Upgrades: differentials and limited slips!
 

Had a '03 3.0i 5 speed manual for about a year now.

The gearing is awful from the factory!

4.10, waaay too short for comfortable highway cruising and 1st is mostly useless!

So what to do?

Time to swap in better ratios and add a limited slip!

What gearing to use? 3.64 is ideal and available from the factory in 4.4i cars! You could go to 3.46, we did this on an '01 5 speed, but it's a little too tall! You also have to custom build the differentials because there is no factory option for 3.46 X5 medium case!

Why add a limited slip? Because I avoid DSC, much better to have a seamless mechanical torque transfer when there's wheel slip, one that doesn't involve having the engine cut out involuntarily!!!

IN this case, we decided to just add a LS unit to the front differential, because, as we discovered with the '01, having front and rear lockers can cause massive understeer!


Process:

- Sourcing parts: I started working on this 10 months ago, bought a 3.64 rear and a 3.64 front from wrecked early E53 4.4i vehicles. I also bought a small case late limited slip (in this instance a 3.46 from a '93 318) for the front differential.

- I didn't do anything with the rear diff, just verified good bearings and installed new output seals, then installed it. Easy.

- Front diff I shipped to Jim Blanton. He built/machined the small LS to fit the front case!

- Got it back 4 months ago and went to install it, here's the old diff and the 3.64 LS:

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/...5/9d7a2255.jpg


- I've discovered that you don't have to drop the subframe to remove the front diff on a 3.0i! TIS is wrong. It can be squeezed in and out past the subframe!

- Once in, the front axles kept popping out. On the highway in the middle of the night. Very inconvenient!!

- also in this pic you can see the spacers I've added to the front drive shaft to help give it better contact with the transfer case splines. highly recommend doing this kind of upgrade on ANY E53 X5 to help preserve the transfer case!!

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/...5/ed0932bb.jpg

- The source of the problem was that we machined the front axles to accept circlips fitted in the differential, as is the convention for the early style LS unit. However, it does not produce enough tension to hold the axles in place!

- Long story short, had to pull the front diff 5-10 times and machine various parts to work the way it would have been done from the factory (and as was done on that first one we did), where the clip is on the axle itself!

End result:

The X5 is finally back on the road. There is a small gas mileage improvement! But the real benefits....The 3.64 gearing makes highway cruising much more pleasant! First gear is much more usable! I haven't been able to put a verdict on the LS front because it hasn't snowed yet!

All in all, worth it!


Some more pics from the job:

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/...5/e613aec9.jpg

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/...5/52d65fdb.jpg

Cool. Thanks for sharing. Wondering if you are seeing a change in MPG?

Cool project! What did you use for spacers on the front drive shaft and where did you get them?

awesome project but way too much time, money, and machining custom work to make it worthwhile for me.

I'll always love the fact that I have a manual X5 though, even if the gearing isnt perfect

Great ,
I had the idea for the driveshaft spacer a while back and intend to fit one sometime .
Any pics and specs you have would be a great help to the forum .

This job is cheap if you don't add limited slips! You can sell your old 4.10 units for basically what you paid for the 3.64s!


The front drive shaft spacers are small enough to allow the use of the factory giubo hardware, and keep the factory driveshaft locator in place.

I believe they are something like cylinder head bolt washers. I have tons of hardware from years of working on BMWs, I just went through and found something that works.

If anyone wants to try a set, I have plenty of them available for not much money, just send me a PM.

Any little bit of extra spline contact helps! Make sure to pull the front drive shaft and lube the splines up nice and good, too!


it improved slightly, 21mpg mixed driving versus, I believe, high 19s. This is a stock vehicle running regular gas.

Dude, you sir are my hero! :thumbup:

I have been looking into doing the differential swap for some time now. I have been putting it off thinking that I would have to remove the front sub-frame and support the front drive train from above. Great to know that I can squeeze the front pumpkin through!

Even cooler that you made the front diff an LSD. I'm interested to see how it performs when you push it. Do you have the sport package on your '03? My '01 5 speed had it and my current '04 6 speed does not. Night and day on handling.

As far as gear ratio's, I totally get it. The gear ratios are nearly the same on the '04-'06 6 speed with mild overdrive in 6th. Improvement? Yes defiantly. Could there be more improvement? I think so. Highway cruising is much better as well as fuel economy. 1st is still crazy, and I think it is prematurely wearing the syncros in 1st and 2nd on our cars. I don't know why BMW choose those gears. Towing capabilities? Weight to peak torque issues? Maybe they didn't want to create a large disparity in fuel economy numbers as to hurt sales of the larger heavier V8's or compete with the e53 diesels in Europe? Just throwing some ideas out there. Don't really know.

