My VIN says I have a shorter final drive ratio, does anyone know if it's 3.46 or the standard 3.38? I get some really aggressive takeoffs when I push the throttle. Does anyone have the same and have they checked to see what diff ratio they have. I am curious before I buy a 3.38 diff, because I would like for the car to be able to reach top end. Also have to mention, my car seems to top off at 220km/h.
D1NONLY
Automatic or manual transmission? Where did you see the
shorter final drive ratio listed for the VIN?
shorter final drive ratio listed for the VIN?
Gear Ratios | MyE46
List of all transmission gear and final drive ratios for all models of the BMW 46.
mye46.com
I don't think any 330 came with 3.46, mine was out of a auto 325ci convertible
could be wrong tho
could be wrong tho
I believe it'll be 3.46. My understanding is that a standard auto 330 has a 3.38 final drive, and the S204 option gets you a 3.46. That's what my 2001 330Ci coupe has; I'm not sure if the convertibles are different. You won't know for sure until you actually read the sticker on the diff.
It's not going to be a night-and-day difference dropping down to 3.38, though. You'll be like 50-100 RPM lower in the same gear at the same speed for normal driving, with maybe 5-10km/h extra top speed? There's a great calculator you can use to calculate RPM and speed between different final drives and gear ratios here:
www.endtuning.com
It's not going to be a night-and-day difference dropping down to 3.38, though. You'll be like 50-100 RPM lower in the same gear at the same speed for normal driving, with maybe 5-10km/h extra top speed? There's a great calculator you can use to calculate RPM and speed between different final drives and gear ratios here:
EndTuning - Gear Speed Calculator
EndTuning - A simple calculator to work out what road speed you will achieve at a given RPM, or calculate your RPMs from a given road speed. This will be able to demonstrate increases with In-Gear speeds for increase RPM limiters
Just look up the code on Google and you will get the answer (unless someone changed out the diff). The thread I linked to also includes the answer.
well convertibles get a shorter ratio because of their weight issues when manual. the same as automatics. so if that code actually correlates to it getting an even shorter it may well have a 3.46. or it’s just your region’s coding. yes read the linked threads but that seems to be non-E46 specific info.
now I asked what year car, as if it was later it could have been the 3.64 bmw had out. but that was after the 2003 model “Performance Package” introduced. it came from the Z4 and had a finned diff cover. since yours is ‘01 that seems highly improbable. which again leads to 3.38 or 3.46. which again seems strange to special assemble/install a 3.46 for such a small increase in bottom end.
now as mentioned one way to check is the label on top for ratio numbering. but you’d had to drop it some, and it’s at the very top. Not at all easy to see. the easiest way is to lift the rear tires, make a white line on axle. turn the wheel one exact full rotation and count how many times it goes around. if it’s almost exactly 3.5 times you got the 3.46. if a bit shorter than that it’s a 3.38 and 3.6 times it’s a 3.64. also if it has a lower hanging finned aluminum diff cover, also good sign it’s a 3.64.
GL
now I asked what year car, as if it was later it could have been the 3.64 bmw had out. but that was after the 2003 model “Performance Package” introduced. it came from the Z4 and had a finned diff cover. since yours is ‘01 that seems highly improbable. which again leads to 3.38 or 3.46. which again seems strange to special assemble/install a 3.46 for such a small increase in bottom end.
now as mentioned one way to check is the label on top for ratio numbering. but you’d had to drop it some, and it’s at the very top. Not at all easy to see. the easiest way is to lift the rear tires, make a white line on axle. turn the wheel one exact full rotation and count how many times it goes around. if it’s almost exactly 3.5 times you got the 3.46. if a bit shorter than that it’s a 3.38 and 3.6 times it’s a 3.64. also if it has a lower hanging finned aluminum diff cover, also good sign it’s a 3.64.
GL
Who in here has information or knows what top speed each diff can give on a 330i/ci. I have an automatic vert with shorter final drive ratio maxing out at 210 km/h (130m/h)
bokchoy's list, that Bali linked, is great for determining what ratio you have or determining what car to look in for your desired ratio, but this one is actually a speed calculator.
www.endtuning.com
EndTuning - Gear Speed Calculator
EndTuning - A simple calculator to work out what road speed you will achieve at a given RPM, or calculate your RPMs from a given road speed. This will be able to demonstrate increases with In-Gear speeds for increase RPM limiters
Just jumping on this thread for some information. I know this is a super basic question, but the lower the number, the "taller" the gears will effectively be, correct?
