90 535i high speed test - good news

[F4Phantom]

Near my place there is a country road with a long straight and a steep hill at the end, perfect for washing of speed. So its kind of a local benchmark. I tested a subaru up there WRX STI 206kw, top speed of 170kph. Holden berlina 5.7L v8 220kw top speed 190kph. Just installed my new 02 sensor today (pig of a job) and the car was feeling much better so on the way home I went past this spot. 170kph!! I thought that was excellent given that the car has 155kw and weighs the same as the holden (1600kg). So even by modern standards I still think these cars hold their own.

[Michael999]

nice work.
Just dont crash :P

[wingman]

This is a great post! Speedo calibration aside it goes to show a lot of things:
1. The WRX has great 'point and shoot' power but no legs.
2. The Berlina 5.7 gets you there but basically it's an Executive with extra options, colour coded bumpers and a rough as guts big C.I. engine with no refinement.
3. BMW made cars 16 years ago that Holden/Subaru etc are still trying to emulate.

[Paul in NZ]

and given more room there is lots more.....

[F4Phantom]

I used to have a stock WRX which is also 155kw. They are very good under 100kph (I got it to 215kph once). I have noticed also that the BMW is not great off the line, spinning the wheels is very hard to do, whereas in a ford or holden even the early ones with less power, they can spin their wheels easily. This means they are what they advertise "designed for Australian conditions" meaning pokey off the line and good for our 100kph speed limits. At 170 today, my 535 was still accelerating strongly. From memory the WRX STI was slowing at this point. So we can see that the BMW will perform well under any condition, low speed or high. I noticed at this speed it was still in 3rd gear as I had sports mode selected and my foot was flat to the floor. Does 4th gear ever get used in sports mode?

[F4Phantom]

he lives near my place, I say he gives the strip a run and see if there is much difference.

[pundit]

he lives near my place, I say he gives the strip a run and see if there is much difference.
Yeah and F4Phantom is actually an undercover speed camera operator! :D

[CharlesAFerg]

Berlina 5.7???
wtfs taht?
lol

[genphreak]

No 4th never gets used in Sport.

We need lower ratio diffs I reckon.

Would reduce fuel consumption too. No point having a car designed to do 220 where you can only do 110!

:) Nick

[mzarifkar]

i know that my us version '95 525 (m50tu) is electronically limited at 123mph

[Alexlind123]

'90 535i will top out at 143mph

[nirvana19]

Berlina 5.7???
wtfs taht?
lol

a car

[angrypancake]

i know that my us version '95 525 (m50tu) is electronically limited at 123mph


whoa, really? I had my '93 525 up to speedo indicated 130, as well as the 89 535. was the electronic limit speed lowered in 1995 or something?

[F4Phantom]

The berlina has a 5.7L v8 with 220kw (there was an article years ago with the 5.7L v8 holden vs the 540, they concluded the bmw could do anything the holden could in performance & handling but with less effort). The engine is called an LS1. It is a chevrolet engine is big and powerful, but not powerful enough because holden then put in a 6.0L and now talking of a 7.0L for the next one. So basicly if your a useless engineer, dont think of intelligent ideas to make your engine more efficient for power gains, just bore out more CI's!!

[rob101]

So basicly if your a useless engineer, dont think of intelligent ideas to make your engine more efficient for power gains, just bore out more CI's!!
didn't mercedes and bmw just switch their v8s up in displacement? 4.5L to 5.0L in bmws case and the AMG engine is ditching the super and getting a bigger displacement engine. so i think this whole chevy is a dumbass argument on the basis of them going from 5.7 to 6.0 is not really based in reality.

[Ausmpower]

Near my place there is a country road with a long straight and a steep hill at the end, perfect for washing of speed. So its kind of a local benchmark. I tested a subaru up there WRX STI 206kw, top speed of 170kph. Holden berlina 5.7L v8 220kw top speed 190kph. Just installed my new 02 sensor today (pig of a job) and the car was feeling much better so on the way home I went past this spot. 170kph!! I thought that was excellent given that the car has 155kw and weighs the same as the holden (1600kg). So even by modern standards I still think these cars hold their own.


