# Stupid Question: E39 V8 vs. I6 automatic tranny



## emPoWaH (Dec 26, 2002)

I'm a bit confused with the automatic transmissions used in the E39. Can anyone please clarify?

Six-cylinder = GM
Eight-cylinder = ZF? Getrag?

Is it possible for, say, a 540iA to use a 530iA tranny? Or are the V8 trannies stronger? Thanks!


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## bmw540i (Mar 30, 2003)

I think the V8 tranny is stronger so it can handle the raised power.


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## andy_thomas (Oct 7, 2002)

emPoWaH said:


> I'm a bit confused with the automatic transmissions used in the E39. Can anyone please clarify?
> 
> Six-cylinder = GM
> Eight-cylinder = ZF? Getrag?
> ...


It depends on the year and market. In the US, early E39s had four-speed GM automatic transmissions. These gained a gear in the late 1990s (1999?). The five-speed auto was retained for the 525i and 530i. Again, for US (and some other) market cars, a GM transmission featured.

European and most other Asia/Pac countries had ZF five-speeders from the start of E39 production. This would have been a lower-torque application compared to the ZF 5-speed auto in the V8s. (ZF 5HP19/TU vs 5HP24)


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