Thanks to ricky1329 and pinguhk for the inspiration --> http://forums.5serie...ement-pull-rod/

Today I installed a an OEM M5 rear sway bar on my E60. It is a direct bolt in with no modifications.

I got my parts from Basney BMW https://www.basneypartsonline.com : $128 for the stabilizer bar (33552283072) and $12 for the bushings (33552283073)


You can see the size diference in the pics below. In the first pic, I inserted a sharpie marker in the bushings. The smaller one you can see the marker is fairly tight and the larger one it is leaning to the side.

I only did a little drive around the neighborhood so nothing to report yet on ride behavior.

Attachment 121371

Attachment 121370

:twoup: Good Stuff.

if you have a sport package doesnt it come with dynamic suspension?

Very nice, can't wait to hear a review of the difference in handling. Who would've thought OEM being the cheaper alternative? :thumbsup:

Xi sport does not have any suspension enhancements.

Nice. With this swaybar your oversteer will increase which it what this car needs. There is a significant amount of understeer built into the car and doing this take some of that away. You'll notice when you take a turn aggressive https://5series.net/forums/public/st...t/thumbsup.gif

Yes,
I had this setup put on my car too -- I have the H&R 27mm in front and the rear M5 sway bar -- Both of them made night and day of a difference.

Is that HR front sway bar a DIY type job? - within reason :) I know these things are subjective as to what is DIY and what isn't. I just thought there was a LOT of dissasembly to get that done in the front. A home garage on car ramps type job or in a pro shop with a lift?

+1000 Do tell, inquiring minds want to know :hyper:

You have the right tools man, your garage is the place to do the sway bars.

Changing the Rear sway bar is going to bring barely any difference, its the front that matters the most, rear is for support.
so if anything, I would do the fronts first.

changing a front sway bar without doing the rear will decrease roll, but increase understeer. you want to do the rear first or both together.

I did the rear on my E39 without even lifting the car off the ground. the front was a PITA on the V8s so I didn't do it. required moving the subframe out of the way. Don't have to do any of it on my E60 because of the active roll bars, but roll bars are usually a great bang for the buck upgrade.

Rear is more important and the difference IS noticeable. Adding a bigger front bar will increase understeer by reducing grip up front while maintaining rear grip. Less grip up front, same or more grip in the back = understeer.

Springs control roll, sways do not. Sways are used to facilitate weight transfer and are used to fine tune handling characteristics. When looked at as a system, sway bars, because they are connected to the suspension at opposite sides and work in torsion, they add to overall spring rate but don't control roll.

Almost forgot....that e60 M5 bar is a great low cost idea for an xi. Thank you to whoever discovered that. But of course, this has got me thinking. If the OEM M5 rear bar fits, then the adjustable aftermarket bars from H&R or Eibach should fit as well. I just compared e60 (535i, 535xi and M5) rear suspension part numbers on RealOem and found the following:

535xi and 535i rear suspensions are identical save the rear struts, springs, rubber sway bar mount and sway bar. Heck they even have the same diff and output shafts. The M5 suspension is also very similar, exception being that a lot of the components are just heavy duty versions of the normal e60s.

Unless there is some magic in how the awd works on the xi (dont think so), then at least by this initial look-see, the adjustable rear bars from H&R and Eibach should fit.

Unfortunately, the front is a totally different animal. Lots of differences.

I have an M5 bar i am going to install. Do you guys think i should replace the end links as well? The car has 105000 miles on it.

Thanks

^^^ i wouldn't unless they're worn out at the ball joints. they're cheap and EASY to get to if you ever needed to replace them after your put your sway bar in. of course, the fact that they're cheap could be viewed as a good reason to replace them while you're in there. you make the call, but they are super duper easy to change out.

Do i need an alignment after install?

Nope.

Will the M5 Front sway fit on an non-M non-Xi E60?

Will using the m5 sway bar from the rear make a difference or is it even possible on a 545i sport with active suspension? If so seems like a great way to improve handling at a cheap price!

I Just installed Rdsport sways front and rear on my M5 with Dinan struts fronts and rear, I just cant believe I didnt do this mod way before hand. Rip around corners with ever so minimal body roll and I am on Med settings.

Does the M5 rear sway fit on an 05 530i?

Yes.

has anyone done this on a 535ix? I know some said it is possible, but has anyone done it?

also where is the cheapest place to get it right now?

Just a note to remember that the M5 sway bars are thicker so you may need to get larger (or M5) mounting bushings. Also, if you have a non-sport car, you may need to swap to the m-sport end links which are shorter to avoid too much tension.

Can you elaborate on the last post?

I don't have the sport package.

I have active steering and that is it.

Thanks!

Anyone have yet got to install the front?

For the guys who did this mod, did you use the existing end links or did you buy new ones?

Guys in ebay sell the seat bar with the M end links and some sell it without.

Not sure if these are worth keeping or if they would be shot.

I get that I need the bushings. Is it wise to buy new bushings or use the existing am ones if the seller includes them.

Some of the sellers have the bar, end links, and bushings all together. Can all three of those go into a 530i?

I installed the M6 front sway bar part # 31352282790 on my 05 530i. The M6 swaybar is thicker 28mm than the M5 which is 26.5mm. I also installed the M5 rear swaybar. I have the correct M bushings as the old bushing doesn't fit

Hi Guys,

I ordered one if these off ebay. It happens to come with the bushings, mounts, sway bar, and the end links.

Do you think it is better to use the 530i end link or to use the M5 ones that come with it?

Do you have a link? I would use the one that fits better based on your ride height.

This is the one I bought

http://m.ebay.com/itm/271325982738?txnId=1432811918017

+1
 

+!;)