Will 2002 x5 4.6 front caliper and rotor fit a 3.0?

x5glenn · #1 04-07-2013, 02:36 PM

I have a 2002 X5 3.0. Will calipers and rotors for a 4.6 X5 fit? Are the brackets the same size for bolting to the 3.0? I have 22" wheels so I should have enough space for the larger rotor. Also will the 3.0 hydraulics be ok for the larger caliper? Thanks.

X5SND · #2 04-07-2013, 10:07 PM

Search is your friend

....

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...em-brakes.html

x5glenn · #3 04-07-2013, 11:02 PM

I really can't figure it out but I can tell you I ordered rotors online and got the 4.6 ones by mistake so a already have the rotors, however I have uneven pad wear and feel that the original calipers are due for service and was thinking I could keep the 4.6 rotors and swap out my 3.0 calipers for the bigger 4.6 calipers and get a nice upgrade. I was hoping it is a perfect fit bolt on upgrade that I can do myself. I also wonder if i should go with the double piston 4.6 caliper or I think there is also a single piston one as well.. I really need good advise. Thanks!

racingbmwm3 · #4 04-15-2013, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by x5glenn

I really can't figure it out but I can tell you I ordered rotors online and got the 4.6 ones by mistake so a already have the rotors, however I have uneven pad wear and feel that the original calipers are due for service and was thinking I could keep the 4.6 rotors and swap out my 3.0 calipers for the bigger 4.6 calipers and get a nice upgrade. I was hoping it is a perfect fit bolt on upgrade that I can do myself. I also wonder if i should go with the double piston 4.6 caliper or I think there is also a single piston one as well.. I really need good advise. Thanks!

You can't possibly be using 4.6 rotors with 3.0 calipers as the front rotors are too big (diameter) for the calipers/carrier in the front. It might be possible for the rear rotors to work on your car as they are only thicker, but that would definitely cause uneven wear.

Look at the post above for the upgrade. You just need the caliper carriers, calipers, and rotors.
I'm assuming this is just for looks as you won't notice any performance differences unless you start driving on the track at which point the pad material and brake fluid make more difference than the size of the disc and calipers.

x5glenn · #5 04-15-2013, 01:47 PM

I bought the rotors off a online site so I have rotors for a 4.6. I got them by mistake since I thought I was buying the 3.0 rotors. Now that I have them though I was wondering if I can just buy the 4.6 caliper with carrier and bolt them right on to a 3.0. My calipers are over 10 years old so I need new ones anyways.

I can't return the rotors so I thought I maybe should just upgrade to 4.6 calipers / rotors and get a little braking upgrade. If they will fit that is. Just need to know if the 4.6 and 3.0 have the same bolt pattern for the carrier installation.

Thanks

racingbmwm3 · #6 04-15-2013, 02:16 PM

Yes, 4.6 carriers/calipers/rotors will bolt onto your car, as the steering knuckle (hub carrier) is the same for every model.
As for needing new calipers because they are 10 years old? I've owned many BMW's, my oldest was 25 years old when I sold it and had 370,000 miles and I never had to replace any brake parts other than the pads and rotors. As long as you do your brake flushes every 2 years the calipers should last the life of the car.

X5SND · #7 04-07-2013, 11:14 PM

In addition to the larger rotors, it looks like you would also have to replace the carrier and calipers as well (in addition to 4.6 pads). The 3.0 isn't exactly what one would call a powerhouse.....and as such doesn't require the lager brakes of the more powerful models. My advice would be to keep the 3.0 set up and invest in some quality pads instead.

racingbmwm3 · #8 04-15-2013, 03:39 PM

are you cleaning the carrier also? I use a wire brush and clean the area where the pads contact the carrier as lots of buildup can accrue there and that may account for some of the wear also. Hopefully just cleaning fixes the issue.
If the difference was only a couple of mm's between the sides I wouldn't worry about it, but a 50% difference is a sign of something wrong. Does it pull to one side while braking?

x5glenn · #9 04-15-2013, 04:13 PM

It does not pull to one side when braking so I am guessing the pads on that side were dragging. I clean and lube the carrier where the pad ends touch. When I coast the car in neutral it doesn't seem to slow down by itself either. However I did that after the pad change so they might have been some dragging due to the dirty guide bolts. One of the caps fell off the boot and the lower guide bolt got pretty dirty as I has a cv boot on that side split sending grease everywhere. Hoping cleaning the guide bolt and changing the boots solved my uneven pad wear issue. We'll see. You can see I'm having some issues lol. To top it off the rotors I ordered came in as the bigger 4.6 so I had to keep the old ones for a bit longer. Not all the bad though. New pads and no squeaking brakes. It is my third pad change with these rotors as well. I usually change them out every third pad change because I hate the squeal. I paint brush the back of the pads really well with moly anti seize and that helps greatly. But if I do have a caliper problem and I already have the rotors you can see why I'm asking if they will fit. Really not that much more money and bigger brakes. Why not right?

epdarks · #10 04-15-2013, 03:57 PM

I have stock 4.6 calipers front and rear if you are interested.