Can you still do soft 2nd starts? Anyways, awesome work! I'll let you know how mine turns out.

im impressed, and thanks for the pics, all info about these cars is greatly appreciated.

i think the super low first year is to get the bulk up and moving quickly, my upgrade 3.0d
sport is the same, it takes off well in first then falls into a huge hole changing to second
(auto) then all is good, it almost needs another gear between first and second

It does not have the sport pack, I have not particularly noticed a difference in handling between it and the sport pack X5s I've driven. Perhaps your non-sport X has a worn suspension..


I know for certain that changing the gears has lessened towing capability. I do not know by how much. But I pulled a 5-6000 # trailer for about 2k miles earlier this year and 1st with the 4.10s made it possible to start off on steep hills and rough terrain. However, the tradeoff for lower RPMs at highway speeds is worth it to me.

It's still going to be sluggish. The M54 needs another 100hp to comfortably move the truck. I'm thinking about a supercharger or turbo. S54 is also a possibility as those come down in price.

2nd gear soft starts are still possible with the 3.64s.

The cost of that would be much, much higher than selling your 6 cyl and buying a V8. And with forced induction, you'd probably lose any gas mileage advantage you had with the 6. In the used market there's very little price difference between the 6cyl and V8 cars now, especially with the early editions. I guess $4.30 premium gas has helped that. The V8 cars have very decent acceleration, tow quite well, and cruise effortlessly at highway speeds. I get 20 mpg on the highway at 80 with my V8, which is not too bad. Around town mileage sucks, but it's nice to have the power.

But great write up on the diff swaps.

Just checked the specs on my wife's '04 e83 x3 6-speed manual. 3.64 final drives are used. Interesting. The ratios in the gear box are massaged as well. That would account for her X having a more "friendly" car-like driving attributes when it came to shifting. Her X also weighs about 500 lbs lighter at just over 4000 lbs. 1st gear is better and easier to live with, but still some what tall. Not sure how many e83 owners tow but it does have that option.

My guess, BMW is addressing the M54's lack of low end torque and 'rev' happy nature to move the weight around. Once you get 'er moving, the I6 power delivery is silky smooth with more urgency as the revs build. That is truly when the m54 is in its element and accounts for, at least in my mind, why they choose the gearing.

Sedc, I love the idea of an S54 powered e53. I know its been done, but I don't know much about it. The S54 would defiantly be a screamer, and would naturally have to be, to tap into its upper power reserves where that engine just thrives. If you go that far, you might tune it for a little more torque delivery down low. My guess is that you wouldn't give up anything that the M54 offered. Good Luck which ever direction you take, S/C'ed or whatever. Keep me posted. :thumbup:

It's a lot of work. We did an S54 into an E39 wagon, many many headaches.



Sure, but three reasons why this isn't an option for me: 1) I haven't yet driven a V8 BMW, of any variety, that felt balanced, 2) I spent a couple years wrenching BMWs professionally, and I know V8 E53s are less reliable than I6s, and most importantly, 3) No manual trans for V8 E53, and no easy remedy for swapping one.

Hi!

Since there are Quaife and Drexler LSDs for E53, it seems to be much easier way to get the axles locked. But I saw, the older front Diff is adaptable quite easily for E53.

I'm considering though, to lock both axles and not just the front, even I'll get more understeer, the winter and off-road capabilities would be much better, which I appreciate more.

An update on this...


We had our first snow storm since I put the LS in the front and did the gearing change.

Naturally I turned OFF DSC and did some parking lot tests, the truck is a freakin' beast even with ~20k mile michelin energies! It's unstoppable!!

I've also driven it about 12k miles since install, the 3.64 gearing has been fantastic all around. I am getting 21/21.5mpg on the OBC in mixed driving, around 530 miles a tank in pure highway driving at 80-90mph which I think is excellent for a 4500lb truck.


Highly recommend this upgrade, if you can make it happen!!



Right, the limitation with the Quaife is that if one wheel completely loses traction, it reverts to acting like an open diff....not an option in this case.

We have a '01 3.0 5 speed with both front and rear LS, and driving them both/if you like to drive fast in the snow, having to pull the park brake to get the rear to swing out around a corner is tedious.

I'm glad to hear it works so good, congrats!

Every type of LS has its advatages and disadvantages, but I think for snowy roads the quaife would be as good as clutch-type lsd. After all, the benefits over unlocked stock diffs would be present in any case.

Just wanted to know, how you figured out, it will understeer with both locked axles? On tarmac it would be irrelevant, due to the very high initial grip, and on snow everything I need is traction, so I wouldn't mind the understeer at all.

ok so if you just want to get the better gearing and not add the limited slip, do you still have to do the machining for the axles and the transfer case?

