OEM-level 8HP swaps in E-series cars

Svmp

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Dec 23, 2019
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M50 DCT & M57 DCT
E9X does not have ECO Pro/Comfort/Sport/Sport+button,how to selection Drive Mode ?
It works just the way MR-KRAKA described :sunglasses: I just want to add that you also can configure your own button(s) (real or from a CAN message) to control drive modes in any way you like.
 

Torgus

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Nov 6, 2016
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ACF 6466 E92 + METH
e-than-you-can-afford-pal-more-than-you-can-afford.gif


jk

Be interesting to know what a shop would charge that has done a few of these. All in sourcing the parts etc. My guess is the cost is prohibitive and it only makes sense if you DIY it like the OP.
 
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mang.vang

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Sep 28, 2017
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09 e90
Yeah it doesn't seem so difficult especially with being able to code without having to send your tcu out. Ive seen a few 8hp45s fs locally for about $500 and running into this thread had me curious to see if it made sense cost wise to my wallet lol.
 
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MR-KRAKA

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May 23, 2020
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A lot of factors in there but for me with a “bolt on” 8HP45X I’m well under 2K all in on my swap. That’s DIY No adapter plates needed… You would have to explain in depth what you are asking for to a shop to get a realistic quote if not doing the work yourself.
 

mang.vang

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Sep 28, 2017
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09 e90
A lot of factors in there but for me with a “bolt on” 8HP45X I’m well under 2K all in on my swap. That’s DIY No adapter plates needed… You would have to explain in depth what you are asking for to a shop to get a realistic quote if not doing the work yourself.
I will definitely be doing the work myself if I were to decide on this transmission swap.
 

typedRew

Sergeant
Feb 25, 2019
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2009 335i xDrive
hp70 xdrive for a 08 535 wagon, being as heavy as it is, I think its smarter to go for the larger unit even if I dont think i'll make a bucket of torque. Thoughts? Would a hp45 tolerate 650ftlbs and 4300lbs? Its the easier swap, but I dont want to bother if its just going to burn up.

I've been trying to gather information on this and I havent found anything searching. I see a lot of non BMW awd transmissions on ebay. Is that just completely off the table? Should I only be searching for BMW versions? Is there a one stop shop for a 70 xdrive swap kit?
 

MR-KRAKA

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May 23, 2020
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hp70 xdrive for a 08 535 wagon, being as heavy as it is, I think its smarter to go for the larger unit even if I dont think i'll make a bucket of torque. Thoughts? Would a hp45 tolerate 650ftlbs and 4300lbs? Its the easier swap, but I dont want to bother if its just going to burn up.

I've been trying to gather information on this and I havent found anything searching. I see a lot of non BMW awd transmissions on ebay. Is that just completely off the table? Should I only be searching for BMW versions? Is there a one stop shop for a 70 xdrive swap kit?
I have an E61 for might winter warrior as well I think you may be underestimating on the weight lol. Panoramic sunroof? Anyways I would go the 8HP70 route if I were swapping that one especially. That being said the 45x has handled around 600ft/lb in my E90 just fine. I do wish I had the extra headroom though. I believe you will need an adapter plate going that route which will lead into a custom driveshaft from what I saw in my E90 xDrive. The E61 could be more forgiving in overall length but it’s an unknown until you get there with significant additional costs associated. You could invest in beefing up a 45 some too for an easier install but that is pricey as well.
 

typedRew

Sergeant
Feb 25, 2019
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2009 335i xDrive
I have an E61 for might winter warrior as well I think you may be underestimating on the weight lol. Panoramic sunroof? Anyways I would go the 8HP70 route if I were swapping that one especially. That being said the 45x has handled around 600ft/lb in my E90 just fine. I do wish I had the extra headroom though. I believe you will need an adapter plate going that route which will lead into a custom driveshaft from what I saw in my E90 xDrive. The E61 could be more forgiving in overall length but it’s an unknown until you get there with significant additional costs associated. You could invest in beefing up a 45 some too for an easier install but that is pricey as well.

Yeah, whatever goes in it will be stock, i dont like tampering with oem internals in anything.

The reason im concerned about the larger 70-75 swap is the extra parts and steps to take, where as a 45-50 is nearly bolt on.

My car on the scales is 4290 with half tank of fuel, so over 4300 with a full tank and 4500 with driver. Yes, it has pano, all 535 tourings do. So yeah, not light.

Do we have a limit to newest model year we can use the 8hp50 from? they made the 335i GT with n55 into 2017, thats a damn near new transmission and with it being almost bolt on, might be worth a shot and see what happens.

