Will 540i Calipers & Rotors fit under 16" Style 29's? - Also Caliper Question

[Iamthebull]

This is also regarding the 528i that I just sold. While I never noticed any brake fade issues, I also drove that car like a grandma. I have read that the 528i can be upgraded to 530i/540i rotors and calipers.

The 528i in question has 16" Style 29's.

For those that have done the upgrade, were they able to use these wheels?

Additionally, I only looked a little bit, but are there any OEM caliper upgrades for the 540i that are relatively bolt on?

If I am able to offer my calipers to the owner of the 528i, and upgrade my calipers at the same time, I'd call that a win/win.

Oh and as for "upgrade" for the 540i, I'm looking more for weight savings if anything.

This is one of the cases in all my posts that I'm not looking for some big upgrade. It's more of a, if I can do this to help myself, and someone else, I will try.

I'm running Style 66's on my car. I don't want to move to an 18" wheel.

Thanks guys.

[Jason5driver]

Yes .

[Iamthebull]

Yes .

Thank you Jason!

Local pick n'pull has a 530 and a 540 for $17 per caliper. Sounds like I'm going to be pulling these.

[StephenVA]

Get the bracket and double check the model/year as there are two different brackets/Rotor combos Early vs late on the 540/530. If it is a USA 530, then those will be late model calipers and rotors.

[CPHES]

There is no easy upgrade for 540 ( large e39 ) calipers - M5 will clear a style 66, but calipers and rotors are expensive. BMW uses that 540i caliper on the e53 X5, and the e38 740 cars, so it has some reserves.

[BimmerBreaker]

If you don't need bigger brakes it's best not to have them. Calipers are unsprung mass and rotors rotating mass. Increasing either of those has a much more drastic effect on performance than the increase in weight alone would suggest.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

I’ve done the upgrade swaps, it’s cool, bigger looks better, but BimmerBreakdancer is right, the old brakes worked well, the bigger 530/540 slippers and rotors are a lot heavier, I’m talking well over 22lbs, iron 540/530 calipers are a ton heavier than the 525/528 aluminum calipers, and then the rotors…. After the swap, you can feel the heavier brakes, and unsprung mass kills your handling quite a bit. But my suspension is all beefed up, so that makes it feel a ton better. Stock suspension? You definitely will feel it. Stopping power? Maybe a bit better, but that’s it.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

One more thing, the bigger calipers fit the 16” style 29’s just fine, I have the 66’s on one of my wagons with the bigger brakes and that fine too.

[Iamthebull]

Get the bracket and double check the model/year as there are two different brackets/Rotor combos Early vs late on the 540/530. If it is a USA 530, then those will be late model calipers and rotors.

Forgive my ignorance. So which year range of caliper, rotor, and bracket do I want? Thanks!

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Here, I’ll simplify this whole project for you. Pull the calipers, or buy the calipers, caliper bracket, and the front rotors for a 530.
Here in the US, the 530 came out in 2001, if you get parts for the 530, it will be the newer facelift front brakes just as in the facelift 540. Facelift 540 front brakes changed from the older front brackets which had a 4mm offset difference from the facelift cars, so if you just willynilly order front rotors from some part supply like say,….. NAPA, without the correct part numbers, those guys that don’t know, can ring you up for the wrong rotor one day in the future, goes for any time ordering rotors from anybody I guess, but if you simplify this, just look up the front part numbers for a 530.
Now, here is the stupid part of choosing to go with the facelift brackets, the pre-facelift brackets were a lot lighter than the facelift brackets! Look at them, look up the older part numbers for the older brackets, and look up the newer ones. The newer brackets have larger blocked anvil ends compared to the older brackets. Damping for sonic frequencies perhaps? I dunno, but that’s my guess.

- - - Updated - - -

Just wanted to add, the newer “facelift” brackets and revised offset front rotors for the 540’s came out in the ‘99 540’s, so the cutoff should be between June and September by the time BMDubbaU switched to the newer offset.

