Disappointed by E92 M3 1/4 Mile?

[revah2]

First off I'd like to say that I acknowledge the fact that a pleasurable driving experience isn't all about how fast the car goes in a straight line. Of course, there is more to a car. However, when price is put into the equation, getting a 335i and slapping a couple of mods on there seems like the better choice when put against the new M3. Car and Driver reported a quarter mile of 12.9 at 111mph. 335is with AA Xede and Exhaust are hitting 12.6@ 109 in the quarter mile with 3-5k worth of mods... not to mention your still spending about 15k less than you would be if you bought the E92 M3. The only thing that puzzles me is the M3s trap speed of 111 mph. With a trap speed like that, shouldn't the 1/4 mile time be mid to low 12s. Either that or there is a loss of traction, and the only way to get a better time would be to slap some new tires on there. I guess the 335i gave everyone very, very high expectations for the new M3, and that is exactly where BMW faulted. So, is the 6mph faster trap speed and about a half-a-second faster quarter mile time plus some extra styling and better handling (scored something like .05 higher on the skidpad than the 335i) worth the extra 20-25k for the new M3? Oh, you get the ///M badge.

[M3onTwomps]

Originally Posted by revah2

First off I'd like to say that I acknowledge the fact that a pleasurable driving experience isn't all about how fast the car goes in a straight line. Of course, there is more to a car. However, when price is put into the equation, getting a 335i and slapping a couple of mods on there seems like the better choice when put against the new M3. Car and Driver reported a quarter mile of 12.9 at 111mph. 335is with AA Xede and Exhaust are hitting 12.6@ 109 in the quarter mile with 3-5k worth of mods... not to mention your still spending about 15k less than you would be if you bought the E92 M3. The only thing that puzzles me is the M3s trap speed of 111 mph. With a trap speed like that, shouldn't the 1/4 mile time be mid to low 12s. Either that or there is a loss of traction, and the only way to get a better time would be to slap some new tires on there. I guess the 335i gave everyone very, very high expectations for the new M3, and that is exactly where BMW faulted. So, is the 6mph faster trap speed and about a half-a-second faster quarter mile time plus some extra styling and better handling (scored something like .05 higher on the skidpad than the 335i) worth the extra 20-25k for the new M3? Oh, you get the ///M badge.

No, not disappointed. C&D stated that they could've done better with more time and on a better racing surface and better tires.

Either way, if I wanted a dragster, I wouldn't be looking at the M3.

But, thanks for trying, and likely succeeding at starting another flame war.

[Leg]

Im glad, most of the 1/4 miles near me have great scenery and quite often very attractive young ladies walking along them. I would hate to miss it and I like to think they would hate to miss me, although Im probably kidding myself.

[NavNurs]

If that is the case, how about we buy a Civic? We could rice it out and burn all them M3/335/911TTs!

[JEllis]

Nope not dissapointed either.....

[revah2]

Originally Posted by NavNurs

If that is the case, how about we buy a Civic? We could rice it out and burn all them M3/335/911TTs!

Your comparing civics to BMWs... I'm comparing BMWs to BMWs......

[revah2]

This was supposed to invoke some constructive criticism, stupid me for ever thinking that would happen

[carnuts3]

Originally Posted by revah2

First off I'd like to say that I acknowledge the fact that a pleasurable driving experience isn't all about how fast the car goes in a straight line. Of course, there is more to a car. However, when price is put into the equation, getting a 335i and slapping a couple of mods on there seems like the better choice when put against the new M3. Car and Driver reported a quarter mile of 12.9 at 111mph. 335is with AA Xede and Exhaust are hitting 12.6@ 109 in the quarter mile with 3-5k worth of mods... not to mention your still spending about 15k less than you would be if you bought the E92 M3. The only thing that puzzles me is the M3s trap speed of 111 mph. With a trap speed like that, shouldn't the 1/4 mile time be mid to low 12s. Either that or there is a loss of traction, and the only way to get a better time would be to slap some new tires on there. I guess the 335i gave everyone very, very high expectations for the new M3, and that is exactly where BMW faulted. So, is the 6mph faster trap speed and about a half-a-second faster quarter mile time plus some extra styling and better handling (scored something like .05 higher on the skidpad than the 335i) worth the extra 20-25k for the new M3? Oh, you get the ///M badge.