Basically Im asking is there any way to just drop the 4.10s out and pop in 3.64s?

They're interchangeable, same housing.

wow, nice to know.

I could forego the limited slip, just to get the better ratios (and gas mileage) on my 3.0i with sport pack.


looks like I may want to start scouring for good condition diffs.

Yes, I also wanted to say -obviously it's better to get a complete diff, rather than just the gears. 3.64 is the most common one and therefore the cheapest. You'll get a much better milage for sure!

I have 3.91 gears in my 2006 3.0d, and would like to swap them for 3.64 gears, but I think the differentials are different on X5's from 2004 to 2006? What options would I have?

Could I put 2001 BMW X5 4.4 3:64 diff's in my 05' 3.0 that has factory 4:10's. I didnt know if the 04-06 had different diff setups.

From what the OP has said, yes you can swap the factory 4.10's for 3.64's from the early 4.4's, the housings are interchangeable

We built a '01 3.0 5 speed with factory BMW salisbury type LS units front and rear...it understeered unacceptably in the snow, so the rear LS was pulled out.



Yes, all E53 3.0i and 4.4i diffs will interchange (though you may have to change stub axles/pinion flanges on the rear)

This gearing swap really does NOT make much of a difference for auto cars however, probably more hassle than it is worth and it's anybody's guess if there's any actual MPG improvement with the slushbox.

I did this because gearing on the 5 speed manual 3.0i cars is horrendous from the factory. The 6 speed cars are only tolerable because you get overdrive, but when I eventually upgrade to one, I will be swapping over my 3.64s to it

Thread revival only because I'm getting bored with my E53 X5 4.4l. Even when supercharged, the M62 is a timebomb waiting to explode, but the BMW I6 has always been known as being a great engine all around. I've always thought it'd be fun to have bought a 3.0 X5 (or now X3) and turbo the crap out of it like the 3 series guys do. What I didn't know is that the 2.5/3.0 were harder to FI than the 2.8/3.2 engines...then I found this guys page today - E46 Turbo 330Ci ZHP » Turbocharging your E46 Non-M

I've written him with my idea and asked for advice on what'd be best...finding a manual E83 X3 or E53 X5 and go full turbo on it. While the E83 X3 is lighter, I've driven one before and it's far cheaper feeling and looking...but lighter is key if I wanna go faster. Either way, just talking and throwing out ideas.

If I had an extra 6 grand I'd just throw the ESS supercharger on my E53. Reliable, daily driven capable power.

M54B30 Twin Screw Stage 1 (TS1) - ESS Tuning | BMW Tuning Parts | BMW Racing, Tuning, Aftermarket, Performance Parts | Engine Power Chips | Performance Upgrades Chip

It says application intended for E53 3.0 on the bottom, just email ESS if you are serious about it. There literally can't be much difference between the E46/E39 and E53 kit, maybe a different software file

by chance does anyone know if an e39 m5 3.64 lsd will fit ???
i have chance to buy one locally.

Anybody know if the 4.10 differentials are interchangeable with differential in a 4.4/4.6?

They are. In my case, I had to purchase preface 4.4 rear axels. Since my '05 3.0 6M axels didn't mate with the pre face lift 4.4 output flanges and I couldn't just swap em out. The 4.10 manual cars are different from the 4.10 auto differential. The manual diff is bigger and seemed tougher (even more so than the V8 diff).The auto diff however, May be a direct swap and might be better for you. The front diffs interchanged perfectly. Output splines and hubs are the same post-'2000 across the board . Double check my info, as I'm going off the 4.4./3.0.

I have my Manual 4.10 rear and the oem rear axels (which will fit yours as a direct fit as a combo) which are in good shape up for grabs. If interested, pm me.

When you say manual diff is larger, how do you mean.
I have pre face-lift manual diff... if I wanted to do the 4.4I diff do I just swap them out? Or bust open and replace internals.
And would I need to buy 4.4i axels ?

The manual diff (rear) is a large case (I know for sure on the post-lci), while the auto diffs are a medium case I believe. I'll post some comparison pics tonight. Both fit interchangeably without doing anything. Direct swap. The one thing I don't know, is if the pre-lci 3.0 axles will mate up with the pren-lci 4.4 diff. You'll need to compare part numbers from real oem, etc. It's possible in your case that you can just pop out/pry out the output flange cups and swap them interchangeably. My e36's all did this between diffs but the e53 could be different, which it was in my case.

Worst case scenario you buy new rear axels for the 4.4 diff. I do belive reading from Sedec's posts, you don't need to if your prefacelift and using prefacelift diffs, making your swap easier. Let me know if that helps. I will post some pics tonight. Front diffs match up, no issues as long as you are post 2000 and on.

