E28/E36 M3/E34/E32 brake swappability? **Rob

["Rob Levinson" <always_coca-cola@xxxxxxx>]

Something caught my eye as I was looking through the new Bavarian Autosport
catalog the other day, and a conversation with a buddy about his E34 M5 and
E36 M3 led me to some speculation...

First of all, the thread about the "RL/BB" (Rob Levinson Big Brakes ;-)
conversion comes around on the Digest every now and then.  This is the
conversion where I put a set of E32 7-series calipers and rotors on my E28
5-series, a direct bolt-on without any modifications required (and that's
the whole story to the folks who want more details about the swap - it's as
simple as take off your old calipers and rotors and put on the E32 calipers
and rotors - 20 minute job including removing wheels).  So I like big
brakes, mostly for their ability to stop the car well and not fade/warp, not
for the huge red calipers to peek through my wheels.

Here are the specific points of my mental gear-turnings:

1) So I know that E32 calipers and rotors fit an E28.

2) I know that standard E34 calipers and rotors (smaller than E32) fit an
E28.

3) I came across a part cross-reference in the BavAuto catalog that shows
E32 and "540i thru 96" rotors are exactly the same part.

4) My friend told me that his E36 M3 and E34 M5 use the same brakes.

5) The E34 M5 brakes also make a nice upgrade for an E28/E32/E34.

!!! Hmmm... !!!

    I think to myself, "Does this mean that if the E36 and E34 can swap
brakes, can the nifty E36 M3 Euro Floating Rotor brakes bolt directly onto
an E28?"

Yep, I know that the E36 M3 and E34 M5 brake disc parts are different
numbers... since I don't have specs, I might assume the difference is
something irrelevant (for the scope of this discussion) like metal
composition or vent size, but bolt pattern, diameter, hat size, etc. may be
the same and therefore swappable.

Anybody (Steve D.? Jason L.?  Brett A.?) know the real scoop on this?

- - Rob Levinson

'85 535i Turbo  192K
   BL/SS Level 3 with CCERK, E32 brakes, 750iL/M5 front end components, Euro
bumpers/lights, and, uh, oh yeah, a turbo ;-)

'86 535i  80K
   Recently purchased, unknown lowered suspension, otherwise bone-stock.

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