Metering cars at the dyno has been known to yield unexpected results sometimes. In a recent news, we reported on a BMW X3 M that suddenly proved much stronger than claimed. Today, we offer you a comparison between two identical E39 M5 with varying mileage under the belt.
The purpose of the test was to establish how years of use affected the drivetrain of each car. One of these has 78,000 miles (125,528 kilometers) on the odometer, while the other has a whopping 320,000 mi (514,990 km). Furthermore, the older M5 is reported to have traveled 409,000 miles (658,221 km) in total, but underwent engine replacement in 2003.
The 4.9-liter V8 both cars come with should be capable of delivering 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts) at the crankshaft. On the dyno, however, the older one showed 286 hp (213 kW), and the younger one failed even harder with 210 hp (157 kW). It should be pointed out, however, that both ran the test on factory settings with the MAF sensors on. After deactivating the sensors, the older M5 showed 296 hp (221 kW) and the younger 313 hp (233 kW).
To finish the experiment, the tuner upgraded the coupes to the latest custom Alpha-N firmware, raising their output to 331 hp (247 kW) and 351 hp (262 kW), respectively.