DCT Swap + S54

[George Hill]

George, I'm not sure of the details, but I know they tried several controllers for the transmission and for the entire car to no avail. One driver was with us at Autobahn Country Club and the car would run fine for a bit then lock in 4th gear.

Feff

Sounds like HTG, terrible controller.

CANTCU doesnt support MSS54 or MSS60 right now so they were either using a MaxxECU and DCT protocol or a hybrid unsupported combination.

[Feffman]

What were they using for controllers? The S65 should have been a stock setup?

DCT transmissions DO have issues with the internal temp sensor and there are multiple causes for it.

Additionally IIRC the factory cars are overfilled by 1L to help temp issues in track.

George, I'm not sure of the details, but I know they tried several controllers for the transmission and for the entire car to no avail. One driver was with us at Autobahn Country Club and the car would run fine for a bit then lock in 4th gear.

Feff

[Tbonem3]

Ha! Saw it today and had to remember to post but you beat me to it!

[heinzboehmer]

Look at that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL-EuMFw3mo

[Tbonem3]

The car/engine thst needs the dct the most is the e60/smg3/s85. Would be so ridiculous. 🤤

[George Hill]

Two racers in the Midwest tried the BMW DCT conversion with the E92 V8 in an E46 M3. Neither, after lots of anguish, consultation with the people who'd "successfully" done a DCT swap and money, were able to get them to work. The biggest issue was overheating the DCT or at least the computer thought it was overheating. They both threw in the towel.

Feff

What were they using for controllers? The S65 should have been a stock setup?

DCT transmissions DO have issues with the internal temp sensor and there are multiple causes for it.

Additionally IIRC the factory cars are overfilled by 1L to help temp issues in track.

[Feffman]

Two racers in the Midwest tried the BMW DCT conversion with the E92 V8 in an E46 M3. Neither, after lots of anguish, consultation with the people who'd "successfully" done a DCT swap and money, were able to get them to work. The biggest issue was overheating the DCT or at least the computer thought it was overheating. They both threw in the towel.

Feff

[liam821]

Looks like CanTCU integration with the MSS54 is in beta now. Says torque control, shift cuts, and blip downshifts are all working. So hopefully soon!

https://wiki.canformance.net/doku.php?id=cantcu:supportcarlist#beta_status

[liam821]

MaxxECU works a treat. I can one on my Supercharged DCT Z4M.

Once CANTCU have sorted MSS54 integration I'd imagine there will be a hell of a lot more DCT/8HP E46s around!

Absolutely. For some people going the whole aftermarket ecu thing isn't an option with emissions, not to mention it's a bit of a hassle and expense. And there is nothing wrong with the MSS54, it runs the S54 very well. With CanTCU integration all those people out there who want a better "auto" experience this will be a fantastic option. DCT S54 is a great combo!

[Martyn]

MaxxECU works a treat. I can one on my Supercharged DCT Z4M.

Once CANTCU have sorted MSS54 integration I'd imagine there will be a hell of a lot more DCT/8HP E46s around!

[George Hill]

I went with a Maxxecu for my car. I think it's the best option for easy tuning and diagnostics, e46 canbus support (so the stock gauge cluster, cruise etc all work), heavy engine modification (turbos, CSL box, or Honda k24 swapped in my case lol), and modern transmission support (8hp/dct). It also has an active community with good support.

Agreed on Maxx, I have one for my Turbo M52/8HP swap that I am building.

[liam821]

I went with a Maxxecu for my car. I think it's the best option for easy tuning and diagnostics, e46 canbus support (so the stock gauge cluster, cruise etc all work), heavy engine modification (turbos, CSL box, or Honda k24 swapped in my case lol), and modern transmission support (8hp/dct). It also has an active community with good support.

Another good option is an ECUMaster EMU Black with a CANTCU - This was my 2nd option. Link ECU with a CanTCU is also a good option, I don't think their e46 canbus support is as good as the ECUMaster or Maxx (at least last time I looked), but their newer ECUs support direct injection which is huge. So if you wanted to swap in a b58/s55/s58 with a dct and keep the direct injection, a Link (or Motec $$) is really your only option right now. DriftHQ is working on a b58 swap kit using a Link in an e46 right now.

[George Hill]

There is still no fully integrated transmission controller for the DCT using an MSS54 DME. CANTCU is getting close. HTG is essentially vaporized. The only other option is converting the engine to run on a MaxxECU and using their DCT protocol (or any other number of standalone ECUs and a CANTCU).

[acb.m3]

Old thread bump - Anyone done the swap in 2023 or 2024?

[George Hill]

I'd bet my auto setup weights in about 220#, it is not light by any means.

Here are some laps at CoTA with my ZF8/S54 touring. Still some transmission tuning left to do but you can hear the shifts. I was also playing around with lifting on the shifts to see if that affected anything as well (trans temps namely).

https://youtu.be/HS-9eHkXva0?t=171