What is the M3's biggest weakness?

[bruce.augenstein@comcast.]

Originally Posted by BMRLVR

The phaser can advance or retard the cam while on the ramp of the lobe so that can change duration. It is actually very cool to watch camshaft angles via the cam position sensors on an engine with VCT. We had the opportunity to do this in one of my technical training courses in engine control systems!

OK, point taken. So for that tiny fraction of a second (while VANOS is on the "step" of a cam adjusment) duration changes.

That hardly counts as a duration change, in the sense that a classic change of duration changes performance at whatever rpm. In that sense, cam phasing has a performance affect, but not the instantaneous affect generated by a permanent change in duration at whatever rpm.

In effect, cam-change "steps" are few and far between, based on the speed at which cam phasing can occur compared with the leisurely climb in rpm.

Bruce

[M3chaser]

Originally Posted by jphughan

Ride height as in too low or too high? I personally find it low enough to feel great cornering while still high enough that I'm not constantly scraping.

As for exhaust, I agree you don't hear a lot of exhaust sound, but you get plenty of intake and engine sound any time you're running more than 50% throttle -- which is kind of cool, lets you have a sleeper car when driving calmly and a monster when driving harder. I haven't looked into aftermarket exhausts, but if more exhaust noise would mean hearing less of the sweet intake and engine noise, I'm not sure I'd want that tradeoff.

+100%