[StephenVA]

Any 530 will get you the larger 540/530 brakes you are seeking. Just add pads that are from the same generation.

the issues with early vs late 540 brakes, stems from a change that occurs in 2000 which have a different offset requiring matching the rotor and caliper bracket together. If not accomplished, the rotor hits the bracket.

- - - Updated - - -

Scotty’s posts sums it up perfectly. I was slowly typing as I am watching the preface events coming on for the Italian GP race.

Image is an upgraded 525 to the 530/540 brakes. Just a bolt on upgrade. Changed out the bearing hub at the same time. Simple to replace them. Loosen the lower shock clamp (after marking the location), pulling off the wheel, caliper bracket, slide the shock up on the hub, remove the four bolts holding the bearing hub assembly, tap the back side with mallet, reverse the procedure after installing the new hub. Buy the Timken or SKF Hub/bearings

[jicaino]

Here, I’ll simplify this whole project for you. Pull the calipers, or buy the calipers, caliper bracket, and the front rotors for a 530.
Here in the US, the 530 came out in 2001, if you get parts for the 530, it will be the newer facelift front brakes just as in the facelift 540. Facelift 540 front brakes changed from the older front brackets which had a 4mm offset difference from the facelift cars, so if you just willynilly order front rotors from some part supply like say,….. NAPA, without the correct part numbers, those guys that don’t know, can ring you up for the wrong rotor one day in the future, goes for any time ordering rotors from anybody I guess, but if you simplify this, just look up the front part numbers for a 530.
Now, here is the stupid part of choosing to go with the facelift brackets, the pre-facelift brackets were a lot lighter than the facelift brackets! Look at them, look up the older part numbers for the older brackets, and look up the newer ones. The newer brackets have larger blocked anvil ends compared to the older brackets. Damping for sonic frequencies perhaps? I dunno, but that’s my guess.

- - - Updated - - -

Just wanted to add, the newer “facelift” brackets and revised offset front rotors for the 540’s came out in the ‘99 540’s, so the cutoff should be between June and September by the time BMDubbaU switched to the newer offset.

As usual, tons of valuable information. My 8/99 540i has the older brackets with less offset, IIRC the change occurs around the first quarter of 00 prod dates after the 528i is phased out and the 530i enters production.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

I think you are correct, I wasn’t so sure on that timeline I posted, been a while since I figured all this crap out on my own back in the day when I first gathered up parts to do the conversion. At the time, I had no clue that they had that different offset, I had ordered the rotors from my buddy’s NAPA store out in Fairfax, VA. His guy just looked up 540 rotors, and I had the newer brackets which I had gotten off of Redshift’s black 540 wagon which was an ‘03. Well, it was fun figuring all this stuff out. I’m currently searching for another donor to convert another wagon that I have, so if anyone has calipers and brackets off of a 530, or a facelift 540, let me know.

[Jason5driver]

I think it’s 09/2000 …. Is the change date …
Or , 03/1999 …? lol

[StephenVA]

Rotor changes on 540
early up to 2/2000
late model 3/2000+and all 530 models.

[jicaino]

I think it’s 09/2000 …. Is the change date …
Or , 03/1999 …? lol
3/99 is for dual stage airbag

[Toby B]

While I don't disagree that unsprung weight's not your friend...

...larger pads and rotors wear more slowly. Depending on your braking habits,
they can wear much more slowly than the smaller brakes.
Which just makes life easier and cheaper if you're doing brakes every 5 years instead of every 18 months.

Me, I always fit bigger brakes because I tend to drive every car I own on the track
for one (lame) reason or another, and it's always nice to have that reserve when you've got 45 minutes
of 'open lapping' at the end of a busy instructing day.

"what the heck is he doing out there in that wagon?"

"1.45's with an auto box, so not bad..."

t

[Jason5driver]

I just know that the larger brakes with stainless steel lines , and Axxis / PBR Ultimate brake pads made a night-and-day difference on my lowly e39 ...