You forgot to point out that the Holden/ Chev 5.7 is speed limited to 190 kph unless it's running a complete aftermarket ECU.

That 5.7 would smoke you 0-190 hands down.

And that STI can't have been 'Wrung out", my old Rs Liberty would top out a 260 KPH with 14 psi of boost @6800 rpm in 4 th (I never peaked 5th gear). I have a photo to prove it.

Not a diss but keepin it real.... I love my 535, just did a 400 km round trip today averaging 165 kph, peaking at 240 for a couple of straight stretches.(out back country area).

[genphreak]

whoa, really? I had my '93 525 up to speedo indicated 130, as well as the 89 535. was the electronic limit speed lowered in 1995 or something?At 123 mph the speedo would probably read 130... that'd be the correct factory offset. Different size rims and tyres can screw it up even more.

[Ausmpower]

Yep your right, 240 kph indicate but my GPS said 232 kph... 8 kph variance.

[genphreak]

Yep your right, 240 kph indicate but my GPS said 232 kph... 8 kph variance.Definately time for an LS-1 swapover like that mad LS-1 powered E-21 shark monster.

The swap is not too hard even... should be able to get a good 25mph more.... very useful on a day to day basis I'd say. ROFL :D

[Ausmpower]

I have an x-german police M30 factory turbo supposedly good for 350 hp... It's complete with manifolds , rebuilt T04, extrernal waste gate and a reprogramed ecu..... my car being RHD means I'll need a custom exhaust manifold to fit the hair drier near where my standard air box is (and bye , bye washer bottle). If working on a stealth mront mount IC atm as I don't want to lose my air con!

[F4Phantom]

Just to clear up some of this, it is real stats. Obviously any "real world" stat is going to be fairly crappy as there is no specialised equipment but to give you guys just a little more info so you dont think I am making up crap just cause I think my car is better than sliced bread. Basicly the run begins on a curve, you can be doing up to 80kph in the curve and so you can have a stopped dead start or an advantaged rolling start. I personally drove the WRX STI and although its a fair bit quicker than my old wrx I still have an idea of how to make it go. The STI was slowing at around 160 in acceleration. From memory my wrx took a long time to do anything over 160 and to get to 215 took ages. I think the 535 probably has an advantage here as although sluggish off the line, accelerates at a similar pace all the way. As for the LS1, of course it faster than the 535, it was 20kph faster at the same spot!! thats a lot at that speed. I will say the brakes in the BMW were much better than the holden even though the holden in this case had factory SS brakes.

As for BMW vs holden in making larger and larger displacement engines, in the end if consumers demand more KW, they will get it and if your engine is very advanced and cant be made better you would need more CI. Holden usually keep the push rods and increase CI as its the easy way for power gains. This is why you have a situation where the decade old 540 is a 4.0L with 210kw and the only just superceded 5.7L is 220kw. Its almost 2litres bigger. BMW will make effort to get power from refining their engines before enlargening them. Another situation shows this is the upgrade from the 3.4L 6 to a 3.0L 8 with 5 more KW. BMW are concerned with maximising engine size to KW ratio. Holdens KW to engine size ratio aint too good BUT they "could" (I dont know) be more reliable and need less maintenance so bogans can drive around the block more often with less oil changes.

[rob101]

and yet a gen III is probably lighter than an M60
so..... it begs the question who gives a stuff? this techno snobbery is a bit ridiculous.
look at me i've got more technology
engine breaks
guy with simplier but more highly developed engine wins race. its why some people like M30s more than m60s.

not to mention that the m70 v12 has less displacement than a gen III
but lets think about it, its heavier and bigger than a gen III so which is better i ask you? last time i looked more mass = slower car.

ps i did 300 the other day with the help of one of these :p http://www.bcelders.com/Raffle/Prize%2045%20Crooked%20Paddle%20by%20Johnathan%20R ice.jpg