Upgrades: differentials and limited slip lockers!

[Sarek]

I believe the gearing in the manual transmission was to keep the tow rating. 1st gear is low for bmw standards but is not a granny gear in my opinion. Also having none or barely any overdrive helps prevent clutch problems with towing on the highway. Just a theory

I am very interested in how you modified the front diff? Or did you replace it with another unit.

[sedc]

Originally Posted by Sarek

I believe the gearing in the manual transmission was to keep the tow rating. 1st gear is low for bmw standards but is not a granny gear in my opinion. Also having none or barely any overdrive helps prevent clutch problems with towing on the highway. Just a theory

I am very interested in how you modified the front diff? Or did you replace it with another unit.

Yes, I think the 4.10s on the manual trans cars was to keep tow rating as well

Unfortunately I have not towed a heavy trailer with the E53 (3.0i, 5MT) since this conversion was completed back in 2012. With the 4.10s I pulled a 5-6000 lb trailer 1500 miles and thought that the gearing could go taller without much issue


The front diff is a stock 3.64 from an early 4.4i X5. I took a small case limited slip unit from an E36 318i and sent it to Jim Blanton. He machined some stuff to get the LS unit to fit in the stock front housing. The externals are all the same (there is a picture of the original 4.10 and the new 3.64 LS on my FB page, no external difference)

I had to machine the front axles to work with the limited slip's earlier style axle retention circlips.

This was a really frustrating issue and for weeks of trail and error the axles would occasionally pop out (on the highway....late at night) and the truck would lose all forward motion.

I got good at pulling the wheels on the side of the road, getting under the truck and popping the axles back into the diff.

Luckily I am next door to a machine shop so we fixed that and it's been going good for almost two years and ~30k miles now

[Sarek]

Wow sedc. Sounds like something I would try. I have been trying to make a set of range rover l322 axles (telescoping style) work with my front diff in my x5. So far to no avail. The left axle doesn't look to be a big problem. Its the right one that I cant figure out. The range rover splined shafts are both thicker with a larger spline. I was going to have the splined shafts machined to the size of the x5 and then re-splined. The problem I then ran into is that the passenger side shaft that goes thru the pan is shorter on the range rover! The x5 is thinner but longer by about an inch. I have done reasearch and it doesn't look like there is a good way to lengthen the shaft of the right rover axle . BTW, if you havent seen the rover front cv axle its pretty impressive. It has the same style inner and outer cv joints (no slider unit on the inner). They are both fixed high angle cv's. The way they get the shaft to extend is by making it telescope using a 2 piece shaft that is splined with bearings. Perfect for my application. Very frustrating when you find a solution to a problem and then have this type of setback. I am sure you can relate.

[pnoyako85]

Wow thats A good Thread...

question
can you put a 2006 4.4i diff into a 2000-2003 x5 3.0?

[sedc]

Originally Posted by pnoyako85

Wow thats A good Thread...

question
can you put a 2006 4.4i diff into a 2000-2003 x5 3.0?

Thanks! Yes, '06 E53 4.4i diffs will bolt into E53 X5 3.0i

Originally Posted by Sarek

The problem I then ran into is that the passenger side shaft that goes thru the pan is shorter on the range rover! The x5 is thinner but longer by about an inch. I have done reasearch and it doesn't look like there is a good way to lengthen the shaft of the right rover axle . BTW, if you havent seen the rover front cv axle its pretty impressive. It has the same style inner and outer cv joints (no slider unit on the inner). They are both fixed high angle cv's. The way they get the shaft to extend is by making it telescope using a 2 piece shaft that is splined with bearings.

I haven't seen them. Simple machining on the stock X5 axles is doable but they are so hard that I can't imagine cutting the splines. Wish there was an easy solution for lifting an X5, like body lifts. I wonder if there is some way to source longer axle shafts and retain everything else to the CVs on both sides....That would solve the oil pan issue

[Sarek]

Its not really for lifting as much as they are much stronger and can run at a more aggessive angle. I found a place that can machine and spline them. Just cant lengthen the one. My next step is to see if I can get someone to reproduce that shaft