Hello all, after reading from the latest dated page here on this great forum all the way through to page 101, I have learned alot and now able to chime in and hopefully get a warm reception. In Houston, and lucked up after much deliberating between a Cayenne S, X5 4.4, FX45 and RR HSE, I knew the Cayenne S was for me. Though nice in their own right, the others really had little real chance but I still considered them anyway to get a warm fuzzy on the selection...just sooo many X5's and FX's in Houston which I think is the SUV capital of the world..

Great, no excellent deal after much searching as far as to San Antonio to find the right Cayenne S to fit my (used) budget and lucked up with a dealer in West Houston who had S that I had to have. In fact, I think it was THE best S within 300 mile rad. I think, listed anyway. The previous owner (deserves a hug) took well care of it as it was in stellar condition compared to a few other models I test drove. Of course with dealer detailing, new tires, ect.. it look even better. No, not CPO but it still has a bit more life in the warranty before I go naked (learning the terminolgy still). 44K on it when I drove it home. Many options but no PASM or pano roof but just about everything else is there. Getting used to the fact that it LOVES gas...but hey, what SUV doesnt (except RX400h ). Coulnd't be happier and I'll end my fervor and rambling with I owe it to you guys here on the forum being really helpful in my buying decision.

I will enjoy it stock for a bit, but I will be getting a few mods (with the help of the search button) and see what's available for the S to get it close to GTS-like performance... Thanks all!

 

Welcome! looks great 1st mod rims. OEM or quality made, avoid eBay 750.00 for set of 4, never get the wheels to balance.

 

Congrats, nice vehicle! Now, onto those rims!

 

Congratulations! I myself just bought a Cayenne, not an S but a Turbo. It is still in NoCal and would go on a 2-week ship ride to my area, so I should be posting about it in 3 weeks. Among your choices, I believe you picked the right one. And I would also agree the first mod should be the wheels. I was also set on getting an S that look exactly like yours (except for the wheels) but decided I could shell out the extra $$$ for a fully-loaded Turbo. Congrats again and we should be seeing each other more often here.

 

just check my 'my pepa' link in my sig. my 05 s started just like your!

 

Hey thanks guys for the warm welcome. Ya know, when looking at the vehicle on the lot mixed in with some turbos and GTS, I was thinking if only I could have the wheels they have! Really, as I hear that ride suffers, though it's not a Lexus ride anyway w/o air suspension, I was thinking that anything over 19" would make the ride harsh around town. Is that the experience of anyone here?

2muchtime, I did see the long list of items on Ebay incl. some 'GTS' wheels for only about $1800 for a complete set! Has to be a catch. I'm leaning towards Sport Techno's..more my style, don't really like anything too shiny. Clear side markers and Sprint Booster I see are really great relatively cheap mods that can make an immediate impact visually and performance wise.

I've notice people are trying to race me now...was it like that for you guys and your first experiences?

 

Welcome to the club and congratulations!

 

Hey thanks atlshaver..glad to be here.

Rox, saw your thread and I often revisit it to get a handle on some of the possibilities for us CS owners. Love the front end and would like to have something like that for mine as I feel stock it's a bit 'naked' if you will... Do you think you have reached the top end of the HP range for your CS? What would be the threshold somewhere around 410-15HP? Still learning..

 

Congrats on your Cayenne. I bought an '05 S two years ago with 49K, but it was in superb condition. I've put 30K miles on it since and every mile has been wonderful! Enjoy!!

 

The only thing left to do for me is the ECU tune but its only another 10HP at best for $1K - not worth it for me. On paper I am in the low 400's based on upgrades. I do not believe you can get a CS higher than 420 without some serious bottled magic (read - NOS). I can tell you that there is no comparison between now and when it was new. It's LOUD, peppy, does not feel to heavy on launch and handles amazing. Its also a people magnet and I am approached a few times a week from all ages wanting to no more about it. I have a handful of additional mods to make and then may go for some custom interior. Not sure I could ever build this truck again as I don't have the patience to hunt down every last little bolt.

Enjoy yours, just be careful of the car shows as you will def want to start ripping stock parts off.

 

Congrats and Welcome. Nice looking Cayenne S.




Do you have direct personal experience with these or just speculation?


I bought a "cheap" set of wheels year ago for an Audi. (fliks if anyone is familiar with them). EVERYONE on the Audi forums claimed the same type of thing, yet few had direct experience.

They turned out to be the most durable and relaible wheel I ever had for the car. Used them for about 100K miles with zero issues in finish or balancing. Still have a set of them on our A6 Avant with zero issues.

I see more people with $5,000 wheels having issues than those with $750-$1,000 wheels.

Just my experience with them. $0.02

 

Yes, I bought cheap off eBay, could not road balance, raised with company. They claimed they never had anproblem went know where. So I resold and
warned blasted seller and sold for 2/3 cost. Get what you pay for. There are a lot of OEM people want to upgrade that are nice for good price. Go OEM or creditable company. Cost me two months of he'll!

 

Your Turbo 18" wheels are fine. The best looking set are the 20" Techno wheels. I saw somewhere that someone was offering them new for less than half retail. Ernie's Porsche Alloys in Florida has the best OEM deals and he & his wife treated me well. Tell him Dr. Kent sent you. He's willing to deal and knows his stuff.

 

Interesting. I used to balance tires and technically you could balance a cinder block. We balance 37" mud tires on bead lock wheels all the time for our crawler, often times with chunks of rubber missing.

The only real issues you should see whith bad wheels is easy bending/cracking or finish not lasting.

 

I have a set of the e-bay wheels myself... GTS style 20", that have been great for over a year. No balancing issues at all and they have held up well. FYI