Is yours 600lbft at the crank or wheels? Im about the same to the wheels.
 

MR-KRAKA

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May 23, 2020
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Yeah, whatever goes in it will be stock, i dont like tampering with oem internals in anything.

The reason im concerned about the larger 70-75 swap is the extra parts and steps to take, where as a 45-50 is nearly bolt on.

My car on the scales is 4290 with half tank of fuel, so over 4300 with a full tank and 4500 with driver. Yes, it has pano, all 535 tourings do. So yeah, not light.

Do we have a limit to newest model year we can use the 8hp50 from? they made the 335i GT with n55 into 2017, thats a damn near new transmission and with it being almost bolt on, might be worth a shot and see what happens.

Is yours 600lbft at the crank or wheels? Im about the same to the wheels.
The Canformance wiki says all F series 1st/2nd gen trans are supported. I wouldn’t get too hung up on build date rather than mileage. I personally don’t think the price difference is worth it between the 45/50 as far as their ability to hold power they are identical. The 45 may even have an advantage since they switched to a “more efficient” oil pump on the 50 that runs at 1.5 bar less pressure... You could read about it some here https://www.car-engineer.com/second-generation-zf-8-speed-automatic-transmission/

You could go after whichever model seems to have the most support or latest features from XHP. Your XHP license will be dependent on the donor transmissions vin. I haven’t dyno’d but it comes to right around 600whp based on trap speed/weight. Just a typical maxed 17T setup with meth.
 

typedRew

Sergeant
Feb 25, 2019
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2009 335i xDrive
As far as price, im seeing nearly no difference, with the 50 almost being cheaper if im comparing mileage for mileage. Which is why im asking, I found a 19500 mile 8hp50 out of a 2017 335 GT for $450 about 40 miles from my house. So im considering using it and if it dies, then moving to a larger unit. I really just feel like, if the 6hp can more or less tolerate it, this has to at least match it. Who knows until its tried i guess.

Ill read up on your link, thank you.
 
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135d E87

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Feb 28, 2023
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Hi all!

to bump the thread.. i am finishing now my 135d M57 build.. i wanted to ask is this "thing" still alive and available since 6hp delivered with 335d (donor car) are nothing but sh-it comparing to 8HP.. i would like to go 8HP route if it is possible for diesel cars.. I have EDC17CP09 and finaly i got all things done to start the car (with imo) and it is alive.. right now fighting with ABS sensors since ESP is not the same for 4 yzl and 6 zyl engines (needed to swap that one to) along with servotronic.. I got old scool mehanical servo in e87 now.. and it feels cool..
To make long story short i am not for wild powers maybe up to 400hp but torque is aimed at 800ish nm.. so reading the thred i am guessing that 8HP45 would be straight forward swap, but i am wondering will it hold up 800nm and will it work at all regarding it is diesel engine and DDE is Bosh EDC... what would you guys recomend?
THX
 

135d E87

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Feb 28, 2023
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Anyone? Dead project? available? any kind of info? web looks alive but i am not sure it actualy exsist..
 

Nismo G

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Mar 21, 2023
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2008 E90 335xi
The trans cooler lines need to be adapted but there are several options available for that already. The 8HP ports are larger but uses the same style connection. You also need to swap out the cable shifter for an E-shift style. That was all for me hardware wise. I am E90 LCI so there may be some unforeseen small differences. IIRC pre-Lci/Lci have different rears/offsets. Best bet would be to compare part numbers between drive shafts to be sure…

I was able to get to the drag strip a couple weeks ago. Track prep was non existent so my 60ft really suffered doing 1.9’s all night either babying it or blowing the tires off leaving around 5psi. I think 10’s will be possible once I get to my normal strip if I can pull off 1.6’s. Car is much more consistent now as far as shifts go it didn’t miss a beat. Not bad for a junkyard swap with 125k on it and only a filter/fluid flush. Car should be in the 550-600whp range based on trap/weight and still fairly conservative on the tune. I made a little video of the difference between launching both ways. I still have it very biased to the rear with xDelete to protect my front end parts but may need to bring some back to hit my goals.


First off, thank you for all the info you have provided! This is huge.

Is there any chance we can chat on the phone or just through PM? I want to get this installed asap. I do have a pre-lci, so there may be some small differences, but I would love to pick your brain.
 

MR-KRAKA

Specialist
May 23, 2020
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First off, thank you for all the info you have provided! This is huge.