Since I will be using my car as a daily driver, after I test drive all the "faster" and more expensive alternatives, I just might end up concluding that the little extra speed and handling, etc, etc is not worth the extra $20-25K - the smart decision might end up being to buy the 335i and be done with it for now. I'll have to wait and see.

[JEllis]

You are actually talking about modded vs. stock. I can go out and spend 10K on a Mustang and mods and have a real 1/4mi monster. I guess the point being that the 1/4mi is not a very good judge for a car like the M3. I mean, If just wanted a fast BMW I could SC or Turbo my E36 M3 and have a damn fast bimmer. The new M3 offers so much more than the 335i can. We just havnt seen any real reviews yet. So far all we have are some "first drive" impressions. So wait for some more hardcore performance numbers. The 335i is a great car but its not the everyday track monster the M3 is going to be.

Jason

[SunnyD]

Some people like their cars fast out of the box. Even though you would only be spending less than 10k to make the 335 pretty comparable in terms of performance numbers, a lot of people don't want to go through the hassle of modding their cars and possibly voiding their warranty. The question for me is if the m3 is around 70k with options, should I start to consider the z06 for around the same price?

[revah2]

Originally Posted by JEllis

You are actually talking about modded vs. stock. I can go out and spend 10K on a Mustang and mods and have a real 1/4mi monster. I guess the point being that the 1/4mi is not a very good judge for a car like the M3. I mean, If just wanted a fast BMW I could SC or Turbo my E36 M3 and have a damn fast bimmer. The new M3 offers so much more than the 335i can. We just havnt seen any real reviews yet. So far all we have are some "first drive" impressions. So wait for some more hardcore performance numbers. The 335i is a great car but its not the everyday track monster the M3 is going to be.

Jason

Ok fair enough, I guess if your opting to buy an M3, 15ks worth wouldnt make the biggest difference when your talking about spending 45-65 thousand dollars. I guess what i was really trying to say was BMW put the 335i way too close to the M3 in terms of all around bang for your buck. I know if i only had 70k to spend I would buy the M3 over a modded 335i, but would others? I think BMW hurt themselves here because im almost certain a fair amount of people will be turning to modded 335is.

[revah2]

Originally Posted by SunnyD

Some people like their cars fast out of the box. Even though you would only be spending less than 10k to make the 335 pretty comparable in terms of performance numbers, a lot of people don't want to go through the hassle of modding their cars and possibly voiding their warranty. The question for me is if the m3 is around 70k with options, should I start to consider the z06 for around the same price?

You raise a good point, sadly enough. But if your one who enjoys a comfy interior, corvettes come stock with shit hole interior, no, really. And you only get 2 seats!

[JEllis]

I think the bottom line here and across the bimmer fan world right now is we all need to sit back and wait for the magazines (and others) to really get us some good reviews, head to head comparos, and most of all, some solid performance numbers from several different sources.

Right now we really having nothing but what C&D has told us which is actually pretty good. For the most part we just have about 8 guys impressions of the new M3.

Jason

[Robert]

Originally Posted by revah2

Car and Driver reported a quarter mile of 12.9 at 111mph. 335is with AA Xede and Exhaust are hitting 12.6@ 109 in the quarter mile with 3-5k worth of mods...

So, is the 6mph faster trap speed and about a half-a-second faster quarter mile time plus some extra styling and better handling (scored something like .05 higher on the skidpad than the 335i) worth the extra 20-25k for the new M3? Oh, you get the ///M badge.

No I wouldn't call it a disappointment because there are many other aspects of the M that's not cover in reviews. If you are familiar with statistic you'll understand the specifications are an estimate to the car's abilities just as mean and standard deviation are to a sample set. One would first hope the magazine's figures are unbiased figures (measurement error, conditions) and second, given those figures are unbiased, there can still be misrepresentations. It's hard to estimate something continuous, like performance, with couple sample points. Other figures not measured in their short reviews are longevity and personal satisfaction.

Similar question can be pose against the 335i. Is the BMW worth the 5-10k more than G37? Some magazines do not think so and because of that are you disappointed?

