A world first!! Whifbitz Supra dual clutch 7 speed transmission conversion!!

This is a world first bringing the Supra bang up to date using the latest transmission technology. After a lot of work we’ve fitted the amazing Getrag 7 speed DCT gearbox as used in the latest BMW M3 and M6, this is the first time a dual clutch transmission has been fitted to a Supra anywhere in the world.

The DCT (dual clutch transmission) gearboxes have been steadily taking over from the manual gearboxes over the years, most of the supercar manufacturers use them in their cars these days, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, McLaren, etc all use DCT gearboxes. And are now being used in main stream cars too like Audi, VW, Renault, etc.

The benefits of the DCT’s are:

1. Super fast gearchanges, the 7 speed Getrag gearbox we are using changes gear in 80 milliseconds. This in turn massively reduces acceleration times improving the cars performance. The DCT version of the M3 is 0.2 seconds faster from 0-60 over the manual version, thats just one gearchange. Imagine if you’re on a race track,how much faster it would be on a lap.

2. Manual and auto modes. So if you want to just poodle around in auto mode it drives as smooth as a normal automatic. Then flick the gearlever to the right and you have a sequential gearbox or you can use the flappy paddles on the steering wheel.

3. Throttle blipping on downshifts, this sounds amazing!

4. Better fuel economy and less power loss than any auto gearbox as its direct drive, no power sapping torque converter.

5. Launch control, this can’t be done on auto cars.

6. Clutches are immersed in fluid so don’t wear as fast as normal clutches.

We’ve managed this feat by using a Syvecs S6Plus ecu to control the engine and gearbox, with the gearbox control exclusive to Whifbitz, you can’t buy this conversion anywhere else.  A lot of time and money has been spent making the gearbox work with the Syvecs ecu, all credit must go to Ryan at Syvecs for this part, he’s done a fantastic job with the gearbox driving and working like stock.

The gearbox is attached to the engine with a custom made billet flywheel and billet aluminium adaptor plate. The conversion comes with a new mount for the gearbox which allows it to bolt onto the stock location and uses a new propshaft flange to bolt directly to a stock Supra propshaft too.

We’ve also fitted a drive by wire throttle using a Bosch item that’s normally found on a Porsche 996 turbo. This bolts directly to the stock manifold with a custom made billet aluminium adaptor. The throttle pedal has to be changed to a drive by wire type too, all available as part of the kit.

The BMW M3 gearlever has been fitted to control all the different modes, which looks and feels amazing installed in the Supra. This is used to select between auto and manual modes, reverse and manual gear changes. This also has a separate button called Drivelogic which allows 6 adjustments on the shift speed from slow to fast, from soft to hard shifting depending on your mood.

We’ve also fitted carbon paddle shifts to the steering wheel so you never have to take your hands off the wheel to change gear, flick the right paddle to change up and the left one to change down.

We started our testing of the gearbox on a 400bhp Supra running stock twins which worked 100% ok with no clutch slip. The next test was to see how far the stock clutches would go, so we fitted one of our Whifbitz single turbo kits with the latest Borg Warner 66mm SXE billet turbos. On the dyno we found the limit to be 596bhp/450lb/ft torque which is pretty much what torque Getrag quote. Anymore than this and the clutches would slip.

So the next step in our development is to fit uprated clutches which will allow about 750lb/ft torque, that’ll be about 900bhp approx which should be enough for most people’s needs. There are higher torque rating clutches available for anyone wanting to go further with it as the gearboxes are known to take over a 1000bhp.

We see this conversion as a major step forward bringing the Supra right up to date with latest technology transmission. For those with a tuned Supra running the autobox our DCT gearbox conversion will be a revelation, no more slush box with no control over the gearbox, no more waiting for upshifts and less power loss as there is no torque converter sapping it. You can cruise around in automatic mode just as you would with an autobox but then switch it into manual to change gear with the gear lever or flappy paddles.

Manual owners will enjoy this too, gone will be the slow clunky gear changes offered by the V160/1 gearbox. And don’t forget after the conversion you will have your 6 speed gearbox and conversion parts to sell and as you are probably aware they are worth a lot of money with prices on the up.

The only downside to the conversion is the transmission tunnel has to be modified to accommodate the gearboxes extra size, we can do this in house here at Whifbitz and once complete you wouldn’t notice the difference and you can change back to a Supra gearbox at a later date if needed.

The gear ratios of the 7 speed gearbox means that 7th gear is the same as 5th gear on the Supra 6 speed, this is fine when fitted with the 3.2 ratio diff still giving a top speed of 174mph at 7200rpm. The automatic Supra’s have a 3.7 diff ratio though so that does need changing, we have a 2.9 ratio available which gives the car a top speed of 198mph at 7200rpm, plenty fast enough. If you are running a built engine you can rev it higher allowing a higher top speed of course.

The car feels so fast with these new gearbox ratios, the difference is astonishing, rapid fire gear changes and faster response due to the gear ratios being stacked closer together.

The gearboxes are readily available used for £1500 upwards, so are relatively cheap compared. On top of this you will need the custom flywheel, adaptor plate, prop shaft flange, gearbox mount available from us. Also required is the BMW M3 DCT gear lever, again we have managed to buy these used for around £300, new they are around £1000.

The Syvecs S6Plus is required to control the gearbox and the engine. If you already have a Syvecs S6GP fitted, you would need to upgrade to the Syvecs S6Plus, if you have a Syvecs S6GP you can return it to us and we can upgrade it to a Syvecs S6Plus for £660.

Bosch drive by wire throttle, these are about £200 approx., throttle body adaptor to bolt it on the standard inlet manifold £200 approx. and we use a Toyota drive by wire throttle pedal which bolts directly into the Supra, £200 approx. Oil cooler for the gearbox plus custom made pipework to reuse the BMW DCT thermostat and water/oil heat exchanger, £500 approx.

Plus all of this needs wiring from the gearbox to the ecu, throttle and throttle pedal which is quite time consuming. The transmission tunnel needs widening and raising to accommodate the extra size of the gearbox, to do this the engine and dash has to be removed.

The other thing we are keen to mention is we can make this work on pretty much any car, not just the Supra. We can have adaptors made to suit any RWD car!

Exact prices to be announced on this amazing conversion very soon. In the meantime if you have any questions just ask away.