Reprinted from November 1998 Performance VW  Magazine

After years of building four-speed gearboxes, car manufacturers eventually woke up to the benefits of the five-speed 'box. Instead of forcing drivers to sit in a long fourth gear for hours at a time, engineers added a fifth for quieter and more economical cruising. However, the needs of motorists have shifted, and while economy is still important, many rate driving enjoyment as a top priority. So the poor old five-speed has been hit for six. The benefits of a sixth gear are obvious. As well as the essential overdrive facility, an extra gear means the engine runs far more efficiently. None of the gears have to work harder than it should, so there's no dramatic loss of power when you shift. More importantly, you're always in race car mode when punching through the 'box.

Once the sole preserve of supercars, volume manufacturers have brought six-speeds within the reach of Joe Public. Peugeot’s throaty 306 GTi-6 claims the hot hatch crown, while Fiat built a six-speed Punto 1100 to prove all drivers can enjoy the benefits of an extra gear. And VAG? The limited edition (now-defunct) Audi RS2 aside, the only sniff of six-shift for Dubheads is the proposed W12 supercar, due sometime in the next millenium.

If you want a six-speed 'box to complement your hairy Dub, you need to speak to an aftermarket specialist. specialist. So that's what we did. Many of you will be familiar with our project Mk3 Golf GT i 16v. We've made it our mission to transform it from a lardy wallower into a genuine hot hatch. And for that, a six-speed is essential. While the Gemini six-speed conversion from Stealth Racing has been well chronicled within these pages, we're fortunate to have Quaife Developments sited just five miles from our offices.

A legend on the motorsport scene, Quaife has designed and built transmissions for competition and fast road use for over 35 years: "My father started in the '6Os, converting British bike s like Nortons and BSA s from four to five-speed 'boxes for track use. When the bike industry crashed in the early '7Os , we had to change direction," explained Director Michael Quaife. With abundant engineering expertise, the boys at Quaife turned their considerable talents to our four-wheeled friends. Initially they converted cars like the Lotus Cortina and Capri 3.0 to five-speed. Pretty soon, Quaife had etched a formidable reputation on the racing scene with its range of gearboxes, quick racks and diffs. Nowadays, every class is catered for, from track to hillclimb to rallying. More recently, the company has even built its own GT1 car, which debuted in our sister publication Performance Ford (April '98). Off the track, the firm's building a big name for itself. Not only has it been involved with Lotus to develop transaxle kits for the Esprit, but has turned its attention to other machinery - including VW: "A lot of people approached us at the Autosport Show, inquiring about a six-speed conversion for the Golf. So we started looking into it," Mike explained.

"When assembled into the casing, the Quaife six-speed becomes a work of art"

For the Mk3 Golf there are now two options. Those who intend to run the quarter-mile, or just feel the need for serious kit, there's a 'dog' engagement 'box. The difference between this and the conventional set-up is there's no slowing down 'meshing' the drive diff to the gear with a 'dog': instead they just mate together immediately. For the majority of Veedubbers, however, the 'standard' six-speed synchromesh gearbox is more than adequate. Both gear kits are suitable for the 02A cable-change gearbox, which covers the Mk3 Golf (from GTi to VR6), all Corrados and Ventos. Prices are ($4895) and ($2995) respectively for the kits but, if you're not clever with tools, Quaife has a new fitting bay dedicated to car preparation, and can undertake a six-speed conversion in one day.

In the growing market for six-speed conversions, standard practice has been to modify the original five-speed gearbox. Companies such as Gemini retain the standard first and second gears on the original main shaft, and fit closer ratios to it. The Gemini kit will set you back nearly three grand, but is possibly a more refined road kit.

Quaife, on the other hand, ditch the original gears and cut each cog from solid billets: We prefer to make the whole kit. That way, each gear is individually machined to ensure the perfect ratios throughout the range, explained Mike. Cutting the gears with a slight helical curve to reduce noise for the road, Quaife use a mix of carbon and steel from British Steel (a sponsor of the Quaife GTI racer) to provide a rock-solid product.

Although the original gearbox casing accommodates the Quaife conversion, sixth gear overhangs by 20mm, so an aluminium cover is built to keep it all encased.


After the new ‘box was fully assembled in the spotless workshop, it was just a question of installing it into our Mk3. Even in 16v form, the Golf is a slow, heavy hatch. With suspension mods (Spax RSX, Eibach anti-roll bars, Powerflex bushes) we'd made it more nimble but big Ed Greg still wasn't happy. As he rightly pointed out, the Mk3 suffers from a chronic lack of urgency due to poor gear ratios.



The Quaife six-speed is the perfect answer. After taking it out for a spin, Greg was suitably impressed: This is essential for the Mk3 and is the best thing weve ever fitted. Where there was a big drop in revs between gear changes, especially second and third, now you re always in the power band. Its like gaining an extra 40bhp. Its got to be considered as a viable alternative to engine tuning, Greg enthused.

As you II see next month, Quaife also fitted one of its revolutionary torque-sensing differentials and our road tests revealed it offers other advantages than just raw speed. Handling is much improved thanks to the smoother power transfer, and this is particularly apparent when you battle over uneven road surfaces with stiff suspension, or make a sudden change of direction. Inevitably, there are slight drawbacks with the gearbox. For a start, sixth gear is slightly lower than the standard fifth, so cruising economy has dropped a little. Another consequence of this is a reduction in top speed although that's pretty academic on British motorways. What's more, because you're always in the power band, you tend to go for it more often, and again mpg will suffer. Finally, because the gears only have a slight helical cut, the 'box whines in fifth and sixth. However, we found some people actually like the motorsport whine and likened it to a supercharger. These are all very minor points. You only have to see Greg's grinning face in the morning to appreciate the difference it's made. Our Mk3 is totally transformed and we love it. So if you want to extract more grunt from your Mk3 Golf, Corrado or Vento, give Quaife a call on the number below. You'll give your right boot a boost and have big fun in the process.