After taking a 6-ish hour round trip this past weekend, I was just thinking that it would be nice to swap in a diff with a lower (?) ratio that would lower my cruising RPMs, assuming this could be done with little or no modification to the diff needed (e.g. if the driveshaft length stays the same).
I have a 2000 323i with a 5-speed manual and I feel that all of the gears are too short, especially 1st and 5th. It would be nice to have lower RPMs when cruising.
Edit: it looks like a manual 328i has a lower diff ratio? I'm wondering if that might be what I'm looking for.
After taking a 6-ish hour round trip this past weekend, I was just thinking that it would be nice to swap in a diff with a lower (?) ratio that would lower my cruising RPMs, assuming this could be done with little or no modification to the diff needed (e.g. if the driveshaft length stays the same).
I have a 2000 323i with a 5-speed manual and I feel that all of the gears are too short, especially 1st and 5th. It would be nice to have lower RPMs when cruising.
Edit: it looks like a manual 328i has a lower diff ratio? I'm wondering if that might be what I'm looking for.
The terminology is easy to get confused.
I stick with higher ratio 3.46:1 and lower ratio 2.28:1.
Officers this thread right here for the fast and furious tickets
Jk I love yall little speedy monsters I'm just too slow...
Jk I love yall little speedy monsters I'm just too slow...
The verbiage is very confusing and made worse by the internet, where lots of people who never really grasped it talk about it a lot.
This conversation takes place hundreds of times a year on every car site everywhere.
This conversation takes place hundreds of times a year on every car site everywhere.
Ok, I see what you re saying. But I am talking about high or low differential gear ratios, not high or low gears, same words, different application.
Rear-End Gearing Simplified
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Thanks guys for all your input and feedback, I have checked the links and they are very helpful. However, I was hoping to find information that was explicit about the V max speed for e.g. a 3.38, 3.46 or 3.64 differential in a 330i. Even a ballpark figure would suffice.
The Web Archive for Bokchoys also has a top speed calculator link to the left-
BMW E46 Gear Ratio / Cruising RPM calculator
Will show your top theoretical top speed in each gear based on Redline.
(From the factory the BMW E46 was limited to 128 MPH (330Ci ZHP was 155mph) from the 2004 Coupe Brochure)
Top speed limited electronically.
Dinan Stage 1 software removed the 128mph top speed limiter, likely other performance software also eliminated the top speed limiter.
BMW E46 Gear Ratio / Cruising RPM calculator (archive.org)
BMW E46 Gear Ratio / Cruising RPM calculator
Will show your top theoretical top speed in each gear based on Redline.
(From the factory the BMW E46 was limited to 128 MPH (330Ci ZHP was 155mph) from the 2004 Coupe Brochure)
Top speed limited electronically.
Dinan Stage 1 software removed the 128mph top speed limiter, likely other performance software also eliminated the top speed limiter.
BMW E46 Gear Ratio / Cruising RPM calculator (archive.org)
Hi I'd like to order a tall grande latte with a short creme, make that a short espresso on the rocks with a tall almond milk, hold the lower order make it a shorter milk latte in order to be taller
Ok guys I’m a little confused now. So my car is a 330cic automatic with option S204 short final drive ratio.
As I was checking out the diff today I found this part number on it, 1428123. A quick google search takes me to diff part number for a 320d. All I know is this car has really aggressive pull and I believed it’s so because from factory it has a short final drive. I haven’t been able to check what ratio my diff is to be absolutely sure but the diesel diff number has me a bit confused. Do some petrol and diesel cars share same diffs or could it have been an option?
I will be doing a diff oil change soon and will certainly confirm the ratio. But as of today I have no idea
As I was checking out the diff today I found this part number on it, 1428123. A quick google search takes me to diff part number for a 320d. All I know is this car has really aggressive pull and I believed it’s so because from factory it has a short final drive. I haven’t been able to check what ratio my diff is to be absolutely sure but the diesel diff number has me a bit confused. Do some petrol and diesel cars share same diffs or could it have been an option?
I will be doing a diff oil change soon and will certainly confirm the ratio. But as of today I have no idea
That doesn't seem right. The diesel rear diffs usually have a really tall gear ratio, which is exactly the opposite of what you want for quick acceleration.
That said, you can guesstimate the ratio by seeing how many times you need to rotate the input to make the output turn once.
That said, you can guesstimate the ratio by seeing how many times you need to rotate the input to make the output turn once.
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