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swapping 5spd to 6spd \ 01 330ci - possible ??

5K views 39 replies 20 participants last post by  njoni007 
#1 ·
There are a few threads on how some fellow fanatics attempted a 6 speed tranny swap on their cars, yet I did not find any clear information of weather it is a practical swap or not.

After installing the 3.38 diff , I love the way my car drives more and more everyday as far as accelerations and torque ness . But on the down side, I am experiencing higher RPM high way cruising and loss of top speed. Now I believe that the 6 speed ZHP transmissions have the exact same 1 to 5th gear ratio as my 5 speed and the 6th gear is playing an overdrive roll which can probably resolve the mentioned issues, and be a better match for the 3.38 diff.

My questions from you are:

1) Which 6 speed transmission will be a bolt on install for my application between the ZHP, (regular 330 if any different) and the M3?
2) Is there any electrical parts, sensors, etc that has to be changed as well?
3) How practical is this? Do they have to pull the engine out for a trany swap? (How much labor approx)??
4) How much are the 6 speed tranies going for ?

Please let me know your additional thoughts and opinions regarding this project as well.

Thank you in advance,

Art
 
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#30 ·
Well about a year ago I swapped a zhp 6-speed into my 325i which was a steptronic at the time. The swap was straightforward I did all the work myself and keeping the stock diff now get 30.1 mpg on the highway. I had big plans for the sedan s54 lsd ect but after looking up the price for a used s54 which was about 4500!! I'm actually going to swap an auto back in and sell it and just go get a m3 since it will be way cheaper than doing the swap. I was actually looking foward to doing the m3 conversion but after seeing the initial cost its a little to deep for my pockets right now. So that means i could possibly have a zhp 6-speed, uuc evoIII,dssr, and lightweight flywheel, crossmember, for sale pretty soon.
 
#34 ·
Now, some people here are criticizing why would I swap to 6spd. Swapping to 6spd, beside the money is way easier than swapping AT to MT since no electronics is involved...only getting the right parts that belong to 6spd is the burden if you want to get something used.

The main reason is I want to avoid having my car rev at 3500 RPM on highway with my 3.46:1 Diff.

Selling my car and getting another used one is not an option because I know how good care I have taken on my car ever since I bought it new. I also do not want to reverse the Supercharger work and the investment that I put on it to have that SC and other things. Way too much work to go back from scratch.

I am able to find a used 6spd MT coming off 540i and M3 (they are both the same...Getrag).

The reason the M3 MT is more money is because it is not made by ZF or GM but from well known racing MT producer Getrag...the quality of the gears is different and the ratios between gears is very smooth.
 
#36 · (Edited)
I am able to find a used 6spd MT coming off 540i and M3 (they are both the same...Getrag).

The reason the M3 MT is more money is because it is not made by ZF or GM but from well known racing MT producer Getrag...the quality of the gears is different and the ratios between gears is very smooth.
Are they really ? My stock 5-speed manual box is a Getrag. I thought it was just a case of marketing and economics of distribution. Are Getrag made in Europe and ZF made in USA ?

Back to the OP:
I've swapped auto to manual before (difficult), and 1600 to 1300 GBs (easy, and relatively cheap from a breakers) on old Ford's. I personally wouldn't contemplate spending $1000s on swapping a good e46 5-speed for a 6-speed. The price is too high a percentage of a newer car with all the newer bits you want.
 
#40 ·
Just in case someone is subscribed to this subject matter.

Yes, it is possible with under $2500K installed (with used MT of course). If you are in the states I think you can get a better deal due to lower shipping costs as I had to import my MT from California. I ended up installing an M3 6-spd MT. Having it supercharged and 5-spd was a sucker. Shifting is much different and easier/quicker with my 6-spd Getrag MT. Fuel wise in the city there is not much difference but on highway it gets me extra 50-100 km per tank depending on wind, temp, and the road and speed. If you speed above the speed limit say 130km/hr you def will not get better than 50km extra but if you stay in 100-110km/hr it can go up to 100km extra on the tank. Also remember these numbers are based on a supercharged 330. Older 540i has the same MT at M3 but please confirm with close inspection because this was only based on visual inspection from pictures taken by the seller and the fact that the Getrag part numbers were the same.
 
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