Is there any chance we can chat on the phone or just through PM? I want to get this installed asap. I do have a pre-lci, so there may be some small differences, but I would love to pick your brain.
You can PM me if you have questions. I will try to answer them but Ken is really the guy to talk to. Best way for him is probably on the Facebook group
 
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Nismo G

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Mar 21, 2023
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2008 E90 335xi
You can PM me if you have questions. I will try to answer them but Ken is really the guy to talk to. Best way for him is probably on the Facebook group
Thanks, I really appreciate it. Are you by chance using your original final drive gears and ratios or did you change them?
 

Tradtx

New Member
May 14, 2023
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Can anyone give me a parts list for completing this swap in an e93 330d manual with the n57 engine.
 

jholmes328!

New Member
Aug 7, 2023
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I was trying to hold off on making a post on this until after I got to the track but... I’ve been running the CANTCU for about a month now E90/N54/xDrive 8HP45X (first ever?) I am impressed with how far the software has come in just the short time and how fast Ken was able to implement various fixes (and improvements) throughout the Beta. There was plenty of bugs to work out in the beginning mostly Gas vs Diesel issues and I know I was the Bane of Ken’s existence for a while but it all paid off in the end. The Software is very polished now and he’s still pumping out the updates. While I am still working on the DME tune (IJE0S xDrive life) side of things as time allows, I can say this implementation is as close to oem as you’re going to get for this type of swap. By far best “mod” I’ve done so far besides upgraded turbos. Second gear gets placed in a very nice ratio between the 6hp’s 1st/2nd for launch and just DD duties in general. There is also maybe a little placebo effect going on banging through all the gears so quickly when you’re used to the long 6HP. It definitely livens things up a little more.

I opted to try this unit over the others for a few reasons. First I couldn’t find one example of the other options out there having functional xDrive outside of a reply to a YouTube comment saying it would be possible. Secondly you are using the oem TCU in this case programmed by ZF and combining that with XHP which I feel has proven to be quite reliable over the years. There has been far more testing than all the others out there with this combo. Direct control of solenoids/full standalone I’m sure has its advantages over this at racecar level but for me I wanted to be able to hand the keys to my wife without worries or her telling me somethings not right. Another factor was the language barrier vs the others. While Ken is based out of Finland he spoke perfect English and was not an issue at all even with al the technical speak. Time difference was the only thing that got in the way sometimes but I’m not sure if the guy sleeps anyways? None of that should matter now since the unit is plug and play past initial setup, this was all during testing.

For the physical swap itself the only modification required is adapting of the smaller 6HP oil cooler lines to the larger ports of the 8HP45. There’s several offerings out there like th adapter plates take your pick. And for the exhaust mount to the transfer case I had to find just the right length bolt/bushing washer/combo to make the stock bracket work because the pan seems to sit a little further back than the 6hp. Otherwise a direct swap. This applies when converting from 6HP19/21 to 8HP45X from an N55 powered F10 in my case. 8HP70 will require an adapter plate setup and I may regret not taking that path once I really start pushing it but time will tell. So far holding up ok in the 550-600whp range for me. I was concerned about the additional length with xDrive being uncharted territory. I didn’t have one to compare but if it were to add even a few mm To the overall package I suspect I would be needing a custom driveshaft at the very least. The 8HP45 is largely the same trans used on the B58 powered stuff now and they seem to be doing ok at least up to my power goals currently. These trans are cheap and readily available if you shop around but I definitely do not want to have to do this swap again anytime soon at least without a lift…

Next up I will hopefully get back to the drag strip soon, maybe tomorrow to see what kind of net ET gain there is at the same power level as last year. I suspect it should be significant from my 60ft alone. Here’s just a short video I made for internet proofz please don’t make fun of my skills lol

I’d be happy to answer any questions on the swap. This is not a paid promotion, no one put me up to this. Just a happy PITA customer 😁
MR-KRAKA
I'm looking to do this to my e90 328i, other than measuring driveshaft ect to bolt up, what else do I need to do the swap, part for part list of how yours went, I also can't seem to find the Cantcu to be anywhere just a website. U seem to be the only other person in the states with knowledge of this swap and also a pioneer of it on the n54 platform so u have a knowledge on how to work around the kinks. Thanks,
Before anyone says buy a 335, I'm building a dedicated track car that won't kill me around a turn, so a fbo 28i is perfect for that, and I like to build what everyone says not to.
I was looking into swapping to the zf transmisson and came across the 8 spd swap wich makes me so happy cause frankly all autos in e90s suck, and they all suffer whether a mt or at they suffer from only being 6 spd and falling out of power band