Wednesday 5th October 2022

New Quaife front-drive sequential gearbox...

...that you can experience firsthand in a Mk3 Focus RS at MotorsportDays LIVE

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There’s usually some chatter going on in the PH forums about Quaife, because if you’re after a transmission upgrade, Quaife’s ‘boxes tend to be high up the list of manufacturers to head to. And it’s just revealed the future of its front-wheel drive offering.

It’s the all-new QBE46Z gearbox, which the firm is showing off in a Mk3 Focus RS at MotorsportDays LIVE – the show’s on at Silverstone from the 4^th-5^th November in case you were wondering. The QBE46Z replaces QKE45Z, and, like that, should drop straight into the RS using its original M66-'box mounts, with no modifications to the standard bellhousing, clutch or driveshafts.

The company says this new unit ‘lays the foundations for all future Quaife front-wheel drive application sequential conversion gearkits and gearboxes.’ It’s said to improve shift times and reduce the chances of a miss-shift when you’re going through the ‘box in either direction.

You can also check out the QBE60G gearbox in a Caterham 420R. It’s one of Quaife’s most successful gearboxes, with 1,800 having been manufactured to date, and is ‘race proven up to 400hp’ It drops in as a 'direct replacement for the popular Ford Type 9 and fits a wide variety of cars with a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout.’

If 400hp is a little tepid for you, then you can also chat to the guys on the Quaife stand about more extreme units, like the QBE69G. That’s a 'go-to' for drifters and drag racers alike, with its ability to manage over 1,200hp without going pop.

This isn’t just a static display, by the way. Pop down to Garage 18 at MotorsportDays LIVE and book a slot with the Quaife test team for a first-hand experience of the Focus RS and 420 R, as well as a selection of customer and distributor cars fitted with Quaife's products.

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• Ford Focus RS (Mk3) PH Heroes
• Ford Focus RS (Mk3) PH Used Buying Guide

[Water Fairy]

Having stuck a quaife diff in a my stage 3+ Saab 9-5 Aero a few years ago I can safely say it is the single best upgrade you can do in a FWD car. Not cheap though.

Edited by Water Fairy on Thursday 6th October 12:23

[lee_erm]

Presumably the pictured gearbox is for a super wide-track version of the FRS

[Krikkit]

lee_erm said:

Presumably the pictured gearbox is for a super wide-track version of the FRS

The type 9-replacing gearbox they have in a Caterham, do read the article

[flukey5]

Had a friend who worked for Quaife for 5+ years. He couldn't recommend the company or the quality of their products less haha, completely the opposite of the above comments

[mat205125]

flukey5 said:

Had a friend who worked for Quaife for 5+ years. He couldn't recommend the company or the quality of their products less haha, completely the opposite of the above comments

I'm not sure that the company that exists today is really the same standard as the one that was pretty much the benchmark for this type of product a decade or so ago

[BFleming]

Water Fairy said:

Having stuck a quaife diff in a my stage 3+ Saab 9-5 Aero a few years ago I can safely say it is the single best upgrade you can do in a FWD car. Not cheap though.

I got lucky & bought a secondhand Quaife LSD diff for my 9-5 for £800, then another £150 to have it installed. Along with polybushing the subframe, the LSD is an amazing mod to do. Transformed the car.

[Katzenjammer]

Water Fairy said:

Having stuck a quaife diff in a my stage 3+ Saab 9-5 Aero a few years ago I can safely say it is the single best upgrade you can do in a FWD car. Not cheap though.

Edited by Water Fairy on Thursday 6th October 12:23

I’m sure it would improve the driving experience of the likes of a Dacia Sandero or Vauxhall Adam no end

[MF35]

Would the MOT bores mind? I had endless debates about a fly-off handbrake with the MOT blokes. Though much of that may have stemmed from their annoyance that they didn’t even know what it was and therefore being unable to operate it - and then thereafter taking out their perceived humiliation on me by failing my car for the most trivial of issues ...

[Water Fairy]

BFleming said:

Water Fairy said:

Having stuck a quaife diff in a my stage 3+ Saab 9-5 Aero a few years ago I can safely say it is the single best upgrade you can do in a FWD car. Not cheap though.

