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Thread: E60 M5 brakes on E39.

  1. #1
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    E60 M5 brakes on E39.

    A German customer brought this to my attention and just want to share the info with you guys, while multi-pistons caliper upgrades are far superior in terms of performance and bling factor, not everyone budget allows them to spend $4k on brakes.

    What you will need is E60 M5 rotors, calipers (incld carriers), the biggest upside of this set up is you can buy spare parts from your BMW dealers, and you can potentially do this whole swap for well under $1500.

    The hardest part is to modify the carriers, I believe there are some running custom carriers on the front, but according to the lad, the rear requires minimum modification to make it fit.

    Here are some photos he sent me





    and some he show me from other E39 owner that has done the swap in Germany with machined carriers.









    the downside is you have to run minimum of 18" wheels, while 19"s is a much safer bet.

  2. #2
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    Hiya Chigga,

    Now this looks very very interesting to me ! running 19 inch wheels already so I'd be good on that side of things. Is there some knowledge on what the modifications are required to make this fit and possible to do? I could then perhaps approach some of the specialists I know here to have the work done. Is the machined carriers that you've shown here available from the German contact?

    Cheers, Dennis! West London UK!

  3. #3
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    Super legit

    Are the E60 brakes that much better than E39 M5 brakes?

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  4. #4
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    ^Probably not. But I dont think anything will be able to beat what chigga is running on his 5 right now. What were the ones ur running 8 piston, or something like that lol?

  5. #5
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    A good mod with factory parts...can't beat that

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Blutortl View Post
    ^Probably not. But I dont think anything will be able to beat what chigga is running on his 5 right now. What were the ones ur running 8 piston, or something like that lol?
    12 pistons front, 6 rear, I'm just sharing the ideas with fellow board members, as lot of people want to run nice big brakes, but spending at least $4k on brakes just isn't possible.

    Quote Originally Posted by blackxs View Post
    Super legit

    Are the E60 brakes that much better than E39 M5 brakes?
    E60 calipers use twin pistons up front vs single on E39, I believe the piston area is also larger so more brake force can be applied, not to mention they are ginormous in comparison, they are 374mm in diameter (my car is 388mm front), the downside is unsprung weight increase.

    Quote Originally Posted by DennisCooper View Post
    Hiya Chigga,

    Now this looks very very interesting to me ! running 19 inch wheels already so I'd be good on that side of things. Is there some knowledge on what the modifications are required to make this fit and possible to do? I could then perhaps approach some of the specialists I know here to have the work done. Is the machined carriers that you've shown here available from the German contact?

    Cheers, Dennis! West London UK!
    Hey Dennis, from what I've been told, you need to bore the centre bores out, and the carrier brackets either needed to be machined or made from scratch, the dust plates also need to be trimmed, but the rear hand brake shouldn't need any modification.

  7. #7
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    Hmm, i'm waiting for somebody to retrofit the 6 piston calipers from the 135i/335i Preformance package.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by MehMan View Post
    Hmm, i'm waiting for somebody to retrofit the 6 piston calipers from the 135i/335i Preformance package.
    Not worth it, I'd rather drive on the factory single sliding piston caliper than those pos.

  9. #9
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    There is a guy on bimmerboard who did this mod to his E38 quite a while ago. I'll try to find a link!

    Google rescue!
    http://public.fotki.com/pkortun/our-...brake-upgrade/
    Last edited by sjbdeebo2; 12-14-2010 at 10:09 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  10. #10
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    Are stock brakes inadequate? I've never seen a BMW on the street with poor brakes.


    Ed in San Jose '97 540i 6 speed aspensilber over aubergine leather. Build date 3/97. Golden Gate Chapter BMW CCA Nr 62319.

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    My stock brakes are bomb proof. They're quiet and they work beautifully every time. Obviously I maintain them well but I sure as hell wouldn't spend $1500-$4000 on brakes..... unless I already upgraded the entire suspension and had a supercharger ready to go in.

  12. #12
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    I agree with most of you fellas that our hard earned money could be better spent else where... !

  13. #13
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    OP was nice enough to share the info and you guys sound like he's trying to sell you something if I was looking to upgrade my brakes I'd rather spend $1500 than $5000, so thanks for the heads up Chigga
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  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Orxan4ik View Post
    OP was nice enough to share the info and you guys sound like he's trying to sell you something if I was looking to upgrade my brakes I'd rather spend $1500 than $5000, so thanks for the heads up Chigga


    $1500-$5000 brakes for an e39?....

