diff gearing question & 6sp swap
 

so I like whats I got, but do wish the gearing were taller, references here to stump-puller 1st are correct in my opinion.

So with our computer-sees-everything darlings, is it possible to simply swap diff gears to raise the final axle ratio like der good ol' days?

If it is possible, any idea what gearing might make 1st gear behave like a typical 5'er I expected from der werken?

OR, would it be possible to swap for a six-speed tran, to at least lower hiway rpm.

mine has the oem towing kit, if that makes a difference. I am apparently google challenged, as I can find little info (excepting here) on gear ratios etc.

"with 4.11 gears you can really get lost" keeps playing thru my head, although I never had a hot-rod lincoln, nor the desire..

thanx.

Curios too...though I have become so used to the 1st gear, that most starts are soft 2nds.
What is not my pick is the highway RPMs that our 5th forces, and the majority of recent years' miles is from trips.
Good luck on your hunt, and I will be a curious reader.
Best Regards, mD

Still hunting - not sure if the answer is self-evident, or if no one else has considered it.. time to ask the dealer service manager (CCA member)..

I would have to say is long is the speed sensor is located at the wheel and not the driveshaft or transmission still be fine with the gear swap.

Totally possible, it's a simple swap. Our cars should've come with something like 3.64s from the factory. Get them from early E53 4.4i vehicles. You can install limited slip units as well.

Any updates? I have my tranny out of mine for a rebuilt but before i precede I rather entertain this idea.

I have looked on realoem and there are 2 the 5speed and 6speed. the 5 speed can be found for 200 bucks on ebay from E46 cars but the 6sp is about 1500 to 2500 for a used off ebay so far.

either way i know that the gear and ratio would be different in the e46 even tho the same engine but its an IX so how different is it?

I have a complete 4.8is engine and 6 speed trans for sale. That would be a nice upgrade. :) Lol

The E46 uses a different transfer case, the front drive shaft set up is completely different. I haven't had the two next to each other, but I would imagine that a custom shift console and drive shafts would be needed to deal with a difference between where the trans sits relative to the body.

i think what you really have to do is contact one of the after market gear manufacturers and see what they say, cause all you really need is the ring and pinion set x two
(1 for the front, 1 for the rear)

now for most cars this is easy, however with the BMW who knows

www.diffsonline.com - sh!t or get off the pot. Andy from www.euromelee helped me w/ the decision on mine in the 7, but you do realize you'll be doing it twice in the X.

I get the strong feeling this thread will die off just like the random 6spd swap threads, but we'll see.

not a real adventurous type, me, I searched a bit and found no reference to a successful gear swap. I had seen references to the 'stump puller' so I had hoped that someone had either done it, or had an indy that they could trust tell them "go / no go"

The doubling to "find out" is the entire problem, quite an investment with non-returnable parts, especially if it makes the OBC go burp.

The internet is full-to-overflowing with "if you can think it up, we've got a junk part that'll do it" so google is not necessarily your friend -- I will see what I can learn at diffsonline. My CCA dealer had not heard of anyone doing it, so could not be sure which diff gearing times two or that it would perform well, experimenting seemed the only way. uhmm, ouch.

Specifically, if I mash the go, I hafta' pull 2nd so fast that it kinda' takes the fun out of it, I don't need to read rpm, before I can look it's rev-limited. As an OT, I prolly missed the boat and this is 'normal'. So if I have 4.10's, would 3.90s be about right? 370's for noticeably slower but a 500 rpm drop at 80mph? and will it still go uphill with that drop? I'm over my head.

So the topic may die, but I had hoped for e39 comparisons, or international differences, etc. that might guide me. or is it a poor idea since a six-sp swap would be easier (if it would be). I am guessing that I will simply get off the pot, and try again when the outhouse is warmer :bustingup

SOoo, UUC Motorwerk pointed me towards KMS (440-564-7574).
A Great aussie has his own e53 'daily-drivah' & swapped gears at ~3.45 but said don't do it, as he must downshift for hills (but gave 2mpg improvement hiway). Someone who works there swapped to the oddball 3.64 gears which are somewhat available:
3.0i and 4.4i auto from 2001 MAY have them. You -must- be real specific about 3.64's (there is apparently a sticker on the diff) or expect to get the wrong ones. His guess is that BMW simply ran out of the 4.10's for some short period, as they were never an option.

The person that did his own 3.64 swap found a salvage set on the 'net in a couple weeks, at ~$600, dunno if he meant each or total, OR full diff or just gears.
He estimated 6-7 hours labor to replace.

He -will- make a set, but the OEM seemed to be a good ratio and available, so spending $3500 for details and shiny is why he said go salvage.

3.64 takes about 600 rpm off at ~80mph, still keeping you in the torque for cruise. sounds perfect!

hope this helps, I'll update if I make any headway.. else, I'm off the pot again..

i like where you're headed, so basically you need to look for a used diff with a 3.64 final gear? i'd like to take about 600 rpm off my highway cruising and still have power.....

fwiw, I've not come up with anything on the internet site, no reply/no response to search.
still waiting to hear from anyone that has driven both the 5-sp and the 6-sp for a comparison view regarding 1st gear, torque to rev-range, overall likes/dislikes as 6sp should start becoming more available, so more affordable, now.
regardless, looks like I'm in clutch/fly/short-shift land in short term (no news there either) so see how that affects things.
internet site has basically the same result as Dec 15th, any hints on making it work better or a more bmw/german-centric used-part site.

Thanx.