Hi Guys

I've got a 3.0i petrol X5. 2001/E53 

Has anyone out there had their 3.0 petrol engine tuned? I'm seeing an 18hp increase in power, but not sure what that means in actual performance? (I've looked into buying a 4.8 for more power, but this car is a good one, so I'm keeping:) 

Basically, is tuning my engine worth the money?

Thanks in advance

Rich

In my experience ECU tuning on a normally aspirated engine never shows big increases and in real world driving difficult to feel. Forced induction Turbo or supercharging is a very different matter.

Moving to a 4.8 will give the extra power but may also potentially bring other issue's. So on the "better the devil" theme if your 3.0 is a good one stick with it would be my advice

Good advice, thanks. It is a good car.

Might get a stainless steel exhaust later this year. If it sounds better, it will probably feel quicker, lol. 

Rich