BMW X5 4.6is Big Brake Brembo Upgrade
 

So last night I began my installation of my Big Brake Brembo Upgrade. I will provide all the part number so that anyone who wants to venture down this path may do so. Long story short :It works well

UPDATED WITH PART NUMBERS

Parts:
BMW E70 X5M Calipers Part No. 34116789341/34116789342
BMW F85 X5M rotors (395 X36mm) Part No. 34112284901/34112284902
BMW E70 X5M OE Pads Part No. 3411679964
BMW E70 X5M Cailper mounting bolts (4) Part No. 34116778234
BMW F85 X5 M rotor set screw, rotor to hub (2) Part No. 34111123072
BMW E70 X5M Front Brake Pad Sensor (1) Part No. 34356792568
Spacer of your choice (minimum of 3mm)
G2 Caliper Paint: Monte Carlo Blue BMW B05

Notes: You may use E70 X5M rotors and rotor set screw in lieu of F85 parts listed above. The rotors are exactly the same dimension; however I preferred to have the cross drilled version of the rotors to match my rear rotors so I went with the F85 rotors instead. Its a personal choice.

I chose to go with a set of Carbotech 1521 pads for the brake upgrade because they are awesome from the ones I installed on my E39 M5 ( No noise, barely any dust generation and most of all strong bite). Once again another personal choice.

I chose to replace my brake lines with a set of stainless steel braided ones from ECS tuning because their fitment/connection is OE type so very easy to install.

Spacers: This front kit will require 3mm of clearance with factory 20 inch wheels. This should not be a problem for many of us X5ers because most of us already run spacers on our X5. My 4.6is has H&R 20mm spacers up front and 30mm spacers out back.

Minor trimming of brake rotor dust shield (See last image of material removed). Its just a strip from the dust shield 1/4 inch wide by 2 inches long.

Weights:
4.6is/4.8is OE rotor: 26lbs
4.6is/4.8is OE Caliper w/mounting bracket: 20.6lbs.
Bridgestone OE RFT F/R: 41lbs./47lbs.

F85 X5M OE Rotor: 37.4lbs.
E70 X5M OE Caliper: 20.2lbs.
Vredestein Utrac Vortis Front/Rear: 30lbs./35lbs.

[IMG]http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/...O%20INSTAL.jpg[/IMG]

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:thumbup: I've been waiting for this Jay...

Yes I know. Thanks for your patience Joseph. I will be painting my rear calipers this evening, OE refresh of the calipers, so that I can install them on Saturday to finish the job.

Looks great, where did you find the calipers? EBay? Can you feel a difference from the old calipers?

Awesome look and work.
Is the //M sticker upside down on the caliper?

Fantastic Jay!

From the E70 X5M the orientation seems correct.

Seem like it could be either way for the sticker orientation. Carry on Jay.

Yes I have seen sets on Ebay that one can purchase. I came across an X5M 2012 that was totaled and purchased the calipers off of the vehicle. The calipers were black up until I think 2013 and then they changed to the Monte Carlo blue. So I prepped the black ones that I had and spray painted them with Monte Carlo Blue via the G2 paint system for what you see installed on the X5.

Wow straight bolt on to the hub? Crazy...

....In for more info :O

:hawt:

Here is the finished installation. spray painted the rear calipers with G2 to match the front brembos and installed the rear stainless steel brake hoses. Took her for a drive bedded the new pads in and what an awesome feeling brake system. Definitely has better braking than my original system. Worthy upgrade given i needed to do a brake overhaul.

[IMG]http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/...S/IMG_1414.jpg[/IMG]


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Here is the finished front installation. Spray painted the rear calipers with G2 to match the front brembos and installed the rear stainless steel brake hoses. Took her for a drive, bedded the new pads in and what an awesome feeling brake system. Definitely has better braking than my original system. Worthy upgrade given i needed to do a brake overhaul.

[IMG]http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/...S/IMG_1414.jpg[/IMG]


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[IMG]http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/...S/IMG_1416.jpg[/IMG]

Updated the first original post with part numbers. See accordingly.

Great setup Jay!

Thank you Jon. Yeah I am liking this setup. I've walked around the vehicle in the garage today four times since I finished this morning just admiring the change.

Coming from a 3.0 brake setup, it's like adding 20lbs per corner of unsprung weight. Then add 20s? This motor is gonna need some help just getting the truck up to speed lol

Yeah I could definitely see that coming from the 3.0 X5 world. In my case I actually shave off some weight since I switched from the Runflats to conventional tires so its a good upgrade for my type of X5.

I'd be surprised if the calipers/rotors weren't lighter than the 4.8is calipers. Those things are hogs. Not sure if the 4.6is were larger or the same from 4.4/3.0?

the 4.6 and 4.8 share the same pads and I believe calipers. Big Hogs is right. They weigh a ton.

Yes they do but they provide great stopping power.

Yes they do their job correctly and without fail or fade.

Jay likes big brakes!

I'm already sourcing the parts for the upgrade to my 4.6.

... And he can not lie! :D

The most expensive part of the upgrade is the rotors because you have to get the BMW ones (395mm). There is a less expensive route using the Range Rover 6 piston calipers but requires slight modifications. It uses a 380mm rotor but you have way more vendor choices and considerably less than the BMW rotors. I've got a set of the 6 piston Range Rover Brembos and new 380mm rotors that I will be offering up for sale for someon that wants to pursu this route.

hey x53 Jay, what kinda mods do you have to do the Range Rover brakes to make them fit?

sub'd for more info......on the rovers.

