5th gear swap on my 1999 2.0

[teeroy]

im looking to replace my 5th gear and have narrowed it down to two. the stock TDI set which is .756 (stock 2.0 is .837). i see other options to go even taller like to a .681 or .658!

my question is does anyone know of something in between the .756 and .681?

i found a shop nearby that can do it for a good price. ~2 hours of labor which sounds about right.

[Growler]

a .681 is a great upgrade for a TDI as they have loads of torque in the lower RPMs.

your 2.0 Gas car would be much better off with a stock TDI 5th gearset.

just today or yesterday I replied to someone asking about the costs of a 5th gearswap on a TDI.. you might want to PM that person and let them know that you might be interested in their stock TDI 5th gearset if it doesnt get any chips in it from removal, which does happen if the mechanic is a kludge.

Good luck, and on your car I wouldnt go any higher than a .755

and I dont know of any other sets other than the ones you have posted.

[Beetlemania]

Sounds like a cool idea!

I don't know any technical info on it, but have thought about it over time. Soon after I bought my Bug in '99 I think it was ABD Racing that was selling a 6th gear to go on top of 5th. I couldn't imagine the better highway mileage!

What would this one do to your rating do you think?

[Growler]

the 5th gear set can be swapped out with the transmission in the car in about 2 hours. for about $400 in parts plus labor.

a 6 speed conversion is a major undertaking in time & money.

unless you can sell your OEM 5th gear to someone, you will probably never save enough money in fuel to offset the cost of the install.

the only reason i did it on my TDI (other than to say I could and did do it) was because my oem 5th gearset quit working, it would not stay in gear and i had to replace not only my 5th gearset, but also the 5th gear actuator as well. $300 for that alone. ugh

[teeroy]

thanks for your input growler. are you saying swapping the gears wont really save much on gas? how about engine/clutch wear and tear?

[jazzcat]

i was told by someone on tdiclub to actually find a euro tdi 5th gear...not sure if the specs are different or why a euro one was suggested but might be worth looking into

[teeroy]

looks like the stock US spec tdi 5th gear is .756 and the aftermarket gear sets jump to .681 can anyone confirm the euro spec is somewhere in between? that would be ideal IMO for a gasser.

**EDIT** i just found a few other gear sets that are .7 and .717. I think the .717 is what im going to go with. now i gotta just find one....

[goosler]

let me know how this goes...I am looking to do this to my 98 2.0 as well.....rpms run high on the interstate........ Pat

[wawalker]

Your torque peak is at 2400 RPM if I remember right--do some calculations. Bigger isn't always better. You wouldn't want to make 5th unusable unless you were at 65 or better...unless you are on the highway at that speed a vast majority of the time.

I had a '98 2.0L / 5speed and yes, it always seemed as if 5th was too low, especially at 70 or better, but then most of my driving was rural 2 lane highway and county roads at 55-60, so the 200 rpm drop would've been good for me.

[jazzcat]

Originally Posted by wawalker

Your torque peak is at 2400 RPM if I remember right--do some calculations. Bigger isn't always better. You wouldn't want to make 5th unusable unless you were at 65 or better...unless you are on the highway at that speed a vast majority of the time.

I had a '98 2.0L / 5speed and yes, it always seemed as if 5th was too low, especially at 70 or better, but then most of my driving was rural 2 lane highway and county roads at 55-60, so the 200 rpm drop would've been good for me.

if i had the money I would be all over this swap..My typical shift pattern now goes 1-2-5 and I'm typically in 5th from 40mph all the way through 80..we are still on the fence with keeping my car or not(if it leaves its getting replaced with another beetle) and having a 3 week old bebe in the apartment makes unnecessary purchases on the back burner

i also think my wife would be mad if my little 2.slow was getting better mileage than her auto tdi on 17s

[teeroy]

i found a great rpm/mph spreadsheet. does anyone know where i can get all the gear ratios from 1st to 5th, final drive ratios etc? i found 2 different specs for a 99 2.0 GLS.

[bugasm99]

in my signature is a master DIY. There is one in there somewhere.

[teeroy]

just thought i'd give everyone an update... i got a near new set of beetle TDI (.753) gears installed today. took it for a spin and wow! my rpms at 3k gets me roughly 72mph. the car is much quieter and purs like a kitten. nice torq too. the gap between 4th and 5th isnt that bad either.

i say this is must for any commutin beetle.

[Brians2000Beetle]

teeroy ... where did you get your gears and how much were they? Did you have a shop do the work and what'd they charge ya? I too need to drop the RPM's on the highway

thanks