Sequential in a Track Car Used on The Road

[drhildr]

I am toying with the idea of popping a Quaife 6 speed sequential into my E30 M3 track car. I drive the car to and from track so it needs to be reasonably usable. There seems to be an issue with 1st gear on most squentials in that they are the equivalent of 2nd gear on a standard box so you kill your clutch in stop start traffic.

Does anyone have any experience of this?

[stevieturbo]

Thats a rather vague statement.

Unless you know what the ratios are....of which there will likely be options, and the final drive etc....you can not say that 1st is like 2nd etc etc


I'd doubt any box you'd get for an M3 would have such a tall 1st gear that it would cause clutch problems though

What would be a concern for a road car, would be the actual shifting itself. Having to go up and down thru gears every time would be a major annoyance in a road car. Plus what does it actually shift like during easy driving ?

Edited by stevieturbo on Saturday 6th February 20:48

[drhildr]

Quite right - but all the sequentials that are an option have a first gear ratio almost exactly as per the standard 2nd on the car as it stands - around 2.4.1

[cyberface]

drhildr said:

Quite right - but all the sequentials that are an option have a first gear ratio almost exactly as per the standard 2nd on the car as it stands - around 2.4.1

Can't you sling in a lower final drive ratio so that the 'first' gear is effectively a lower ratio to the wheels? Should put a little bit less stress on the clutch, and as long as you're not bothered about ultimate top speed (or can extend the sixth speed in the sequential 'box) you should be OK on the road, no?

I'd be more concerned about whether the gears are straight cut myself... straight cut gears are bloody horrible in a road car... tried heavy duty stuff in tuned Minis in the past, and the gearbox made more noise than the engine, and it's not a nice noise either

[drhildr]

Quaife do a helical box which is much quieter than the straight cut. I think the main issue is one of clutch control in stop / start driving, junctions etc.

[Tangent Police]

Stupid question, but is this a dogbox or synchros?

If it is a dogbox (which I expect) what shape are the dogs and how many of them are there? What does your clutch plate look like? If it's a road car, you'll probably be better off with a heavy plate that will be harsh on your dogs.

I wouldn't fit several dog designs into a road car, unless I planned replacing the mainshaft components every 18 months or so.

It's heavy car, it will need a proper clutch and that will play hell with your dogs.