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      07-23-2018, 01:16 PM   #1
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Info on F30 335i 6MT transmission/upgrades

I recently picked up a 2015 335i M Sport with the 6MT. I'm fairly sure this is the ZF S6-53 but I could be wrong. I was just wondering the capabilities and limits of the stock form of this transmission in terms of future engine mods. Also, if I were to need to upgrade it to hold more power in the future, where should I look for stuff of that nature?
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      07-23-2018, 02:28 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mmsharp View Post
I recently picked up a 2015 335i M Sport with the 6MT. I'm fairly sure this is the ZF S6-53 but I could be wrong. I was just wondering the capabilities and limits of the stock form of this transmission in terms of future engine mods. Also, if I were to need to upgrade it to hold more power in the future, where should I look for stuff of that nature?
Yes, it's the ZF unit and the same one used in the 1M and the M235. Basically the same ZF tranny used in the M2/3/4 except those units have slightly beefier 1-2 and 2-3 syncros.

The weakest link in these trannies is the 1-2 syncro. I strongly suggest not slamming the 1-2 often, especially if you have mods. If you do hit the 1-2 hard, please make sure the fluid is fully warm (i.e., at least 10 to 15 minutes of steady driving). I think a lot of people that have had 1-2 syncro issues are because they are slamming the 1-2 on cold fluid and/or running a lot more torque than stock. There is a ton of torque multiplication and wheel torque in 1st and 2nd.

The tranny itself is stout. All that needs upgrading is the clutch if you're running quite a bit more power than stock.
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      07-23-2018, 02:32 PM   #3
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I'm not sure about the stock clutch but I've read that upgrading to the 550i clutch is a popular upgrade. ECS Tuning has the replacement clutch kit for $380. I have 65k on my F30 and have been tuned for over 15k with no slipping but once my clutch starts to go I plan to upgrade to this kit.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...n/21207603248/
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      07-23-2018, 02:40 PM   #4
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Delete the clutch delay valve!! It was my biggest gripe about the f chassis manual Bmw. Your shifts will be smoother along with being able to rev match on downshifts
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      07-23-2018, 02:47 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XutvJet View Post
Yes, it's the ZF unit and the same one used in the 1M and the M235. Basically the same ZF tranny used in the M2/3/4 except those units have slightly beefier 1-2 and 2-3 syncros.

The weakest link in these trannies is the 1-2 syncro. I strongly suggest not slamming the 1-2 often, especially if you have mods. If you do hit the 1-2 hard, please make sure the fluid is fully warm (i.e., at least 10 to 15 minutes of steady driving). I think a lot of people that have had 1-2 syncro issues are because they are slamming the 1-2 on cold fluid and/or running a lot more torque than stock. There is a ton of torque multiplication and wheel torque in 1st and 2nd.

The tranny itself is stout. All that needs upgrading is the clutch if you're running quite a bit more power than stock.
This is good information, thank you. So I don't have to worry about hard 2-3 shifts as much, correct? Also, I'm planning on doing basic bolt ons and jb4 for the foreseeable future. Would an upgraded clutch be necessary for that?
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      07-23-2018, 02:52 PM   #6
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I did 500+ lb of torque on old setup with stock turbo on a few pulls, we tapered it down a bit down low but that was last revision I ran. I'm now on turbo upgrade (PS2) with 400+ whp 455+ trq (haven't dyno current boost level) .... but original clutch and tranny still grab like a MFer! They are pretty stout, just don't beat the shit out of the car. I definitely drive my car hard, but I never power shift or launch like crazy... not worth .1 seconds here and there, at least for me.

