325i Touring - Gear Speeds.

[G524]

Hello Gents,

Just a little point of discussion. Had me manual 'boxed 325i Touring for a couple days now and after taking a couple of people out for a spin in it they reckon it is more accelerative than other 325i's they have been in. I think the engine is standard, however, the gears seem very short. For example, i get only 50mph from 2nd gear, and when cruising at 70, the revs are around the 3200 mark.

Did BMW offer a sports 'box or something which had shorter gears? Don't get me wrong, i lke it. I'm just interested to know.

Its a 5speed running 205/55R15's.
The gears feel fine, however, finding reverse means pushing so far to the left that the centre console squeaks - could this be a sign of a replacement shorter gearbox????

Any ideas welcomed.

E.

[snoops]

some tourings came with the 3.91 ratio lsd. standard cars came with a 3.64

[snoops]

oh and sports came with a close ratio gearbox, so someone could have swapped in the past?

[89-325isport]

Sounds like you have the same gear box thats in the 325i sport (close ratio)

[G524]

Sounds like you have the same gear box thats in the 325i sport (short ratio)

I thought that. I like it, just means two gear changes for the 0-60 dash which kills my time, i timed (stopwatch and speedo) an 8.7 last night - which i think is hampered by the fact that 60mph is a third gear affair.

[E30Mark]

Crawl underneath the car and see what part number is stamped on the bottom front edge of the gearbox, it it ends in either HM or TNN then its a close ratio sports box. If it ends ANB or TNW then it's a standard 'box.

325i tourers came with a 3.91 open diff as standard.

[munky30]

Has the car been converted to a 325?

Mine was a 316 but is now a 325, Ikept the 316 diff (4.54 ratio iirc) and it accelerates stupidly fast but has a p*ss poor top end.

[G524]

Has the car been converted to a 325?

Mine was a 316 but is now a 325, Ikept the 316 diff (4.54 ratio iirc) and it accelerates stupidly fast but has a p*ss poor top end.

Nah, it has always been a 325 but its got a couple of Sporty features - the Drivers and Passenger seat namely - and i suppose that it must have been owned by a performance orientated fella at some point, maybe he changed the gearbox. I like the sound of your 316 diff tho, having a piss poor top end is a massive licence saver - you aint gonna get caught cruising at 105mph without noticing are ya?!?

[munky30]

nope, it tops out at about 110. Never had a car until now that would hit the redline in 5th

1st gear is a bit too short, flies by in a second or so, but 2nd and 3rd are fun, and dropping down to 4th to overtake on an A road gets good results.

It will probably shred itself pretty rapidly so I have a 325 one spare, but it will be fun while it lasts.

[Brianmoooore]

Having a car with a massively high diff ratio compared to standard just effectively shifts the gear ratios down, so that you have effectively a four speed box with no fifth.
This particular car could have had the seats and/or a close ratio box from new. E30 standard options list was vast, and the car could have been built with any conceivable option added/deleted if the original customer was prepared to pay!
LS diff wasn't a very expensive option on E30s, but the yuppy types who bought E30s generally wouldn't know a LSD if it bit them on the ass, or what it was for. You might be lucky though.

[john325tewerin]

Correct me if I'm wrong but 50mph in 2nd. Sounds like a standard box to me with the standard 3.91 Touring diff.

[fuzzy]

my touring came with a 3.91 lsd and that runs out of steam at just over 130 although with a different engine and box to you.i know with a different diff(toyota supra) the engine is capable of pushing me to 162 so its the diff holding me back.in my e30 1st gear is over almost as soon as it engages with second just making the 60 ish mark close to the red line.i thought 325 tourings all came with the lsd option or was it just the m-tech 2 cars? although after 15+ years behind it your car could have been changed to anything by a previous owner.

[Onz]

mine drives like that, And I have the sport box and the high ratio diff. Does your 3rd drive like 2nd sometimes. I can easily take corners in 3rd and pull off in 2nd if i wanna drive economically.

[Simon13]

if it has a 3.91 diff and either standard or sport box you wouldn't notice a massive difference and u can't hit 60 in 2nd with either box. 4th and 5th are the same on both boxes.

it should be 3000rpm in 5th gear @70mph with either box and a 3.91 diff