till Tuesday so will try get it done before then :eek:

Didnt bother with the bullet cam - E60 is gay too many covers to fit the camera. plus they were looking at all the cars.

On a bonus note we saw Mike Brewer out there filming for pulling power! Swapped details so some of my footage might make it into ITV :eek:

TomO · 2 May 2007 at 17:52

Dangerous said:
Aye just got back easy drive managed to get 62mpg

Send me some high res pics of that - I want to put it in the video

slightly better than my 10.3mpg for the calais to nurburgring run.

repatriation may take 2 to 3 weeks. :eek:

they dont seem entirely sure if BMW dealer will give me a car or if i keep this heap of junk for that time. i have requested something 'not so tall, not so slow and not so ugly' the BMW assistant laughed! he said he will see if he can get it swapped over for something else.

Dangerous · 2 May 2007 at 17:53

TomO said:
slightly better than my 10.3mpg for the calais to nurburgring run.

repatriation may take 2 to 3 weeks.

they dont seem entirely sure if BMW dealer will give me a car or if i keep this heap of junk for that time. i have requested something 'not so tall, not so slow and not so ugly' the BMW assistant laughed! he said he will see if he can get it swapped over for something else.

Zaffy Power at least ask for a derv one

Tax Evader · 2 May 2007 at 18:39

Gibbo said:
pretty shocking really for what are M cars as you'd think they'd make them super strong and reliable to cope with the thrashing that a track day does to a car.

That gearbox (remember, specifically developed for the M5/6) does seem to be a bit flakey! I know of someone who's M5 gearbox fails almost as often as the fuel-tank runs dry

The dashboard cog-of-death!
Looking at the forums it does seem to be a weakness.......

Gibbo · 2 May 2007 at 19:58

Tax Evader said:
That gearbox (remember, specifically developed for the M5/6) does seem to be a bit flakey! I know of someone who's M5 gearbox fails almost as often as the fuel-tank runs dry The dashboard cog-of-death!
Looking at the forums it does seem to be a weakness.......

HI there

Well guess thats what you get with such great cars though. If you want an awsome machine you gotta be aware that it migh have little glitches and things can break. Afterall its not your everyday saloon with over 500BHP on tap.

JRS · 2 May 2007 at 20:21

Tax Evader said:
Looking at the forums it does seem to be a weakness.......

And yet BMW persist in sending the manual 'box versions only to the US and Canada. Very strange.

Having said that, you can't turn the DSC system all the way off with the US/Can manual 'box equipped cars. Apparently the M5 suffers from reasonably excessive axle tramp if you were to do a full bore drop-clutch launch. With the SMG setup they can fine tune the power being applied and sort the problem. With a manual 'box and clutch they don't have that option, so they simply have to cut the power using the DSC. It's supposedly a new less intrusive mode called "M Dynamic", but it still means that the computer has the ultimate say over just how much power is getting to the tarmac and how many revs you're allowed.

No doubt the same people who get rid of the 155mph limiter will have gotten rid of that though

Vertigo · 2 May 2007 at 20:24

TomO said:
i have requested something 'not so tall, not so slow and not so ugly'

My girlfriend tried that but still ended up with me

Tax Evader · 2 May 2007 at 20:26

Gibbo said:
HI there

Well guess thats what you get with such great cars though. If you want an awsome machine you gotta be aware that it migh have little glitches and things can break. Afterall its not your everyday saloon with over 500BHP on tap.

.... and I hear you've been giving a demonstration of power?

Gibbo · 2 May 2007 at 20:33

Tax Evader said:
.... and I hear you've been giving a demonstration of power?

HI there

Well I hope he thought it was powerful after the wee demonstration.

So when are you visiting for your turn.

eidolon · 3 May 2007 at 00:36

Gibbo said:
HI there

Well guess thats what you get with such great cars though. If you want an awsome machine you gotta be aware that it migh have little glitches and things can break. Afterall its not your everyday saloon with over 500BHP on tap.

Surely you'd expect the opposite though. If BMW sell a car with 500BHP+ then surely the gearbox should be capable of handling the power (and some more to allow for those who want to mod it)

I'd understand if it was 250BHP which was then modded to produce 500BHP, then I'd expect the gearbox to be a potential weak spot as it wasn't designed for the additional power.

The_Dark_Side · 3 May 2007 at 06:35

eidolon said:
Surely you'd expect the opposite though. If BMW sell a car with 500BHP+ then surely the gearbox should be capable of handling the power (and some more to allow for those who want to mod it)

I'd understand if it was 250BHP which was then modded to produce 500BHP, then I'd expect the gearbox to be a potential weak spot as it wasn't designed for the additional power.

agreed.
BMW sell on the back of performance, quality and reliability.
you can't just expect buyers to shrug their shoulders and say "ah, it's to be expected".

Tax Evader · 3 May 2007 at 09:21

Gibbo said:
HI there

Well I hope he thought it was powerful after the wee demonstration.

So when are you visiting for your turn.

Very impressed, yeah

I'll drop down sometime.. either that or we can arrange a Stoke Motors Meet at McD's

Firestar_3x · 3 May 2007 at 09:37

Tax Evader said:
a Stoke Motors Meet at McD's

Shudders....

lordrobs · 3 May 2007 at 10:29

The_Dark_Side said:
agreed.
BMW sell on the back of performance, quality and reliability.
you can't just expect buyers to shrug their shoulders and say "ah, it's to be expected".

Exactly. Theres nothing worse for an owner of something than to be waiting for a component that is known to be weak to fail. Especially something with a price tag like the M5's

Lashout_UK · 3 May 2007 at 10:52

I suspect they're engineering down to a cost to suit the market - probably well aware that very few of the cars ever actually get driven to any kind of speed, or on a track.

However, they could have just cocked up the box design on this one.

The_Dark_Side · 3 May 2007 at 11:32

Lashout_UK said:
I suspect they're engineering down to a cost to suit the market - probably well aware that very few of the cars ever actually get driven to any kind of speed, or on a track.

have you forgotten were talking about an M car here?
the cars are extensively tested at the 'ring by the factory itself and anyway the only reason you buy an M car is to make the most of the power and handling.
speed doesn't break gearboxes...its power that causes them to fail or in this case an over-complicated system where it seems the customer has been left to do the final development.

Lashout_UK · 3 May 2007 at 11:45

have you forgotten were talking about an M car here?

Nope!

only reason you buy an M car is to make the most of the power and handling.

I'm sure quite a few do but I wonder what the majority is that just buy it to have it, or for the badge, not to rag seven shades of senslessness out of it around the ring