[lucid]

Originally Posted by revah2

First off I'd like to say that I acknowledge the fact that a pleasurable driving experience isn't all about how fast the car goes in a straight line. Of course, there is more to a car. However, when price is put into the equation, getting a 335i and slapping a couple of mods on there seems like the better choice when put against the new M3. Car and Driver reported a quarter mile of 12.9 at 111mph. 335is with AA Xede and Exhaust are hitting 12.6@ 109 in the quarter mile with 3-5k worth of mods... not to mention your still spending about 15k less than you would be if you bought the E92 M3. The only thing that puzzles me is the M3s trap speed of 111 mph. With a trap speed like that, shouldn't the 1/4 mile time be mid to low 12s. Either that or there is a loss of traction, and the only way to get a better time would be to slap some new tires on there. I guess the 335i gave everyone very, very high expectations for the new M3, and that is exactly where BMW faulted. So, is the 6mph faster trap speed and about a half-a-second faster quarter mile time plus some extra styling and better handling (scored something like .05 higher on the skidpad than the 335i) worth the extra 20-25k for the new M3? Oh, you get the ///M badge.

Will this ever end? This topic has been discussed hundreds of times in the past month here--almost always started by a 335 owner. Will we see another thread for every possible acceleration distance: 0-30; 0-60; 0-100; 1/4 mile; 1/2 mile; full mile???

What is your problem? You made a decision, bought a car, so enjoy it! If you are not happy with your car, sell it, and buy something you'd enjoy more. Why try to prove something to yourself on a public forum? This is not a therapy medium so that you can work out your problems with your car.

And, yeah, one can always mod the M3, and then what is your modded 335 going to do? Or one can always go buy a Corvette for even less than a 335, and blow most cars away. Why don't you do just that--sell your 335 and buy a Corvette?

[Keto]

Is this the 10000th thread about how you can chip a turbo engine and it goes faster? Thanks for letting us know.

The only reason the 335 is "close to the m3" is because the hp mods are cheap since it's FI. If it was a NA 300 hp engine we wouldn't be having this discussion. Frankly, most M owners love their NA engines and could give a crap about chipping this that or other. If you want a FI M you might as well choose another brand.

[gtr]

Originally Posted by revah2

Car and Driver reported a quarter mile of 12.9 at 111mph. 335is with AA Xede and Exhaust are hitting 12.6@ 109 in the quarter mile

My stock 996 Turbo get 12.3@119mph and made another pass at 12.6@118. Does this mean my porsche is a tad faster than the 335? I think not. Just traction limited. More MPH usually mean faster car and able to reach better time. In your example i'd bet the M3 is faster with sticky tires and able to post better times. This would be true if those times were obtained using similar track conditions.

[SS32]

If I cared about 1/4, I would have bought a GTO or a C6.

[Robert]

Originally Posted by Keto

If you want a FI M you might as well choose another brand.

That's a little extreme, I have seen nicely FI M but most of them are show cars.

[M3onTwomps]

Originally Posted by Leg

Im glad, most of the 1/4 miles near me have great scenery and quite often very attractive young ladies walking along them. I would hate to miss it and I like to think they would hate to miss me, although Im probably kidding myself.

Hahaha.....good answer.

[devo]

Originally Posted by revah2

First off I'd like to say that I acknowledge the fact that a pleasurable driving experience isn't all about how fast the car goes in a straight line. Of course, there is more to a car. However, when price is put into the equation, getting a 335i and slapping a couple of mods on there seems like the better choice when put against the new M3. Car and Driver reported a quarter mile of 12.9 at 111mph. 335is with AA Xede and Exhaust are hitting 12.6@ 109 in the quarter mile with 3-5k worth of mods... not to mention your still spending about 15k less than you would be if you bought the E92 M3. The only thing that puzzles me is the M3s trap speed of 111 mph. With a trap speed like that, shouldn't the 1/4 mile time be mid to low 12s. Either that or there is a loss of traction, and the only way to get a better time would be to slap some new tires on there. I guess the 335i gave everyone very, very high expectations for the new M3, and that is exactly where BMW faulted. So, is the 6mph faster trap speed and about a half-a-second faster quarter mile time plus some extra styling and better handling (scored something like .05 higher on the skidpad than the 335i) worth the extra 20-25k for the new M3? Oh, you get the ///M badge.

IMO; A high trap number is typically indicative of a engine with a lot of top end; which the M has plenty of.

[OC Guy]

I have a 335i. I'd take a //M3 over my 335i even with a chip.