4.10s w 5 speed= 4 speed?

[bastianshaw]

stock motor i almost never use first i feel like w a 410 diff i would only use first going up steep hills effectively making my 260 a 4 speed :-)

also whats top speed in 5th w 14" 60 series tires? im guessing like 115?

[JasonC]

What? 5 speed is a 5 speed no matter how you look at it...

[FunfGan]

stock motor i almost never use first i feel like w a 410 diff i would only use first going up steep hills effectively making my 260 a 4 speed :-)

also whats top speed in 5th w 14" 60 series tires? im guessing like 115?

[slammin.e28]

[cabriodster87]

Because Granny gear.

[Emre]

I started with a '91 318is (with small-case 4.10:1 LSD) and swapped in an M20B25 when my timing case profile gasket let go. Later, I upgraded to a medium-case LSD from an E30 M3 (same 4.10:1 ratio). So, I have some experience with this set-up.

On the track, it was terrific. The gearing was perfect for the two circuits I used to visit most often: Tremblant and Mosport. Much stronger in-gear acceleration pulling out of corners.

On the street, it sucked. Especially on the highway. The engine would be spinning at 4K rpm at highway speeds. First gear was basically useless. So, I get what you're saying about basically turning the car into a 4-speed.

Again, on the track, that wasn't an issue since you never use 1st gear and almost never use 2nd gear anyway. Having shorter effective gearing in 3rd and especially 4th gear made a difference. And 5th finally became a useful gear on the track.

Overall, it makes sense on a track car, but not on a street car.

[nickflic3]

OP you won't know till you drive one...

That said I swapped in a 4.10 on a stock i motor and I use first from an absolute stop. If I am rolling then 2nd allways. Highways will suck and you might soon find that the acceleration improvement is severely capped as the gears just come by way to fast.

Upside is your car sounds like a close ratio racecar when you short shift lol

[evandael]

a 4.10 gearset is silly on a street car. maybe a 3.91 from an ix if you want to feel some additional acceleration.

[ACHTUNG]

I didn't like my M20B25 and getrag 260 with a 4.10 on the street either. Way too buzzy esp. on the highway.

When I did my S52 swap with ZF trans I switched to a 3.07 and am very happy with it.

[redsubdivisions]

I had a 4.10 LSD for a while and it was fun for acceleration purposes, but I went through gears pretty quickly. Plus highway mileage was shitty because I was sitting at 4K. Then I had a 2.93 LSD. Lacked in acceleration but my highway was great (2.5K at 85MPH). My advice is to get a 3.73. That seems to be the decent mix between acceleration and top speed. Plus if you decide to turbo later on, you won't be shifting every 2 seconds. lol

[nando]

I don't get the obsession of E30 people with overly long gears. the 4.10 is fine, 1st gear works just fine for it's intended purpose. 1st gear isn't meant to get you to 75mph, it's meant to get the car moving from a total stop, just enough to shift to 2nd for acceleration.

I also don't get how you guys are turning 4k on the highway, but I guess I don't typically go 20mph over the speed limit either.

and even with a 4.10 no E30 with a stock motor is going to be gear limited, except maybe an eta. if it bugs you that much get a chip with a higher redline.

[Brezzi]

^ I agree I have a m20b25 and 4.10 lsd and I love it, sure I'm at 4k around 80mph on the highway but we didn't buy these cars to be fuel efficient did we? I also use first all the time especially when I want to do silly things around corners

[Sagaris]

on a 4.10 5spd car with 100% stock engine I would start out from 2nd instead of 1st most times. The freeway RPM didnt bother me at all, if anything it encouraged me to drive the speed limit on the freeway.

In my other 3.73 car at Blackhawk Farms I was in 3rd and 4th the entire time. Coming out of turn 7 onto the straight it was a real dog in 3rd gear since my all-seasons and noob driving status weren't up to carrying any more momentum through the turn than I already was. While im not out to set any record lap times or anything, the driving experience would be improved quite a bit being able to accelerate more quickly from that particular corner would have made an already awesome experience, even better.

I am planning on swapping out the 3.73 in favor of the 4.10 even though I might only go to 2 track days a year.

[Mr. Tasty]

2.93 eta checking in. Sup

[WhyNot]

for old gm 4 speeds, there are after market gear set that basically turn 4th into an overdrive.
this way you have the quickness of a 4.10 and highway rpm of a 2.73
obviously there is a bigggg gap between 3rd and 4th gears
i dont think there are any manufacturers that do this for the bmw 5 speed trans though.
there also companies that have units that get mounted to the tail of the gm 4 speeds for an overdrive and again i dont think there is a bmw equivalent.