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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

Anyone gone BMW gearbox?


Rob_Mitchell

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What about the e46 M3 box? As far as I'm aware it's nigh on the same as the Supra's box, just with a different bell housing. They are 6 speed Getrag's which allow for similar power hikes anyway.

 

ETA: Less than £700 delivered http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bmw-m3-e46-3-2-6-speed-gearbox-smg-manual-2006-60k-miles-/262059363910?hash=item3d03f48e46

 

ETA, Again: both the E46 M3 Getrag and the Supras Getrag have identical final drive, just 6th that the ratios vary(and only slighly), Supras is 0.8, M3's is 0.83, also, the M3 Clutch/flywheel will bolt straight up to the 2JZ.

 

I didn't realise they were so similar. They couldn't really feel more different, though I guess that is probably BMW putting greater effort into weighting the shifter system. The V160 is notchy and heavy, the BMW box is absolutely fantastic 'on the boil' :cool:

 

I knew that the 6 speed Getrag found in the 850CSi and 540i was closely related to the V160, and actually had a higher torque rating! :D

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No not been speaking to him lol. Thanks for your input

 

I guess you have been speaking with Frazer? I've been helping/working on his drift car the last 9 months and have some advise regarding the clutch kit/gearbox.

 

The short answer is, don't bother with this conversion if you are planning for this to be a daily drive or a comfortable cruiser.

 

The clutch kit and BMW box feels very racecar like, in the sense that the clutch is hard to use, the clutch is very noisy etc. It's saving grace is that it's relatively cheap in comparison to the 6 speed, and it can take a lot of abuse for what it is, and worse comes to worse a new gearbox will set you back a few hundred at maximum.

 

Installation of the kit is incredibly straight forward and the quality of the components used on the clutch kit are high.

 

In my opinion, if I had a drag/drift car that I wanted to build but couldn't fork out for a 6 speed getrag, then this would be the next best thing. Using this kit on a daily/road basis is interesting at first, but quickly becomes tiresome.

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I didn't realise they were so similar. They couldn't really feel more different, though I guess that is probably BMW putting greater effort into weighting the shifter system. The V160 is notchy and heavy, the BMW box is absolutely fantastic 'on the boil' :cool:

 

I knew that the 6 speed Getrag found in the 850CSi and 540i was closely related to the V160, and actually had a higher torque rating! :D

 

Yep, very similar, as it was Toyota that was so impressed by BMW's Getrag box offering, they wanted the same box, just tweaked the ratio in 6th.

 

Also, the 540i's actually use the same gearbox as the E46 M3, there was a few that used the same box(taken from wikipedia):

 

 

1996-1999 BMW E36 M3 (Euro)

2001-2006 BMW E46 M3

1993-1996 BMW E34 540i and M5

1996-2004 BMW E39 540i and M5

1994–1998 BMW E38 7 Series

1993–1999 BMW E31 8 series

2000–2003 BMW E52 Z8

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...The short answer is, don't bother with this conversion if you are planning for this to be a daily drive or a comfortable cruiser. The clutch kit and BMW box feels very racecar like, in the sense that the clutch is hard to use, the clutch is very noisy etc...

 

A quick search found that the diameter of the BMW clutch plate (including the V8 M5) is 9 7/16 inches (239.713 mm - it was an American parts catalogue catalog :)).

 

The R154 clutch is also 9 7/16 diameter (Supra 6-speed is 9 7/8 - 250.825 mm).

 

Would it be possible to drill a 1JZ/R154 flywheel to take the BMW clutch cover (or have a custom flywheel made) and just use a BMW clutch?

Edited by garethr (see edit history)
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I've done the BMW clutch kit with my latest Nissan S13 2JZ-GTE build, but in terms of drive ratio it's really not good for street. It ran 210km/h in 5th gear at 7800rpm. So you need to find a suitable diff as the ratio in the gearbox is really low.

 

Oh forgot to mention that as well, with the 530d 5speed box and a 4:1 S14 diff, we were topping out at 130mph in 5th gear. Get's there bloody quick though

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Now now, you of all people know gearboxes and transmissions in general are rated by torque @ X RPM :)

 

See I thought that too. I am certain that I read somewhere that the 530D 6 speed manual box was the limiting factor when it comes to tuning up a 530D much past 300BHP and I'm sure that I read somewhere that the reason there are not many 535D manuals is that BMW were worried about the manual gearboxes ability to take the additional torque the 535D has over the 530D.

 

As I have a 6 speed manual 530D I can vouch that it's clutch is proper heavy, bites like a bastard and takes quite a bit of getting used to.

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Thread hijack I know - but is there a thread about the 8 speed auto conversions? I can't find anything on my phone.

 

 

Whifbitz have just announced their BMW dual clutch seven speed auto conversion. It was in an e-mailed flyer. Very expensive once you add in all the bits and bobs, and if you are running at the upper HP / torque figures will need uprated clutch packs fitting. But for those who want something different and have deep pockets it appears a drive in/ drive out conversion is now available. I only glanced at it, but I think it will be considerably more than a brand new from Toyota six speed Getrag and conversion bits, and taht's assuming you already have the required S6 Syvecs needed to run it.

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Drifters don't put much torque through the drive train, they set the cars up to have very little grip, I wouldn't cite them as a good reason to think these boxes are up to snuff.

 

So long as a Syvecs can get engine RPM it should work, some functions may need a propshaft RPM signal, a toothed wheel behind the prop flange on gearbox or diff and a Hall effect or magnetic sensor would give it its signal if the `box in question doesn't have an inbuilt prop speed sensor already.

 

Don't underestimate bespoke bellhousing costs, or adapter plate costs, tailshaft mounting costs and bespoke prop mods though, these are all jobs for specialists, and as one offs or low volume runs they will be pricey! Whether you can use a stock dual mass flywheel or 5 speed manual flywheels with a suitable clutch also needs careful investigation, as bespoke flywheels will consume a lot more dosh. The ring gear needs to mate with a stock starter, too, or it gets even more involved.

Drift cars actually want the MOST amount of grip if they're in any way competitive. I know of at least 2 cars over here in Ireland running over 700lb/ft of torque through the bmw gearboxes. Tbh they are only decent for track cars as the ratios aren't drivable for road use.

 

I can get the abc conversion kit with the tilton triple plate for about £1500. They can definitely hold the power.

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