Drivers Republic: 40-110mph drag E90, E92 and E93 M3s

[Wads]

Done at Silverstone the other day...... full write up with video here:

http://www.drivers-republic.com/comm...5e0df8dc2590b2

[Mickb]

Nice article. God only knows the wars its going to start though

(hint: Manual Saloon > DCT Coupe)

[footie]

Well what that shows us is that the manual M3 saloon which has been beat to death and driven by every man and his dog is quicker than the DCT M3 coupe driven sole be one person and tracked occasionally.

The 'Which is quicker' debate between gearboxes will probably start now and go on until sometime in the not to distance future, all I am interested in were the comments on the wheel/tyre choice and as I believe and felt myself, the smaller 18" is the performance driver's choice as well as the ideal choice if you prefer a decent ride comfort. Only the 19" looks were it's only advantage over the 18" and even then that is a preference that not everyone will agree with, myself included.

So if you want to spoil all of BMW's hard work, doing countless hours honing it's handling on the Nurburgring then go buy yourself a set of 20" over bigger alloys. (Bling, Bling)

[Wads]

The thoughts are that the Saloon is one of the better ones as its a BMW press car.... not cheating in any way but at the top of its game in all areas (they probably cherry pick the best cars to pass on to long term testers like DR EVO etc.).

I was surprised that the DCT didn't at least match the manual.

[footie]

Originally Posted by Wads

The thoughts are that the Saloon is one of the better ones as its a BMW press car.... not cheating in any way but at the top of its game in all areas (they probably cherry pick the best cars to pass on to long term testers like DR EVO etc.).

I was surprised that the DCT didn't at least match the manual.

It's all to do with gearing.

Maybe they should dyno both the coupe and the saloon to see if there is any difference. Imagine if the saloon had more, what would some here say about such a result, they could never point the finger at Nissan again.

Best not do that test, just in case.

[Wads]

Originally Posted by footie

It's all to do with gearing.

Yes but I thought the gearing favoured the DCT? We all started in 2nd gear at a rolling 30mph start..... dct for the cab and coupe.

[armyav8tor]

The truth is boring, controversy = more hits.

[waremark]

The DCT Coupe was mine. A comparison of figures with a previous magazine test shows my car was not below par; the saloon was good.

There is no doubt the gearchange is quicker with DCT, but the saloon more than made up for it. The journalist, Jethro, put this down to his car which is from the BMW press fleet probably being a very good one, and to the way he has driven it hard for 15,000 miles, loosening it up nicely. I wondered how the aero compares between saloon and coupe.

A particularly interesting aspect for DCT owners is that we did half a dozen runs, and in every one, by 120 mph I was behind the manual saloon - the difference varied, but it was always less than a car's length. I tried the gearbox in various settings, and the closest I came to the saloon (only just behind) was using S1. So the harsher changes in S5/S6 (S6 changes actually twitched the car slightly sideways) at best are no quicker, and are possibly actually slower than the perfectly smooth changes in S1!

[armyav8tor]

Originally Posted by waremark

The DCT Coupe was mine. A comparison of figures with a previous magazine test shows my car was not below par; the saloon was good.

There is no doubt the gearchange is quicker with DCT, but the saloon more than made up for it. The journalist, Jethro, put this down to his car which is from the BMW press fleet probably being a very good one, and to the way he has driven it hard for 15,000 miles, loosening it up nicely. I wondered how the aero compares between saloon and coupe.

A particularly interesting aspect for DCT owners is that we did half a dozen runs, and in every one, by 120 mph I was behind the manual saloon - the difference varied, but it was always less than a car's length. I tried the gearbox in various settings, and the closest I came to the saloon (only just behind) was using S1. So the harsher changes in S5/S6 (S6 changes actually twitched the car slightly sideways) at best are no quicker, and are possibly actually slower than the perfectly smooth changes in S1!

So the press car was a ringer. Got it. How many miles does your car have? How much fuel was in the tank during the runs? How much do you weigh?

[southlight]

So the press car was a ringer.

I saw that one coming.



Best regards, south

[jamesisel]

yup

[armyav8tor]

Originally Posted by southlight

I saw that one coming.



Best regards, south

Saw what coming?

Originally Posted by waremark

The journalist, Jethro, put this down to his car which is from the BMW press fleet probably being a very good one, and to the way he has driven it hard for 15,000 miles, loosening it up nicely.

Too bad he didn't really disclose that in his article. Typical journalist BS, much like the latest episode of Best Motoring.

[footie]

Originally Posted by waremark

A particularly interesting aspect for DCT owners is that we did half a dozen runs, and in every one, by 120 mph I was behind the manual saloon - the difference varied, but it was always less than a car's length. I tried the gearbox in various settings, and the closest I came to the saloon (only just behind) was using S1. So the harsher changes in S5/S6 (S6 changes actually twitched the car slightly sideways) at best are no quicker, and are possibly actually slower than the perfectly smooth changes in S1!

What can I say.

Swamp, it looks like my guesses always appear to be on the money, time and again.

Thanks for this add info.

P.S.
Your car is a peach in the red with the 18" alloys.

[KGLESQ]

Originally Posted by southlight

I saw that one coming.

. . . from a million miles away.

[FStop7]

Originally Posted by armyav8tor

So the press car was a ringer. Got it.

/facepalm

Originally Posted by armyav8tor

Too bad he didn't really disclose that in his article. Typical journalist BS, much like the latest episode of Best Motoring.

[lvwirelessguy]

Ive had both coupes, and for me its a night and day comparison. The M3 with M-DCT is demonic, I dont miss my 6MT at all

[Speedtrap]

I had the 6MT at Abingdon today and it feels great...heel, toe and shift...easy..not sure whether M-DCT would be faster.

[Sedan_Clan]

Ringer? Highly doubt it. You guys just like jabbin' at South. It just seems that the 6MT performed better in this test.

[urbo73]

6MT Sedan - the cream of the crop!

[Wads]

Originally Posted by armyav8tor

Too bad he didn't really disclose that in his article. Typical journalist BS, much like the latest episode of Best Motoring.

He didn't say so in the article but did say this in the comments underneath....

"It seems the V8 loosens nicely with miles, then. I thought as much as mine just seems to get angrier and angrier at the top end. Press cars always tend to be good ones. I don't suspect foul play but I have been told on a couple of occasions that press cars tend to be 'towards the top of the production tolerances' in terms of power etc. So if that tolerance is, say, 410bhp - 425bhp - then a press car would typically be the latter"

[footie]

Originally Posted by Wads

He didn't say so in the article but did say this in the comments underneath....

"It seems the V8 loosens nicely with miles, then. I thought as much as mine just seems to get angrier and angrier at the top end. Press cars always tend to be good ones. I don't suspect foul play but I have been told on a couple of occasions that press cars tend to be 'towards the top of the production tolerances' in terms of power etc. So if that tolerance is, say, 410bhp - 425bhp - then a press car would typically be the latter"

I can second that statement, I have been told similar which has always been my case with the GTR. Some people believe this to be foul play, I believe this to be a manufacturer guaranteeing their cars which perform to the best of their ability.

P.S.

How much would a 15hp advantage amount to in reality. Oh I would say, about a car length or there abouts.

[FStop7]

But according to the DCT fanbois a +15hp advantage would not make a difference on the 6MT since the mad tyte shifting skillz of the DCT and its uber gearing would make it teh fastar.