BTW over 40 dyno pulls and probably 50 runs at the track. I think you will be okay, congrats on new ride. 6 speed FTW
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      07-23-2018, 03:48 PM   #7
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Whoa Whoa Whoa....there is a CDV delete solution? Last I read about this the CDV was internal and could not be deleted. Please post more info.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gospeedracer View Post
Delete the clutch delay valve!! It was my biggest gripe about the f chassis manual Bmw. Your shifts will be smoother along with being able to rev match on downshifts
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      07-23-2018, 04:16 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by F30_SixSpeed View Post
I did 500+ lb of torque on old setup with stock turbo on a few pulls, we tapered it down a bit down low but that was last revision I ran. I'm now on turbo upgrade (PS2) with 400+ whp 455+ trq (haven't dyno current boost level) .... but original clutch and tranny still grab like a MFer! They are pretty stout, just don't beat the shit out of the car. I definitely drive my car hard, but I never power shift or launch like crazy... not worth .1 seconds here and there, at least for me.

BTW over 40 dyno pulls and probably 50 runs at the track. I think you will be okay, congrats on new ride. 6 speed FTW
That's awesome! I hope to put those kind of numbers down some day. And this is great news because I really wasn't looking forward to having to built the trans just for a good amount of power!
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      07-23-2018, 06:27 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mmsharp View Post
I recently picked up a 2015 335i M Sport with the 6MT. I'm fairly sure this is the ZF S6-53 but I could be wrong. I was just wondering the capabilities and limits of the stock form of this transmission in terms of future engine mods. Also, if I were to need to upgrade it to hold more power in the future, where should I look for stuff of that nature?
My 2015 has been doing good so far, about 400 whp/wtq. I had BPC swap the OEM with the 550i/335is clutch about 2000 miles ago as it was starting to slip a bit if I powershifted or downshifted. Seems to have solved the problem for the moment. I have 45,000 on the car and I track it a few times a year. I would be fine tracking it on the slipping clutch as it mostly held ok
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      07-24-2018, 12:24 PM   #10
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The 1st to 2nd syncro is pretty terrible in this tranny. Also the clutch delay value is terrible and will cause the clutch to slip bad on quick shifts.

The stock clutch will hold stage 2 power fine though. Honestly though the 6MT gearbox in this car makes me want to trade it in, it grinds from 1st to 2nd full throttle since the syncro is going out. Not worth replacing the gearbox as the problem will most likely come back due to a flawed design
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      07-24-2018, 12:32 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hansboost View Post
The 1st to 2nd syncro is pretty terrible in this tranny. Also the clutch delay value is terrible and will cause the clutch to slip bad on quick shifts.

The stock clutch will hold stage 2 power fine though. Honestly though the 6MT gearbox in this car makes me want to trade it in, it grinds from 1st to 2nd full throttle since the syncro is going out. Not worth replacing the gearbox as the problem will most likely come back due to a flawed design
How many miles does yours have and what kind of power are you making? Also how often do you shift hard to second?
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      07-25-2018, 10:05 PM   #12
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I bought the car with 60k now it has 75k. The sycro was fine when I got it but broke 5k miles into ownership. Was stock power when it broke. The clutch has always slipped on hard shifts due to the CDV.
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      07-26-2018, 08:13 AM   #13
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Really! I can break loose from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd and I still have stock clutch and CDV with 65k on the odo.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hansboost View Post
I bought the car with 60k now it has 75k. The sycro was fine when I got it but broke 5k miles into ownership. Was stock power when it broke. The clutch has always slipped on hard shifts due to the CDV.
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      07-26-2018, 10:45 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JaredG_F30 View Post
Really! I can break loose from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd and I still have stock clutch and CDV with 65k on the odo.
Same here. Haven't really had too much of an issue with the CDV so far (knock on wood). I can consistently break them loose into second.
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      07-27-2018, 01:54 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JaredG_F30 View Post
Whoa Whoa Whoa....there is a CDV delete solution? Last I read about this the CDV was internal and could not be deleted. Please post more info.
Someone posted something fairly recently (late 2017 I think) about finding a very restrictive piece in the hydraulic line by the slave cylinder. Personally, I don't think it's worth the effort. The car is pretty easy to drive stock.

