5
The Engine
After building 14273 BMW M5 of the E28
and E34 model BMW seriously wondered if it was possible to create an even
faster E39
M5. The straight six cylinder had been
stretched to the limit in the E34 M5 with 340 HP, first developed
for the old M1 in
the late seventies (1978). So if there
had to be a new M5 there should be a V8. Despite the V8's lack of competition
heritage -a cornerstone of the M philosophy-
BMW did indeed do a good job. The total development time for the new M5
was 22
months.
The radically revised 4,4 liter aluminum
V8 from BMW 540i, 740i and 840Ci is bored up to 4,9 liter. Double overhead
camshafts and four valves per cylinder
applied just as the regular V8. The stroke is increased from 82,7 mm to
89 mm. The
double VANOS system -as on the BMW M3
and 1999 540i- is also fitted to the M5 engine. The VANOS system which
infinitely
changes the valve timing of both exhaust
and inlet camshafts for a broader spread of torque cross a wider range
of revs.
The brain for this is BMW own MS S52 Motronic
system. It controls not only all engine functions, but also the electronic
accelerator pedal, the servo support of
the steering element, the oil circulation, the catalysts as well as the
position of
the cam shafts. The electronic accelerator
pedal became necessary, because by eight single butterfly valves of the
engine a
mechanical operation would be too difficult
to operate or too slow. Thus an electric motor takes over the function:
Full
power within 120 milliseconds!
Stroke: 89 mm
Bore: 94 mm
Compression: 11
Electronic drive-by-wire allows fitting
of individual butterfly throttles while oil circulation serves as a function
of
lateral forces. The sideways grip of the
M5 is an astonishing 1.2G which causes surge problems with a conventional
lubrication system. So therefore the M5
has developed Formula 1 technology for the road. In normal driving, the
semi-dry
system involves the oil that flows back
from the heads and crankshaft bearings being pumped at the rear of the
engine into
the oil sump by suction pumps. Under hard
lateral acceleration the pump's attraction turns to the outer sides of
the oil
sump and cylinder heads.
To cope with the engine power and allow
it to rev to 7000 rpm the engine has a forged crankshaft and connecting
rods,
pistons with different valve pockets in
their crowns.
"We chose 400 HP because it's exactly right
for today's drivers. The engine is capable
of much more. It's not exhausted yet,
beleive me."
Adolf Prommesberger, chief executive BMW
Motorsport GmbH.
Despite it's tremendous power it's very
driveable. The advanced electronics let it run down to 500 rpm in fourth
gear and
pull away. The level of energy between
4000 and 7000 rpm is close to a NASCAR racer, but with an overlay of refinement
that
perfectly shows the M5's double character.
The redline is 7000 rpm in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear and 6800 rpm in 5th
and
6500 rpm in 6th.
The Performance
A car doing the standing kilometre (1000
m) below 25 s is in supercar territory. The Ferrari F355 does it in 23.7
s. The
all new Porsche 911 (996) does it in 24.2
s. The new M5 does it in 24.1 s! This is serious performance!
The best overall test for a sports car
is the 20.7 km long Nordschleife of Nurburgring. The M5 does this
distance in 8.30
min. That is a time comparable to the
Porsche Carrera. And faster than BMW M3 3.2.
The official 0-100 km/h is 5.3 s and 0-60
mph in less than 5 s. This is remarkable for a car weighing more than 1700
kg, a
hefty 135 kg over the 540i. The top speed
of M5 is limited to 250 km/h but for some (hrrmmm....) reason the tyres
are rated
for speeds up to 300 km/h. The car hasn't
been tested over 250 km/h officially according to BMW (believe it if you
want
to). According to a reliable source the
top speed is 296 km/h and BMW M have designed their Motronic engine management
system in a way that the 250 km/h speed
limiter is easily removed by a tuner.
The Design an Chassis
The development director of the M GmbH
refers gladly to the philosophy of the house: "our statement is called
Understatement". He continues; "M5 customers
do not want to be noticed" So only few optical modifications are to be
detected on the new M5, and these are
technically justified. The large air intakes in the front supply the eight-cylinder
and the brakes with the necessary fresh
air. 18" wheels correspond to the relation road performances to weight,
and the
large quadruple exhaust ensures the remainders
of the considerable quantities of fuel that the M5 needs.
The drag coefficient of 0.31 Cd of the
ordinary 5 series is withheld despite the air damn in the nose thanks to
side
skirts, streamlined door mirrors and a
tiny rear spoiler. The little rear spoiler generates a down force of 45
kg in speeds
exceeding 240 km/h. The front spoiler
results in some 55 kg more down force compared to an ordinary 5-series.
The chassis is basically from the 540i.
It is lowered front about 15 mm, in the back around 10 mm compared to the
540i. The
M5 has strengthened feathers/springs and
absorbers. These are stored at the rear axle. Not in rubber, but
led in steel
ball stocks. The steering components are
all made of aluminium, which result is an accurate, go-cart similar handling.
Height: 1437 mm
Width (Front): 1515 mm
Width(Rear): 1527 mm
Wheelbase: 2830 mm
Length: 4784 mm
The M5 with compound brakes in front and
in the back, the casting disk by an aluminium pot is held. Improves heat
dissipation, thus better effect and durability
are the advantages of the complex construction.
