S38 325iX - The real scoop

[The Dark Side of Will]

Ok. I thought the E28 M5 was the only E28 that received the 210 diff. It has 3.91 gears (I thought)... so I was a little perplexed.

I have an E23 2.93 210mm unit with the same case... It'll get 3.64 gears for my swap. I have the E32/E34 rear cover and VSS trigger wheel and the E36 M3 CSL diff mounting bracket to install it in an E30.

[Nisse Järnet]

Yeah from a M535 E28, fits right up on the E30 rear subframe with a modified back cover.

[The Dark Side of Will]

E28 210 3.07 rear diff :)

[Nisse Järnet]

Is the ZF really stronger than the 260? I've had both in my hands and have taken a 260 (but not a ZF) apart... I would have said the 260 looked stronger.

If you want something other than 3.38, you can't use the E34 pan and front diff

Well i havent broken any of them myself, but if you listen to the crowd (atlest here) the ZF is the stronger one :) But the 260 is not weak thats for sure. Before i installed the 6 speed i ran a diesel ZF, never tried with the stock 260 that was on my M20 when the car was still stock.

You could, but it would have to be custom built. The E46 ring an pinion would have to be modified to fit in the E34 case, which is likely not cheap.

I'd rather use stock parts that i can replace than custom one off peices that have to be fabricated though.

Yeah the best for me would be X5 stuff as i already have a X5 3.07 front and a E28 210 3.07 rear diff :)
But i will start with E34 stuff couse its more bolt-on, ill have to live with the low top speed this summer.

[nando]

You could, but it would have to be custom built. The E46 ring an pinion would have to be modified to fit in the E34 case, which is likely not cheap.

I'd rather use stock parts that i can replace than custom one off peices that have to be fabricated though.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Maybe, but i will start with throwing in my 764whp engine in the ix and with that in mind i prefer a ZF or stronger gearbox :)

Is the ZF really stronger than the 260? I've had both in my hands and have taken a 260 (but not a ZF) apart... I would have said the 260 looked stronger.

If you want something other than 3.38, you can't use the E34 pan and front diff

[Nisse Järnet]

You can bolt together a 260 based drivetrain... ;)

Maybe, but i will start with throwing in my 764whp engine in the ix and with that in mind i prefer a ZF or stronger gearbox :)

[The Dark Side of Will]

Yes youre right i cant really hook and i dont want to run drag tires all the time, so i figured its time for AWD :) Would be happy if i could keep my 6 speed trans tho :P ZF 5 speed + 3.38 is baaaad top speed :(

You can bolt together a 260 based drivetrain... ;)

[ForcedFirebird]

guy from europe that wanted the 900hp ix. i wonder if he just made a new profile?

This guy is getting close with 612hp...

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78337&highlight=mw255

[nando]

I still don't think it's worth the headache when the G260 can be 100% bolt on using inexpensive stock parts. but, different strokes for different folks. :p

[The Dark Side of Will]

it is, but, meh. it's not like the 260 can't handle the torque. there are plenty of several hundred + HP builds running Getrag 260s.

besides, the name of the trans tells you the torque holding capacity in NM.. so they're almost the same. An S54 doesn't even get close to maxing out the transmission, for example.

420 has some relationship to torque, but 260 and 265 are just design numbers, like the 282 and 284 used in GM FWD cars. Also, 420 is the BMW designation while 260/265/282/284 are Getrag's internal designations.

[Nisse Järnet]

The 265 is stronger as well... my understanding is that it's at least as strong as the 420G. It was also my understanding that most/all of the cars with 500+ HP were using 420G's.

I'm not aware of how well or not the 260 does with high power in cars that can actually hook up.
No offense, Nisse, but if you need gear-by-gear boost control to a significant degree, you're not really hooking up ;-) Which, I assume, is why you're looking for AWD swap info...

Yes youre right i cant really hook and i dont want to run drag tires all the time, so i figured its time for AWD :) Would be happy if i could keep my 6 speed trans tho :P ZF 5 speed + 3.38 is baaaad top speed :(

[nando]

it is, but, meh. it's not like the 260 can't handle the torque. there are plenty of several hundred + HP builds running Getrag 260s.

besides, the name of the trans tells you the torque holding capacity in NM.. so they're almost the same. An S54 doesn't even get close to maxing out the transmission, for example.

[The Dark Side of Will]

The 265 is stronger as well... my understanding is that it's at least as strong as the 420G. It was also my understanding that most/all of the cars with 500+ HP were using 420G's.

I'm not aware of how well or not the 260 does with high power in cars that can actually hook up.
No offense, Nisse, but if you need gear-by-gear boost control to a significant degree, you're not really hooking up ;-) Which, I assume, is why you're looking for AWD swap info...

[nando]

not any harder than any of the other parts you need - and actually, it was one of the cheaper things I've purchased.. :(