4.6iS calipers are larger than the 4.4/3.0. The 4.6iS and the 4.8iS are the same brake setup.

What about the rear brakes?

Does the M Disc and calipers fit or what kind of setup do you want to drive at the rear?

I'm also interested in the needed mods for the 6-piston RR brake

Yes that is true

The range rover 6 piston brembo requires the the mounting insert to be removed from the caliper and then place a blank one in its place. Once in place you drill the blank insert to the dimensions of the BMW X5 caliper hub mount. Use a set of caliper bolts 12mm longer than the original and then mount up. I a cannot take credit for the using the rover calipers that credit goes to another board member" ilias051266" He did this upgrade first.

Man that sound simple. The calipers are cheaper than the BMW one also the rotors. That seems to be the way to go do me.

I have a phase II for the rears that I have not completed assembling yet. So for now I am just running the rear OEM set up. The problem you encounter with the rears is that the hub of the rotor is uniquely tall and precludes you from picking one of the other BMW rotors.

Yes the Rover application is far less expensive and affords you other choices of rotors that are more budget friendly. I just happened to stumble across the BMW M calipers that made this an easy upgrade. The unfortunate thing is the 390mm BMW rotors are costly and was by far the most expensive component/s for the upgrade. If I did not have the BMW X5M calipers I would definitely have done the Rover upgrade. This was the path that I was on.

Doesn´t the F10 M5 Rotor fit?

They are avaible on the aftermarket and the only difference I could find is that they are 5mm taller.

And there is difference of 1,2mm in the deep, but you could manage this with spacers.

Back to the RR Brake: Which inserts do I need? Is this a helicoil?

I´m really thinking about that upgrade to, but the BMW rotors are really expensive... :(

The only this is the Range Rover rotors is that they aren't a 2 piece design. That's what makes them so cheap.

Yes after you re drill the new aluminum inserts for the rover calipers then you can install steel helicoils of your choice. Then bolt up to the X5 mounting hub and your done.

True the Range Rove rotor is one piece which makes them much more affordable over the BMW rotors. The Range Rover rotor is a direct fit including hub bore.

F10 M5 rotor is 400mm diamter so if you use the BMW X5M caliper i don't think its going to clear or bolt up properly to the X5 caliper mounting points. I believe you will encounter interference.

Would love to see phase II of the rear!! Can you also confirm the front X5M calipers are direct bolt on after dust shield trimming? Thanks Jay!

Please refer to the very first post of this thread. I took the time to outline the parts and part numbers need to make the upgrade.:thumbup:

I see that, I appreciate you including that information. I was refering to whether or not the carrier requires any type of alignment modifications, or if it is truly straight bolt on once the accompanied parts (rotors, etc) are installed. Thanks!

I was also waiting for confirmation the 4.8is caliper bracket is re-used with the x5m calipers as I did not see new caliper brackets among the list of parts required.

Sorry If I was not clear about this but there is no caliper bracket used when retrofitting the 4 Piston E70 X5M X6M Brembo caliper. It bolts up directly to the caliper mounting holes on the knuckle. Its even less parts/components then a traditional caliper and mounting bracket.

Ahhhh... nice. Even more weight savings. Thanks for the clarification Jay. :thumbup:

Great Job Jay. Beast Brakes for the SAV Beast!

Thank you, appreciate the information as always :thumbup:

Do I have to drill them centric or excentric?

Beuasenif it‘s centric I could just bore a bigger bore and do not need new inserts

Looking at a retrofit upgrade like this on my 01 X5 4.4 all stock. Thank you for all the part numbers and info, would I still need the spacers you think?

Also your parts list looks like just fronts, yes? What do you suggest for rears?

I'm going to do this mod soon, but one thing that I'm not 100% sure of is the brake line. OP said he replaced the brake lines for new braided ones, but did not include info about which model.

Can I use the stock E53 brake lines or do I need the E70 X5M brake lines?

Now there is a million dollar question.. I bought SS standard lines for the E53, so I hope they work. I have everything to do the job but the rotors yet. I worked it out with R1 to get the mismatched set for fronts and rears, they just need to be ordered.

I was able to get a KILLER deal on new wheels, 20s off of an X3M, so wheels and tires have been changed from the original 18s.

I think they will work as Jay did not list them in his partslist, but I want to be sure. :-)

I found a complete set of calipers, rotors and pads for 600 EUR in Germany. Cheap I think. I will paint them to match the rear calipers. Can't wait!! :D

I believe Jay was talking about aftermarket lines that go from the caliper to the existing brake line. From picture it is the red line you can see. They are a good add even if not doing anything to your brakes.

I hate to beat a dead horse but I'm thinking of adding bigger front calipers to my 4.6is and found this informative thread. Will the RANGE ROVER SPORT (2006-2009) Brembo calipers fit and is this a worthwhile upgrade? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

They will not, without major modification that would make them not worth it. There is a reason OP took a different route... i will leave it at that.

E70-F15/85 are bolt on for front calipers to E53 last i recall. There are plenty of options that will actually bolt on.

Here's another tangential question, if replacing the fronts with 6pots brakes, would it be advisable and possible to move the front rotors and calipers to the rear?

Calipers? Dunno... Rotors... Nope. The rears include the central drum for the parking brake...