M8 Competition

Two-and-a-half month update with the M8. Got it tuned and it's a beast. But can get me in trouble real quick. The newer tech is nice too but being 100% honest...drove the e92 M3 today and that's still my favorite overall car.

Impressive numbers. Must feel like a friggin jet from launch. How's the steering feel? I haven't driven any M cars newer than my e90, but every other modern car I've driven in the last 5 years has been awful. Like a video game with no force-feedback.

M850i I drove about two years ago felt pretty nimble around the corners for its size. ZF transmission was a major let down but I wonder now that you have broken in your M8C, how the transmission responds.

Eja144 wrote

Impressive numbers. Must feel like a friggin jet from launch. How's the steering feel? I haven't driven any M cars newer than my e90, but every other modern car I've driven in the last 5 years has been awful. Like a video game with no force-feedback.

kyrix1st wrote

M850i I drove about two years ago felt pretty nimble around the corners for its size. ZF transmission was a major let down but I wonder now that you have broken in your M8C, how the transmission responds.

Hey guys. Yes exactly - Steering is frustrating as it feels disconnected. The Porsche electric steering is amazing in comparison and of course the mechanical e92 M3 steering is the best I've ever experienced.

Surprisingly the ZF8 is wickedly quick and fun. I wish it was 7 speed because the gearing in first, second and third are way too close together. Launching from a dig i can upshift first no problem but you have to be immediately ready to upshift second in a split second or it will hit limiter. I was worried after tuning that it would be stressed but nope, responds like a PDK.

Got bored of the M8 so traded it for something useful.

M8 was no comparison to the absolutely brilliant engineering of the e9X M3.

Congrats on the purchase!

You hear people often say “Why would you need 600hp in a big boaty SUV!?” and my response is always “Have you driven one?”

Everyone owes it to themselves to try out a super SUV, it’ll blow your mind.

Nice swap Longboarder - the F85 is a great vehicle

I've had a few V8 powered X5's and absolutely love them. They offer great contrast to the E9x M3.. way better torque/power, better seats/comfort, better tech, etc. I wouldn't want to pick one over the other, so it's best to have 1 of each!

Similarly, I picked up a 958.1 Cayenne Turbo back in January to be my hauler. Threw a tune on it in May to bring the power up a bit. I love having it around, it works as a luxury focused antithesis to the E92, but a big turbo V8 up front. Surprising amount of turbo lag, which really reminds me of the 80s turbo Saabs I grew up with. And pretty capable when it comes to curvy roads, despite needing a suspension refresh. Some days I'm just not in the mood for the E92, the Cayenne is fantastic filler on those days. I've gotten a genuine love of these big luxury SUVs.

I am really enjoying the older analog 2018 F85 chassis X5M a lot. It complements the E92M3. The transmission "feels" the same. Same dct shift knob and the 8AT was programmed to behave just like the M-DCT. Steering on the X5M is fantastic. What the hell did BMW do to their new cars?!

Both v8's but of course make power differently. Got the X5M tuned and finally it feels pretty quick. On par with my stock E92? Would be fun to run them.

Both very comfortable to drive. X5M more
Comfortable than my new chassis 2019 X5 xdrive. Now sure how this is possible but it is.

M8 was a mistake. I should have listened to myself. Cost me a bit to get out of it but I'm really happy with the replacement.