Other design changes are wider chrome surrounds
for the twin kidneys. oval foglights in the front spoiler, xenon
headlights, quadruple exhaust pipes, chrome
finished 18 inch wheels and clear indicators all around the car. Also the
Shadowline package becomes standard for
the M5, which in BMW terms is replacing the chrome parts around the doors
with
black ones. The rear-view mirrors
are also new with a switch inside the cockpit allowing the driver to automatically
close
the side rear-view mirrors.
The Interior
Potential buyers can choose from two types
of interiors; the Sportiva or Exclusiv. Sportiva features titanium look
aluminium and Alcantara look suede or
Napa leather. The Exclusiv is soft leather and polished wood. The leather
is either
in one or two colours.
The instrument surrounds are of alloy,
and the needles of the dials are "M" distinctive red and the gear knob
is backlit. A
nice detail is the integrated coolant
temperature warning from 4000 rpm in 500 rpm segments, to advise whenever
the engine
is at the correct temperature.
The Servotronic steering provides two levels
of assistance. The difference is largest at sub highway speeds, up to 20%
BMW
claims.
Another feature of the M5 is the button
marked "Sport" on the dashboard. This is by default in "ON" mode, but switching
it
from "OFF" to "ON" changes the accelerator
to a more aggressive and impulsive mode. The steering becomes stiffer and
so
will the damping.
The electronic help sensors are ASC+T,
which prevents wheels from slipping even at highway speeds. The DSC (Dynamic
Stability Control) is similar to Mercedes
ESP which prevents the car from breaking out in a skid thanks to a gyro
and
couple of sensors. The DSC makes the M5
to always understeer. The DBC (Dynamic Brake Control) distributes the break
force
on each individual wheel to prevent skidding
when braking hard in corners. These functions are disabled at a touch of
a
button.
The interior also features a large screen for various functions. Extra options are TV and GPS navigation system.
The rear passenger room is totally different
than normal E39, depending on the exhaust system and the battery.
The Production
The M5 is manufactured at the factory in
Dingolfing at the normal production line. Past are the times when the car
was
completely built by hand in Garching (where
I visited this summer, see "visit at M" section). For those who want their
BMW
5 series built by hand you'll have to
go to Alpina and buy BMW Alpina B10 3,2 or B10 V8.
The Price
In US dollars the M5 WILL probably cost about $80,000
The exterior colors
Solid colors; Alpine white, Imola red and
black.
Metallic colors; Avus blue, Oxford green,
Royal red, Anthracite, Carbon black and Anthracite and Silverstone.
The interiour colors
Black, Silverstone, Le Mans blue, Imola
red, English green and Caramel.
The Facts and Equipment
Top speed (Limited)
250 km/h
Top speed (Unlimited)
Appr. 296 km/h
Weight (EU standards)
1795 kg
Cylinders(valves)
8(4)
Torque(@rpm)
500 Nm(3800 rpm)
Redline
7000 rpm
0-100 km/h
5,3 s
80-120 km/h IV gear
4,8 s
0-1000 m
24,1 s
Tank volume
70 liters
Fuel consumption(EU
standard/100 km)
13,9 litre
CO2 Emission
339 g/km
Weight Front / Rear
50,5% / 49,5%
Aerodynamic constant
Cw=0.31
Max payload
570 kg
Max roof payload
100 kg
Gear ratios 1-6 / R
4.227, 2.528, 1.669, 1.226,
1.000, 0.827 / 3.746
Tyre dimensions
Front
Rear
Manufacturer and make
245/40 ZR -18
275/35 ZR -18
Dunlop SP Sport 8080E
Driver and passenger
airbag
Alarm
ABS
ASC+T
DSC III
A limited-slip
differential
Side impact protection
system
Compound brakes
front and rear
Third brake light
Head airbag for
driver and passenger
Sideairbags for
driver and passenger
6 speed gearbox
Color coded mirrirs
and bumpers
Xenon lights
Headlight cleaning
system
Rear spoiler
White indicators
all round
M Mobility system
Crash sensor
Rainsensor
Metallic paint
Color coded bumpers
fromt and rear
Headlight wiper
an washers
Rainsensor
Warn if temperature
drops below +3 C
Bordcomputer
inkl. Check-Control with alphanumerical displays
Car/Key Memory
Power windows
front and rear
M-Lederlenkrad
with Multifunction and Airbag
M-sportseat electrically
controlled
Radio BMW Business
Velour floormats
Leather interiour
"Nappa Point"
Interiour decor
list "Titansilver"
Choose from four
paint finishes unique to the M5: imola red, carbon black metallic, silverstone
metallic and avus blue
metallic.
Aerodynamic BMW
M rearview mirrors that electronically fold back. The electrochromic glass
automatically darkens.
M Parallelspeichen-Styling
II in Chrom Shadow 18"
Optional equipment
Luggageroom in
Alcantara
Without rear
spoiler
Bordmonitor with
TV
6 disc CD changer
Chrome line exterior
Double glass
RDC, tyre pressyre
control
Load through
door in luggage compartement
HiFi system Proffesional
DSP
Extended leather
interiour Exclusive in Nappa Heritage
Fully leather
Sportive in Nappa Point, including inner roof in Alcantara and interiourlist
Titan
Fully leather
Exclusive in Nappa Nappa Heritage, including inner roof in Alcantara and
interiourlist in wood
Cellular phone
between front seats
Navigationsystem
with TV and bordmonitor
Park Distance
Control PDC for rear
Power glass sunroof
click
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