My car had its transmission replaced under warranty due to a failing 2nd gear synchro. I noticed it when it was new to me, so I have no idea how it was treated. As long as you go easy on the 1-2 shift, you should be OK. It might also be a good idea to switch the MTF out to Redline.
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      07-29-2018, 02:19 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hansboost View Post
I bought the car with 60k now it has 75k. The sycro was fine when I got it but broke 5k miles into ownership. Was stock power when it broke. The clutch has always slipped on hard shifts due to the CDV.
Yeah the power-train seems designed to do everything it can to stop the drivers from shifting aggressively.
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      07-29-2018, 02:21 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mmsharp View Post
Same here. Haven't really had too much of an issue with the CDV so far (knock on wood). I can consistently break them loose into second.
I have found that breaking it lose is a function of how much tread is left on the rear tires mostly :-D
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      05-03-2021, 06:45 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XutvJet View Post
Yes, it's the ZF unit and the same one used in the 1M and the M235. Basically the same ZF tranny used in the M2/3/4 except those units have slightly beefier 1-2 and 2-3 syncros.

The weakest link in these trannies is the 1-2 syncro. I strongly suggest not slamming the 1-2 often, especially if you have mods. If you do hit the 1-2 hard, please make sure the fluid is fully warm (i.e., at least 10 to 15 minutes of steady driving). I think a lot of people that have had 1-2 syncro issues are because they are slamming the 1-2 on cold fluid and/or running a lot more torque than stock. There is a ton of torque multiplication and wheel torque in 1st and 2nd.

The tranny itself is stout. All that needs upgrading is the clutch if you're running quite a bit more power than stock.

I find people saying the only difference between the f30 335i and the m2/3/4 tranny is that they added beefier synchros in the m2/3/4.
But I don’t see a single person Recommending to put that transmission into the 335I.
Will the transmission from the M2/3/4 bolt directly into the f30 335i?? I would assume it doesn’t bolt in or I would see this recommended somewhere. As I see so many people with synchro problems in the 335i but nobody recommends upgrading to the m2/3/4 tranny??

I have a bad 1-2 synchro in my 2014 f30 335i transmission. This car has the ZF GS6-45BZ transmission in it. Am I able to swap it with a m2/3/4 tranny?
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      03-08-2022, 12:51 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryanfknt View Post
I find people saying the only difference between the f30 335i and the m2/3/4 tranny is that they added beefier synchros in the m2/3/4.
But I don’t see a single person Recommending to put that transmission into the 335I.
Will the transmission from the M2/3/4 bolt directly into the f30 335i?? I would assume it doesn’t bolt in or I would see this recommended somewhere. As I see so many people with synchro problems in the 335i but nobody recommends upgrading to the m2/3/4 tranny??

I have a bad 1-2 synchro in my 2014 f30 335i transmission. This car has the ZF GS6-45BZ transmission in it. Am I able to swap it with a m2/3/4 tranny?
You ever get any of these answers? Currently researching the same. It seems all threads end with these same questions. No definitive answer yet.
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      03-08-2022, 02:53 PM   #20
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Originally Posted by 1KWIKBMR View Post
You ever get any of these answers? Currently researching the same. It seems all threads end with these same questions. No definitive answer yet.
FYI there was the guy who swapped in an N54 trans successfully in another thread.
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      03-08-2022, 07:06 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1KWIKBMR View Post
You ever get any of these answers? Currently researching the same. It seems all threads end with these same questions. No definitive answer yet.
If it helps, my backup plan if my synchros start to go is to install an M4 6MT in its place (I'm in a 435i).

All the evidence I can find says it should bolt right in.

A less expensive alternative is to get the N54 version, although they don't have a pre-drilled location for the neutral position sensor - so you either have to get creative with fabbing or coding to get around that particular issue.
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      03-09-2022, 10:21 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by terryd5150 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1KWIKBMR View Post
You ever get any of these answers? Currently researching the same. It seems all threads end with these same questions. No definitive answer yet.
If it helps, my backup plan if my synchros start to go is to install an M4 6MT in its place (I'm in a 435i).

All the evidence I can find says it should bolt right in.

A less expensive alternative is to get the N54 version, although they don't have a pre-drilled location for the neutral position sensor - so you either have to get creative with fabbing or coding to get around that particular issue.
Please let me know what you figure out. Obviously I have to make it happen for my n20, but a n54 6MT is a lot cheaper than an m3/m4 trans.
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