016 v. other audi boxes.....

[Cliff Beer]

I've noticed that it's now just about impossible to find a good audi 016 transaxle. I guess all the old Audi 5000s in wreckers yards have all been crushed by now (including drivetrain) so they're not really very available. This is in contrast to 2006 when I bought my CAV and there were still loads of 016s around.

Personally, I like the 016 as it's reasonably robust and the LSD from a porsche 944 box bolts right in. It's also easy to shift and there are ratios in certain 016s which work well. It's also weighs right around a 100lbs - nice and light. In other words, a cheap and decent transaxle for modest hp applications.

I have a different car ('88 Lotus Esprit Turbo) with a crappy Citroen transaxle. I'd like to replace the Citroen transaxle with an 016. But since 016's are relatively scarce now I'm wondering if there's a new audi transaxle which will work well. I notice the transaxles from Passat's are dirt cheap. Are these any good?

Any help is much appreciated.

 

[Darrin]

I've noticed that it's now just about impossible to find a good audi 016 transaxle. I guess all the old Audi 5000s in wreckers yards have all been crushed by now (including drivetrain) so they're not really very available. This is in contrast to 2006 when I bought my CAV and there were still loads of 016s around.

Personally, I like the 016 as it's reasonably robust and the LSD from a porsche 944 box bolts right in. It's also easy to shift and there are ratios in certain 016s which work well. It's also weighs right around a 100lbs - nice and light. In other words, a cheap and decent transaxle for modest hp applications.

I have a different car ('88 Lotus Esprit Turbo) with a crappy Citroen transaxle. I'd like to replace the Citroen transaxle with an 016. But since 016's are relatively scarce now I'm wondering if there's a new audi transaxle which will work well. I notice the transaxles from Passat's are dirt cheap. Are these any good?

Any help is much appreciated.

Get the 01E from from Scott. They are far stronger, he can get custom gears, cryo treated, you name it.

 

[Eric A.]

I think the Passat is the 012 which is basically the same as the Boxster 5-speed. Scott can probably fill us in on the details on that. My Porsche mechanic says they are rather fragile and the Boxster racers often strip the teeth off of gears with the stock Boxster engines.

 

[Cliff Beer]

Get the 01E from from Scott. They are far stronger, he can get custom gears, cryo treated, you name it.

Thanks Darrin, you're right, that would be a good transaxle. Scott can no doubt build a great transaxle. For about $5,000. Cryo, custom gears, installed LSD, etc.... If money were no object that's the 100% right choice.

Some years ago it was possible to get an 016 for about $100 bucks, get a 944 LSD for about $500, spend another few hundred bucks on some bearings and new seals and have a good transaxle for less than $1,000 bucks.

I've blown large amounts of money on extraordinary things. But in all cases I've striven to find the absolute most economical means to the end goal...in other words, very carefully weighed the relative cost v. the intended result. Some would say I do that to an excruciatingly painful degree, but that's just my nature.

Thank you again for the suggestion however, no doubt that would be a great transaxle.

 

[AdrianBurton]

You can also consider the 01X, stronger than the 016, not as strong as the 01E

You can find them in the A4

 

[Terry Oxandale]

There seems to be some good strength in the Boxster S transaxles as compared to the Boxster.

 

[Cliff Beer]

Thank you Adrian. Are there 2WD versions of the A4 around? They all seem to be 4WD up here in the Pacific Northwest.

Thanks Terry, do you happen to know the model designation of the Boxster S transaxle? Is that and 01E or ??

Cheers.

 

[Eric A.]

I think the Boxster S/Cayman is the G86. It is different than the 01E but the same as the 996 only it has the differential on the other side for mid-engine use. Both have the same bellhousing pattern. I like the Boxster/Cayman as it is already set up for cable shift so no additional linkage is necessary like for the 01E.

 

[Scott]

I've noticed that it's now just about impossible to find a good audi 016 transaxle. I guess all the old Audi 5000s in wreckers yards have all been crushed by now (including drivetrain) so they're not really very available. This is in contrast to 2006 when I bought my CAV and there were still loads of 016s around.

Personally, I like the 016 as it's reasonably robust and the LSD from a porsche 944 box bolts right in. It's also easy to shift and there are ratios in certain 016s which work well. It's also weighs right around a 100lbs - nice and light. In other words, a cheap and decent transaxle for modest hp applications.

I have a different car ('88 Lotus Esprit Turbo) with a crappy Citroen transaxle. I'd like to replace the Citroen transaxle with an 016. But since 016's are relatively scarce now I'm wondering if there's a new audi transaxle which will work well. I notice the transaxles from Passat's are dirt cheap. Are these any good?

Any help is much appreciated.

The 016 was a decent gearbox for moderate power (no more than 400 ft/lbs) but parts and gearboxes are exceedingly difficult to find and if you do find parts they are horrendously expensive. However 016's do have their fare share of issues that the 01E solved.

The 01A/012 is the new 5 speed used on A4's, 80's, 90's, 100's etc.. If it was a FWD and 5 speed from 1988 to about 2004 it was an 01A/012. however it is fairly weak (weaker in general than the 016) it suffers from shaft flex as the two shafts in is are unsupported for about 18 inches (the 01E on the other hand is supported by three bearings and the longest section of shaft between bearings is about 8 inches. Gear thicknesses on the 01A are also pathetic, Gears are 1/2 inch to 3/8 inch thick.. The 01E gear thickness is 1 inch for the widest gear and 3/4 inches for the narrowest...

01A's will clean teeth off of the narrow first gear with too much torque and break third gear due to shaft flex. The shift pins also shear on the 01A, and there are no off the shelf diffs available for the 01A.

There is a newer gearbox the 0A3, but it is difficult to find, and only has been used for about 4 model years (01E is 13 years) and only available in Europe.. It is fairly robust but much larger in dimension than the 01E due to it's separate synchronized reverse gear.

 

[John Drew]

The 016 was a decent gearbox for moderate power (no more than 400 ft/lbs) but parts and gearboxes are exceedingly difficult to find and if you do find parts they are horrendously expensive. However 016's do have their fare share of issues that the 01E solved.

The 01E gear thickness is 1 inch for the widest gear and 3/4 inches for the narrowest...

Scott,

Could you please direct me to the spec/gear ratio/dimension link for 01E?
I also have 1988 Esprit Turbo with underrated C35 Citroen transmission and I'm looking for a suitable replacement.

 

[Dave]

The 944 box is a good compromise , It has bigger gears than 016, lsd, and good final drive ratios. There are several ways to get them working but if you have an 016 installed you can use all the adapter kit parts. Plus 944 boxes are cheap.

 

[Scott]

The 944 box is a good compromise , It has bigger gears than 016, lsd, and good final drive ratios. There are several ways to get them working but if you have an 016 installed you can use all the adapter kit parts. Plus 944 boxes are cheap.

944 boxes aren't well suited to be mounted behind and engine. There is no provisions for a slave cylinder and there is no provisions for a pilot bearing on the input shaft. Granted these issues can be overcome with the proper equipment and engineering, but these add significantly to the cost.