Am I right in thinking its only 540i and M3 that would be anywhere close?
Ive never heard of it before but would find it really helpfull in the fight against 25 mpg
6 speed gearbox
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DanThe
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Can these be used on M50 engines?
Am I right in thinking its only 540i and M3 that would be anywhere close?
Ive never heard of it before but would find it really helpfull in the fight against 25 mpg
Am I right in thinking its only 540i and M3 that would be anywhere close?
Ive never heard of it before but would find it really helpfull in the fight against 25 mpg
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jmc330i
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The E36 M3 Evo box should bolt up to the M50 engines (I think).
But I thought the 6th gear was the same ratio (or close to) the 5th gear on the E30 325i, so you could use the 3.91/3.64 diffs. But that wouldnt really help with mpg.
But I thought the 6th gear was the same ratio (or close to) the 5th gear on the E30 325i, so you could use the 3.91/3.64 diffs. But that wouldnt really help with mpg.
James
'91 325i Sport
'93 318i touring 16v
'91 325i Sport
'93 318i touring 16v
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DanThe
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Thats what I want, an 'overdrive' gear like the E30 has.
Im using an E30 M3 diff so at 70 mph I would be doing 2500 rpm if its the same overdrive ratio
Im using an E30 M3 diff so at 70 mph I would be doing 2500 rpm if its the same overdrive ratio
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ian332isport
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As James said. It will bolt straight on the back of an M50, but won't really gain you anything.
6th gear is the same ratio as 5th on an E30 325i 5 speed box (approx 0.8:1). You need to be changing the diff ratio if you want to save fuel. This can however take the edge off the acceleration.
As an example, my car originally had a 3.91 and I swapped this for a 3.64. In 6th gear, it dropped the revs by approx 500rpm at any given speed.
Cheers,
Ian.
6th gear is the same ratio as 5th on an E30 325i 5 speed box (approx 0.8:1). You need to be changing the diff ratio if you want to save fuel. This can however take the edge off the acceleration.
As an example, my car originally had a 3.91 and I swapped this for a 3.64. In 6th gear, it dropped the revs by approx 500rpm at any given speed.
Cheers,
Ian.
If it aint broke - Modify it...
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jaistanley
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I definately fits.
I personally wouldnt do it though (at great expense anyway).. My friend here at work has done in preparation for fitting an S54 (in his E36 325i). The clutch plate needed machining down (this may be because the E46 6 speed has a larger clutch?? I dont know) and the linkage was made up (though e36 M3 evo linkage would have fit his car).
As Ian implies the key will be selecting an appropriate diff ratio for your engine. The M50 has quite a wide spread of torque so doesn;t really warrant a 6 speed.
The fuel economy has improved when you finally do get into 6th (he also fit the diff) but the engin just doesn't have the guts to pull it so you're basically using 5 of the 6 gears at most anyway. It certainly hasn;t made the car faster.
Jai
I personally wouldnt do it though (at great expense anyway).. My friend here at work has done in preparation for fitting an S54 (in his E36 325i). The clutch plate needed machining down (this may be because the E46 6 speed has a larger clutch?? I dont know) and the linkage was made up (though e36 M3 evo linkage would have fit his car).
As Ian implies the key will be selecting an appropriate diff ratio for your engine. The M50 has quite a wide spread of torque so doesn;t really warrant a 6 speed.
The fuel economy has improved when you finally do get into 6th (he also fit the diff) but the engin just doesn't have the guts to pull it so you're basically using 5 of the 6 gears at most anyway. It certainly hasn;t made the car faster.
Jai
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DanThe
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Cant see there being any problem with "not enough guts"
5th gear will pull me around at 25 mph.
I can literally change from 1st to 5th with no hesitation
5th gear will pull me around at 25 mph.
I can literally change from 1st to 5th with no hesitation