m3 vs 335i, who wins?

[GIdriver]

Originally Posted by klammer

Don't need your sympathy, I feel great, and have always felt bad for 335's on a racetrack

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=412156

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[GIdriver]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

Jonjt speaks the truth The suspension difference between the two cars is immense. I modded my 335 for the track but its chassis was just so far inferior to the M3....so I just sold my 335 for an M3 to save myself all the hassle and trouble of continuing to mod the 335.

I love the stock suspension of the M3 so much that I'm modding everything else but that. My goal is to get better as a driver with the stock suspension, stock wheels and 300 treadwear tires (on the track).

Back on topic, I had an auto n54 335 with a Procede, downpipes, and meth, LSD, coils and Michelin PSS tires. It was WAAAAAAYYYY faster than an M3 from a stop or from a roll-on. It did 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, 0-100 in 8.7 seconds, etc. Over 120mph it pulled (slowly) on two e92 ESS 535 supercharged M3's...one 6MT one DCT. Without meth or racegas or e85, a race against a stock M3 will be closer, but the nod to the 335. I'd say an M3 with a tune and no cats will actually beat n54 335 without meth/racegas/e85.

Originally Posted by Jonjt

Yeah, Longboarder nailed the crux of my argument. The frame is a bit stiffer, the suspension maintains lower force variation at the contact patch, the steering system is better, the bushings are stiffer and provide more feedback, the car privides better brake cooling capability and has brakes that are better suited to fast driving, etc. It's not black magic, it's just engineering. BMW engineered the 335i for a specific target, and did the same for the M3. The targed for the M3 exceeded that for the 335i. And, that targed included more than just a new engine, transmission, fender flares and bigger tires.

You can make up for all most all of this but, why? By that point, you've closed the gap in price between the two cars. And, you still haven't dealt with the N54s inherent heat and bearing wear issues.


In the end though, this argument is academic. If you are concerned with racing/tracking/HDPEs (which, not too many of are), driver skill will determine the winner in a race between the two cars, at the technological limits of their respective platforms. If you are only concerned with sporty street driving, both will do well. Buying a car is a very emotional thing, particularly since the M3 provides NO increased utility over the 335i.


So, while my tuned N54 335i is faster than any M3 I've run into on the street AND on the track, I still pine for an S65 (specifically, a supercharged one). And, I do so because I believe the M3 is a better drive. It makes me feel better than a 335i does. Since we do not race these cars for a living (at least, 99% of us don't), we all should just stop arguing and buy whatever makes us happy/we can afford.

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