Detailed Facts

[dcaero]

Here's some detailed facts on our beloved M3 - no driving impressions or performance figures - just some facts some of which were new to me. And at this point I think we all could use some more facts. It seems like this board has been taken over with the same 'disappointed'...'ill wait till my test drive'...'RS4' over and over again

http://www.worldcarfans.com/news.cfm...e-e92-in-depth

Excerpts:
'Precisely this is why nearly all components on the double-joint front axle are made of aluminium – among them the even stiffer spring struts, the pivot bearings, the central subframe and an additional thrust panel beneath the engine serving to maximise the lateral stiffness of the entire front section.'

'Together with the axle control arms in forged aluminium and the aluminium dampers, these technologies and light materials serve to reduce weight by approximately 2.5 kg versus the former suspension.'

[nusevad]

Nice find there, but mostly rehashed info.

[swamp2]

Tons of new info. - good find! Note: although much of this is likely not new in the sense that it is borrowed/already used on the M5, I do think this is the first official mention of these details.

1. "Compared with conventional systems, the crossflow cooling concept featured on the new V8 significantly reduces pressure losses in the cooling system, spreading out temperatures smoothly within the cylinder head and thus reducing peak temperatures at all critical points. To ensure an optimum flow of coolant around each cylinder, the cooling liquid comes into the crankcase from the exhaust side, flowing crosswise through the cylinder head and above the collector rail on the intake side back to the thermostat and, respectively, the radiator."

2. "[The] intake funnels ... and the air collector being made of a light composite material with a 30 per cent share of glass fibre in order to reduce weight to a minimum."

3. "The exhaust pipes are made in an inner high-pressure moulding process, with the contours required on the stainless-steel pipes being shaped from inside under pressure of up to 800 bar. This method serves to provide pipes with extremely thin walls measuring only 0.65–1.0 millimetres in thickness, minimising flow resistance and weight, and optimising the response of the catalytic converters."

4. "the engine fulfils the ... US LEV 2 classification."

5. "the single-piece rear-end muffler with its very large volume of 35 litres serving to reduce the noise level, over and above the two intermediate silencers."

6. "the electronic control unit [takes] more than 50 incoming signals"/

7. "modern AGM Absorbent Glass Mat batteries able to handle far greater loads and tougher conditions than a conventional lead-acid battery. The particular advantage of an AGM battery is that it retains the acid required in microglass fibre mats between the individual layers of lead, thus ensuring long-term storage of energy even when charged and discharged frequently in the course of the battery’s life".

8. "[There is] an additional thrust panel beneath the engine serving to maximise the lateral stiffness of the entire front section."

9. "The vacuum required for the brake power servo is generated by an electrically driven pump".

10. "EDC Electronic Damper Control ... significantly reducing the car’s dive and roll behaviour".

11. "Two-stage adaptive brake lights – referred to as BMW Brake Force Display Lights – add a further improvement in driving safety helping to prevent accidents from the rear: Whenever the driver presses down the brake pedal particularly hard the brake lights come on over a larger area, giving motorists following from behind a clear signal and telling them to brake harder, too."

12. Telematics include automated emergency calls when and airbag is activated as well as real time traffic in the nav system.

13. The roof is formed by the RTM process.

14. "The thermoplastic side panels reduce the overall weight of the car by 3 kilos".

[Epacy]

Yes, some of those I didn't know. Good info.