6 Speed Swap?

[RobertK]

I was poking around to see what I could find and I became curious to see if anyone has tried a 6 speed swap on an e30?

I was thinking along the lines of finding a 6-Speed from an 850i and swapping the bell housings out.

[benDASHDASH]

its possible. i talked to some guy who put a 6 speed in his 318i. why, i do not know.

[RobertK]

Do you remember exactly which transmission he used to complete the swap?

[Digitalwave]

You could probably do an M50 swap for the same price... why bother?

[Jarvis]

Re: 6 Speed Swap?

I was poking around to see what I could find and I became curious to see if anyone has tried a 6 speed swap on an e30?

I was thinking along the lines of finding a 6-Speed from an 850i and swapping the bell housings out.

The S6S560G from the 850i/Ci/CSi is extremely rare. Good luck finding one for under $3K.

[RobertK]

Are there any other 6 speed BMW transmissions that would be more practical for a 6 speed swap?

[benDASHDASH]

Do you remember exactly which transmission he used to complete the swap?

no, but if i talk to him any time soon ill let you know

[Jarvis]

Are there any other 6 speed BMW transmissions that would be more practical for a 6 speed swap?

Basically, no. None are cheap. Some need more work than others to be converted to non-stock engine combinations.

Think about which BMWs came with 6spd manuals. Probably don't bother considering newer 6spd E46 330i's, Z4's, E60s, etc. Not many used ones available. And when they are available they're expensive because they're fairly rare and probably still low miles.

The (relatively) older BMWs with 6spds were the E34/E39 540i, then things get closer to new: E39 M5, E46 M3, and Z8. I'm pretty all of those used the same S6S420G. At least the internals should be basically the same. Bellhousings must be different. They all still go for $3K or more. E30 owners are the bottom of the BMW food chain and E34/E36 owners generally have more money to bid for them when they do pop up. A 6spd from a euro E36 M3 Evo is probably easier to get ahold of.

[Ryan Stewart]

Ive been tempted since one is available nearby and I already have the S50 to match up to it. The problem is its already tight in there as is.

[Charlie]

You could probably do an M50 swap for the same price... why bother?

So you can say "My transmission is worth 3x the car"

-Charlie

[E30 Wagen]

i imagine you could reach a much higher top speed with that extra gear though, right?

imagine doing like 170+ in an e30. that would be a rush.

[RobertK]

I would prefer it just for the closer gear ratio.

[E30 Wagen]

yeah i know, i wasn't being serious. 170 is probably too fast for a little old e30, i'm sure.

or is it...

that would be an interesting project - e30 top speed.

sorry for thread hijacking

[RobertK]

Your top speed has more to do with your gear and differential ratio from what I understand. The higher the diff ratio the faster your acceleration is but your top speed is lower - the lower the diff ratio the higher your top speed is but your acceleration is slower.

[Jarvis]

Your top speed has more to do with your gear and differential ratio from what I understand.

And power
And aerodynamics

You'd need a lot of power to get an E30 over 150mph, regardless of gearing