Also, you can just slip the front diff through, but I had to lossen the engine mount and Jack up on the motor slightly. No big deal.

Just so my pea brain gets it right--- am I correct that 2002 3.0 4.10 gears from an automatic is a plug and play install in my 2002 4.6? Assuming I have that right what other years are direct swaps with no alterations?

BC, When swapping to 4.10 ratio, '01 till 9/'03 diffs should be plug and play. You only have axel issues when you get a facelift 4.10 diff. Double check part numbers on the axels, as I haven't compared the 4.6/4.8 diffs and axles. You may have beefed up parts that I haven't accounted for. A quick cross check on real oem should have you sorted. I'm just going off memory when I did my conversion over a year ago. Haven't had a single issue. I'd love to hear how your 4.6 does on the 4.10's. If 3.91's aren't enough, the 4.10's will liven things up for sure.

If I may, a quick question: How have you accounted for the gear change affecting the speedometer? Or do you just live with it?

Thanks for the info. I found a guy that will build custom ring and pinions but it is expensive. I would like to stay with a gear set that is not custom but I am not sure 4.10 is going far enough for what I want. Got to do some calculations to find the difference in RPMs at 80mph. That's the don't get run over Dallas tollway cruising speed.

In the past I have done nothing to correct the speedo or in the good ol' days we changed speedo gears. Don't know If the speedometer can be re-calibrated with BMW software I will do that if possible but I am fine if it is off. Usually it's safe to run the speed of vehicles around me.

Thanks! My thoughts exactly.

Just surprised that I can't find anyone on the web who has managed to change the speedo....

I think those who use the INPA suite on a regular basis could provide instructions. The reason the instructions aren't out there probably is because so few change gear ratios.

Interesting. So you are going to taller gears redliner? Wondering how different that would feel... factory is the 3.91's if I am reading the above correctly? I'm sure you are unconcerned with MPG... these tanks aren't great on that anyway. Some extra jump off the line could be very compelling. Interested for sure.

Did this on my auto Mustang GT (travesty, I know, it was purchased before I could drive manual)... and it made a huge difference.

Going to shorter gears. Taller gears would be going from 3.90 to 3.36. Yes factory gear ratio is 3.90 on 4.6. Have never had a car that was stock or got good MPG stock. I check it only if I am concerned there is a problem that isn't showing symptoms.

Woops... yeah, meant shorter. My head is in Sunday mode apparently. Yeah, I wouldn't be concerned with the MPG either... and I was just curious as to how it affects the overall quickness of the truck. I hope you are able to find a solution for reasonable economics. I want to see it happen. :thumbup:

Just a follow up pic showing the difference between the manual LCI 4.10 diff and the pre-lci 4.4 3.64 diff. Manual 4.10 is much tougher/bigger looking.

I have a 3.0/5MT with the rear end currently disassembled for full overhaul. Bushings, ball joints, powdercoat, etc.

I noticed last year in the snow that the DSC will cut in and depower/selectively brake the car when you're slipping. It's a feature I really don't like about the X5 but I'm new to AWD cars. Have had a ton of E36s, including an S54 318ti.

Is there an advantage to adding an LSD clutch pack to the rear of the E53 X5? Every E36 I've owned has had a rear LSD, but I'm not sure how it affects the handling of the car with the front open diff.

The X5 traction control puts power to the wheels that have not lost traction. In the majority of winter weather it is all that is needed and can be improved significally with the right choice of tires. Generally, if that isn't enough you shouldn't be out there anyway.

Limited slip diffs are beneficial but I think mostly for racing when you want the traction control off and the TQ is enough to lose traction at any wheel or with two wheel drive. If you would rather not use the traction control feature for winter weather I would feel comfortable saying limited slip diffs will fairly similar to stock diffs.

The downside is you lose the effectiveness of traction control in cases where the vehicle is in a spin and the supplement to handling when pushing the wrapper when turning. And, Even if you can DIY, the cost of converting to limited slip diffs is very expensive based on a cost/benefit equation. You should not make the change to one diff if you ever activate traction control and to have the an effectiveness similar to the traction you should will need to do both anyway.

This is an opinion based on past experience with limited slip diffs in rear drive vehicles and the stock DCS system in the X5.

Sedc,

I have the 4.10s and am ready to make the change from 3.90s.

Does the change cause any other issues such as trouble code, dash light warnings, etc.? Does the speedometer read accurately?

No, there are no electronics involved in the gearing

Yes, the reading comes from the right rear wheel speed sensor, it is not affected by gearing

Ok, I guess I need to go find Jim Blanton.




Drexler diffs are wild! I had not heard of them before.