I got lucky & bought a secondhand Quaife LSD diff for my 9-5 for £800, then another £150 to have it installed. Along with polybushing the subframe, the LSD is an amazing mod to do. Transformed the car.

Indeed. Abbott fitted mine so you can imagine what it cost.................

[asci.white]

flukey5 said:

Had a friend who worked for Quaife for 5+ years. He couldn't recommend the company or the quality of their products less haha, completely the opposite of the above comments

Brushing aside the litigative third person comment (you can't be too careful these days aye) did their products really drop in quality?

Edited by asci.white on Thursday 6th October 15:03

[throwerp]

But the Mark 3 RS is four wheel drive not front wheel drive (like the Mark 2) or am I missing something?????

[flukey5]

asci.white said:

flukey5 said:

Had a friend who worked for Quaife for 5+ years. He couldn't recommend the company or the quality of their products less haha, completely the opposite of the above comments

Brushing aside the litigative third person comment (you can't be too careful these days aye) did their products really drop in quality?

Edited by asci.white on Thursday 6th October 15:03

He's a good pal (not some tenuous link of chinese whispers) who told me the quality isn't great and they treat their staff poorly firsthand. There's been a gradual de-skilling of the workforce and focus on margins over quality by the sound of it.

His comments were backed up by a motorsport contact of mine in the MX-5 space who mentioned that teams who run Quaife differentials always have to take a spare or two because of the tendency to grenade.

Not saying this product isn't good but smoke and fire etc. Likewise I've heard only good things about 3J Driveline (another UK based manufacturer - good for servicing, etc).

Edited by flukey5 on Thursday 6th October 15:46

[MountainsofSussex]

I've never really understood why sequential gearboxes have never really caught on in road cars. Obviously in every motorbike...

[samoht]

throwerp said:

But the Mark 3 RS is four wheel drive not front wheel drive (like the Mark 2) or am I missing something?????

Exactly... also the links about the QKE45 (both in the above article and eg https://www.focusrsparts.co.uk/quaife-qke45z-m66-s... ) talk specifically about the Mk2 Focus RS, which of course is FF.

So is this really suitable for the Mk3 Focus with its AWD system (and trick rear diff), or is it just an upgrade of the Mk2 offering and the PH article author has got them mixed up?

[CarsOrBikes]

MountainsofSussex said:

I've never really understood why sequential gearboxes have never really caught on in road cars. Obviously in every motorbike...

they'd be a lot of fun in a road car but they're impractical for cost, and one can't block shift, and having to stop unexpectedly or with shorter notice in any traffic scenario would make it hard work if not sometimes quite a problem for example having stopped in fourth say, having to get the drum back down to first with no rotation would be some hassle.

[Shiv_P]

Why the hell is this being tested in a 4WD car?

[Konan]

throwerp said:

But the Mark 3 RS is four wheel drive not front wheel drive (like the Mark 2) or am I missing something?????

You can bin off the bits that drive the rear.

[Pughmacher]

Slightly confusing write up. Perhaps the box is suitable for a mk 3 FRS? Perhaps the better description would be for transverse applications rather than FWD only? Maybe it does include an option to add a take off for the rear drive element? I’m not that knowledgable when it comes to the FRS box and it’s transfer arrangements. It’s trick I know that!

[457892345]

flukey5 said:

He's a good pal (not some tenuous link of chinese whispers) who told me the quality isn't great and they treat their staff poorly firsthand. There's been a gradual de-skilling of the workforce and focus on margins over quality by the sound of it.

His comments were backed up by a motorsport contact of mine in the MX-5 space who mentioned that teams who run Quaife differentials always have to take a spare or two because of the tendency to grenade.

Not saying this product isn't good but smoke and fire etc. Likewise I've heard only good things about 3J Driveline (another UK based manufacturer - good for servicing, etc).

Edited by flukey5 on Thursday 6th October 15:46

I went to get a flat tyre changed recently and got talking to the wizened veteran working there and mentioned that I was having quaife lsd fitted soon. As soon as i said "quaife" he blew up and went on 10 min rant about how bad they are and wouldn't ever use again etc as he had so many gearboxes and other items fail on him when racing minis.

[Dr G]

Konan said:

You can bin off the bits that drive the rear.

In the same way that you could chop the roof off and build a roadster, it does seem to be answering a question nobody asked.

Or (as already suggested) it's a mistake.