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by mjbauman View Post


    $1500-$5000 brakes for an e39?....
    Ummmm, if you track your car and have $$ why not? Not everyone feels the same about their 5 as you do, they're dozens out there with BBK front&back
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  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Orxan4ik View Post
    Ummmm, if you track your car and have $$ why not? Not everyone feels the same about their 5 as you do, they're dozens out there with BBK front&back
    Agree, if I track and have lots of money then maybe.... but I presume the majority of us are not going to spend 20-60% of the cars value on a big brake job. Especially when the stock brakes are pretty darn good already.
    It's a forum, people toss out their ideas and opinions.... nobody flamed Chigga for the info. Info is good. Reality checks are also.

  17. #17
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    Say it with me: First supercharger, then brakes.
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  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chigga View Post
    Not worth it, I'd rather drive on the factory single sliding piston caliper than those pos.

    Wow!?
    LOL!
    Really?
    I thought the 135is brakes were awesome....?

    Looking for an E39 belly pan , passenger front inner fender liner …

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by mjbauman View Post
    info is good. Reality checks are also.
    Reality of e39 board is quiet diff from reality in general, you're new here, don't assume things
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  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by edjack View Post
    Are stock brakes inadequate? I've never seen a BMW on the street with poor brakes.
    I've gone through 1 set of OEM brakes (warped) and 1 set of cross-drilled rotors I have on now are cracking.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jesus Freak View Post
    I've gone through 1 set of OEM brakes (warped) and 1 set of cross-drilled rotors I have on now are cracking.
    Neither of which are necessarily a sign of inadequate brakes.

    Did you actually measure the run out on the rotors, or did you simply "feel" the pulsing in the pedal when you warped the brakes? Most times the rotors are not actually warped, but just have pad deposition...and either some good firm stops will clean them up, or have them lightly scrubbed with a scotchbrite pad.

    The cracking on drilled rotors is a known problem as well, and can sometimes be attributed to non-factory drilled rotors, or just inherent in the design, and something to watch out for. I have not had an issue personally with drilled rotors.
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  22. #22
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    Factory drilled or not, drilled rotors are more prone to cracking than blank ones if abused. Obviously the less quality aftermarket drilled rotors have even more chances of cracking
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  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by f355spider View Post
    Most times the rotors are not actually warped, but just have pad deposition...and either some good firm stops will clean them up, or have them lightly scrubbed with a TWIST pad.
    Fixed....

    it's my company, and my only competition is scotchbrite (3M) so I had to say something

    Wondering what the hell I'm talking about? google it

  24. #24
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    I don't see any plausible reason on purchasing slotted/drilled rotors for an OEM brake system (cooling factor?), especially for people who DD their car, I heard it isn't much different from blank ones, if so it is insignificant. But BBK is mandatory for powerful cars or regulars at the track. Otherwise stick with blanks, OEM brake system if you're a casual track person but do upgrade brake line to steel ones and brake fluid to blue racing fluid.

    Quote Originally Posted by f355spider View Post
    Neither of which are necessarily a sign of inadequate brakes.

    Did you actually measure the run out on the rotors, or did you simply "feel" the pulsing in the pedal when you warped the brakes? Most times the rotors are not actually warped, but just have pad deposition...and either some good firm stops will clean them up, or have them lightly scrubbed with a scotchbrite pad.

    The cracking on drilled rotors is a known problem as well, and can sometimes be attributed to non-factory drilled rotors, or just inherent in the design, and something to watch out for. I have not had an issue personally with drilled rotors.
    +1

    Had the same experience with "thought to be" warped rotors. Turn out to be caused by uneven brake pad deposition. If pad is slightly uneven, hard braking should clean that up. Severe brake damage require replacement.
    Last edited by htran; 12-16-2010 at 07:14 PM.



  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by f355spider View Post
    Neither of which are necessarily a sign of inadequate brakes.

    Did you actually measure the run out on the rotors, or did you simply "feel" the pulsing in the pedal when you warped the brakes? Most times the rotors are not actually warped, but just have pad deposition...and either some good firm stops will clean them up, or have them lightly scrubbed with a scotchbrite pad.

    The cracking on drilled rotors is a known problem as well, and can sometimes be attributed to non-factory drilled rotors, or just inherent in the design, and something to watch out for. I have not had an issue personally with drilled rotors.
    Yes I did actually measure the runnout, they were out roughly .080. It's a heavy car and I have 19's which doesn't help the already small brakes.

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