Who manufactures 5-speed gearboxes for VW beetles?

Answer 1

Gene Berg makes the only one worth putting in your car, but you really do not want one. Let me explain why. First is cost. You buy this in two parts: the transmission conversion for $1644 and the shifter conversion for around $300. Throw in shipping your transmission to California, and you've got well over $2000 in the project. Second is practicality. You want a five-speed so you can go faster, right? Berg's five-speed conversion leaves you with the exact same gear ratio in 5th as you had in 4th on the old transmission. This is a CLOSE RATIO gearbox, good for autocross but no big whoop for everyday driving. He leaves the Top Gear ratio where VW put it for cooling reasons: if the engine is turning slower than the back wheels, so is the fan. Since the fan is the only thing keeping your engine from becoming a glob of molten metal under the car, slowing it down is Bad. Third is strength. Berg got five gears where four normally go by making the gear plates thinner. Berg does fine work, but I really like the idea of the thicker plates. Stock VW transmissions are about as fragile as anvils, and I'd like to keep it that way. Having said all that, let me tell you what to spend those big bux that are burning a hole in your pocket: a Quaife limited slip differential. You've heard the commercials for the cars that "transfer power from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip"? That's what a limited slip differential, AKA Positraction, does, and that's what the Quaife does. It puts more power on the ground than the stock differential can. This costs $1200 and it's a much better investment than a five-speed kit. This will make you go a little faster, and it will prepare you for the 1776cc engine that will make you go quite a bit faster.