Anybody else considered installing a six-speed gearbox from an E46 M3 ?
The Z3 MC is an excellent car (esp. with a sorted chassis), however i believe that the engine gearing could be improved.
Personally I find the Z3MC a little under-geared for motorway, and the steps between ratios too large for what is supposed to be a sports/GT car.
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A bit of Googling reveal the following info:
M3 (S54) Z3MC (S50)
1st 4.23 4.21
2nd 2.53 2.49
3rd 1.67 1.66
4th 1.23 1.24
5th 1:1 1:1
6th 0.83:1 n/a
FDR 3.62 3.15
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An E46 M3 gearbox, perhaps together with a shorter ratio diff from an E36 328i or a Z3 3.0, would be a good improvement.
Understand that the E46 gearbox will bolt directly onto the S50 engine, and the Z3M transmission tunnel can accomodate the E46 gearbox casing.
The only uncertain part of the job is the shorter propshaft. Any modifiction to the prop would affect its dynamic balancing -- a job for a professional enginnering company.
Does anybody have any magazine articles or links to other BMW forums describing a similar project ?? (understand this is a popular mod in the goddam USofA)
Thanks in advance, Will
The Z3 MC is an excellent car (esp. with a sorted chassis), however i believe that the engine gearing could be improved.
Personally I find the Z3MC a little under-geared for motorway, and the steps between ratios too large for what is supposed to be a sports/GT car.
---------------------------------------------------------------
A bit of Googling reveal the following info:
M3 (S54) Z3MC (S50)
1st 4.23 4.21
2nd 2.53 2.49
3rd 1.67 1.66
4th 1.23 1.24
5th 1:1 1:1
6th 0.83:1 n/a
FDR 3.62 3.15
---------------------------------------------------------------
An E46 M3 gearbox, perhaps together with a shorter ratio diff from an E36 328i or a Z3 3.0, would be a good improvement.
Understand that the E46 gearbox will bolt directly onto the S50 engine, and the Z3M transmission tunnel can accomodate the E46 gearbox casing.
The only uncertain part of the job is the shorter propshaft. Any modifiction to the prop would affect its dynamic balancing -- a job for a professional enginnering company.
Does anybody have any magazine articles or links to other BMW forums describing a similar project ?? (understand this is a popular mod in the goddam USofA)
Thanks in advance, Will
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